Who Was Daniel in the Bible? The Prophet Who Served the Kings of Babylon

Daniel was a young man from Judah who was taken to Babylon in the third year of King Jehoiakim, around 605 BC, and trained to serve in Nebuchadnezzar's court (Daniel 1:1-6). He served Babylonian and Persian kings for about seventy years, interpreted dreams and the writing on the wall, and was thrown into a lions' den for praying to God (Daniel 2:48; 5:25-28; 6:16). He also received visions of future kingdoms and the coming kingdom of God (Daniel 7-12). Traditional authorship credits him with the book of Daniel.

Jesus referred to him as a prophet (Matthew 24:15), and Ezekiel, who lived at the same time, named him alongside Noah and Job as an example of righteousness (Ezekiel 14:14).

Quick Facts About Daniel

Fact	Details
Name meaning	Often understood as "God is my judge"
Babylonian name	Belteshazzar (Daniel 1:7)
Testament	Old Testament
Key books	Daniel (traditional authorship); also Ezekiel 14 and 28, Matthew 24:15
Time period	About 605-536 BC (traditional dating)
Known for	Refusing the king's food, interpreting dreams, the writing on the wall, the lions' den, and prophetic visions

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Who Was Daniel in the Bible? Taken to Babylon

Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon besieged Jerusalem in the third year of Jehoiakim king of Judah (Daniel 1:1). He ordered Ashpenaz, his chief official, to bring young Israelites from the royal family and the nobility into the king's service. They had to be without physical defect, handsome, and quick to learn (Daniel 1:3-4).

They were to be taught the language and literature of the Babylonians for three years (Daniel 1:4-5). Among them were four from Judah: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. The chief official renamed them Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego (Daniel 1:6-7).

Daniel's exile came during the ministry of the prophet Jeremiah, who had warned that Judah would serve Babylon for seventy years (Jeremiah 25:11).

The Test of the King's Food

"But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way." (Daniel 1:8)

God had caused the official to show favor to Daniel, but the official feared the king (Daniel 1:9-10). Daniel asked the guard to test the four for ten days on vegetables and water (Daniel 1:11-13). At the end of ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than the young men who ate the royal food (Daniel 1:15).

God gave the four young men knowledge and understanding, and Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds (Daniel 1:17). The king found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom (Daniel 1:20).

Nebuchadnezzar's Dreams

The Great Statue

In his second year, Nebuchadnezzar had a troubling dream. He demanded that his wise men tell him both the dream and its meaning, and when they could not, he ordered all the wise men of Babylon executed (Daniel 2:1-13). Daniel asked the king for time and urged his three friends to pray for mercy from the God of heaven. The mystery was revealed to Daniel in a vision at night (Daniel 2:16-19).

Daniel told the king he had seen a huge statue with a head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of bronze, legs of iron, and feet partly of iron and partly of baked clay. A rock cut out, but not by human hands, struck the feet and the whole statue was broken to pieces (Daniel 2:31-35). The statue represented a series of kingdoms, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar. The rock represented a kingdom the God of heaven would set up that would never be destroyed (Daniel 2:36-44).

The king fell prostrate before Daniel and said that Daniel's God was the God of gods and the Lord of kings. He made Daniel ruler over the province of Babylon and head of its wise men, and at Daniel's request appointed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as administrators (Daniel 2:46-49).

The Great Tree

Nebuchadnezzar later dreamed of a great tree that was cut down, leaving only a stump (Daniel 4:10-15). Daniel explained that the king would be driven away from people and live like an animal until he acknowledged that the Most High is sovereign. Daniel urged him to renounce his sins by doing what was right (Daniel 4:24-27). A year later the dream was fulfilled. When his sanity returned, Nebuchadnezzar praised the King of heaven (Daniel 4:29-37).

The Writing on the Wall

King Belshazzar held a great banquet for a thousand of his nobles and drank from the gold and silver goblets taken from the temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 5:1-4). The fingers of a human hand appeared and wrote on the plaster wall of the palace, and the king's face turned pale (Daniel 5:5-6).

None of the wise men could read it, so the queen recommended Daniel (Daniel 5:8-13). Daniel declined the king's gifts, reminded him how God had humbled Nebuchadnezzar, and read the words: mene, mene, tekel, parsin (Daniel 5:17-25). God had numbered the days of his reign; he had been weighed and found wanting; and his kingdom was divided and given to the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:26-28).

Belshazzar had Daniel clothed in purple and made third highest ruler. That same night Belshazzar was killed, and Darius the Mede took over the kingdom at age sixty-two (Daniel 5:29-31). This was the fall of Babylon, traditionally dated to 539 BC.

Daniel in the Lions' Den

Darius appointed 120 satraps and three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. Daniel distinguished himself so much that the king planned to set him over the whole kingdom (Daniel 6:1-3). The other officials could find no corruption in him, so they decided to find a charge connected with the law of his God (Daniel 6:4-5).

They persuaded the king to issue a decree that for thirty days anyone who prayed to any god or human being except the king would be thrown into the lions' den (Daniel 6:6-9). When Daniel learned of it, he went to his upstairs room, where the windows opened toward Jerusalem, and prayed three times a day, giving thanks to God, just as he had done before (Daniel 6:10).

The officials reported him, and the king tried until sundown to rescue him, but the law could not be changed (Daniel 6:11-15). Daniel was thrown into the den, and a stone was placed over the mouth and sealed (Daniel 6:16-17). The king spent the night without eating or sleeping (Daniel 6:18).

At first light Darius hurried to the den and called out to Daniel. Daniel answered:

"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight." (Daniel 6:22)

No wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God (Daniel 6:23). The men who had accused Daniel were thrown into the den, and Darius issued a decree that people must fear and reverence the God of Daniel (Daniel 6:24-27). Daniel prospered during the reigns of Darius and Cyrus the Persian (Daniel 6:28).

Daniel's Visions

The second half of the book records visions Daniel received:

• Four beasts (Daniel 7): In the first year of Belshazzar, Daniel saw four beasts rise from the sea, followed by one like a son of man who was given an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 7:1-3, 7:13-14).
• The ram and the goat (Daniel 8): The angel Gabriel explained the vision to Daniel (Daniel 8:15-17).
• The seventy "sevens" (Daniel 9): After reading Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years, Daniel confessed the sins of his people and prayed. Gabriel came to him about the time of the evening sacrifice (Daniel 9:2-3; Daniel 9:20-27).
• The final vision (Daniel 10-12): In the third year of Cyrus, after three weeks of mourning, Daniel saw a vision of conflicts among future kings and of the resurrection (Daniel 10:1-3; 12:2).

The book ends with a promise to Daniel that he would rest and then rise to receive his allotted inheritance at the end of the days (Daniel 12:13).

Cyrus is the king whose decree allowed the exiles to return, as recorded in the book of Ezra (Ezra 1:1-3). Isaiah had named Cyrus long before (Isaiah 44:28; 45:1).

Daniel in the Rest of Scripture

The prophet Ezekiel, also an exile in Babylon, named Daniel with Noah and Job as men whose righteousness could save only themselves (Ezekiel 14:14, 14:20). He also asked the ruler of Tyre whether he was wiser than Daniel (Ezekiel 28:3).

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus warns of an abomination that causes desolation standing in the holy place, and He attributes that prophecy to Daniel (Matthew 24:15; Daniel 9:27). Hebrews 11:33 refers to people of faith who shut the mouths of lions.

In English Bibles, Daniel is the last of the Major Prophets. Parts of the book, from Daniel 2:4 through 7:28, are written in Aramaic rather than Hebrew.

Key Lessons From Daniel's Life

• Faithfulness in small decisions. Daniel's first test was about food (Daniel 1:8-13).
• Prayer as a habit. Daniel kept praying as he had done before, even under threat of death (Daniel 6:10).
• God rules over kings. Nebuchadnezzar and Darius each acknowledged that God's kingdom endures, and Belshazzar's kingdom was taken from him (Daniel 4:34; 6:26; 5:28).

Where Daniel Appears in the Bible

• Daniel 1-2 and 4-12
• Ezekiel 14:14, 14:20; 28:3
• Matthew 24:15

Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Daniel in the Bible?

Daniel was a man from Judah taken to Babylon around 605 BC who served as an official under Babylonian and Persian kings (Daniel 1:1-6; 6:28). He interpreted dreams, survived the lions' den, and received prophetic visions recorded in the book of Daniel.

How old was Daniel in the lions' den?

The Bible does not give his age. He was taken to Babylon as a young man around 605 BC, and the lions' den came after Babylon fell in 539 BC (traditional dating), so he was likely in his eighties.

Was Daniel in the fiery furnace?

No. The fiery furnace account involves Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and Daniel is not mentioned in that chapter (Daniel 3:12-30).

What was Daniel's Babylonian name?

Daniel was given the name Belteshazzar by Nebuchadnezzar's chief official (Daniel 1:7). The king later refers to him by that name (Daniel 4:8).

What did the writing on the wall say?

The words were mene, mene, tekel, parsin. Daniel explained that God had numbered Belshazzar's days, weighed him and found him wanting, and divided his kingdom among the Medes and Persians (Daniel 5:25-28).