Exile and return · Daniel 1–2
Daniel and His Friends in Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, besieges Jerusalem and has young Israelites of noble families brought to be trained for three years in the service of the palace. Among them are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Daniel resolves not to defile himself with the king’s food and wine. He proposes a ten-day test: vegetables and water. At the end of ten days, the four young men look healthier than all the others, and the king finds them ten times better than all his magicians. One day, Nebuchadnezzar demands that his wise men tell him his dream and its meaning, on pain of death for them all. Daniel and his friends plead with the God of heaven, who reveals the secret. Daniel describes a statue of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay, shattered by a stone that becomes a mountain: the eternal kingdom of God. The king promotes Daniel.
What happens
- Daniel resolves not to defile himself with the king’s food Daniel 1:8
- The ten-day test: vegetables and water Daniel 1:12–15
- Ten times better than all the magicians in the kingdom Daniel 1:20
- The four friends pray; the secret is revealed to Daniel Daniel 2:18–19
- The statue in the dream and the stone that shatters it Daniel 2:32–35
- A kingdom that shall never be destroyed Daniel 2:44
Who is in this story
The lesson
Faithful in small things, like food, Daniel then proves faithful in great ones. God honors those who honor him, and he alone holds history in his hands: all empires pass away, but his kingdom remains.
But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
Quick quiz on this story
What Babylonian name does Daniel receive?
The prince of the eunuchs gave Daniel the name Belteshazzar; Meshach and Abed-nego are the names given to Mishael and Azariah. Daniel 1:7
What do Daniel and his friends ask for during the ten-day test?
“Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse [vegetables] to eat, and water to drink.” Daniel 1:12
What is the head of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream made of?
“This image’s head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass [bronze].” Daniel 2:32
There are many more questions like these in Bible Academy, each with its explanation and verse. Start your free trial.