Daniel 1 serves to provide context for the rest of the book. It tells us the who (Daniel, Azariah, Hananiah, and Mishael), what (wisdom), when (the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign), where (Babylon), and how (captivity).

Nebuchadnezzar commands Ashpenaz, the chief of the eunuchs to bring very specific types of people back from Israel to serve in Babylon. The requirements Nebuchadnezzar sets for these captives are listed and discussed below. From them, we can gather that he only wanted the best and brightest. Not only does that give us a glimpse of what their purpose would be in Babylon, but it is also strategic in inflicting further damage to Israel. Today, this same principle occurs when high achieving students, craftsmen, and other skilled workers immigrate from so-called third world countries to so-called first world countries. This process removes the top earners and expertise from the population, forcing the new “top” to be less and less skilled. We call this phenomenon brain drain.

Asphenaz was told to take royals and nobles from the Israelite who possessed the following qualities

youth, unblemished, good lucking, suitable to teach, intelligent, and capacity to serve (were they eunuchs then?) They were taught the ways of Babylon

In addition to the titular Daniel, this chapter identifies several key people both in Israel’s history and of importance as we read the text. The following people are identified:

Names are important—aside from the fact that they identify us. In most cultures, names are not widely selected or given on a whim. In these cultures, names are thought about strategically, balancing meaning, aesthetic, and modern connotation. The best Biblical example is that of Abraham. God changed his name to “father of the nations” as part of the promise to create whole nation’s from Abraham’s seed.

The practice of changing someone’s name to signify ownership is not just found in the Bible. Many cultures subscribe to this belief as well. In the animated movie Spirited Away, the main character’s name is taken from her by a witch who becomes her employer and a friend tells her thats how the witch controls people. The main character must remember her true name if she ever expects to leave. I tell you this to remind you that names are powerful and many cultures recognize this.

When Daniel and his friends arrive in Babylon, their names are changed. There are a few reasons why this may have occurred:

The name Daniel means “God is my Judge.”[1] “El” in Hebrew means God and is the singular of “Elohim,” the word often used to reference YHWH when not calling Him by name. Ashpenaz renamed him Beltashazzar, meaning “Bel protects my life.”[8] “Bel” is a name associated with Babylonian god Marduk. Marduk was considered a chief god (much like Zeus and Jupiter—in fact he was associated with the planet Jupiter).[9]

Hananiah meas “God has favored.”[4] In Hebrew, the -iah ending is actually “Yah,” or YH, a shortened version of YHWH. Ashpenaz renames him Shadrach. Although I was not able to find the meaning of Shadrach, it is possible the -ach ending is a reference to Aku, a Babylonian moon-god.[10] Note, in the New Testament when you see the name Ananias, it is the Latinized version of Hananiah (I find this interesting because it seems this remained a popular name).

Mishael means “Who is what God is.”[3] He is renamed to Meshach. Like Shadrach, I could not find the exact meaning of this name (though Nameberry suggests it means “Who is what Aku is”—which would probably be accurate for a Hebrew translation, but it may have had a different meaning in the language of Babylon), and it too may reference Aku.[10]

Azariah means “YHWH (Jehovah) has helped.”[2] Ashpenaz gives him the name Abed-Nego, which references the Babylonian god Nebo. Abed-Neko means “servant of Nebo.” Nebo was the Babylonian god of vegetation and the art of writing.[11] Interestingly, Azariah and his friends spend 3 years as vegetarians and master literature and other forms of wisdom when they reach Babylon.

Jehoiakim means “YHWH (Jehovah) rises up.”[5] He was the king of Israel at the time Babylon began taking Israelites and was actually placed on the throne by Egypt. His reign is covered in 2 Kings 23:34-24:19 and 2 Chronicles 36.

Nebuchadnezzar means “may Nebo protect the crown.”[6]

Ashpenaz means “I will make prominent the sprinkled”[7] Again this is telling, as he is the partially responsible for the rise of Daniel and his friends in the kingdom.

The text says the captives were given a daily ration from the king’s best supply. This tells us that they were not given so freely that they had unlimited food or could eat to their own satisfaction the way a free person could, but what they were given was the best of the best. This is a stark contrast to American Slavery which produced cultural dishes like chitterlings and chicken feet within the black community because slaves were given the left overs.

In addition to receiving quality food, the captives were given 3 years of education in all things Babylonian. This is interesting for a few reasons: