The Meaning of Daniel 1:1 Explained

Daniel 1:1

KJV: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

YLT: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, come hath Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon to Jerusalem, and layeth siege against it;

Darby: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

ASV: In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

In the third  year  of the reign  of Jehoiakim  king  of Judah  came  Nebuchadnezzar  king  of Babylon  unto Jerusalem,  and besieged  it. 

What does Daniel 1:1 Mean?

Study Notes

and the name
Heb. Jehovah-shammah. See Exodus 17:15 ; Judges 6:24 .

Verse Meaning

The book opens with a synopsis of the first Jewish deportation in605 B.C. (cf. 2 Kings 24:1-2; 2 Chronicles 36:6). [1] Daniel and his three friends were part of the nobles and royal families taken from Jerusalem as captives then. We know nothing more about Daniel"s family background. Apparently he lived apart from his family in Babylon (cf. Daniel 1:11-13). Perhaps the Babylonians killed his parents, but this is only speculation.
The date of this deportation by Nebuchadnezzar (605 B.C.), as Daniel recorded it, was the third year of King Jehoiakim"s reign ( Daniel 1:1). However, Jeremiah wrote that the first year of Nebuchadnezzar"s reign (605 B.C.) was the fourth year of Jehoiakim"s reign ( Jeremiah 25:1; cf. Jeremiah 46:2). Many critics of Daniel have seized upon this apparent contradiction and have tried to discredit this prophecy. [2]
Scholars have proposed several solutions to this problem. [3] The best one, from my viewpoint, is that Daniel wrote from the Babylonian perspective and Jeremiah from the Jewish. It would have been only natural for Daniel to do so since he spent virtually all of his life in Babylon. The Babylonians considered the first year of their kings" reigns as the accession year, the year they acceded to the throne. That "year" sometimes lasted only a few months. The first regnal year, the first full year of their reign, began with the first day of the new civil year. For the Babylonians this was the first of Nisan (late March and early April). This is the accession-year system of dating. [4]
Jeremiah was writing from the Jewish perspective. During the reigns of Jehoash to Hoshea, the Jews also followed the accession-year system. However, the Jews began their civil years on the first of Tishri (late September and early October). This explanation harmonizes these references. [5] Other conservative scholars have offered other ways of resolving this problem that they, too, regarded as only an apparent contradiction. [6]

Context Summary

Daniel 1:1-21 - Moral Courage Rewarded
These young men of noble Jewish families were brought to Babylon to receive education for the civil service. Their names were altered to break, so far as possible, their connection with the past. The food provided probably contravened Leviticus 3:17. According to the usual custom it had been presented before an idol, 1 Corinthians 8:10. Note those words: Daniel purposed in his heart. It is all important to resolve in one's heart that certain things are not possible for us. Too many of us have a secret reserve. We barricade the front door but leave the back door on the latch. We ought to realize the extent to which Paul referred when he said, "dead to sin." God always cooperates with His servants when they are true to Him. He brought Daniel into favor; He gave him skill; He caused his face and that of his three friends, to bear the hue of health. Let us trust Him to do His part! This is the secret of continuance, Daniel 1:21. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 1

1  Jehoiakim's captivity
3  Ashpenaz takes Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
8  They refusing the king's portion do prosper with pulse and water
17  Their proficiency in wisdom

What do the individual words in Daniel 1:1 mean?

In the year third of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon to Jerusalem and besieged it
בִּשְׁנַ֣ת שָׁל֔וֹשׁ לְמַלְכ֖וּת יְהוֹיָקִ֣ים מֶֽלֶךְ־ יְהוּדָ֑ה בָּ֣א נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֧ר בָּבֶ֛ל יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וַיָּ֥צַר עָלֶֽיהָ

בִּשְׁנַ֣ת  In  the  year 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׁנָה  
Sense: year.
שָׁל֔וֹשׁ  third 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: מִשְׁלֹשׁ 
Sense: three, triad.
לְמַלְכ֖וּת  of  the  reign 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מַלְכוּת  
Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
יְהוֹיָקִ֣ים  of  Jehoiakim 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהֹויָקִים 
Sense: son of Josiah and the third from the last king of Judah; subject vassel of Nebuchadnezzar who reigned for years before he died a violent death either in combat or by the hands of his own subjects.
מֶֽלֶךְ־  king 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מֶלֶךְ 
Sense: king.
יְהוּדָ֑ה  of  Judah 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יְהוּדָה  
Sense: the son of Jacob by Leah.
בָּ֣א  came 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֧ר  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּר 
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
בָּבֶ֛ל  of  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם  to  Jerusalem 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: יְרוּשָׁלַםִ  
Sense: the chief city of Palestine and capital of the united kingdom and the nation of Judah after the split.
וַיָּ֥צַר  and  besieged 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: צוּר 
Sense: to bind, besiege, confine, cramp.

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