Daniel 1:20

And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm. THE KING ... FOUND THEM TEN TIMES BETTER THAN ALL THE MAGICIANS - "ten times," literally, 'ten hands.' MAGICIANS - properly, 'sacred scribes, skilled in the sacred writings, a class of Egyptian priests' (Gesenius); [ charTumiym (H2748), from a Hebrew root, chereT (H2747), a pen]. The word in our English version, "magicians," comes from Mag, i:e., 'a priest.' The Magi formed one of the six divisions of the Medes. ASTROLOGERS - Hebrew, 'enchanters' [ haa'ashaapiym (H825), from a root, 'aa...

Verse Daniel 1:20. _MAGICIANS AND ASTROLOGERS_] Probably the same as _philosophers_ and _astronomers_ among us....

AND IN ALL MATTERS OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING - Margin, “of.” The Hebrew is, “Everything of wisdom of understanding.” The Greek, “In all things of wisdom “and” knowledge.” The meaning is, in everything which required peculiar wisdom to understand and explain it. The points submitted were such as would appropriately come before the minds of the sages and magicians who were employed as counselors at court. HE FOUND THEM TEN TIMES BETTER - Better counselors, better informed. Hebrew, “ten “hands” above the magicians;” that is, ten “times,” or “many” times. In this sense the word “ten” is used in Genesis 31:7, Genesis 31:41; Numbers 14:22;...

EXPOSITION DANIEL 1:1-27 OCCASION OF DANIEL BEING IN BABYLON. DANIEL 1:1 IN THE THIRD YEAR OF THE REIGN OF JEHOIAKIM KING OF JUDAH. After the defeat and death of Josiah, the people of the land put on the throne Jehoahaz, or Shallum (Jeremiah 22:11), one of the sons of their late monarch (2 Kings 23:30). We see, by comparing 2 Kings 23:31 with 2 Kings 23:36, that in taking Jehoahaz to be their king they had passed over the law of primogeniture. The reason of this would not unlikely be that he represented the policy of his father Josiah, which may have meant the preferenc

AND IN ALL MATTERS OF WISDOM AND UNDERSTANDING THAT THE KING INQUIRED OF THEM,.... At the time of their examination before him, when he put questions to them, which they gave a ready, pertinent, and solid answer to: and afterwards, when he had occasion to consult them on any affair, HE FOUND THEM TEN TIMES, or ten hands g better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm; than all the magi and sophies, the enchanters, diviners, soothsayers, and such who pretended to judicial astrology, and to judge of and foretell things by the position of the stars; these young men were able to give more pertinent answers to questions put to them, and better advice and counsel when asked of them, than all the persons before described, throughout the king's dominions. g עשר ידות "decem manibus", Montanus....

Daniel 1:1. _In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it._ Sin always brings its punishment. King Jehoiakim did evil in the sight of the Lord, so God used Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to be the rod in his hand to scourge his sinful people and their wicked king. Daniel 1:2. _And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand,_ It was not merely that Nebuchadnezzar was strong enough to overcome the Jews; but God handed over his people into Nebuchadnezzar's hand. The enemy cannot touch the Church of God without the divine permission. Daniel 1:2. With part of the vessels of the house of God: which

ANALYSIS AND ANNOTATIONS I. DANIEL IN BABYLON, NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S DREAM, AND HISTORICAL EVENTS CHAPTER 1 Daniel and His Companions in Babylon _ 1. The introduction (Daniel 1:1)_ 2. The king's command (Daniel 1:3) 3. Daniel and his companions (Daniel 1:6) Daniel 1:1. Divine judgment, which had threatened so long, had finally fallen upon Jerusalem. It was executed by the divinely chosen instrument, Nebuchadnezzar. Three times he came against Jerusalem. In 606 B.C. he appeared the first time. This is the visitation mentioned here. In 598 he came again and carried away more captives, including Ezekiel. In 587 he burn

DANIEL 1. DANIEL AT THE COURT OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. This introductory chapter describes the circumstances which brought Daniel to Babylon, introduced him into the Court, and gained him favour with the king. The writer's purpose is to enforce the duty of loyalty to the Law and the principles of religion, and he illustrates his point by describing Daniel's refusal to defile himself with the king's meat and wine (Daniel 1:8). There can be little doubt that his object in this chapter is to appeal to the Jews of his own day to resist the s to compel them to eat forbidden food. Daniel is held up as an example to the Jews of the Maccabean age. NEBUCHADNEZZAR (the name is more correctly spelt Nebuchadrezzar) was king of Babylon from 604 to 561 B.C. (pp. 60f.). Under his rule Babylon reached the summit of its power. The picture of the splendour and prosperity of his empire which is drawn in...

HE FOUND THEM TEN TIMES BETTER THAN ALL THE MAGICIANS. The ancient oriental court was provided with magicians and astrologers who were expected to give advice with more than human wisdom. The Greeks had their oracles, the Romans their augurs, and the Babylonians and Persians their magicians and astrologers. The wisdom of the four Hebrews appeared to the king far above that of the latter class....

MAGICIANS AND ASTROLOGERS. See notes on Daniel 2:2. Some codices, with Septuagint, Syriac, and Vulgate, read this "and" in the text....