Daniel 1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
In the third
שָׁל֔וֹשׁ (šā·lō·wōš)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 7969: Three, third, thrice
year
בִּשְׁנַ֣ת (biš·naṯ)
Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 8141: A year
of the reign
לְמַלְכ֖וּת (lə·mal·ḵūṯ)
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 4438: Royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom
of Jehoiakim
יְהוֹיָקִ֣ים (yə·hō·w·yā·qîm)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3079: Jehoiakim -- 'the LORD raises up', three Israelites
king
מֶֽלֶךְ־ (me·leḵ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king
of Judah,
יְהוּדָ֑ה (yə·hū·ḏāh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3063: Judah -- 'praised', a son of Jacob, also the southern kingdom, also four Israelites
Nebuchadnezzar
נְבוּכַדְנֶאצַּ֧ר (nə·ḇū·ḵaḏ·neṣ·ṣar)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5019: Nebuchadnezzar -- 'Nebo, protect the boundary', a Babylonian king
king
מֶֽלֶךְ־ (me·leḵ-)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4428: A king
of Babylon
בָּבֶ֛ל (bā·ḇel)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 894: Babylon -- an eastern Mediterranean empire and its capital city
came
בָּ֣א (bā)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 935: To come in, come, go in, go
to Jerusalem
יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם (yə·rū·šā·lim)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 3389: Jerusalem -- probably 'foundation of peace', capital city of all Israel
and besieged
וַיָּ֥צַר (way·yā·ṣar)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6696: To confine, bind, besiege
it.
עָלֶֽיהָ׃ (‘ā·le·hā)
Preposition | third person feminine singular
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against
KJV
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Alter
List of The Kings of Judah since the Division
Jeohakim among the Kings of Judah
Rehoboam (931-913 BCE) - Reigned for 17 years
Abijah (Abijam) (913-910 BCE) - Reigned for 3 years
Asa (910-869 BCE) - Reigned for 41 years
Jehoshaphat (872-848 BCE) - Reigned for 25 years
Jehoram (Joram) (853-841 BCE) - Reigned for 8 years
Ahaziah (841 BCE) - Reigned for 1 year
Athaliah (Queen) (841-835 BCE) - Reigned for 6 years
Joash (Jehoash) (835-796 BCE) - Reigned for 40 years
Amaziah (796-767 BCE) - Reigned for 29 years
Uzziah (Azariah) (792-740 BCE) - Reigned for 52 years
Jotham (750-732 BCE) - Reigned for 16 years
Ahaz (735-715 BCE) - Reigned for 16 years
Hezekiah (715-686 BCE) - Reigned for 29 years
Manasseh (697-642 BCE) - Reigned for 55 years
Amon (642-640 BCE) - Reigned for 2 years
Josiah (640-609 BCE) - Reigned for 31 years
Jehoahaz (609 BCE) - Reigned for 3 months
Jehoiakim (Eliakim) (609-598 BCE) - Reigned for 11 years
Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) (598-597 BCE) - Reigned for 3 months
Zedekiah (Mattaniah) (597-586 BCE) - Reigned for 11 years
Nabu-kudurri-usur II (Nebuchadnezzar II) (605-562 BCE)
- Son of Nabopolassar.
- He expanded the empire and is known for the conquest of Judah and
- the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 BCE.
- Notable for the construction of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon (one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World) and the Ishtar Gate.
Jerusalem Siege
Nebuchadnezzar II, the king of Babylon, laid siege to Jerusalem on multiple occasions, with the most notable sieges occurring in 597 BCE and 586 BCE.
The opening verse of the Book of Daniel plunges us into a pivotal moment in the history of the Jewish people: the beginning of the Babylonian Exile. Situated in the broader context of the ancient Near East, Daniel 1:1 recounts the siege of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar II, the formidable king of Babylon, in the third year of Jehoiakim's reign over Judah, approximately 597 BCE.
This event marked a period of profound disruption, displacement, and crisis for the inhabitants of Judah. Nebuchadnezzar not only besieged the city but also plundered the sacred artifacts of the Jerusalem Temple, symbolizing a profound desecration and subjugation of the Jewish people and their God.
The subsequent deportation of select Judean nobles, including the young Daniel and his companions, to Babylon sets the stage for a narrative that intertwines faithfulness, resistance, and divine revelation amidst the trials of exile. The Book of Daniel, thus, invites its readers into a story that explores the complexities of maintaining cultural and religious identity in the crucible of foreign domination and offers a profound message of hope, asserting that even in the midst of oppression, God's sovereignty prevails.
Historical Character Nebuchadnezzar.
1 In the third year of the reign of king of Judah came king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
2 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, with part of the of the house of God: which he carried into the land of to the house of his god; and he brought the into the treasure house of his god.
3 ¶ And the king spake unto Ashpenaz master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s , and of the princes;
4 Children in whom was no blemish, but , and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
5 And the king appointed them a daily of the king’s , and of the wine which he drank: so nourishing them three years, that at the end thereof they might before the king.
6 Now among these were of the children of Judah, , , Mishael, and Azariah:
7 Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave : for he gave unto Daniel the of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abed-nego.
8 ¶ But Daniel in his heart that he would not himself with the portion of the king’s meat, nor with the which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.
9 Now God had brought Daniel into and with the prince of the eunuchs.
10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces than the children which are of your ? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.
11 Then said Daniel to , whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us to eat, and water to drink.
13 Then let our be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.
14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.
15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.
16 Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse.
17 ¶ As for these four children, God gave them and skill in all and wisdom: and Daniel had in all and dreams.
18 Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.
19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
20 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the and astrologers that were in all his realm.
21 And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.