The reputation of Daniel, from the biblical Book of Daniel, is a tremendous example to us. There are three incidents demonstrating this that I will cite in this paper, though there are many others that I could mention.
The first example is from a prophet who was a contemporary of Daniel, Ezekiel. Ezekiel mentions Daniel in two different citations, chapters 14 and 28. The second example happened near the end of Daniel’s life when he was called in to interpret a message written to King Belshazzar. This example is the otherworldly ‘handwriting on the wall.’ (The details of the handwriting on the wall story is contained in another post titled, Handwriting on the Wall.)
Approximate Dates BC
605 – 562 Nebuchadnezzar reigns in Babylon
605 Daniel exiled to Babylon
597 Ezekiel exiled to Chebar
592 Ezekiel calls on Israel to repent -Ezekiel 14
586 Ezekiel speaks against Tyre -Ezekiel 28
553 – 539 Belshazzar reigns in Babylon
539 Daniel Interprets Handwriting on the Wall during the Banquet
Daniel’s Reputation Outside of Babylon
Background
King Nebuchadnezzar made three incursions into Judah and exiled a portion of the Jews each time. Some captives he deported to Babylon (such as Daniel, 605 BC), others were deported to the river Chebar such as the prophet Ezekiel (597 BC). Daniel was known by Ezekiel, who apparently lived north of the city of Babylon on the Chebar river.1 2
Known by Ezekiel
Ezekiel mentions Daniel twice in Ezekiel 14 (592 BC), where Daniel is used as an example of righteousness along with Noah and Job. The house of Israel was struggling to turn away from idolatry or face punishment for their iniquity. God is speaking through the prophet Ezekiel so that Israel would repent of their sin. Verse 14 says,
“even though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job were in its midst, by their own righteousness they could only deliver themselves,” declares the Lord GOD.”
Bible commentator Adam Clarke explains, “The intercession even of the holiest of men shall not avert my [God’s] judgments. Noah, though a righteous man, could not by his intercession preserve the old world from being drowned. Job, though a righteous man, could not preserve his children from being killed by the fall of their house. Daniel, though a righteous man, could not prevent the captivity of his country.”3
The fact that God names Daniel as having extraordinary character is amazing. This is evidence to us that Daniel was not just known in a small circle of friends, but that his reputation was evident to virtually everyone. At the time of Ezekiel’s vision where Daniel is named, Daniel would have been in Nebuchadnezzar’s court about 12 years.4
Six Hundred Miles Away
Ezekiel also references Daniel in Ezekiel 28 (586 BC), as a comparison to the King of Tyre, which is about 600 miles west of Babylon on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. By this time in Daniel’s life, his reputation was such that God could use Daniel as an example of what wisdom actually looked like. The fact that Daniel was known 600 miles away was no small accomplishment! This prophecy given through Ezekiel would have been about 18 years after Daniel entered the court in Babylon.
Babylon-Tyre map5
Even though Ezekiel’s message to Tyre and its king covers three chapters in his book, I will only give the two verses where Ezekiel names Daniel. In Ezekiel 28:2-3, Ezekiel says,
2 “Son of man, say to the leader of Tyre, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD,
“Because your heart is lifted up
And you have said, ‘I am a god,
I sit in the seat of gods,
In the heart of the seas’;
Yet you are a man and not God,
Although you make your heart like the heart of God-
3 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel;
There is no secret that is a match for you.”
“This is ironically spoken. Daniel was so famed for his wisdom in the great Chaldæan Empire (Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:48; Daniel 4:18; Daniel 5:11-12; Daniel 6:3, &c.) that the report must have already reached Tyre.”6
In this example, Daniel’s wisdom is compared to one who thinks they are god. Their pride makes them think they are powerful, wise, and have great understanding. God reminds them that no one can stand against God.
Commentator John Gill tells us that, “The Jews have a saying, that
‘if all the wise men of the nations were in one scale, and Daniel in the other, he would weigh them all down.’ ”7
Daniel’s Reputation In Babylon
Daniel was placed in the king’s court in Babylon before he was 20 years old.8 The following example took place near the end of his life when he was perhaps 70 or 80 years old!
The setting
King Belshazzar was holding a large banquet for his nobles (539 BC).
The Writing
Daniel 5:5-9 tells us that during the king’s banquet, without warning, a man’s hand emerged and began writing on the plaster wall of the king’s palace. The king saw the hand that did the writing, and was so alarmed that he grew pale, and his knees began knocking together. The king called aloud to bring in the wise men of Babylon and offered rewards to any who could read the inscription. However, they could not read the inscription or make known its interpretation to the king. At that point, the king became greatly alarmed, his face grew even paler, and his nobles were perplexed.
The Queen Knew of Daniel
The queen heard the commotion and entered the banquet hall saying,
“O king, live forever! Do not let your thoughts alarm you or your face be pale. There is a man in your kingdom in whom is a spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of your father, illumination, insight, and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him. And King Nebuchadnezzar, your father, your father the king, appointed him chief of the magicians, conjurers, Chaldeans, and diviners. This was because an extraordinary spirit, knowledge and insight, interpretation of dreams, explanation of enigmas, and solving of difficult problems were found in this Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar. Let Daniel now be summoned, and he will declare the interpretation.” (Daniel 5:10-12)
Who is the Queen?
There is much debate among biblical scholars as to whether the queen spoken of here is Nebuchadnezzar’s widow. However, she does have access to the king and talks to Belshazzar like we might expect a mother would talk to her son. We also know that she is not one of Belshazzar’s wives since they were already at the banquet.9
The Queen’s Report on Daniel
Whoever the Queen was, she knew about Daniel and his deeds and character (v10-12). She also used the same phrase (v11), used by Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:8, 9 &18 “in whom is a spirit of the holy gods.” This knowledge of Daniel, and use of the same phrase, leads me to believe that she had been in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court.
The queen understood that Daniel had an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, insight, and wisdom. Concerning Daniel’s abilities, she knew that he could interpret dreams, explain enigmas, and solve difficult problems for the king (v11,12).
The queen informed Belshazzar that his father, the king, had given Daniel a Babylonian name, Belteshazzar. Nebuchadnezzar had also appointed Daniel chief of all the wise men in his court. It is interesting to note that the queen knew of Daniel’s Babylonian name, but she still called him Daniel.
Daniel Before Belshazzar
Daniel was therefore brought in before the king. The king spoke to Daniel saying, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? (v13)” King Belshazzar went on to explain the situation and offered rewards to Daniel if he would read and interpret the writing on the wall. (v14-16)
It is interesting to note again, that Daniel was addressed by King Belshazzar using his Hebrew name, not his Babylonian name. It is important that both the queen and Belshazzar called him Daniel rather than by his Babylonian name. To me, this indicates that Daniel’s reputation and actual character put him in such a category that they recognized him for who he truly was -not a brainwashed Babylonian mockery.10
Daniel refused the king’s trinkets but read the inscription in its interpretation. Before Daniel gives the meaning of the message, he preaches repentance to Belshazzar. The story of Belshazzar’s father Nebuchadnezzar was related to him, with the result that Nebuchadnezzar repented. Daniel tells Belshazzar that he too should humble his heart before God, but instead, Belshazzar exalted himself, “against the Lord of heaven.” (v17-28)
Based on what we know of Belshazzar’s character, it is very likely that no one had ever spoken to the king as Daniel did, and lived to tell about it. Even so, the king gave the gifts to Daniel.11
Conclusion
We have looked at several examples of the character of Daniel. Throughout his life in the Babylonian court, he demonstrates that his faith in God gives him access to wisdom better than those around him.
Daniel’s reputation did not end with those immediately around him. Daniel’s extraordinary character was known far and wide, so that God could use him as an example of righteousness and wisdom.
1 Ezekiel starts his book of prophecy saying in the first verse, “Now it came about in the thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, while I was by the river Chebar among the exiles, the heavens were opened and I saw visions of God.” (Ezekiel 1:1)
2 Encyclopedia of The Bible -chebar “The Babylonian equivalent (nāru kabari) of Ezekiel’s phrase appears on two cuneiform tablets (from 443 and 423 b.c.) unearthed at Nippur. Nāru kabari was indeed a “great canal” which branched off from the Euphrates above Babylon, flowed sixty m. SE, through Nippur, and finally emptied back into the Euphrates near Erech.”
3 Clarke’s Commentary
4 “Daniel had now been for about twelve years in important office at the royal court, and possessed of the very highest rank. There is, therefore, no occasion for the strange supposition that the reference is to some older Daniel.” -Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers on Ezekiel 14. Ellicott is addressing the issue where some believe that the Daniel named by Ezekiel must be some ‘other’ Daniel.
5 By IchthyovenatorSémhur (base map) – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=105149705
6 Ellicott’s on Ezekiel 28
7 Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
8 I tell the story of how Daniel got to be the king’s court in my article, Daniel Honors God.
9 Daniel 5:2 tells us that the holy vessels were brought in so that, “the king and his nobles, his wives, and his concubines might drink from them.”
10 For the back story of the brainwashing efforts, see my post Daniel Honors God.
11 I tell more of this story in the Handwriting on the Wall.