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Book 27 of 66 · Prophets · Visions

Daniel

Young Jewish captives serve in the court of the most powerful empire on earth. They work hard for the king but will not worship him, even when the price is a furnace or a den of lions. Then come dreams of beasts, empires, and a kingdom that will never end.

The big idea

In short: serve the king, but worship only God. Facing the furnace, three young men say God can save them, “But if not… we will not serve thy gods” (3:18).

Daniel also tells the most powerful king on earth how to fix his life: “break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor” (4:27).

The rule underneath: Law 1 · God first

Love God with everything. You are not the owner.

Keep it: Your life has one center, and everything else finds its place.
Break it: Money, power, or people become your god, and they let you down.

Shows up in: Deuteronomy, Jeremiah, Psalms, Mark, 1 Corinthians

Other rules in this book: Power serves, Keep your word, Protect the weakest

Live it: Playbook 01 · How to be a person

17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. 18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.Daniel 3:17-18 · KJV

At a glance

What it is
Six stories (1–6), then four visions (7–12). Part of it is written in Aramaic, the empire’s common language, instead of Hebrew (2:4 to 7:28).
Who wrote it
It is set in Babylon and Persia in the 500s BC, and the visions are in Daniel’s voice. Traditional readers see Daniel as the author. Most scholars date the final book to about 165 BC, because chapter 11 describes the wars of that time in close detail up to the Greek king Antiochus IV. debated
Where it sits
Christian Bibles put it with the Prophets. Jewish Bibles put it among the Writings.
In which Bibles
All of them. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include longer Greek additions: a prayer in the furnace, and the stories of Susanna and of Bel and the Dragon. See [the extra books](../books/deuterocanon.html#daniel-additions).
Why it matters
“One like the Son of man” (7:13) became Jesus’ favorite way to describe himself. Daniel 12:2 is the Old Testament’s clearest statement of rising from the dead.
Read it in
About 1½ hours.

What it says

1 · The test. Daniel and three friends are taken to Babylon to train for the king’s service. Daniel refuses the king’s rich food (1:8). He asks for a ten-day test of vegetables and water (1:12). They come out healthier and wiser than the rest.

2 · The statue. King Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a huge statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay. A stone smashes it. Daniel explains: empires will rise and fall, but God will “set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed” (2:44).

3 · The furnace. The king builds a gold statue and orders everyone to bow. The three friends refuse. God can save us, they say, “But if not… we will not serve thy gods” (3:18). In the furnace the king sees a fourth figure walking with them in the fire (3:25).

4 · The proud king. Daniel tells the king to break off his sins by “shewing mercy to the poor” (4:27). A year later the king boasts, “Is not this great Babylon, that I have built… by the might of my power?” (4:30). He loses his mind and lives like an animal until he honors God (4:33–37).

5 · The writing on the wall. King Belshazzar throws a party using cups stolen from God’s temple. A hand writes on the wall. Daniel reads it: “Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting” (5:27). That night the king dies.

6 · The lions’ den. Jealous officials trick King Darius into banning prayer to anyone but him for thirty days. Daniel keeps praying at his open window three times a day (6:10). He is thrown to the lions and survives (6:22).

7–12 · The visions. Four beasts rise from the sea, meaning four empires. Then “one like the Son of man” receives an everlasting kingdom (7:13–14). Daniel prays a long prayer of confession for his people (9). The last vision ends with a promise: many who sleep in the dust “shall awake” (12:2).

Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.Daniel 4:27 · KJV
Go deeper
  • Original words. Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin (5:25) are Aramaic names of weights: a mina, a shekel, and half-minas. Daniel turns them into verbs: numbered, weighed, divided. “Son of man” in Aramaic, bar enash, means a human being. In 7:13 the human figure stands in contrast to the beasts.
  • Structure. The Aramaic section (2:4–7:28) forms a pattern: chapters 2 and 7 (four empires), 3 and 6 (faithful people rescued), 4 and 5 (proud kings humbled). This kind of writing, with visions and symbols about the end of an age, is called apocalyptic, from a Greek word for “revealing.”
  • How the laws interlock. Law 1 is the line the friends won’t cross (3:18), while they still serve the king well (Law 6; 6:4). Law 11 is judged in every king: power belongs to God and must answer to him (4:32). Law 4 is the cure Daniel offers the king: mercy to the poor (4:27).

Hard parts

When was it written?

What it says The book is set in the 500s BC. Chapter 11 describes Greek kings of the 300s–100s BC in detail, then becomes less exact near its end (11:40–45).

The rule underneath God first. The message is the same either way: empires fall; God’s kingdom lasts.

What people added Traditional Jewish and Christian readers see real prophecy given in advance. Most scholars see a book finished during the persecution under Antiochus IV (167–164 BC), using older stories. Churches and scholars have split; this page does not settle it.

Counting the end

What it says Daniel gives numbers: “two thousand and three hundred days” (8:14), “seventy weeks” (9:24), and others (12:11–12).

The rule underneath Keep your word and serve faithfully now. The visions end, “go thou thy way till the end be” (12:13).

What people added Readers have used these numbers to calculate dates for the end of the world. Jesus says of the day, “of that day and that hour knoweth no man” (Mark 13:32). Many readers take the numbers as symbols.

How it has been used: The preacher William Miller used Daniel 8:14 to predict that Christ would return around 1843–1844. When nothing happened on October 22, 1844, his followers called it the “Great Disappointment.”

History questions

What it says The book calls Belshazzar king and son of Nebuchadnezzar (5:1–2) and names “Darius the Median” as the one who took Babylon (5:31).

The rule underneath Tell the truth. These are real questions, and they are worth stating plainly.

What people added Babylonian records show Belshazzar ruled Babylon for his father Nabonidus, who was not Nebuchadnezzar’s son. No “Darius the Mede” is known outside the Bible. Readers explain these as royal titles, a different name for a known ruler, or signs of a later author. debated

Translation notes that change meaning

  • 3:25 “like the Son of God.” The Aramaic means “like a son of the gods,” the king’s way of saying a divine being. Christians have often seen Christ here.
  • 7:13 “Son of man.” In Aramaic this means “a human being.” The New Testament uses it as a title for Jesus (Mark 14:62).

Where it leads

One thing to do

This week

Name your line

Daniel served a foreign king well, but had a line he would not cross. Write down one line you will not cross at work or school, even if it costs you. Then write one way you can serve your boss or teacher better this week. Keep both in your journal.

How to read it. Read the stories (1–6) in one sitting. Then read chapter 7 and chapter 9’s prayer.