1
Împăratul Nebucadneţar a făcut un chip de aur, înalt de şase zeci de coţi şi lat de şase coţi. L-a ridicat în valea Dura, în ţinutul Babilonului.
2
Împăratul Nebucadneţar a poruncit să cheme pe dregători, pe îngrijitori şi pe cârmuitori, pe judecătorii cei mari, pe vistiernici, pe legiuitori, pe judecători, şi pe toate căpeteniile ţinuturilor, ca să vină la sfinţirea chipului, pe care-l înălţase împăratul Nebucadneţar.
3
Atunci dregătorii, îngrijitorii şi cârmuitorii, judecătorii cei mari, vistiernicii, legiuitorii, judecătorii, şi toate căpeteniile ţinuturilor, s-au strâns la sfinţirea chipului pe care-l înălţase împăratul Nebucadneţar. S-au aşezat înaintea chipului pe care-l înălţase Nebucadneţar.
4
Iar un crainic a strigat cu glas tare: ,,Iată ce vi se porunceşte, popoare, neamuri, oameni de toate limbile!
5
În clipa când veţi auzi sunetul trâmbiţei, cavalului, chitarei, alăutei, psaltirii, cimpoiului, şi a tot felul de instrumente de muzică, să vă aruncaţi cu faţa la pământ, şi să vă închinaţi chipului de aur, pe care l-a înălţat împăratul Nebucadneţar.
6
Oricine nu se va arunca cu faţa la pământ şi nu se va închina, va fi aruncat chiar în clipa aceea în mijlocul unui cuptor aprins.`` -
7
De aceea, în clipa când au auzit toate popoarele sunetul trâmbiţei, cavalului, chitarei, alăutei, psaltirii, şi a tot felul de instrumente de muzică, toate popoarele, neamurile, oamenii de toate limbile s-au aruncat cu faţa la pământ şi s-au închinat chipului de aur pe care-l înălţase împăratul Nebucadneţar.
8
Cu prilejul acesta, şi în aceeaş vreme, cîţiva Haldei s-au apropiat şi au pârât pe Iudei.
9
Ei au luat cuvântul şi au zis împăratului Nebucadneţar: ,,Să trăieşti vecinic împărate!
10
Ai dat o poruncă, după care toţi cei ce vor auzi sunetul trâmbiţei, cavalului, chitarei, alăutei, psaltirii, cimpoiului şi a tot felul de instrumente de muzică, vor trebui să se arunce cu faţa la pământ, şi să se închine chipului de aur;
11
şi după care, oricine nu se va arunca cu faţa la pământ, şi nu se va închina, va fi aruncat în mijlocul unui cuptor aprins.
12
Dar, sânt nişte Iudei, cărora le-ai dat în grijă trebile ţinutului Babilonului, şi anume Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, oameni cari nu ţin seama deloc de tine, împărate. Ei nu slujesc dumnezeilor tăi, şi nu se închină chipului de aur pe care l-ai înălţat tu!``
13
Atunci Nebucadneţar, mâniat şi plin de urgie, a dat poruncă să aducă pe Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego. Şi oamenii aceştia au fost aduşi îndată înaintea împăratului.
14
Nebucadneţar a luat cuvântul, şi le-a zis: ,,Înadins oare, Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, nu slujiţi voi dumnezeilor mei, şi nu vă închinaţi chipului de aur, pe care l-am înălţat?
15
Acum fiţi gata, şi în clipa când veţi auzi sunetul trâmbiţei, cavalului, chitarei, alăutei, psaltirii, cimpoiului şi a tot felul de instrumente, să vă aruncaţi cu faţa la pământ, şi să vă închinaţi chipului pe care l-am făcut; dacă nu vă veţi închina lui, veţi fi aruncaţi pe dată în mijlocul unui cuptor aprins! Şi care este dumnezeul acela, care vă va scoate din mâna mea?``
16
Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego au răspuns împăratului Nebucadneţar: ,,Noi n-avem nevoie să-ţi răspundem la cele de mai sus.
17
Iată, Dumnezeul nostru, căruia îi slujim, poate să ne scoată din cuptorul aprins, şi ne va scoate din mâna ta, împărate.
18
Şi chiar de nu ne va scoate, să ştii, împărate, că nu vom sluji dumnezeilor tăi, şi nici nu ne vom închina chipului de aur, pe care l-ai înălţat!``
19
La auzul acestor cuvinte, Nebucadneţar s-a umplut de mânie, şi şi-a schimbat faţa, întorcându-şi privirile împotriva lui Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego. A luat din nou cuvântul şi a poruncit să încălzească de şapte ori mai mult cuptorul, de cum se cădea să-l încălzească.
20
Apoi a poruncit unora din cei mai voinici ostaşi din oştirea lui să lege pe Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, şi să-i arunce în cuptorul aprins.
21
Oamenii aceştia au fost legaţi cu ismenele, cămăşile, mantalele şi celelalte haine ale lor, şi aruncaţi în mijlocul cuptorului aprins.
22
Fiindcă porunca împăratului era aspră şi cuptorul era neobicinuit de încălzit, flacăra a ucis pe toţi oamenii, cari aruncaseră în el pe Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego.
23
Dar aceşti trei oameni: Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, au căzut legaţi în mijlocul cuptorului aprins.
24
Atunci împăratul Nebucadneţar s-a înspăimântat, şi s-a sculat repede. A luat cuvântul, şi a zis sfetnicilor săi: ,,N-am aruncat noi în mijlocul focului trei oameni legaţi?`` Ei au răspuns împăratului: ,,Negreşit, împărate!``
25
El a luat iarăş cuvântul şi a zis: ,,Ei bine, eu văd patru oameni umblând slobozi în mijlocul focului, şi nevătămaţi; şi chipul celui de al patrulea seamănă cu al unui fiu de dumnezei!``
26
Apoi Nebucadneţar s-a apropiat de gura cuptorului aprins, şi, luând cuvântul, a zis: ,,Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, slujitorii Dumnezeului celui Prea Înalt, ieşiţi afară şi veniţi încoace!`` Şi Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego au ieşit din mijlocul focului.
27
Dregătorii, îngrijitorii, cârmuitorii, şi sfetnicii împăratului s-au strâns şi au văzut că focul n-avusese nici o putere asupra trupului acestor oameni, că nici perii capului lor nu se pârliseră, hainele le rămăseseră neschimbate, şi nici măcar miros de foc nu se prinsese de ei.
28
Nebucadneţar a luat cuvântul, şi a zis: ,,Binecuvântat să fie Dumnezeul lui Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, care a trimes pe îngerul Său şi a izbăvit pe slujitorii Săi cari s-au încrezut în El, au călcat porunca împăratului şi şi-au dat mai degrabă trupurile lor de cât să slujească şi să se închine altui dumnezeu de cât Dumnezeului lor!
29
Iată acum porunca pe care o dau: orice om din orice popor, neam sau limbă ar fi, care va vorbi rău de Dumnezeul lui Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego, va fi făcut bucăţi şi casa lui va fi prefăcută într-un morman de murdării, pentrucă... nu este niciun alt dumnezeu, care să poată izbăvi ca El.``
30
După aceea, împăratul a înălţat pe Şadrac, Meşac şi Abed-Nego la mare cinste, în ţinutul Babilonului.
{"verseMap":{"1":[{"id":8557,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Additions to Daniel","title_en":"Additions to Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":8578,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Book of Daniel","title_en":"Book of Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Book of<\/h3>\n<p>Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel is part of the third section, called the Writings, along with such books as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. It was not included in the second section of the OT, called the Prophets. Although portions of his book may be interpreted from a prophetic perspective, Daniel is never explicitly identified as a prophet. The book’s two major divisions are narratives about Daniel’s life (1–6) and Daniel’s visions (7–12).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date<\/p>\n<p>• Language<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>In terms of having a known author, the book of Daniel is anonymous, as are many books coming from the ancient world. The existing text bears only a title, “Daniel,” identifying the key subject matter of the book: the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>The first six chapters of the book contain information about Daniel written in the third person; beginning in Daniel 7:2, however, the book purports to contain words written by Daniel in the first person. Although the traditional view within Judaism, later adopted by Christianity, was that Daniel wrote the entire book named for him, there is little confirming evidence. Jesus’ words about things “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Mt 24:15) do not clarify who wrote the whole book, since the words in question appear in the second half of the book of Daniel, explicitly identified as his words. Thus the problem of who wrote the first part remains.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Daniel wrote the entire book, he is definitely the key character. The only source of information about him is the book itself. Daniel was a Hebrew from Judah, probably of royal lineage, born late in the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. As a young boy, he was taken from his homeland to Babylon (in what is now southern Iraq) around 605 <span>BC<\/span>. There, after three years of formal education in language and literature (Dn 1:4-5), he became an official in the royal household. The first six chapters tell of particular incidents in Daniel’s life but do not provide a comprehensive biography of his life and times.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” As a foreign resident in Babylon, he was given another name, Belteshazzar, which may have meant “may Bel (god) protect his life” in the Babylonian language.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Date\">Date<\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about the authorship of the book of Daniel naturally contributes to uncertainty about the date of its writing. If Daniel was the author of the whole book, a date in the second half of the sixth century <span>BC<\/span> is likely. If he was not the author, a later date is possible. The conservative interpretation has usually been that the book was written in the sixth century <span>BC<\/span>. An alternative position is that the book was written about 165 <span>BC<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence exists to support both the early and late dates of Daniel. Those who argue for a late date and an author besides Daniel normally use two lines of argument, one historical and the other linguistic. But those espousing an earlier date have counterarguments, all of which are discussed below.<\/p>\n<h5>Historical Argument<\/h5>\n<p>According to the historical argument, the writer was thoroughly familiar with the history of Near Eastern imperial power from the sixth to the second centuries, but had an incomplete, erroneous view of the historical details in the second half of the sixth century, Daniel’s era. Such an imbalance in knowledge implies a late date of writing.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the historical argument must be conceded by those holding a more conservative view. The book of Daniel does present a remarkable knowledge of Near Eastern history. The critical question is whether that knowledge was normal human knowledge, gained after the events, or special knowledge revealed to Daniel beforehand. That question is answered in different ways by different people, depending on their view of prophecy and other factors.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of the historical argument is technically more complex. Was the writer’s knowledge of history in the late sixth century <span>BC<\/span> really erroneous? The most significant problem is that of the identity of Darius the Mede (Dn 5:30-31). The book of Daniel says that Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and was succeeded at a later date by Cyrus. External historical sources contain no reference to a Darius at the time, but show clearly that it was Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Advocates of a late date consider that strong evidence. Those who advocate an early date have no simple solution to the problem. One proposed solution is that Darius and Cyrus are two names for the same person. A basis for that hypothesis is that Daniel 6:28 can be translated: “Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even [that is] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” An analogy appears in the use of the names Pul and Tiglath-pileser in 1 Chronicles 5:26. In summary, the dating of Daniel on the basis of the writer’s historical knowledge is difficult, whether one suggests an early or late date.<\/p>\n<h5>Linguistic Argument<\/h5>\n<p>The linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are also complex, especially for a person not familiar with the original languages of the book (Hebrew and Aramaic). Advocates of a late date use three related arguments: (1) the Aramaic language of the book is typical of late Aramaic (second century <span>BC<\/span> and later); (2) the presence of Persian loan words is a further indication of the late date of the book’s Aramaic; and (3) the presence of Greek loan words in the Aramaic shows that the language must be dated after the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Orient (c. 330 <span>BC<\/span>). For the advocates of a late date for the book’s composition, the last argument is most compelling. It would be impossible, they affirm, to find Greek loan words in Aramaic two centuries before Alexander’s time.<\/p>\n<p>Although the arguments are at first convincing, on closer examination they are less persuasive to those who hold the conservative view. Each of the three parts of the argument has been answered.<\/p>\n<p>1. Aramaic was in common use in the Near East from about the ninth century <span>BC<\/span>, being recognized as an official language in Assyria from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span>. Ninety percent of the Aramaic words in Daniel were used in that older language, in both the Old and Imperial Aramaic dialects. The remaining 10 percent, known only in later texts in the light of present evidence, might indicate a late date, but they could equally be early uses of the words in question.<\/p>\n<li>2. The evidence of Persian loan words in Aramaic can function like a boomerang. It is true that later Aramaic has many Persian loan words (about 19 appear in Daniel), but one can give an alternative explanation for Persian loan words in Daniel at an early date. The story of Daniel is set, in part, in the context of life in a Persian-controlled court. The Persians used Aramaic in their administrative control of the empire, and their own language inevitably penetrated Aramaic. If one assumes an early date for the book of Daniel, then it was being written in precisely the period when Persian would be having its greatest influence on Aramaic.<\/li>\n<li>3. The evidence of Greek words in Daniel’s Aramaic (a total of three) is not altogether compelling. Greek (or “Ionian”) traders traveled in various parts of the Near East from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span> onward. Greek mercenaries fought for Near Eastern states in and after the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. In Daniel’s lifetime King Nebuchadnezzar is known to have employed Greek artisans in the city of Babylon. Thus, it is unnecessary to limit the possibilities of Greek penetration of the Aramaic language to the period after Alexander. The conqueror was by no means the first Greek to set foot in the Orient.<\/li>\n<h5>Conclusion<\/h5>\n<p>The historical and linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are inconclusive for either an early or late date of writing. To a large extent, dating the book depends on other matters, such as authorship, intention, and the extent to which one takes a “prophetic” interpretation of portions of the book. To postulate that Daniel was the author is consistent with the evidence currently available. Further, evidence provided by some of the Daniel material from the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran does not support a late date for the book. All Daniel manuscripts and fragments are second-century <span>BC<\/span> copies, thus requiring an earlier date for the original. One manuscript, related paleographically to the large Isaiah Scroll, must have come originally from the same period—estimated to be several centuries before the Qumran copy of Isaiah. Other manuscripts from Qumran show that no OT canonical material was composed later than the Persian period. Thus, no manuscript evidence exists for a second-century <span>BC<\/span> date for Daniel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Language\">Language<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting features of the book of Daniel is not immediately evident to a reader of the English Bible. The book is bilingual. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and Daniel 8–12 are written in Hebrew, the language of the other OT books. The middle section (Dn 2:4b–7:28), however, is written in Aramaic, a different but related language. Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon. Some have suggested that an original Aramaic book was expanded by a Hebrew writer, with additions to the original book at the beginning and the end. Others suggest that a portion of the original Hebrew book was lost, so the missing section was replaced from a surviving Aramaic translation. More complex and ingenious suggestions have also been made, but none has been commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Another suggestion is possible. The book of Daniel (whatever date one prefers) may simply reflect the bilingual character of its cultural setting. (As a modern example, consider the many written materials in Canada that appear in both English and French.) Finally, one can regard the bilingual character as another of the mysterious aspects of the book that make its interpretation difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>The background of the book of Daniel can be examined from two perspectives. It may be viewed from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, of which Daniel was a part (early sixth century <span>BC<\/span>), or in the light of future historical events (second century <span>BC<\/span>), toward which the visions in the book’s second half seem to point.<\/p>\n<h5>The Babylonian Exile<\/h5>\n<p>Although Daniel himself was exiled about 605 <span>BC<\/span>, the major phase of the Babylonian exile began in 586 <span>BC<\/span>, following the defeat of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The account extends through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (properly Nebuchadrezzar) and Belshazzar, culminating in the early years of the Persian king Cyrus, who took over the city of Babylon in 539 <span>BC<\/span>. For the Jews the exile was a time of hardship but also a time of renewed theological understanding. Both aspects are reflected in the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n<h5>The Seleucid Period in Palestine<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel’s visions in the latter half of the book appear to refer to the Seleucid period in Palestine, specifically the time when the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, a member of the Seleucid dynasty (175–163 <span>BC<\/span>). Whether the visions were prophetic anticipations of future events or reflections of contemporary culture, the Seleucid period is important to a full understanding of the book.<\/p>\n<p>Under Antiochus, Palestinian Jews experienced a time of considerable hardship. The ancient faith was severely undermined, the high priesthood in Jerusalem was sold to the highest bidder, and the temple was desecrated in several ways. Pressure was exerted on the Jews to adapt their lives and faith to Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture. Although some capitulated, others refused and steadfastly held firm to the old faith. A rebellion against the oppressive measures of Antiochus began in 168 <span>BC<\/span>. By 164 the rebels had largely succeeded in getting rid of the objectionable practices. But the Seleucid period was generally a bad time for faithful Jews, when all the forces of history seemed to work against the true faith. Part of the book of Daniel’s greatness lies in its theological understanding of history, which enabled men and women to continue living in faith through a time of terrible crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>The scriptural section of the OT called the Writings served a variety of purposes. The psalms, for example, were used primarily in Israel’s worship. The proverbs may have been part of Israel’s school curriculum. The book of Job addressed a specific human and theological problem.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the book of Daniel is not so easy to determine, since it is essentially a story, a partial biography of Daniel. It is not strictly a prophetic book, nor is it history in the modern sense. Much of it is concerned with dreams and their interpretations.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the word “history” provides a clue to its purpose. Daniel seeks to provide theological understanding of history. The first six chapters tell about Daniel and his companions, not merely to satisfy historical curiosity but to teach the reader. OT theology insisted that the God of Israel participated in human life and history. To read biblical history, therefore, is to discover God’s participation in human affairs and to learn how God and human beings relate to each other. In the opening chapters of Daniel one reads of events in the life of a man of remarkable faith, the kind of history from which one may learn how to live.<\/p>\n<p>The last six chapters focus on Daniel’s dreams. Although neither the dreams nor the interpretations are easy to understand, it is possible to see the theme of history emerging again. The emphasis in chapters 7–12 is not on history as a record of past events but on the meaning of history and the world’s future. In the biblical perspective, the movements of human societies in the present and future matter as much as past history. Though Daniel’s visions are dominated by nations and superpowers, they have a more basic theme: God’s power over human beings and nations. History often appears to be a conglomeration of chaos and human conflict. Yet God ultimately controls history and moves it toward a goal. In spite of ambiguous details at the end of the book, Daniel provides hope for people living in a time of crisis. Even if what is said about the “time of the end” cannot be understood now (Dn 12:9), the end of history is full of hope for those with faith in God (v 13). The purpose of the book of Daniel thus has to do with the meaning of history, both what can be learned from the past and what can be hoped for in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>The book also contains specific theological statements on such matters as human faith, divine salvation, and the nature of revelation. One theological matter in Daniel deserves particular attention: the doctrine of resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>The NT’s clear doctrine of resurrection followed by judgment is not a central theme in the OT. For the most part, the Hebrews’ faith was fixed on the realities of earthly life. Hope for life beyond the grave is hinted at in many texts but remains implicit. Only in the later writings of the OT, especially those of Ezekiel and Daniel, does a more explicit doctrine of resurrection develop.<\/p>\n\n<p>The focal point of that doctrine in the book of Daniel is 12:2: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (<span>nlt<\/span>). The doctrine of personal resurrection provides a basis for individual hope within an understanding of present and future history. Nations move against nations in apparent turmoil. God is believed to be in ultimate control, but what becomes of all the people who die while history is still in motion? The dead shall rise again, says Daniel, and in their resurrection bodies shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will be rewarded with everlasting life, but others will be condemned to shame.<\/p>\n<p>To the readers of the book of Daniel, the doctrine of resurrection provided hope in an otherwise bleak and hopeless world. It was a reminder that the actions of earthly life are important—they form the basis of future judgment. The world has a larger horizon of life beyond the body’s death. Ultimately, there will be justice, even though justice is rarely seen in the present existence. Evildoers may live without ever being punished. Yet beyond the death of the body lies a final judgment characterized by God’s justice.<\/p>\n<p>So the book of Daniel is about history and hope. Life must be lived now; for that, the book offers in the first six chapters the insight of Daniel’s experience. Life is lived in the context of war and international chaos; for that, chapters 7–12 depict God’s sovereignty and his purposes in history. Individual life moves toward death; for that, the writer speaks of resurrection and judgment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentStoriesaboutDaniel16\">Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<h5>Daniel and His Companions (1:1-21)<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel and his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were exiled to Babylon some 19 years before the main exile following the destruction of Jerusalem. The four healthy young men, selected from among many Jewish exiles, were at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar assigned to a special three-year training program to make them court aides.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the four Jewish youths entered Babylon’s high society, they faced a dietary problem. The king provided them with the best food and wine from the royal kitchens, but a Jew’s diet was restricted by the laws of God (see Dt 14). The four asked for a diet of vegetables and water, not to be fussy or ungrateful, but to remain faithful to their God. The story tells how the dietary situation worked out and sees them through their education and Daniel’s appointment as a royal counselor.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode thus focuses on a key issue faced by all Jewish exiles: How could one live in a foreign land, with foreign food and customs, yet remain faithful to God and his laws? Daniel provided a model. He was courageous enough not to compromise, but wise enough to seek a solution acceptable to all. His faithfulness was rewarded by God. By the end of the episode, Daniel is seen as a person with special wisdom and gifts from God. The rest of his life was marked by the exercise of those gifts.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1-49)<\/h5>\n<p>The king had a dream and, although he could not remember its substance, it weighed heavily on his mind. When his corps of professional interpreters could do nothing for him, he ordered that they be executed. The king’s order included Daniel and his companions, whose training qualified them as interpreters. Daniel obtained a stay of execution by offering to interpret the dream. After prayer, Daniel received from God both the substance of the dream and its interpretation, which he relayed to the king. The grateful Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his companions to important positions in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Although the writer recorded both the king’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, the problem for a modern reader is how to interpret the interpretation. The king saw in his dream a statue, with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. The interpretation identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold. His kingdom would be followed by three other kingdoms, each represented by the statue’s parts and substances. At that point modern interpretations begin to diverge.<\/p>\n<p>A common interpretation of the four sequential kingdoms is as follows: Chaldean Empire (gold), MedoPersian Empire (silver), Greece (brass), Rome (iron and clay). Others suggest an alternative interpretation: Chaldean Empire (gold), Media (silver), Persia (brass), Greece (iron and clay). To focus too much attention on identifying the four kingdoms can result in failure to see the chapter’s key feature. From the midst of those human kingdoms, “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever” (2:44, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Babylonian king’s dream anticipated the coming of a greater kingdom, that of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<h5>The Fiery Furnace (3:1-30)<\/h5>\n<p>The story continues, focusing on Daniel’s three friends and using their Babylonian names—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a massive gold statue, 90 feet (27.4 meters) high. At its dedication ceremony everyone was required to bow down and worship as a band began to play. The three young Hebrews, who refused to worship, were summoned before the king. Their continued firm refusal led to a sentence of execution, and they were thrown into a fiercely burning furnace. Remarkably, they did not burn, and a fourth being appeared with them in the furnace. As they emerged unharmed from the ordeal, the king acknowledged God’s power of salvation and rewarded them.<\/p>\n<p>The story illustrates a second dilemma of the Jews in exile. Faithfulness to God’s first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Dt 5:7), could lead to death. The three young men were faithful—not out of confidence that God would rescue them, but whether or not he chose to spare their lives (Dn 3:17-18). As it happened, God delivered them; they were tossed into the furnace bound, but they came out free men. The message was profound: certainly the Jews should believe in a God able to deliver from the flames of persecution, but they should believe and hold fast even if no deliverance could be seen beyond the trial.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream and Madness (4:1-37)<\/h5>\n<p>On two occasions Nebuchadnezzar had confessed faith in the living God: when Daniel had interpreted his dream of the statue (2:47), and on the release of Daniel’s three companions from the furnace (3:28). Nonetheless, the king’s faith was shallow. The story in chapter 4 recounts a lapse of faith that brought terrible consequences. After eight years, when those consequences had run their course, the king again acknowledged God (4:37).<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is presented in the form of a proclamation, written by Nebuchadnezzar and widely circulated after the events in the story had transpired. The king dreamed of a tall tree growing in a field to ever greater heights. A divine messenger ordered the tree cut down, with only a stump and roots left in the ground. The stump and roots then took the form of a man, but the man’s mind was replaced with that of an animal. For seven years that semihuman creature behaved like a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel showed the king how the dream applied to the king himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the great tree that would be cut down; he would behave like a beast in the field for seven years. One year after the king had been told that interpretation, the judgment came. For seven years he behaved like an animal until his sanity returned.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the king’s story is that his madness was no accident but rather divine judgment. His arrogant belief that he had the power of God led to heavy retribution (4:30). The king was probably afflicted with a rare and peculiar form of mental illness today called “boanthropy.” The true meaning of the story lies at a deeper level: to think that one is God, having absolute power and control of one’s own life, is madness. That kind of madness can be cured and overcome only with the realization that absolute power and authority belong to God alone.<\/p>\n<h5>Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1-31)<\/h5>\n<p>The scene shifts to the reign of a later king in Babylon, Belshazzar. The son of Nabonidus, he was probably co-regent with Nabonidus (555?–539 <span>BC<\/span>), with special authority in the region of Babylon. The theme of his story is similar to that of chapter 4. Belshazzar, in the course of an enormous feast, called for the sacred vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem. With the sacred vessels the Babylonians toasted the local gods, a sacrilegious act that invited divine judgment. It came in the form of words written on the wall by a hand, which Daniel interpreted for the king as words of judgment (5:26-28). Although he praised Daniel for the interpretation, the king missed both the true meaning of the words and the lesson taught to Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor (vv 18-22). Belshazzar was killed that very night when Darius the Mede entered the city and captured it. The theme continues remorselessly: human pride and arrogance do not pass unnoticed by the God of history, who controls and directs human events toward the fulfillment of his purpose.<\/p>\n<h5>The Den of Lions (6:1-28)<\/h5>\n<p>The theme of chapter 6 is similar to that of chapter 3, but with Daniel as the story’s central figure. He is portrayed as one unwilling to compromise, fully obedient to Darius as long as that was possible, but unwilling to disobey the law of God. Hence, Daniel knowingly disobeyed a royal decree that prohibited prayer to anyone other than the king himself. Although he was aware of the consequences, Daniel remained faithful to God. The immediate outcome, when his enemies reported him, was an order of execution—Daniel was thrown to the lions. He was delivered from the hungry cats, and the king, relieved of a terrible predicament, had the plotters punished.<\/p>\n<p>A double message emerges from the story. On the one hand, God’s servant must be faithful in prayer and worship, regardless of the outcome; God delivers, and in that case did deliver Daniel from disaster. On the other hand, the effect of Daniel’s faithfulness was that the king, who had ordered his subjects to worship him, learned about true worship (6:25-27). The effects of faithfulness, like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pool, spread far beyond the one who is faithful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentDanielsVisions712\">Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p>With the beginning of chapter 7 the chronological sequence of the book of Daniel changes; Daniel’s first vision goes back to the first year of Belshazzar (7:1), but subsequent visions take place as late as the reign of Cyrus, the Persian king (10:1). Chapters 7–12 emphasize the meaning of history and God’s sovereignty in history, expressed in the mysterious symbolism of dreams. The whole section can be divided as follows: (1) vision of four beasts (7:1-28); (2) vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-27); (3) Daniel’s prayer (9:1-27); (4) vision of the end times (10:1–12:13).<\/p>\n<p>The first vision again takes up the theme of four kingdoms, already seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch 2). In the second vision the focus is narrowed down to two kingdoms, Persia and Greece. Much of the final vision of the end times deals with events occurring during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century <span>BC<\/span>. All the visions play on the same theme. Although human kingdoms may exert their might in a chaotic world, the sovereign God acts through history’s apparent chaos toward an ultimate goal of salvation.<\/p>\n<p>The primary interpretation of the visions can be perceived in past historical events, but a further messianic dimension can be seen in the light of the NT. That dimension is most evident in chapter 7. In the context of the four kingdoms, a divine court of judgment is established, presided over by the “Ancient of Days”—the almighty God (7:9). Then Daniel sees the arrival of “one like a son of man” (7:13). Though the phrase “son of man” was later perceived to be a messianic title, it did not technically have that meaning in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:13 is a principal source for the title “Son of Man,” which Jesus commonly used to designate himself. His most significant use of that term was at his trial, where he directly associated his title with Daniel 7 (Mt 26:63-64).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel (Person) #3; Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Prophecy; Prophet, Prophetess.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Book of<\/h3>\n<p>Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel is part of the third section, called the Writings, along with such books as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. It was not included in the second section of the OT, called the Prophets. Although portions of his book may be interpreted from a prophetic perspective, Daniel is never explicitly identified as a prophet. The book’s two major divisions are narratives about Daniel’s life (1–6) and Daniel’s visions (7–12).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date<\/p>\n<p>• Language<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>In terms of having a known author, the book of Daniel is anonymous, as are many books coming from the ancient world. The existing text bears only a title, “Daniel,” identifying the key subject matter of the book: the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>The first six chapters of the book contain information about Daniel written in the third person; beginning in Daniel 7:2, however, the book purports to contain words written by Daniel in the first person. Although the traditional view within Judaism, later adopted by Christianity, was that Daniel wrote the entire book named for him, there is little confirming evidence. Jesus’ words about things “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Mt 24:15) do not clarify who wrote the whole book, since the words in question appear in the second half of the book of Daniel, explicitly identified as his words. Thus the problem of who wrote the first part remains.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Daniel wrote the entire book, he is definitely the key character. The only source of information about him is the book itself. Daniel was a Hebrew from Judah, probably of royal lineage, born late in the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. As a young boy, he was taken from his homeland to Babylon (in what is now southern Iraq) around 605 <span>BC<\/span>. There, after three years of formal education in language and literature (Dn 1:4-5), he became an official in the royal household. The first six chapters tell of particular incidents in Daniel’s life but do not provide a comprehensive biography of his life and times.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” As a foreign resident in Babylon, he was given another name, Belteshazzar, which may have meant “may Bel (god) protect his life” in the Babylonian language.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Date\">Date<\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about the authorship of the book of Daniel naturally contributes to uncertainty about the date of its writing. If Daniel was the author of the whole book, a date in the second half of the sixth century <span>BC<\/span> is likely. If he was not the author, a later date is possible. The conservative interpretation has usually been that the book was written in the sixth century <span>BC<\/span>. An alternative position is that the book was written about 165 <span>BC<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence exists to support both the early and late dates of Daniel. Those who argue for a late date and an author besides Daniel normally use two lines of argument, one historical and the other linguistic. But those espousing an earlier date have counterarguments, all of which are discussed below.<\/p>\n<h5>Historical Argument<\/h5>\n<p>According to the historical argument, the writer was thoroughly familiar with the history of Near Eastern imperial power from the sixth to the second centuries, but had an incomplete, erroneous view of the historical details in the second half of the sixth century, Daniel’s era. Such an imbalance in knowledge implies a late date of writing.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the historical argument must be conceded by those holding a more conservative view. The book of Daniel does present a remarkable knowledge of Near Eastern history. The critical question is whether that knowledge was normal human knowledge, gained after the events, or special knowledge revealed to Daniel beforehand. That question is answered in different ways by different people, depending on their view of prophecy and other factors.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of the historical argument is technically more complex. Was the writer’s knowledge of history in the late sixth century <span>BC<\/span> really erroneous? The most significant problem is that of the identity of Darius the Mede (Dn 5:30-31). The book of Daniel says that Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and was succeeded at a later date by Cyrus. External historical sources contain no reference to a Darius at the time, but show clearly that it was Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Advocates of a late date consider that strong evidence. Those who advocate an early date have no simple solution to the problem. One proposed solution is that Darius and Cyrus are two names for the same person. A basis for that hypothesis is that Daniel 6:28 can be translated: “Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even [that is] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” An analogy appears in the use of the names Pul and Tiglath-pileser in 1 Chronicles 5:26. In summary, the dating of Daniel on the basis of the writer’s historical knowledge is difficult, whether one suggests an early or late date.<\/p>\n<h5>Linguistic Argument<\/h5>\n<p>The linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are also complex, especially for a person not familiar with the original languages of the book (Hebrew and Aramaic). Advocates of a late date use three related arguments: (1) the Aramaic language of the book is typical of late Aramaic (second century <span>BC<\/span> and later); (2) the presence of Persian loan words is a further indication of the late date of the book’s Aramaic; and (3) the presence of Greek loan words in the Aramaic shows that the language must be dated after the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Orient (c. 330 <span>BC<\/span>). For the advocates of a late date for the book’s composition, the last argument is most compelling. It would be impossible, they affirm, to find Greek loan words in Aramaic two centuries before Alexander’s time.<\/p>\n<p>Although the arguments are at first convincing, on closer examination they are less persuasive to those who hold the conservative view. Each of the three parts of the argument has been answered.<\/p>\n<p>1. Aramaic was in common use in the Near East from about the ninth century <span>BC<\/span>, being recognized as an official language in Assyria from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span>. Ninety percent of the Aramaic words in Daniel were used in that older language, in both the Old and Imperial Aramaic dialects. The remaining 10 percent, known only in later texts in the light of present evidence, might indicate a late date, but they could equally be early uses of the words in question.<\/p>\n<li>2. The evidence of Persian loan words in Aramaic can function like a boomerang. It is true that later Aramaic has many Persian loan words (about 19 appear in Daniel), but one can give an alternative explanation for Persian loan words in Daniel at an early date. The story of Daniel is set, in part, in the context of life in a Persian-controlled court. The Persians used Aramaic in their administrative control of the empire, and their own language inevitably penetrated Aramaic. If one assumes an early date for the book of Daniel, then it was being written in precisely the period when Persian would be having its greatest influence on Aramaic.<\/li>\n<li>3. The evidence of Greek words in Daniel’s Aramaic (a total of three) is not altogether compelling. Greek (or “Ionian”) traders traveled in various parts of the Near East from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span> onward. Greek mercenaries fought for Near Eastern states in and after the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. In Daniel’s lifetime King Nebuchadnezzar is known to have employed Greek artisans in the city of Babylon. Thus, it is unnecessary to limit the possibilities of Greek penetration of the Aramaic language to the period after Alexander. The conqueror was by no means the first Greek to set foot in the Orient.<\/li>\n<h5>Conclusion<\/h5>\n<p>The historical and linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are inconclusive for either an early or late date of writing. To a large extent, dating the book depends on other matters, such as authorship, intention, and the extent to which one takes a “prophetic” interpretation of portions of the book. To postulate that Daniel was the author is consistent with the evidence currently available. Further, evidence provided by some of the Daniel material from the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran does not support a late date for the book. All Daniel manuscripts and fragments are second-century <span>BC<\/span> copies, thus requiring an earlier date for the original. One manuscript, related paleographically to the large Isaiah Scroll, must have come originally from the same period—estimated to be several centuries before the Qumran copy of Isaiah. Other manuscripts from Qumran show that no OT canonical material was composed later than the Persian period. Thus, no manuscript evidence exists for a second-century <span>BC<\/span> date for Daniel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Language\">Language<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting features of the book of Daniel is not immediately evident to a reader of the English Bible. The book is bilingual. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and Daniel 8–12 are written in Hebrew, the language of the other OT books. The middle section (Dn 2:4b–7:28), however, is written in Aramaic, a different but related language. Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon. Some have suggested that an original Aramaic book was expanded by a Hebrew writer, with additions to the original book at the beginning and the end. Others suggest that a portion of the original Hebrew book was lost, so the missing section was replaced from a surviving Aramaic translation. More complex and ingenious suggestions have also been made, but none has been commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Another suggestion is possible. The book of Daniel (whatever date one prefers) may simply reflect the bilingual character of its cultural setting. (As a modern example, consider the many written materials in Canada that appear in both English and French.) Finally, one can regard the bilingual character as another of the mysterious aspects of the book that make its interpretation difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>The background of the book of Daniel can be examined from two perspectives. It may be viewed from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, of which Daniel was a part (early sixth century <span>BC<\/span>), or in the light of future historical events (second century <span>BC<\/span>), toward which the visions in the book’s second half seem to point.<\/p>\n<h5>The Babylonian Exile<\/h5>\n<p>Although Daniel himself was exiled about 605 <span>BC<\/span>, the major phase of the Babylonian exile began in 586 <span>BC<\/span>, following the defeat of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The account extends through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (properly Nebuchadrezzar) and Belshazzar, culminating in the early years of the Persian king Cyrus, who took over the city of Babylon in 539 <span>BC<\/span>. For the Jews the exile was a time of hardship but also a time of renewed theological understanding. Both aspects are reflected in the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n<h5>The Seleucid Period in Palestine<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel’s visions in the latter half of the book appear to refer to the Seleucid period in Palestine, specifically the time when the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, a member of the Seleucid dynasty (175–163 <span>BC<\/span>). Whether the visions were prophetic anticipations of future events or reflections of contemporary culture, the Seleucid period is important to a full understanding of the book.<\/p>\n<p>Under Antiochus, Palestinian Jews experienced a time of considerable hardship. The ancient faith was severely undermined, the high priesthood in Jerusalem was sold to the highest bidder, and the temple was desecrated in several ways. Pressure was exerted on the Jews to adapt their lives and faith to Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture. Although some capitulated, others refused and steadfastly held firm to the old faith. A rebellion against the oppressive measures of Antiochus began in 168 <span>BC<\/span>. By 164 the rebels had largely succeeded in getting rid of the objectionable practices. But the Seleucid period was generally a bad time for faithful Jews, when all the forces of history seemed to work against the true faith. Part of the book of Daniel’s greatness lies in its theological understanding of history, which enabled men and women to continue living in faith through a time of terrible crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>The scriptural section of the OT called the Writings served a variety of purposes. The psalms, for example, were used primarily in Israel’s worship. The proverbs may have been part of Israel’s school curriculum. The book of Job addressed a specific human and theological problem.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the book of Daniel is not so easy to determine, since it is essentially a story, a partial biography of Daniel. It is not strictly a prophetic book, nor is it history in the modern sense. Much of it is concerned with dreams and their interpretations.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the word “history” provides a clue to its purpose. Daniel seeks to provide theological understanding of history. The first six chapters tell about Daniel and his companions, not merely to satisfy historical curiosity but to teach the reader. OT theology insisted that the God of Israel participated in human life and history. To read biblical history, therefore, is to discover God’s participation in human affairs and to learn how God and human beings relate to each other. In the opening chapters of Daniel one reads of events in the life of a man of remarkable faith, the kind of history from which one may learn how to live.<\/p>\n<p>The last six chapters focus on Daniel’s dreams. Although neither the dreams nor the interpretations are easy to understand, it is possible to see the theme of history emerging again. The emphasis in chapters 7–12 is not on history as a record of past events but on the meaning of history and the world’s future. In the biblical perspective, the movements of human societies in the present and future matter as much as past history. Though Daniel’s visions are dominated by nations and superpowers, they have a more basic theme: God’s power over human beings and nations. History often appears to be a conglomeration of chaos and human conflict. Yet God ultimately controls history and moves it toward a goal. In spite of ambiguous details at the end of the book, Daniel provides hope for people living in a time of crisis. Even if what is said about the “time of the end” cannot be understood now (Dn 12:9), the end of history is full of hope for those with faith in God (v 13). The purpose of the book of Daniel thus has to do with the meaning of history, both what can be learned from the past and what can be hoped for in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>The book also contains specific theological statements on such matters as human faith, divine salvation, and the nature of revelation. One theological matter in Daniel deserves particular attention: the doctrine of resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>The NT’s clear doctrine of resurrection followed by judgment is not a central theme in the OT. For the most part, the Hebrews’ faith was fixed on the realities of earthly life. Hope for life beyond the grave is hinted at in many texts but remains implicit. Only in the later writings of the OT, especially those of Ezekiel and Daniel, does a more explicit doctrine of resurrection develop.<\/p>\n\n<p>The focal point of that doctrine in the book of Daniel is 12:2: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (<span>nlt<\/span>). The doctrine of personal resurrection provides a basis for individual hope within an understanding of present and future history. Nations move against nations in apparent turmoil. God is believed to be in ultimate control, but what becomes of all the people who die while history is still in motion? The dead shall rise again, says Daniel, and in their resurrection bodies shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will be rewarded with everlasting life, but others will be condemned to shame.<\/p>\n<p>To the readers of the book of Daniel, the doctrine of resurrection provided hope in an otherwise bleak and hopeless world. It was a reminder that the actions of earthly life are important—they form the basis of future judgment. The world has a larger horizon of life beyond the body’s death. Ultimately, there will be justice, even though justice is rarely seen in the present existence. Evildoers may live without ever being punished. Yet beyond the death of the body lies a final judgment characterized by God’s justice.<\/p>\n<p>So the book of Daniel is about history and hope. Life must be lived now; for that, the book offers in the first six chapters the insight of Daniel’s experience. Life is lived in the context of war and international chaos; for that, chapters 7–12 depict God’s sovereignty and his purposes in history. Individual life moves toward death; for that, the writer speaks of resurrection and judgment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentStoriesaboutDaniel16\">Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<h5>Daniel and His Companions (1:1-21)<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel and his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were exiled to Babylon some 19 years before the main exile following the destruction of Jerusalem. The four healthy young men, selected from among many Jewish exiles, were at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar assigned to a special three-year training program to make them court aides.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the four Jewish youths entered Babylon’s high society, they faced a dietary problem. The king provided them with the best food and wine from the royal kitchens, but a Jew’s diet was restricted by the laws of God (see Dt 14). The four asked for a diet of vegetables and water, not to be fussy or ungrateful, but to remain faithful to their God. The story tells how the dietary situation worked out and sees them through their education and Daniel’s appointment as a royal counselor.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode thus focuses on a key issue faced by all Jewish exiles: How could one live in a foreign land, with foreign food and customs, yet remain faithful to God and his laws? Daniel provided a model. He was courageous enough not to compromise, but wise enough to seek a solution acceptable to all. His faithfulness was rewarded by God. By the end of the episode, Daniel is seen as a person with special wisdom and gifts from God. The rest of his life was marked by the exercise of those gifts.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1-49)<\/h5>\n<p>The king had a dream and, although he could not remember its substance, it weighed heavily on his mind. When his corps of professional interpreters could do nothing for him, he ordered that they be executed. The king’s order included Daniel and his companions, whose training qualified them as interpreters. Daniel obtained a stay of execution by offering to interpret the dream. After prayer, Daniel received from God both the substance of the dream and its interpretation, which he relayed to the king. The grateful Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his companions to important positions in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Although the writer recorded both the king’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, the problem for a modern reader is how to interpret the interpretation. The king saw in his dream a statue, with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. The interpretation identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold. His kingdom would be followed by three other kingdoms, each represented by the statue’s parts and substances. At that point modern interpretations begin to diverge.<\/p>\n<p>A common interpretation of the four sequential kingdoms is as follows: Chaldean Empire (gold), MedoPersian Empire (silver), Greece (brass), Rome (iron and clay). Others suggest an alternative interpretation: Chaldean Empire (gold), Media (silver), Persia (brass), Greece (iron and clay). To focus too much attention on identifying the four kingdoms can result in failure to see the chapter’s key feature. From the midst of those human kingdoms, “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever” (2:44, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Babylonian king’s dream anticipated the coming of a greater kingdom, that of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<h5>The Fiery Furnace (3:1-30)<\/h5>\n<p>The story continues, focusing on Daniel’s three friends and using their Babylonian names—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a massive gold statue, 90 feet (27.4 meters) high. At its dedication ceremony everyone was required to bow down and worship as a band began to play. The three young Hebrews, who refused to worship, were summoned before the king. Their continued firm refusal led to a sentence of execution, and they were thrown into a fiercely burning furnace. Remarkably, they did not burn, and a fourth being appeared with them in the furnace. As they emerged unharmed from the ordeal, the king acknowledged God’s power of salvation and rewarded them.<\/p>\n<p>The story illustrates a second dilemma of the Jews in exile. Faithfulness to God’s first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Dt 5:7), could lead to death. The three young men were faithful—not out of confidence that God would rescue them, but whether or not he chose to spare their lives (Dn 3:17-18). As it happened, God delivered them; they were tossed into the furnace bound, but they came out free men. The message was profound: certainly the Jews should believe in a God able to deliver from the flames of persecution, but they should believe and hold fast even if no deliverance could be seen beyond the trial.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream and Madness (4:1-37)<\/h5>\n<p>On two occasions Nebuchadnezzar had confessed faith in the living God: when Daniel had interpreted his dream of the statue (2:47), and on the release of Daniel’s three companions from the furnace (3:28). Nonetheless, the king’s faith was shallow. The story in chapter 4 recounts a lapse of faith that brought terrible consequences. After eight years, when those consequences had run their course, the king again acknowledged God (4:37).<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is presented in the form of a proclamation, written by Nebuchadnezzar and widely circulated after the events in the story had transpired. The king dreamed of a tall tree growing in a field to ever greater heights. A divine messenger ordered the tree cut down, with only a stump and roots left in the ground. The stump and roots then took the form of a man, but the man’s mind was replaced with that of an animal. For seven years that semihuman creature behaved like a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel showed the king how the dream applied to the king himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the great tree that would be cut down; he would behave like a beast in the field for seven years. One year after the king had been told that interpretation, the judgment came. For seven years he behaved like an animal until his sanity returned.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the king’s story is that his madness was no accident but rather divine judgment. His arrogant belief that he had the power of God led to heavy retribution (4:30). The king was probably afflicted with a rare and peculiar form of mental illness today called “boanthropy.” The true meaning of the story lies at a deeper level: to think that one is God, having absolute power and control of one’s own life, is madness. That kind of madness can be cured and overcome only with the realization that absolute power and authority belong to God alone.<\/p>\n<h5>Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1-31)<\/h5>\n<p>The scene shifts to the reign of a later king in Babylon, Belshazzar. The son of Nabonidus, he was probably co-regent with Nabonidus (555?–539 <span>BC<\/span>), with special authority in the region of Babylon. The theme of his story is similar to that of chapter 4. Belshazzar, in the course of an enormous feast, called for the sacred vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem. With the sacred vessels the Babylonians toasted the local gods, a sacrilegious act that invited divine judgment. It came in the form of words written on the wall by a hand, which Daniel interpreted for the king as words of judgment (5:26-28). Although he praised Daniel for the interpretation, the king missed both the true meaning of the words and the lesson taught to Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor (vv 18-22). Belshazzar was killed that very night when Darius the Mede entered the city and captured it. The theme continues remorselessly: human pride and arrogance do not pass unnoticed by the God of history, who controls and directs human events toward the fulfillment of his purpose.<\/p>\n<h5>The Den of Lions (6:1-28)<\/h5>\n<p>The theme of chapter 6 is similar to that of chapter 3, but with Daniel as the story’s central figure. He is portrayed as one unwilling to compromise, fully obedient to Darius as long as that was possible, but unwilling to disobey the law of God. Hence, Daniel knowingly disobeyed a royal decree that prohibited prayer to anyone other than the king himself. Although he was aware of the consequences, Daniel remained faithful to God. The immediate outcome, when his enemies reported him, was an order of execution—Daniel was thrown to the lions. He was delivered from the hungry cats, and the king, relieved of a terrible predicament, had the plotters punished.<\/p>\n<p>A double message emerges from the story. On the one hand, God’s servant must be faithful in prayer and worship, regardless of the outcome; God delivers, and in that case did deliver Daniel from disaster. On the other hand, the effect of Daniel’s faithfulness was that the king, who had ordered his subjects to worship him, learned about true worship (6:25-27). The effects of faithfulness, like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pool, spread far beyond the one who is faithful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentDanielsVisions712\">Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p>With the beginning of chapter 7 the chronological sequence of the book of Daniel changes; Daniel’s first vision goes back to the first year of Belshazzar (7:1), but subsequent visions take place as late as the reign of Cyrus, the Persian king (10:1). Chapters 7–12 emphasize the meaning of history and God’s sovereignty in history, expressed in the mysterious symbolism of dreams. The whole section can be divided as follows: (1) vision of four beasts (7:1-28); (2) vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-27); (3) Daniel’s prayer (9:1-27); (4) vision of the end times (10:1–12:13).<\/p>\n<p>The first vision again takes up the theme of four kingdoms, already seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch 2). In the second vision the focus is narrowed down to two kingdoms, Persia and Greece. Much of the final vision of the end times deals with events occurring during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century <span>BC<\/span>. All the visions play on the same theme. Although human kingdoms may exert their might in a chaotic world, the sovereign God acts through history’s apparent chaos toward an ultimate goal of salvation.<\/p>\n<p>The primary interpretation of the visions can be perceived in past historical events, but a further messianic dimension can be seen in the light of the NT. That dimension is most evident in chapter 7. In the context of the four kingdoms, a divine court of judgment is established, presided over by the “Ancient of Days”—the almighty God (7:9). Then Daniel sees the arrival of “one like a son of man” (7:13). Though the phrase “son of man” was later perceived to be a messianic title, it did not technically have that meaning in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:13 is a principal source for the title “Son of Man,” which Jesus commonly used to designate himself. His most significant use of that term was at his trial, where he directly associated his title with Daniel 7 (Mt 26:63-64).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel (Person) #3; Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Prophecy; Prophet, Prophetess.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Book of Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, nlt). In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel i...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Book of Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, nlt). In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel i...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":9898,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Plain of Dura","title_en":"Plain of Dura","content_ro":"<h3>DURA, Plain of<\/h3>\n<p>Location in the province of Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar set up the great image of gold, which all his subjects were ordered to worship (Dn 3:1). Its exact location is uncertain. It may be situated to the southeast of Babylon, or perhaps even located within the great outer wall of the city itself. The image was doubtless in a prominent place, probably in an open area used for public gatherings. Since <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">dur<\/span> means “rampart,” the phrase should probably be read as “the plain of the rampart” (within Babylon).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DURA, Plain of<\/h3>\n<p>Location in the province of Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar set up the great image of gold, which all his subjects were ordered to worship (Dn 3:1). Its exact location is uncertain. It may be situated to the southeast of Babylon, or perhaps even located within the great outer wall of the city itself. The image was doubtless in a prominent place, probably in an open area used for public gatherings. Since <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">dur<\/span> means “rampart,” the phrase should probably be read as “the plain of the rampart” (within Babylon).<\/p>","summary_ro":"DURA, Plain of Location in the province of Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar set up the great image of gold, which all his subjects were ordered to worship (Dn 3:1). Its exact location is uncertain. It may be situated to the southeast of Babylon, or perhaps even located within the great outer wall of the city itself. The image was doubtless in a prominent place, probably in an open area used for public gatherings. Since dur means “rampart,” the phrase should probably be read as “the plain of the r...","summary_en":"DURA, Plain of Location in the province of Babylon where Nebuchadnezzar set up the great image of gold, which all his subjects were ordered to worship (Dn 3:1). Its exact location is uncertain. It may be situated to the southeast of Babylon, or perhaps even located within the great outer wall of the city itself. The image was doubtless in a prominent place, probably in an open area used for public gatherings. Since dur means “rampart,” the phrase should probably be read as “the plain of the r...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":12913,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Furnace","title_en":"Furnace","content_ro":"<h3>FURNACE<\/h3>\n<p>Brick or stone structure varying in size and shape, depending on whether it was to be used domestically or commercially. A typical furnace consisted of a firebox, a flue, a chamber for the material to be heated, and an opening to give the refiner access from the outside. Common uses of the furnace were to smelt ore, melt ore for casting, heat ore for forging, fire ceramic materials, fire bricks, and make lime.<\/p>\n<p>Various types of furnaces are mentioned in Scripture. The potter’s kiln was used to make lime and to fire and glaze pottery (Gn 19:28; Ex 9:8, 10; 19:18). It was commonly made of limestone, was dome-shaped, had a chimney for smoke to escape, and a hole at the bottom for fuel. Such a furnace emitted a thick, dark column of smoke.<\/p>\n<p>Larger furnaces used for smelting ore were seldom employed by the Hebrews, except possibly in the time of King Solomon. The Hebrews, however, knew of this type of furnace, probably from its extensive use in Lebanon. Most OT references to such furnaces are figurative (Dt 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Prv 17:3; 27:21; Is 48:10; Jer 11:4; Ez 22:18-22). This kind of large, ore-smelting furnace is central in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three Jewish men whom King Nebuchadnezzar threw into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down and worship his golden idol (Dn 3).<\/p>\n<p>The most common use of “furnace” in the Bible is to provide a figurative description of God’s discipline or punishment and his refining of character (Dt 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Is 48:10; Jer 6:27-30; Ez 22:18-22). In the NT “furnace” is used as a symbol for hell (Mt 13:42, 50; Rv 9:2). The refining image is used to refer to the trials of life that prepare a person for life after death (Jas 1:12; 1 Pt 1:7). In John’s vision, the one who is like the Son of Man has “feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace” (Rv 1:15, <span>kjv<\/span>). This reference to refined brass, an extremely hard metal, is symbolic of Christ’s power to conquer his enemies.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>FURNACE<\/h3>\n<p>Brick or stone structure varying in size and shape, depending on whether it was to be used domestically or commercially. A typical furnace consisted of a firebox, a flue, a chamber for the material to be heated, and an opening to give the refiner access from the outside. Common uses of the furnace were to smelt ore, melt ore for casting, heat ore for forging, fire ceramic materials, fire bricks, and make lime.<\/p>\n<p>Various types of furnaces are mentioned in Scripture. The potter’s kiln was used to make lime and to fire and glaze pottery (Gn 19:28; Ex 9:8, 10; 19:18). It was commonly made of limestone, was dome-shaped, had a chimney for smoke to escape, and a hole at the bottom for fuel. Such a furnace emitted a thick, dark column of smoke.<\/p>\n<p>Larger furnaces used for smelting ore were seldom employed by the Hebrews, except possibly in the time of King Solomon. The Hebrews, however, knew of this type of furnace, probably from its extensive use in Lebanon. Most OT references to such furnaces are figurative (Dt 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Prv 17:3; 27:21; Is 48:10; Jer 11:4; Ez 22:18-22). This kind of large, ore-smelting furnace is central in the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, the three Jewish men whom King Nebuchadnezzar threw into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down and worship his golden idol (Dn 3).<\/p>\n<p>The most common use of “furnace” in the Bible is to provide a figurative description of God’s discipline or punishment and his refining of character (Dt 4:20; 1 Kgs 8:51; Is 48:10; Jer 6:27-30; Ez 22:18-22). In the NT “furnace” is used as a symbol for hell (Mt 13:42, 50; Rv 9:2). The refining image is used to refer to the trials of life that prepare a person for life after death (Jas 1:12; 1 Pt 1:7). In John’s vision, the one who is like the Son of Man has “feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace” (Rv 1:15, <span>kjv<\/span>). This reference to refined brass, an extremely hard metal, is symbolic of Christ’s power to conquer his enemies.<\/p>","summary_ro":"FURNACE Brick or stone structure varying in size and shape, depending on whether it was to be used domestically or commercially. A typical furnace consisted of a firebox, a flue, a chamber for the material to be heated, and an opening to give the refiner access from the outside. Common uses of the furnace were to smelt ore, melt ore for casting, heat ore for forging, fire ceramic materials, fire bricks, and make lime. Various types of furnaces are mentioned in Scripture. The potter’s kiln was...","summary_en":"FURNACE Brick or stone structure varying in size and shape, depending on whether it was to be used domestically or commercially. A typical furnace consisted of a firebox, a flue, a chamber for the material to be heated, and an opening to give the refiner access from the outside. Common uses of the furnace were to smelt ore, melt ore for casting, heat ore for forging, fire ceramic materials, fire bricks, and make lime. Various types of furnaces are mentioned in Scripture. The potter’s kiln was...","source":"Articles\/F.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":26072,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Mishael","title_en":"Mishael","content_ro":"<h3>MISHAEL<\/h3>\n<li>1. Uzziel’s son (Ex 6:22), who, with his brother Elzaphan, was summoned by Moses to remove the bodies of Nadab and Abihu after they were killed for defiling the altar of the Lord (Lv 10:1-5).<\/li>\n<li>2. One who stood beside Ezra when the law was read (Neh 8:4).<\/li>\n<li>3. Hebrew name for one of Daniel’s companions in Babylon (Dn 1:6), who, with Daniel and two others, remained faithful to God (vv 11, 19) and was delivered from the fiery furnace into which he had been cast for refusing to obey the king’s edict (ch 3). His Babylonian name was Meshach (1:7).<\/li>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>MISHAEL<\/h3>\n<li>1. Uzziel’s son (Ex 6:22), who, with his brother Elzaphan, was summoned by Moses to remove the bodies of Nadab and Abihu after they were killed for defiling the altar of the Lord (Lv 10:1-5).<\/li>\n<li>2. One who stood beside Ezra when the law was read (Neh 8:4).<\/li>\n<li>3. Hebrew name for one of Daniel’s companions in Babylon (Dn 1:6), who, with Daniel and two others, remained faithful to God (vv 11, 19) and was delivered from the fiery furnace into which he had been cast for refusing to obey the king’s edict (ch 3). His Babylonian name was Meshach (1:7).<\/li>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.<\/p>","summary_ro":"MISHAEL 1. Uzziel’s son (Ex 6:22), who, with his brother Elzaphan, was summoned by Moses to remove the bodies of Nadab and Abihu after they were killed for defiling the altar of the Lord (Lv 10:1-5). 2. One who stood beside Ezra when the law was read (Neh 8:4). 3. Hebrew name for one of Daniel’s companions in Babylon (Dn 1:6), who, with Daniel and two others, remained faithful to God (vv 11, 19) and was delivered from the fiery furnace into which he had been cast for refusing to obey the king...","summary_en":"MISHAEL 1. Uzziel’s son (Ex 6:22), who, with his brother Elzaphan, was summoned by Moses to remove the bodies of Nadab and Abihu after they were killed for defiling the altar of the Lord (Lv 10:1-5). 2. One who stood beside Ezra when the law was read (Neh 8:4). 3. Hebrew name for one of Daniel’s companions in Babylon (Dn 1:6), who, with Daniel and two others, remained faithful to God (vv 11, 19) and was delivered from the fiery furnace into which he had been cast for refusing to obey the king...","source":"Articles\/M.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":26690,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Musical Instruments","title_en":"Musical Instruments","content_ro":"<h3>MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS<\/h3>\n<p>Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court.<\/p>\n<p>The ancient Hebrews made certain distinctions among the instruments, not on musical but on ethical grounds. Some instruments were considered “unclean” and were not allowed in temple worship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"StringedInstruments\">Stringed Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The stringed instruments were favored by the Jewish people. In many ancient civilizations the strings were considered the most masculine and noble (e.g., David playing the lyre); the Jews considered them the most suitable for accompaniment in the temple service. The term <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">minim<\/span> is used in Psalm 150:4 to designate the entire family of stringed instruments used in the praise of God.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Asor<\/span> appears three times in the book of Psalms (Pss 33:2; 92:3; 144:9). Although the word derives from a Hebrew root meaning “ten,” the actual description of the instrument remains unclear. The most common theory identifies it with the Phoenician zither having ten strings; it is perhaps the lute.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kathros<\/span> was a stringed instrument included in the list of those played at Nebuchadnezzar’s court and was probably a kind of lyre (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kinnor<\/span> is the most frequently mentioned instrument in the Bible, found in 42 places. It is often called David’s harp and is the most beloved instrument of the Jewish people. We can say with reasonable certainty that it was a lyre and not a harp. The strings, the number of which is not clear, were made of sheep tripe and the sounding box was at the bottom of the instrument. It is not certain whether it was played with a plectrum or with bare hands, but the specific comment that David “played it with his hand” (1 Sm 16:23, <span>rsv<\/span>) may have implied that this was not the common practice. The biblical descriptions of the sound of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> include “pleasant” and “sweet” (Ps 81:2). The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> was played mainly in worship but also in celebrations (Is 5:12), for state occasions (1 Sm 10:5; 2 Sm 6:5), and by shepherds (1 Sm 16:16).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Nebel<\/span> was another stringed instrument (literally meaning “skin” or “skin bottle”) mentioned 27 times in Scripture. Its shape was probably similar to a bottle, with the belly-shaped sounding box on the bottom. It definitely belongs to the family of harps (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Kgs 10:12; Neh 12:27; Ps 57:8; Am 5:23) and may have been influenced by similar Egyptian instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">nebel<\/span> was probably played without a plectrum and was a larger and louder instrument than the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span><em>.<\/em> It is translated as “harp” in most modern English translations, compared to the <span>kjv<\/span> (“psaltery,” or “viol”).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">Psantrin<\/span> or <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">pesanterin<\/span> was a Greek instrument, mentioned in the description of King Nebuchadnezzar’s orchestra. It may have resembled a dulcimer, having strings played with hammers (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sabcha<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sabbeka<\/span><em>,<\/em> identical with the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sambyke<\/span> and the Roman <em>sambuca,<\/em> was a stringed instrument (<span>rsv<\/span> “trigon,” <span>kjv<\/span> “sackbut”) played in the Babylonian court. It was a triangle with four strings, having a high and harsh tone (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"WindInstruments\">Wind Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The wind instruments can be divided into two groups: pipes and horns.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Halil<\/span> is mentioned only six times in the Bible but was referred to frequently by postbiblical writers. This kind of piped instrument was similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">aulos<\/span> (Mt 9:23; 1 Cor 14:7; Rv 18:22), a primitive oboe, rendered “flute” in many translations. The root word <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halal<\/span> means “to pierce,” thus the meaning “hollow tube.” The early pipes were made from reedlike plants. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halil<\/span> had a double-reed mouthpiece and probably produced a shrill and penetrating sound. It was connected with joyful events such as banquets (Is 5:12) and prophetic frenzies (1 Sm 10:5), but its tone was also associated with wailing and mourning (Jer 48:36).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Hatzotzrot<\/span> was a sort of trumpet. Modern scholars have more information about this horn than many of its ancient Hebrew counterparts. The triumphal arch built by Titus in Rome includes depictions of the captured implements of the temple, among which are two trumpets. The form of these horns may have been influenced by the Israelites’ knowledge of Egyptian trumpets. Similar instruments were also known in Assyria, in the Hittite Empire, and in Greece. Moses was commanded to make two silver trumpets (Nm 10:2); playing these instruments became the exclusive privilege of the descendants of Aaron. These trumpets were made of silver or gold, about a yard (.9 meter) long, but narrow, with a pronounced bell. The descendants of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> are the herald trumpets. Numbers 10:10 says the trumpets were used “for a memorial before . . . God.” Trumpets and horns were used to signal the gathering of the congregation to the tent of meeting, to sound alarm, to alert the camps to move forward, and to announce when war was at hand. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> became an important part of the temple service. There were at least two trumpets in the daily services, but at high holidays the number could be increased indefinitely (1 Chr 15:28; 2 Chr 15:14; Ps 98:6; Dn 3:5-15; Hos 5:8).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mashroqita<\/span><em>,<\/em> considered by modern scholars to be a Pan’s pipe similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">syrinx<\/span><em>,<\/em> is included in the list of orchestral instruments of King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shophar<\/span> is mentioned in the Bible 72 times, more than any other Hebrew instrument. It is the only instrument of ancient Israel that survives in its original form and is still used in Jewish liturgy. The early <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> was curved like a ram’s horn, but the later form was straight with a bend near the bell of the horn. There is some question whether any of the hornlike instruments can actually be considered musical instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> could produce two, maybe three tones, and was used for giving signals, not for playing music. It was used in such religious ceremonies as the transfer of the ark (2 Sm 6:15; 1 Chr 15:28), the renewal of the covenant by King Asa (2 Chr 15:14), thanksgiving to God (Ps 98:6; 150:3), and was blown at the new moon and the beginning of the jubilee year. Its secular use included such royal occasions as Absalom’s accession to the throne (2 Sm 15:10), Solomon’s anointing as king (1 Kgs 1:34), and Jehu’s accession to the throne (2 Kgs 9:13).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sumponia<\/span> is an uncertain term included in Daniel 3. Many commentators have interpreted it as a bagpipe (<span>rsv<\/span>), but musicologists strongly argue that at the time of King Nebuchadnezzar there was no such instrument. It has been suggested that <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sumponia<\/span> was not a musical instrument at all but signified the playing of the entire ensemble. This could come from the Greek root <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sym<\/span><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">phonia<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “sounding together.” The word is also found in Luke 15:25, where it is translated as “music.”<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Ugab<\/span><em>,<\/em> a flutelike instrument, is mentioned in Scripture four times (Gn 4:21; Jb 21:12; 30:31; Ps 150:4; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates it as “organ”). It is only in Psalm 150 that the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">ugab<\/span> is connected with a sacred occasion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PercussionInstruments\">Percussion Instruments<\/p>\n<p>Most of the accounts of percussion instruments are found in the early history of the Hebrew people. They were gradually eliminated from the temple orchestra, perhaps because of their association with idolatrous practices.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mena anim<\/span> was a loud metal rattle, constructed with a frame carrying loose rings. It is included in a list of instruments in 2 Samuel 6:5 (<span>rsv<\/span> “castanet”; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates as “cornet”). It was likely a form of the <em>sistrum,<\/em> an Egyptian instrument.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Pamonim<\/span> were the bells attached to the lower hem of the priest’s garment, described in Exodus 28:33-34 and 39:25-26. They were not loud but indicated the position of the high priest as he entered the sanctuary.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalishim<\/span><em>,<\/em> often translated as <em>sistrum<\/em> or <em>timbrel,<\/em> is a kind of rattle. It is not clear whether this term actually refers to a musical instrument. It appears in 1 Samuel 18:6 as part of the reception of King Saul and David after the battle with the Philistines.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Toph<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">tof<\/span> was an instrument used mainly by women, but there are some indications that men might have played it as well (1 Sm 10:5; <span>kjv<\/span> “tabret”; 2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). The mention of this kind of hand drum appears 15 times in the Bible. A wooden or metal hoop was covered with the skin of a ram or wild goat and was played with the hand. It is not clear whether the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> had skin on just one side or two. Some commentators have described it as a tambourine or timbrel but there is no indication that it included jangles. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> was used in merrymaking and was rather loud (Ex 15:20; Ps 81:2).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Zelzelim<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">meziltayim<\/span> were cymbals. Both of these words come from the Hebrew root <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">zala<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “to resound” or “to tingle,” and the noun forms represent the instrument known as the cymbal. Sometimes these terms are wrongly translated as “castanets.” These were the only percussion instruments included in the temple music and were always referred to in a dual form, suggesting a pair of cymbals, but played by one man. Cymbals made of metal were known to most ancient cultures. They appear for the first time in the Bible when the ark was transferred to Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). Later they were played in the temple by the leaders of the Levitical singers (1 Chr 15:19). The function of the cymbals was less musical than liturgical, being used as signals for the singing to begin and between the sections of the psalms. Two different kinds of cymbals are mentioned in Psalm 150, but their difference is not clear, probably involving either size or material.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS<\/h3>\n<p>Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court.<\/p>\n<p>The ancient Hebrews made certain distinctions among the instruments, not on musical but on ethical grounds. Some instruments were considered “unclean” and were not allowed in temple worship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"StringedInstruments\">Stringed Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The stringed instruments were favored by the Jewish people. In many ancient civilizations the strings were considered the most masculine and noble (e.g., David playing the lyre); the Jews considered them the most suitable for accompaniment in the temple service. The term <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">minim<\/span> is used in Psalm 150:4 to designate the entire family of stringed instruments used in the praise of God.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Asor<\/span> appears three times in the book of Psalms (Pss 33:2; 92:3; 144:9). Although the word derives from a Hebrew root meaning “ten,” the actual description of the instrument remains unclear. The most common theory identifies it with the Phoenician zither having ten strings; it is perhaps the lute.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kathros<\/span> was a stringed instrument included in the list of those played at Nebuchadnezzar’s court and was probably a kind of lyre (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kinnor<\/span> is the most frequently mentioned instrument in the Bible, found in 42 places. It is often called David’s harp and is the most beloved instrument of the Jewish people. We can say with reasonable certainty that it was a lyre and not a harp. The strings, the number of which is not clear, were made of sheep tripe and the sounding box was at the bottom of the instrument. It is not certain whether it was played with a plectrum or with bare hands, but the specific comment that David “played it with his hand” (1 Sm 16:23, <span>rsv<\/span>) may have implied that this was not the common practice. The biblical descriptions of the sound of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> include “pleasant” and “sweet” (Ps 81:2). The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> was played mainly in worship but also in celebrations (Is 5:12), for state occasions (1 Sm 10:5; 2 Sm 6:5), and by shepherds (1 Sm 16:16).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Nebel<\/span> was another stringed instrument (literally meaning “skin” or “skin bottle”) mentioned 27 times in Scripture. Its shape was probably similar to a bottle, with the belly-shaped sounding box on the bottom. It definitely belongs to the family of harps (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Kgs 10:12; Neh 12:27; Ps 57:8; Am 5:23) and may have been influenced by similar Egyptian instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">nebel<\/span> was probably played without a plectrum and was a larger and louder instrument than the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span><em>.<\/em> It is translated as “harp” in most modern English translations, compared to the <span>kjv<\/span> (“psaltery,” or “viol”).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">Psantrin<\/span> or <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">pesanterin<\/span> was a Greek instrument, mentioned in the description of King Nebuchadnezzar’s orchestra. It may have resembled a dulcimer, having strings played with hammers (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sabcha<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sabbeka<\/span><em>,<\/em> identical with the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sambyke<\/span> and the Roman <em>sambuca,<\/em> was a stringed instrument (<span>rsv<\/span> “trigon,” <span>kjv<\/span> “sackbut”) played in the Babylonian court. It was a triangle with four strings, having a high and harsh tone (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"WindInstruments\">Wind Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The wind instruments can be divided into two groups: pipes and horns.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Halil<\/span> is mentioned only six times in the Bible but was referred to frequently by postbiblical writers. This kind of piped instrument was similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">aulos<\/span> (Mt 9:23; 1 Cor 14:7; Rv 18:22), a primitive oboe, rendered “flute” in many translations. The root word <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halal<\/span> means “to pierce,” thus the meaning “hollow tube.” The early pipes were made from reedlike plants. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halil<\/span> had a double-reed mouthpiece and probably produced a shrill and penetrating sound. It was connected with joyful events such as banquets (Is 5:12) and prophetic frenzies (1 Sm 10:5), but its tone was also associated with wailing and mourning (Jer 48:36).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Hatzotzrot<\/span> was a sort of trumpet. Modern scholars have more information about this horn than many of its ancient Hebrew counterparts. The triumphal arch built by Titus in Rome includes depictions of the captured implements of the temple, among which are two trumpets. The form of these horns may have been influenced by the Israelites’ knowledge of Egyptian trumpets. Similar instruments were also known in Assyria, in the Hittite Empire, and in Greece. Moses was commanded to make two silver trumpets (Nm 10:2); playing these instruments became the exclusive privilege of the descendants of Aaron. These trumpets were made of silver or gold, about a yard (.9 meter) long, but narrow, with a pronounced bell. The descendants of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> are the herald trumpets. Numbers 10:10 says the trumpets were used “for a memorial before . . . God.” Trumpets and horns were used to signal the gathering of the congregation to the tent of meeting, to sound alarm, to alert the camps to move forward, and to announce when war was at hand. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> became an important part of the temple service. There were at least two trumpets in the daily services, but at high holidays the number could be increased indefinitely (1 Chr 15:28; 2 Chr 15:14; Ps 98:6; Dn 3:5-15; Hos 5:8).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mashroqita<\/span><em>,<\/em> considered by modern scholars to be a Pan’s pipe similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">syrinx<\/span><em>,<\/em> is included in the list of orchestral instruments of King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shophar<\/span> is mentioned in the Bible 72 times, more than any other Hebrew instrument. It is the only instrument of ancient Israel that survives in its original form and is still used in Jewish liturgy. The early <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> was curved like a ram’s horn, but the later form was straight with a bend near the bell of the horn. There is some question whether any of the hornlike instruments can actually be considered musical instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> could produce two, maybe three tones, and was used for giving signals, not for playing music. It was used in such religious ceremonies as the transfer of the ark (2 Sm 6:15; 1 Chr 15:28), the renewal of the covenant by King Asa (2 Chr 15:14), thanksgiving to God (Ps 98:6; 150:3), and was blown at the new moon and the beginning of the jubilee year. Its secular use included such royal occasions as Absalom’s accession to the throne (2 Sm 15:10), Solomon’s anointing as king (1 Kgs 1:34), and Jehu’s accession to the throne (2 Kgs 9:13).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sumponia<\/span> is an uncertain term included in Daniel 3. Many commentators have interpreted it as a bagpipe (<span>rsv<\/span>), but musicologists strongly argue that at the time of King Nebuchadnezzar there was no such instrument. It has been suggested that <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sumponia<\/span> was not a musical instrument at all but signified the playing of the entire ensemble. This could come from the Greek root <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sym<\/span><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">phonia<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “sounding together.” The word is also found in Luke 15:25, where it is translated as “music.”<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Ugab<\/span><em>,<\/em> a flutelike instrument, is mentioned in Scripture four times (Gn 4:21; Jb 21:12; 30:31; Ps 150:4; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates it as “organ”). It is only in Psalm 150 that the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">ugab<\/span> is connected with a sacred occasion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PercussionInstruments\">Percussion Instruments<\/p>\n<p>Most of the accounts of percussion instruments are found in the early history of the Hebrew people. They were gradually eliminated from the temple orchestra, perhaps because of their association with idolatrous practices.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mena anim<\/span> was a loud metal rattle, constructed with a frame carrying loose rings. It is included in a list of instruments in 2 Samuel 6:5 (<span>rsv<\/span> “castanet”; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates as “cornet”). It was likely a form of the <em>sistrum,<\/em> an Egyptian instrument.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Pamonim<\/span> were the bells attached to the lower hem of the priest’s garment, described in Exodus 28:33-34 and 39:25-26. They were not loud but indicated the position of the high priest as he entered the sanctuary.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalishim<\/span><em>,<\/em> often translated as <em>sistrum<\/em> or <em>timbrel,<\/em> is a kind of rattle. It is not clear whether this term actually refers to a musical instrument. It appears in 1 Samuel 18:6 as part of the reception of King Saul and David after the battle with the Philistines.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Toph<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">tof<\/span> was an instrument used mainly by women, but there are some indications that men might have played it as well (1 Sm 10:5; <span>kjv<\/span> “tabret”; 2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). The mention of this kind of hand drum appears 15 times in the Bible. A wooden or metal hoop was covered with the skin of a ram or wild goat and was played with the hand. It is not clear whether the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> had skin on just one side or two. Some commentators have described it as a tambourine or timbrel but there is no indication that it included jangles. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> was used in merrymaking and was rather loud (Ex 15:20; Ps 81:2).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Zelzelim<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">meziltayim<\/span> were cymbals. Both of these words come from the Hebrew root <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">zala<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “to resound” or “to tingle,” and the noun forms represent the instrument known as the cymbal. Sometimes these terms are wrongly translated as “castanets.” These were the only percussion instruments included in the temple music and were always referred to in a dual form, suggesting a pair of cymbals, but played by one man. Cymbals made of metal were known to most ancient cultures. They appear for the first time in the Bible when the ark was transferred to Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). Later they were played in the temple by the leaders of the Levitical singers (1 Chr 15:19). The function of the cymbals was less musical than liturgical, being used as signals for the singing to begin and between the sections of the psalms. Two different kinds of cymbals are mentioned in Psalm 150, but their difference is not clear, probably involving either size or material.<\/p>","summary_ro":"MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music. In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in K...","summary_en":"MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music. In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in K...","source":"Articles\/M.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":27166,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar*","title_en":"Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadrezzar*","content_ro":"<h3>NEBUCHADNEZZAR, NEBUCHADREZZAR*<\/h3>\n<p>Babylonian king (605–562 <span>BC<\/span>) who captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 <span>BC<\/span>. He was the son of Nabopolassar and the foremost ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (612–539 <span>BC<\/span>); his name is alternately spelled Nebuchadrezzar in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see <span>nlt<\/span> mg).<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar states that he conquered all of “Hatti-country,” which is a term used for all of Palestine and Syria, including Judah. Jehoiakim had been made king of Judah by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kgs 23:34) and initially submitted to Nebuchadnezzar (24:2; cf. Dn 1:1-2), but three years later rebelled. Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin succeeded to the throne (2 Kgs 24:6); however, he reigned for only three months. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem in 598 <span>BC<\/span> and took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon (vv 10-17). He replaced Jehoiachin with his Uncle Mattaniah, whom he renamed Zedekiah (2 Kgs 24:17; 2 Chr 36:10).<\/p>\n<p>Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon (2 Kgs 24:20). Nebuchadnezzar’s armies besieged the city of Jerusalem and captured Zedekiah. He was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, where Zedekiah’s sons were slain before his eyes. He was then blinded, bound, and taken captive to Babylon (25:6-7). The temple was looted and burned, the city walls were dismantled, and the city was plundered and razed (vv 9-17). The leading people of the nation were either killed or taken into captivity.<\/p>\n<p>The remnant of the people in Judah were put under the charge of Gedaliah, the appointed governor. After his treacherous murder, the Jews fled to Egypt. Both Jeremiah (Jer 43:8-13; 46:13-24) and Ezekiel (Ez 29–32) prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would invade Egypt. Josephus gives the date as the 23d year of Nebuchadnezzar (582\/581 <span>BC<\/span>), but a fragmentary historical inscription dating to the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar (568\/567 <span>BC<\/span>) indicates that the defeat of Egypt occurred during the reign of Amasis.<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar’s military successes were in many respects overshadowed by his building activities in Babylon. The king voiced his pride when he declared, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dn 4:30, <span>rsv<\/span>). The hanging gardens were acclaimed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. They were built on terraces in an effort to cure his Median queen of her homesickness for the mountains of her homeland.<\/p>\n<p>The events of the book of Daniel center on Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was among the captives taken to Babylon in 605 <span>BC<\/span>. Nebuchadnezzar became aware of Daniel when the king had a dream that none of his occult experts could interpret (ch 2). The Lord gave to Daniel the interpretation of the dream; the human image that the king saw in his dream represented the various governments from the New Babylonian Empire to the reign of the Messiah.<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar set up a large human statue that was 90 feet (27.4 meters) high and 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide. Failure to worship the image would incur death by fire. The three compatriots of Daniel refused and were thrown into a furnace from which the Lord delivered them unhurt (ch 3).<\/p>\n<p>The king had another dream about a great tree that was cut down but later sprouted from the stump (4:4-27). Again the “wise men of Babylon” could not give the interpretation, but Daniel informed the king that the dream prophesied a humbling experience lasting seven years as a consequence of the king’s pride (vv 28-33).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Babylon, Babylonia; Daniel, Book of.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>NEBUCHADNEZZAR, NEBUCHADREZZAR*<\/h3>\n<p>Babylonian king (605–562 <span>BC<\/span>) who captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 <span>BC<\/span>. He was the son of Nabopolassar and the foremost ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (612–539 <span>BC<\/span>); his name is alternately spelled Nebuchadrezzar in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see <span>nlt<\/span> mg).<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar states that he conquered all of “Hatti-country,” which is a term used for all of Palestine and Syria, including Judah. Jehoiakim had been made king of Judah by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kgs 23:34) and initially submitted to Nebuchadnezzar (24:2; cf. Dn 1:1-2), but three years later rebelled. Jehoiakim died and his son Jehoiachin succeeded to the throne (2 Kgs 24:6); however, he reigned for only three months. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem in 598 <span>BC<\/span> and took Jehoiachin captive to Babylon (vv 10-17). He replaced Jehoiachin with his Uncle Mattaniah, whom he renamed Zedekiah (2 Kgs 24:17; 2 Chr 36:10).<\/p>\n<p>Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon (2 Kgs 24:20). Nebuchadnezzar’s armies besieged the city of Jerusalem and captured Zedekiah. He was brought to Nebuchadnezzar at Riblah, where Zedekiah’s sons were slain before his eyes. He was then blinded, bound, and taken captive to Babylon (25:6-7). The temple was looted and burned, the city walls were dismantled, and the city was plundered and razed (vv 9-17). The leading people of the nation were either killed or taken into captivity.<\/p>\n<p>The remnant of the people in Judah were put under the charge of Gedaliah, the appointed governor. After his treacherous murder, the Jews fled to Egypt. Both Jeremiah (Jer 43:8-13; 46:13-24) and Ezekiel (Ez 29–32) prophesied that Nebuchadnezzar would invade Egypt. Josephus gives the date as the 23d year of Nebuchadnezzar (582\/581 <span>BC<\/span>), but a fragmentary historical inscription dating to the 37th year of Nebuchadnezzar (568\/567 <span>BC<\/span>) indicates that the defeat of Egypt occurred during the reign of Amasis.<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar’s military successes were in many respects overshadowed by his building activities in Babylon. The king voiced his pride when he declared, “Is not this great Babylon, which I have built by my mighty power as a royal residence and for the glory of my majesty?” (Dn 4:30, <span>rsv<\/span>). The hanging gardens were acclaimed as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. They were built on terraces in an effort to cure his Median queen of her homesickness for the mountains of her homeland.<\/p>\n<p>The events of the book of Daniel center on Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel was among the captives taken to Babylon in 605 <span>BC<\/span>. Nebuchadnezzar became aware of Daniel when the king had a dream that none of his occult experts could interpret (ch 2). The Lord gave to Daniel the interpretation of the dream; the human image that the king saw in his dream represented the various governments from the New Babylonian Empire to the reign of the Messiah.<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar set up a large human statue that was 90 feet (27.4 meters) high and 9 feet (2.7 meters) wide. Failure to worship the image would incur death by fire. The three compatriots of Daniel refused and were thrown into a furnace from which the Lord delivered them unhurt (ch 3).<\/p>\n<p>The king had another dream about a great tree that was cut down but later sprouted from the stump (4:4-27). Again the “wise men of Babylon” could not give the interpretation, but Daniel informed the king that the dream prophesied a humbling experience lasting seven years as a consequence of the king’s pride (vv 28-33).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Babylon, Babylonia; Daniel, Book of.<\/p>","summary_ro":"NEBUCHADNEZZAR, NEBUCHADREZZAR* Babylonian king (605–562 BC) who captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. He was the son of Nabopolassar and the foremost ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (612–539 BC); his name is alternately spelled Nebuchadrezzar in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see nlt mg). Nebuchadnezzar states that he conquered all of “Hatti-country,” which is a term used for all of Palestine and Syria, including Judah. Jehoiakim had been made king of Judah by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kgs 23:34) and ...","summary_en":"NEBUCHADNEZZAR, NEBUCHADREZZAR* Babylonian king (605–562 BC) who captured and destroyed Jerusalem in 586 BC. He was the son of Nabopolassar and the foremost ruler of the Neo-Babylonian Empire (612–539 BC); his name is alternately spelled Nebuchadrezzar in Jeremiah and Ezekiel (see nlt mg). Nebuchadnezzar states that he conquered all of “Hatti-country,” which is a term used for all of Palestine and Syria, including Judah. Jehoiakim had been made king of Judah by Pharaoh Neco (2 Kgs 23:34) and ...","source":"Articles\/N.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":34570,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego","title_en":"Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego","content_ro":"<h3>SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO<\/h3>\n<p>Babylonian names of three Hebrew youths, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who along with Daniel and others were taken to Babylon as hostages by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 <span>BC<\/span> (2 Kgs 24:1; Dn 1:1-4). They may have been of royal descent (2 Kgs 20:18; Is 39:7), and thus their presence in Babylon would be thought to guarantee the good behavior of the Judean king Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar, desiring to grace his court with intelligent and handsome men and provide able administrators for his kingdom, directed that certain of the Judean hostages be selected for special training. Among those chosen were Daniel and his three friends. Their Hebrew names, each of which exalted Yahweh, were changed to Babylonian names whose meanings are not clear but may have been intended to honor a Babylonian god. Thus, Hananiah (“The Lord is gracious”) was changed to Shadrach (“Command of Aku”—the Sumerian moon god), Mishael (“Who is what God is”) was changed to Meshach (“Who is what Aku is”), and Azariah (“The Lord has helped”) was changed to Abednego (“Servant of Nabu”—the Babylonian god of wisdom). Also Daniel (“My judge is God”) was changed to Belteshazzar (“Bel protects”—the chief Babylonian god). These young men underwent a three-year course of instruction in the languages and literature of the Chaldeans, the learned men of Babylon. This instruction no doubt included the Aramaic, Akkadian, and Sumerian languages; cuneiform writing; and perhaps also astronomy, mathematics, history, and agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar provided food for this academy. The four Hebrew youths refused to defile themselves with it because it likely had been sacrificed to one or more of the pagan gods. It had not been properly prepared, therefore, and was unfit for Jewish consumption (cf. Ex 34:15; Lv 17:10-14). Fearing the king’s displeasure should the young scholars appear undernourished, the chief eunuch expressed his concern to Daniel. Daniel proposed a substitute diet of vegetables to be tested for ten days. At the end of that period, the four Hebrew youths appeared healthier than their colleagues and were allowed to continue their diet. When the course of their instruction was completed, the four stood out from the rest because of their academic excellence and superior competence in every area of knowledge. Their intellectual superiority had been bestowed upon them by God.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, these four young men joined the ranks of the “wise men of Babylon” (Dn 2:12-49). When the others (the enchanters, sorcerers, and wise men) were unable to tell Nebuchadnezzar the nature and interpretation of a dream, he lashed out at them in a fitful rage and ordered them all put to death. Daniel appealed to the king, and their lives were spared when the dream and its interpretation were made known to him in a vision. Later, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to comply with the king’s command to prostrate themselves before an enormous golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had erected (ch 3). Confronted by Nebuchadnezzar and threatened with terrible punishment for their intransigence, they replied that their trust was fully in the Lord. A blazing furnace was stoked for the immediate execution of the faithful Hebrews. The Lord was with his faithful servants and preserved their lives by sending his angel to protect them in the furnace. In the end it was Nebuchadnezzar who had to acknowledge that his own kingdom and power could not compare to that of the true God.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel, Book of; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO<\/h3>\n<p>Babylonian names of three Hebrew youths, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who along with Daniel and others were taken to Babylon as hostages by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 <span>BC<\/span> (2 Kgs 24:1; Dn 1:1-4). They may have been of royal descent (2 Kgs 20:18; Is 39:7), and thus their presence in Babylon would be thought to guarantee the good behavior of the Judean king Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar, desiring to grace his court with intelligent and handsome men and provide able administrators for his kingdom, directed that certain of the Judean hostages be selected for special training. Among those chosen were Daniel and his three friends. Their Hebrew names, each of which exalted Yahweh, were changed to Babylonian names whose meanings are not clear but may have been intended to honor a Babylonian god. Thus, Hananiah (“The Lord is gracious”) was changed to Shadrach (“Command of Aku”—the Sumerian moon god), Mishael (“Who is what God is”) was changed to Meshach (“Who is what Aku is”), and Azariah (“The Lord has helped”) was changed to Abednego (“Servant of Nabu”—the Babylonian god of wisdom). Also Daniel (“My judge is God”) was changed to Belteshazzar (“Bel protects”—the chief Babylonian god). These young men underwent a three-year course of instruction in the languages and literature of the Chaldeans, the learned men of Babylon. This instruction no doubt included the Aramaic, Akkadian, and Sumerian languages; cuneiform writing; and perhaps also astronomy, mathematics, history, and agriculture.<\/p>\n<p>Nebuchadnezzar provided food for this academy. The four Hebrew youths refused to defile themselves with it because it likely had been sacrificed to one or more of the pagan gods. It had not been properly prepared, therefore, and was unfit for Jewish consumption (cf. Ex 34:15; Lv 17:10-14). Fearing the king’s displeasure should the young scholars appear undernourished, the chief eunuch expressed his concern to Daniel. Daniel proposed a substitute diet of vegetables to be tested for ten days. At the end of that period, the four Hebrew youths appeared healthier than their colleagues and were allowed to continue their diet. When the course of their instruction was completed, the four stood out from the rest because of their academic excellence and superior competence in every area of knowledge. Their intellectual superiority had been bestowed upon them by God.<\/p>\n<p>Apparently, these four young men joined the ranks of the “wise men of Babylon” (Dn 2:12-49). When the others (the enchanters, sorcerers, and wise men) were unable to tell Nebuchadnezzar the nature and interpretation of a dream, he lashed out at them in a fitful rage and ordered them all put to death. Daniel appealed to the king, and their lives were spared when the dream and its interpretation were made known to him in a vision. Later, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to comply with the king’s command to prostrate themselves before an enormous golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had erected (ch 3). Confronted by Nebuchadnezzar and threatened with terrible punishment for their intransigence, they replied that their trust was fully in the Lord. A blazing furnace was stoked for the immediate execution of the faithful Hebrews. The Lord was with his faithful servants and preserved their lives by sending his angel to protect them in the furnace. In the end it was Nebuchadnezzar who had to acknowledge that his own kingdom and power could not compare to that of the true God.<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel, Book of; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men).<\/p>","summary_ro":"SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO Babylonian names of three Hebrew youths, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who along with Daniel and others were taken to Babylon as hostages by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC (2 Kgs 24:1; Dn 1:1-4). They may have been of royal descent (2 Kgs 20:18; Is 39:7), and thus their presence in Babylon would be thought to guarantee the good behavior of the Judean king Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar, desiring to grace his court with intelligent and handsome men and provide able admin...","summary_en":"SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO Babylonian names of three Hebrew youths, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who along with Daniel and others were taken to Babylon as hostages by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC (2 Kgs 24:1; Dn 1:1-4). They may have been of royal descent (2 Kgs 20:18; Is 39:7), and thus their presence in Babylon would be thought to guarantee the good behavior of the Judean king Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar, desiring to grace his court with intelligent and handsome men and provide able admin...","source":"Articles\/S.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":40045,"type":"textbox","type_label":"Notă explicativă","type_icon":"💡","type_color":"#8b5cf6","title_ro":"Emperor Worship","title_en":"Emperor Worship","content_ro":"<h3>Emperor Worship<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>Emperor worship had its origins in the Near Eastern practice of considering the king divine. The Egyptian pharaoh was considered a descendant of the sun god Ra (Re), and Mesopotamian legends speak of kingship “descending from heaven.” Alexander the Great and other Greek heroes were worshiped after their deaths. The idea of a ruler’s divinity was encouraged by the central place of the king in pagan cults. Israel was directly affected by such worship during the Babylonian exile (see Dn 3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Such a background set the pattern for the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who believed himself to be an incarnation of the Greek god Zeus. He desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by setting up an altar to Zeus in it (167 <span>BC<\/span>). That event, which the Jews never forgot, triggered the Maccabean war for the liberation of Palestine.<\/p>\n<p>Roman generals and emperors likewise assumed godhood as soon as they penetrated Asia Minor, especially after Augustus Caesar came to full power (27 <span>BC<\/span>). Augustus saw his reign as the inauguration of a new age of peace for Rome and the world. Although the Romans acclaimed him as “savior,” he claimed for himself only the high priesthood. In the eastern provinces coins were minted with a double temple for Rome and Augustus. In Antioch coins depicted Augustus as the incarnate Zeus or “worship-worthy Son of God,” and altars were erected in his honor. Augustus encouraged the cult as a unifying element in his diverse empire and as a type of patriotism. After his death, temples were built in his honor and the symbols of divinity were transferred to succeeding emperors. For decades all new temples were for the imperial cult. (In Mk 12:13-17 and parallel passages about paying taxes, the coin was probably inscribed “Tiberius Caesar . . . Son of the Divine Augustus.”)<\/p>\n<p>Gaius Caesar, nicknamed Caligula (<span>AD<\/span> 37–41), was the first emperor to be worshiped in Rome during his own lifetime. On hearing of a dispute between Jews and Gentiles over worshiping him in Jamnia, he ordered a statue of himself to be placed in the temple in Jerusalem. His plan, which would surely have caused a general revolt, was averted only by the intercession of Herod Agrippa I. Under the succeeding emperors, Claudius (<span>AD<\/span> 41–54) and Nero (<span>AD<\/span> 54–68), the cult reached ridiculous extremes. Later emperors varied in how seriously they took the imperial cult, but it remained a test of loyalty to the empire, similar to loyalty oaths or pledging allegiance to the flag. For the sake of the empire’s unity, other religions had to accommodate emperor worship one way or another.<\/p>\n<p>Emperor worship naturally caused problems for Christians, since the titles given to the emperor (“lord,” “prince of peace,” “son of god,” “savior”) were the same as those used for Christ. The confession “Jesus is Lord” (Rom 10:9) was bound to conflict with the claim “Caesar is lord.” Christians who would not sacrifice to the emperor were charged with treason. The conflict between emperor worship and Christianity remained a focal point for the persecution of the church until the time of Constantine (<span>AD<\/span> 306–37).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Emperor Worship<\/h3>\n<blockquote><p>Emperor worship had its origins in the Near Eastern practice of considering the king divine. The Egyptian pharaoh was considered a descendant of the sun god Ra (Re), and Mesopotamian legends speak of kingship “descending from heaven.” Alexander the Great and other Greek heroes were worshiped after their deaths. The idea of a ruler’s divinity was encouraged by the central place of the king in pagan cults. Israel was directly affected by such worship during the Babylonian exile (see Dn 3).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Such a background set the pattern for the Seleucid king Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who believed himself to be an incarnation of the Greek god Zeus. He desecrated the temple in Jerusalem by setting up an altar to Zeus in it (167 <span>BC<\/span>). That event, which the Jews never forgot, triggered the Maccabean war for the liberation of Palestine.<\/p>\n<p>Roman generals and emperors likewise assumed godhood as soon as they penetrated Asia Minor, especially after Augustus Caesar came to full power (27 <span>BC<\/span>). Augustus saw his reign as the inauguration of a new age of peace for Rome and the world. Although the Romans acclaimed him as “savior,” he claimed for himself only the high priesthood. In the eastern provinces coins were minted with a double temple for Rome and Augustus. In Antioch coins depicted Augustus as the incarnate Zeus or “worship-worthy Son of God,” and altars were erected in his honor. Augustus encouraged the cult as a unifying element in his diverse empire and as a type of patriotism. After his death, temples were built in his honor and the symbols of divinity were transferred to succeeding emperors. For decades all new temples were for the imperial cult. (In Mk 12:13-17 and parallel passages about paying taxes, the coin was probably inscribed “Tiberius Caesar . . . Son of the Divine Augustus.”)<\/p>\n<p>Gaius Caesar, nicknamed Caligula (<span>AD<\/span> 37–41), was the first emperor to be worshiped in Rome during his own lifetime. On hearing of a dispute between Jews and Gentiles over worshiping him in Jamnia, he ordered a statue of himself to be placed in the temple in Jerusalem. His plan, which would surely have caused a general revolt, was averted only by the intercession of Herod Agrippa I. Under the succeeding emperors, Claudius (<span>AD<\/span> 41–54) and Nero (<span>AD<\/span> 54–68), the cult reached ridiculous extremes. Later emperors varied in how seriously they took the imperial cult, but it remained a test of loyalty to the empire, similar to loyalty oaths or pledging allegiance to the flag. For the sake of the empire’s unity, other religions had to accommodate emperor worship one way or another.<\/p>\n<p>Emperor worship naturally caused problems for Christians, since the titles given to the emperor (“lord,” “prince of peace,” “son of god,” “savior”) were the same as those used for Christ. The confession “Jesus is Lord” (Rom 10:9) was bound to conflict with the claim “Caesar is lord.” Christians who would not sacrifice to the emperor were charged with treason. The conflict between emperor worship and Christianity remained a focal point for the persecution of the church until the time of Constantine (<span>AD<\/span> 306–37).<\/p>","summary_ro":"Emperor Worship Emperor worship had its origins in the Near Eastern practice of considering the king divine. The Egyptian pharaoh was considered a descendant of the sun god Ra (Re), and Mesopotamian legends speak of kingship “descending from heaven.” Alexander the Great and other Greek heroes were worshiped after their deaths. The idea of a ruler’s divinity was encouraged by the central place of the king in pagan cults. Israel was directly affected by such worship during the Babylonian exile ...","summary_en":"Emperor Worship Emperor worship had its origins in the Near Eastern practice of considering the king divine. The Egyptian pharaoh was considered a descendant of the sun god Ra (Re), and Mesopotamian legends speak of kingship “descending from heaven.” Alexander the Great and other Greek heroes were worshiped after their deaths. The idea of a ruler’s divinity was encouraged by the central place of the king in pagan cults. Israel was directly affected by such worship during the Babylonian exile ...","source":"Textboxes\/Textboxes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53468,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","summary_en":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53469,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","summary_en":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81094,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","summary_en":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81095,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","summary_en":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108720,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","summary_en":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108721,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","summary_en":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136346,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1-30<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","summary_en":"3:1-30 Nebuchadnezzar’s megalomania, perhaps encouraged by the vision of ch 2, inspired him to construct a gilded statue and demand that everyone in his empire worship it. He had not learned the lesson that God cannot be captured in any created thing. The three young Hebrews refused to worship it as a god. They were faithful to the Lord, and the Lord rescued them from the king’s wrath.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136347,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:1","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:1","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:1<\/strong> The <em>plain of Dura<\/em> might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • <em>statue:<\/em> Literally <em>image.<\/em><\/p>","summary_ro":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","summary_en":"3:1 The plain of Dura might be the plain adjacent to the city of Babylon, or the Aramaic term might refer to the magnificent outer wall of Babylon described by the Greek historian Herodotus. • statue: Literally image.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":61283,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","title_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","content_ro":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","summary_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","summary_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":88909,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","title_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","content_ro":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","summary_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","summary_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":116535,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","title_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","content_ro":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","summary_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","summary_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":144161,"type":"theme_note","type_label":"Temă biblică","type_icon":"🎯","type_color":"#ef4444","title_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","title_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response","content_ro":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>Hostile Authority: David’s Response<\/h3>\n<p>As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others began noticing David and praising his success, Saul became frightened and jealous (18:6-9), and his jealousy soon developed into anger, rage, and murderous hatred.<\/p>\n<p>After Saul tried to kill David with a spear on two occasions (18:10-11), David continued serving him: He led a contingent of the king’s troops (18:13), married the king’s daughter (18:17-27), and served in Saul’s court as a harpist (19:7, 9). But David’s continuing success was too much for the paranoid Saul, who again tried to murder him (19:9-11). David had no choice but to escape (19:11-18; 20:1-42).<\/p>\n<p>For the rest of Saul’s reign, David was a fugitive, hunted by the king he had faithfully served. Even then, he refused to harm Saul. On two occasions, David had the opportunity to assassinate Saul (1 Sam 24; 26), but he refused to “attack the <span>Lord<\/span>’s anointed one” (24:6; 26:9).<\/p>\n<p>During these years as a fugitive, David continued to serve the Lord and the people of Israel (23:1-6; 25:4-9, 14-16; 27:8-9). When news reached David that Saul and Jonathan had been killed, he deeply mourned the death of a “beloved and gracious” king and his son (2 Sam 1:17-27).<\/p>\n<p>David was persistently faithful to a king who hated him and wanted him dead. Similarly, Jeremiah prophesied in the court of kings who burned his words in the fireplace and put him in a cistern to die (Jer 36:21-26; 38:1-13). And Daniel and his friends faithfully served in the court of Babylonian and Persian kings, even when the kings’ decisions were hostile to their faith or to them personally (Dan 3; 6).<\/p>\n<p>Faithfulness under an enemy in authority doesn’t always bring success. The ultimate example of this is Jesus himself: He was hounded by authorities who eventually succeeded in having him executed. Jesus never “succeeded” in life, but he continued to trust his Father in heaven. Success for Jesus lay beyond death in the Resurrection. It may be the same for some of us: We may die under authorities who hate us without seeing any good come of our suffering. In the age to come, God will right every wrong and will reward the faithfulness of those who suffered under hostile authority.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Passages for Further Study<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>1 Sam 24:1-22; 2 Sam 1:1-27; 11:1-27; Jer 36:21-27; 38:1-13; Dan 3:1-30; 6:1-28; John 8:29; Phil 2:6-11; Heb 5:7-10; 1 Pet 2:13–3:7<\/p>","summary_ro":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","summary_en":"Hostile Authority: David’s Response As David became successful, King Saul became his enemy. The Lord had left Saul as a result of the king’s unfaithfulness, and the anointing of the Spirit now rested on David (1 Sam 15:1–16:14). When Saul needed someone to soothe his mind, he found that David’s harp playing was music to his soul (16:15-23). When Saul needed someone to deal with the ominous threat of Goliath, he found in David a capable and successful young warrior (1 Sam 17). But as others be...","source":"ThemeNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"2":[{"id":7782,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Counselor Counsel","title_en":"Counselor Counsel","content_ro":"<h3>COUNSEL, COUNSELOR<\/h3>\n<p>Advice; adviser, especially on legal matters (such as a lawyer). In Bible times a counselor in a king’s court was like a U.S. cabinet member today. A counselor might at times have been in line to succeed the king. Ahithophel, counselor to David and Absalom, gave advice as sound as the “oracle of God” (2 Sm 16:23). The elders of Israel counseled King Rehoboam (1 Kgs 12:6), as did the friends with whom Rehoboam had grown up (vv 7-8), although his friends gave poor advice. The Bible mentions official counselors in Egypt (Is 19:11) and Babylon (Dn 3:2-3).<\/p>\n<p>A wise person seeks counsel when making plans: “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success” (Prv 15:22, <span>nlt<\/span>). One’s counselors may be one’s parents (1:8), older people (Ez 7:26), prophets (2 Chr 25:16), wise men (Jer 18:18), or friends (Prv 27:9, <span>kjv<\/span>). Some counselors are evil, giving deceitful advice (Prv 12:5).<\/p>\n<p>According to the Bible, God also counsels. He frustrates the counsel of the nations who oppose him (Ps 33:10), but his own counsel endures for many generations (v 11). No one may counsel the Lord (Is 40:13). His Messiah is called “Wonderful Counselor” (9:6).<\/p>\n<p>According to the NT, the Spirit counsels or comforts believers (Jn 14:16-17). Christ sends the Holy Spirit to his people (16:7), and the Spirit, also called the Spirit of truth, bears witness to Christ (15:26). The ascended Jesus Christ is seen as a counselor in God’s heavenly court (1 Jn 2:1, “advocate”).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Spirit of God.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>COUNSEL, COUNSELOR<\/h3>\n<p>Advice; adviser, especially on legal matters (such as a lawyer). In Bible times a counselor in a king’s court was like a U.S. cabinet member today. A counselor might at times have been in line to succeed the king. Ahithophel, counselor to David and Absalom, gave advice as sound as the “oracle of God” (2 Sm 16:23). The elders of Israel counseled King Rehoboam (1 Kgs 12:6), as did the friends with whom Rehoboam had grown up (vv 7-8), although his friends gave poor advice. The Bible mentions official counselors in Egypt (Is 19:11) and Babylon (Dn 3:2-3).<\/p>\n<p>A wise person seeks counsel when making plans: “Plans go wrong for lack of advice; many counselors bring success” (Prv 15:22, <span>nlt<\/span>). One’s counselors may be one’s parents (1:8), older people (Ez 7:26), prophets (2 Chr 25:16), wise men (Jer 18:18), or friends (Prv 27:9, <span>kjv<\/span>). Some counselors are evil, giving deceitful advice (Prv 12:5).<\/p>\n<p>According to the Bible, God also counsels. He frustrates the counsel of the nations who oppose him (Ps 33:10), but his own counsel endures for many generations (v 11). No one may counsel the Lord (Is 40:13). His Messiah is called “Wonderful Counselor” (9:6).<\/p>\n<p>According to the NT, the Spirit counsels or comforts believers (Jn 14:16-17). Christ sends the Holy Spirit to his people (16:7), and the Spirit, also called the Spirit of truth, bears witness to Christ (15:26). The ascended Jesus Christ is seen as a counselor in God’s heavenly court (1 Jn 2:1, “advocate”).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Spirit of God.<\/p>","summary_ro":"COUNSEL, COUNSELOR Advice; adviser, especially on legal matters (such as a lawyer). In Bible times a counselor in a king’s court was like a U.S. cabinet member today. A counselor might at times have been in line to succeed the king. Ahithophel, counselor to David and Absalom, gave advice as sound as the “oracle of God” (2 Sm 16:23). The elders of Israel counseled King Rehoboam (1 Kgs 12:6), as did the friends with whom Rehoboam had grown up (vv 7-8), although his friends gave poor advice. The...","summary_en":"COUNSEL, COUNSELOR Advice; adviser, especially on legal matters (such as a lawyer). In Bible times a counselor in a king’s court was like a U.S. cabinet member today. A counselor might at times have been in line to succeed the king. Ahithophel, counselor to David and Absalom, gave advice as sound as the “oracle of God” (2 Sm 16:23). The elders of Israel counseled King Rehoboam (1 Kgs 12:6), as did the friends with whom Rehoboam had grown up (vv 7-8), although his friends gave poor advice. The...","source":"Articles\/C.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":23901,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Magistrate","title_en":"Magistrate","content_ro":"<h3>MAGISTRATE<\/h3>\n<p>Title of a public official who acted as judge and administrator of a given municipality. King Artaxerxes ordered Ezra to select magistrates along with judges to govern the people when they returned to Palestine (Ezr 7:25). This official was one of the officers of Nebuchadnezzar’s court invited to the dedication feast (Dn 3:2-3). Luke 12:58 portrayed the magistrate as a ruling authority whose verdict was final.<\/p>\n<p>During the Roman era, each Roman colony was assigned two magistrates (called <em>duumviri<\/em>) who were primarily responsible for judging criminal offenses against the state. Hence, Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrates at Philippi for allegedly advocating customs unacceptable to the Romans (Acts 16:20-38). Before this <em>duumvir,<\/em> they were ordered to be stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison. A chief magistrate was sometimes called a “praetor” (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">strategos<\/span>), a deferential title given to a leading <em>duumvir.<\/em><\/p>","content_en":"<h3>MAGISTRATE<\/h3>\n<p>Title of a public official who acted as judge and administrator of a given municipality. King Artaxerxes ordered Ezra to select magistrates along with judges to govern the people when they returned to Palestine (Ezr 7:25). This official was one of the officers of Nebuchadnezzar’s court invited to the dedication feast (Dn 3:2-3). Luke 12:58 portrayed the magistrate as a ruling authority whose verdict was final.<\/p>\n<p>During the Roman era, each Roman colony was assigned two magistrates (called <em>duumviri<\/em>) who were primarily responsible for judging criminal offenses against the state. Hence, Paul and Silas were brought before the magistrates at Philippi for allegedly advocating customs unacceptable to the Romans (Acts 16:20-38). Before this <em>duumvir,<\/em> they were ordered to be stripped, beaten, and thrown into prison. A chief magistrate was sometimes called a “praetor” (Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">strategos<\/span>), a deferential title given to a leading <em>duumvir.<\/em><\/p>","summary_ro":"MAGISTRATE Title of a public official who acted as judge and administrator of a given municipality. King Artaxerxes ordered Ezra to select magistrates along with judges to govern the people when they returned to Palestine (Ezr 7:25). This official was one of the officers of Nebuchadnezzar’s court invited to the dedication feast (Dn 3:2-3). Luke 12:58 portrayed the magistrate as a ruling authority whose verdict was final. During the Roman era, each Roman colony was assigned two magistrates (ca...","summary_en":"MAGISTRATE Title of a public official who acted as judge and administrator of a given municipality. King Artaxerxes ordered Ezra to select magistrates along with judges to govern the people when they returned to Palestine (Ezr 7:25). This official was one of the officers of Nebuchadnezzar’s court invited to the dedication feast (Dn 3:2-3). Luke 12:58 portrayed the magistrate as a ruling authority whose verdict was final. During the Roman era, each Roman colony was assigned two magistrates (ca...","source":"Articles\/M.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53470,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:2","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","summary_en":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81096,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:2","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","summary_en":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108722,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:2","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","summary_en":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136348,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:2","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:2","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:2<\/strong> The various classes of people listed here were all governmental <em>officials<\/em>.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","summary_en":"3:2 The various classes of people listed here were all governmental officials.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"5":[{"id":3481,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Bagpipe*","title_en":"Bagpipe*","content_ro":"<h3>BAGPIPE*<\/h3>\n<p>An uncertain term sometimes rendered “bagpipe.” The instrument used in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15) may actually have been a stringed instument. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Psantrin; Sumponia).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>BAGPIPE*<\/h3>\n<p>An uncertain term sometimes rendered “bagpipe.” The instrument used in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15) may actually have been a stringed instument. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Psantrin; Sumponia).<\/p>","summary_ro":"BAGPIPE* An uncertain term sometimes rendered “bagpipe.” The instrument used in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15) may actually have been a stringed instument. See Musical Instruments (Psantrin; Sumponia).","summary_en":"BAGPIPE* An uncertain term sometimes rendered “bagpipe.” The instrument used in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15) may actually have been a stringed instument. See Musical Instruments (Psantrin; Sumponia).","source":"Articles\/B.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":9887,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Dulcimer*","title_en":"Dulcimer*","content_ro":"<h3>DULCIMER*<\/h3>\n<p>KJV translation of “pipe” in Daniel 3:5, 10, 15. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Psantrin); Music.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DULCIMER*<\/h3>\n<p>KJV translation of “pipe” in Daniel 3:5, 10, 15. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Psantrin); Music.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DULCIMER* KJV translation of “pipe” in Daniel 3:5, 10, 15. See Musical Instruments (Psantrin); Music.","summary_en":"DULCIMER* KJV translation of “pipe” in Daniel 3:5, 10, 15. See Musical Instruments (Psantrin); Music.","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":26664,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Musical Instruments","title_en":"Musical Instruments","content_ro":"<h3>MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS<\/h3>\n<p>Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court.<\/p>\n<p>The ancient Hebrews made certain distinctions among the instruments, not on musical but on ethical grounds. Some instruments were considered “unclean” and were not allowed in temple worship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"StringedInstruments\">Stringed Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The stringed instruments were favored by the Jewish people. In many ancient civilizations the strings were considered the most masculine and noble (e.g., David playing the lyre); the Jews considered them the most suitable for accompaniment in the temple service. The term <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">minim<\/span> is used in Psalm 150:4 to designate the entire family of stringed instruments used in the praise of God.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Asor<\/span> appears three times in the book of Psalms (Pss 33:2; 92:3; 144:9). Although the word derives from a Hebrew root meaning “ten,” the actual description of the instrument remains unclear. The most common theory identifies it with the Phoenician zither having ten strings; it is perhaps the lute.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kathros<\/span> was a stringed instrument included in the list of those played at Nebuchadnezzar’s court and was probably a kind of lyre (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kinnor<\/span> is the most frequently mentioned instrument in the Bible, found in 42 places. It is often called David’s harp and is the most beloved instrument of the Jewish people. We can say with reasonable certainty that it was a lyre and not a harp. The strings, the number of which is not clear, were made of sheep tripe and the sounding box was at the bottom of the instrument. It is not certain whether it was played with a plectrum or with bare hands, but the specific comment that David “played it with his hand” (1 Sm 16:23, <span>rsv<\/span>) may have implied that this was not the common practice. The biblical descriptions of the sound of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> include “pleasant” and “sweet” (Ps 81:2). The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> was played mainly in worship but also in celebrations (Is 5:12), for state occasions (1 Sm 10:5; 2 Sm 6:5), and by shepherds (1 Sm 16:16).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Nebel<\/span> was another stringed instrument (literally meaning “skin” or “skin bottle”) mentioned 27 times in Scripture. Its shape was probably similar to a bottle, with the belly-shaped sounding box on the bottom. It definitely belongs to the family of harps (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Kgs 10:12; Neh 12:27; Ps 57:8; Am 5:23) and may have been influenced by similar Egyptian instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">nebel<\/span> was probably played without a plectrum and was a larger and louder instrument than the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span><em>.<\/em> It is translated as “harp” in most modern English translations, compared to the <span>kjv<\/span> (“psaltery,” or “viol”).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">Psantrin<\/span> or <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">pesanterin<\/span> was a Greek instrument, mentioned in the description of King Nebuchadnezzar’s orchestra. It may have resembled a dulcimer, having strings played with hammers (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sabcha<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sabbeka<\/span><em>,<\/em> identical with the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sambyke<\/span> and the Roman <em>sambuca,<\/em> was a stringed instrument (<span>rsv<\/span> “trigon,” <span>kjv<\/span> “sackbut”) played in the Babylonian court. It was a triangle with four strings, having a high and harsh tone (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"WindInstruments\">Wind Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The wind instruments can be divided into two groups: pipes and horns.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Halil<\/span> is mentioned only six times in the Bible but was referred to frequently by postbiblical writers. This kind of piped instrument was similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">aulos<\/span> (Mt 9:23; 1 Cor 14:7; Rv 18:22), a primitive oboe, rendered “flute” in many translations. The root word <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halal<\/span> means “to pierce,” thus the meaning “hollow tube.” The early pipes were made from reedlike plants. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halil<\/span> had a double-reed mouthpiece and probably produced a shrill and penetrating sound. It was connected with joyful events such as banquets (Is 5:12) and prophetic frenzies (1 Sm 10:5), but its tone was also associated with wailing and mourning (Jer 48:36).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Hatzotzrot<\/span> was a sort of trumpet. Modern scholars have more information about this horn than many of its ancient Hebrew counterparts. The triumphal arch built by Titus in Rome includes depictions of the captured implements of the temple, among which are two trumpets. The form of these horns may have been influenced by the Israelites’ knowledge of Egyptian trumpets. Similar instruments were also known in Assyria, in the Hittite Empire, and in Greece. Moses was commanded to make two silver trumpets (Nm 10:2); playing these instruments became the exclusive privilege of the descendants of Aaron. These trumpets were made of silver or gold, about a yard (.9 meter) long, but narrow, with a pronounced bell. The descendants of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> are the herald trumpets. Numbers 10:10 says the trumpets were used “for a memorial before . . . God.” Trumpets and horns were used to signal the gathering of the congregation to the tent of meeting, to sound alarm, to alert the camps to move forward, and to announce when war was at hand. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> became an important part of the temple service. There were at least two trumpets in the daily services, but at high holidays the number could be increased indefinitely (1 Chr 15:28; 2 Chr 15:14; Ps 98:6; Dn 3:5-15; Hos 5:8).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mashroqita<\/span><em>,<\/em> considered by modern scholars to be a Pan’s pipe similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">syrinx<\/span><em>,<\/em> is included in the list of orchestral instruments of King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shophar<\/span> is mentioned in the Bible 72 times, more than any other Hebrew instrument. It is the only instrument of ancient Israel that survives in its original form and is still used in Jewish liturgy. The early <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> was curved like a ram’s horn, but the later form was straight with a bend near the bell of the horn. There is some question whether any of the hornlike instruments can actually be considered musical instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> could produce two, maybe three tones, and was used for giving signals, not for playing music. It was used in such religious ceremonies as the transfer of the ark (2 Sm 6:15; 1 Chr 15:28), the renewal of the covenant by King Asa (2 Chr 15:14), thanksgiving to God (Ps 98:6; 150:3), and was blown at the new moon and the beginning of the jubilee year. Its secular use included such royal occasions as Absalom’s accession to the throne (2 Sm 15:10), Solomon’s anointing as king (1 Kgs 1:34), and Jehu’s accession to the throne (2 Kgs 9:13).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sumponia<\/span> is an uncertain term included in Daniel 3. Many commentators have interpreted it as a bagpipe (<span>rsv<\/span>), but musicologists strongly argue that at the time of King Nebuchadnezzar there was no such instrument. It has been suggested that <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sumponia<\/span> was not a musical instrument at all but signified the playing of the entire ensemble. This could come from the Greek root <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sym<\/span><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">phonia<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “sounding together.” The word is also found in Luke 15:25, where it is translated as “music.”<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Ugab<\/span><em>,<\/em> a flutelike instrument, is mentioned in Scripture four times (Gn 4:21; Jb 21:12; 30:31; Ps 150:4; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates it as “organ”). It is only in Psalm 150 that the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">ugab<\/span> is connected with a sacred occasion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PercussionInstruments\">Percussion Instruments<\/p>\n<p>Most of the accounts of percussion instruments are found in the early history of the Hebrew people. They were gradually eliminated from the temple orchestra, perhaps because of their association with idolatrous practices.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mena anim<\/span> was a loud metal rattle, constructed with a frame carrying loose rings. It is included in a list of instruments in 2 Samuel 6:5 (<span>rsv<\/span> “castanet”; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates as “cornet”). It was likely a form of the <em>sistrum,<\/em> an Egyptian instrument.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Pamonim<\/span> were the bells attached to the lower hem of the priest’s garment, described in Exodus 28:33-34 and 39:25-26. They were not loud but indicated the position of the high priest as he entered the sanctuary.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalishim<\/span><em>,<\/em> often translated as <em>sistrum<\/em> or <em>timbrel,<\/em> is a kind of rattle. It is not clear whether this term actually refers to a musical instrument. It appears in 1 Samuel 18:6 as part of the reception of King Saul and David after the battle with the Philistines.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Toph<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">tof<\/span> was an instrument used mainly by women, but there are some indications that men might have played it as well (1 Sm 10:5; <span>kjv<\/span> “tabret”; 2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). The mention of this kind of hand drum appears 15 times in the Bible. A wooden or metal hoop was covered with the skin of a ram or wild goat and was played with the hand. It is not clear whether the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> had skin on just one side or two. Some commentators have described it as a tambourine or timbrel but there is no indication that it included jangles. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> was used in merrymaking and was rather loud (Ex 15:20; Ps 81:2).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Zelzelim<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">meziltayim<\/span> were cymbals. Both of these words come from the Hebrew root <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">zala<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “to resound” or “to tingle,” and the noun forms represent the instrument known as the cymbal. Sometimes these terms are wrongly translated as “castanets.” These were the only percussion instruments included in the temple music and were always referred to in a dual form, suggesting a pair of cymbals, but played by one man. Cymbals made of metal were known to most ancient cultures. They appear for the first time in the Bible when the ark was transferred to Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). Later they were played in the temple by the leaders of the Levitical singers (1 Chr 15:19). The function of the cymbals was less musical than liturgical, being used as signals for the singing to begin and between the sections of the psalms. Two different kinds of cymbals are mentioned in Psalm 150, but their difference is not clear, probably involving either size or material.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS<\/h3>\n<p>Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music.<\/p>\n<p>In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in King Nebuchadnezzar’s court.<\/p>\n<p>The ancient Hebrews made certain distinctions among the instruments, not on musical but on ethical grounds. Some instruments were considered “unclean” and were not allowed in temple worship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"StringedInstruments\">Stringed Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The stringed instruments were favored by the Jewish people. In many ancient civilizations the strings were considered the most masculine and noble (e.g., David playing the lyre); the Jews considered them the most suitable for accompaniment in the temple service. The term <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">minim<\/span> is used in Psalm 150:4 to designate the entire family of stringed instruments used in the praise of God.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Asor<\/span> appears three times in the book of Psalms (Pss 33:2; 92:3; 144:9). Although the word derives from a Hebrew root meaning “ten,” the actual description of the instrument remains unclear. The most common theory identifies it with the Phoenician zither having ten strings; it is perhaps the lute.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kathros<\/span> was a stringed instrument included in the list of those played at Nebuchadnezzar’s court and was probably a kind of lyre (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Kinnor<\/span> is the most frequently mentioned instrument in the Bible, found in 42 places. It is often called David’s harp and is the most beloved instrument of the Jewish people. We can say with reasonable certainty that it was a lyre and not a harp. The strings, the number of which is not clear, were made of sheep tripe and the sounding box was at the bottom of the instrument. It is not certain whether it was played with a plectrum or with bare hands, but the specific comment that David “played it with his hand” (1 Sm 16:23, <span>rsv<\/span>) may have implied that this was not the common practice. The biblical descriptions of the sound of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> include “pleasant” and “sweet” (Ps 81:2). The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span> was played mainly in worship but also in celebrations (Is 5:12), for state occasions (1 Sm 10:5; 2 Sm 6:5), and by shepherds (1 Sm 16:16).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Nebel<\/span> was another stringed instrument (literally meaning “skin” or “skin bottle”) mentioned 27 times in Scripture. Its shape was probably similar to a bottle, with the belly-shaped sounding box on the bottom. It definitely belongs to the family of harps (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Kgs 10:12; Neh 12:27; Ps 57:8; Am 5:23) and may have been influenced by similar Egyptian instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">nebel<\/span> was probably played without a plectrum and was a larger and louder instrument than the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">kinnor<\/span><em>.<\/em> It is translated as “harp” in most modern English translations, compared to the <span>kjv<\/span> (“psaltery,” or “viol”).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">Psantrin<\/span> or <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">pesanterin<\/span> was a Greek instrument, mentioned in the description of King Nebuchadnezzar’s orchestra. It may have resembled a dulcimer, having strings played with hammers (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sabcha<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sabbeka<\/span><em>,<\/em> identical with the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sambyke<\/span> and the Roman <em>sambuca,<\/em> was a stringed instrument (<span>rsv<\/span> “trigon,” <span>kjv<\/span> “sackbut”) played in the Babylonian court. It was a triangle with four strings, having a high and harsh tone (Dn 3:5-15).<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"WindInstruments\">Wind Instruments<\/p>\n<p>The wind instruments can be divided into two groups: pipes and horns.<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Halil<\/span> is mentioned only six times in the Bible but was referred to frequently by postbiblical writers. This kind of piped instrument was similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">aulos<\/span> (Mt 9:23; 1 Cor 14:7; Rv 18:22), a primitive oboe, rendered “flute” in many translations. The root word <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halal<\/span> means “to pierce,” thus the meaning “hollow tube.” The early pipes were made from reedlike plants. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">halil<\/span> had a double-reed mouthpiece and probably produced a shrill and penetrating sound. It was connected with joyful events such as banquets (Is 5:12) and prophetic frenzies (1 Sm 10:5), but its tone was also associated with wailing and mourning (Jer 48:36).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Hatzotzrot<\/span> was a sort of trumpet. Modern scholars have more information about this horn than many of its ancient Hebrew counterparts. The triumphal arch built by Titus in Rome includes depictions of the captured implements of the temple, among which are two trumpets. The form of these horns may have been influenced by the Israelites’ knowledge of Egyptian trumpets. Similar instruments were also known in Assyria, in the Hittite Empire, and in Greece. Moses was commanded to make two silver trumpets (Nm 10:2); playing these instruments became the exclusive privilege of the descendants of Aaron. These trumpets were made of silver or gold, about a yard (.9 meter) long, but narrow, with a pronounced bell. The descendants of the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> are the herald trumpets. Numbers 10:10 says the trumpets were used “for a memorial before . . . God.” Trumpets and horns were used to signal the gathering of the congregation to the tent of meeting, to sound alarm, to alert the camps to move forward, and to announce when war was at hand. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">hatzotzrot<\/span> became an important part of the temple service. There were at least two trumpets in the daily services, but at high holidays the number could be increased indefinitely (1 Chr 15:28; 2 Chr 15:14; Ps 98:6; Dn 3:5-15; Hos 5:8).<\/p>\n\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mashroqita<\/span><em>,<\/em> considered by modern scholars to be a Pan’s pipe similar to the Greek <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">syrinx<\/span><em>,<\/em> is included in the list of orchestral instruments of King Nebuchadnezzar’s court (Dn 3:5, 7, 10, 15).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shophar<\/span> is mentioned in the Bible 72 times, more than any other Hebrew instrument. It is the only instrument of ancient Israel that survives in its original form and is still used in Jewish liturgy. The early <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> was curved like a ram’s horn, but the later form was straight with a bend near the bell of the horn. There is some question whether any of the hornlike instruments can actually be considered musical instruments. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">shophar<\/span> could produce two, maybe three tones, and was used for giving signals, not for playing music. It was used in such religious ceremonies as the transfer of the ark (2 Sm 6:15; 1 Chr 15:28), the renewal of the covenant by King Asa (2 Chr 15:14), thanksgiving to God (Ps 98:6; 150:3), and was blown at the new moon and the beginning of the jubilee year. Its secular use included such royal occasions as Absalom’s accession to the throne (2 Sm 15:10), Solomon’s anointing as king (1 Kgs 1:34), and Jehu’s accession to the throne (2 Kgs 9:13).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Sumponia<\/span> is an uncertain term included in Daniel 3. Many commentators have interpreted it as a bagpipe (<span>rsv<\/span>), but musicologists strongly argue that at the time of King Nebuchadnezzar there was no such instrument. It has been suggested that <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">sumponia<\/span> was not a musical instrument at all but signified the playing of the entire ensemble. This could come from the Greek root <span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">sym<\/span><span class=\"greek\" lang=\"el\">phonia<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “sounding together.” The word is also found in Luke 15:25, where it is translated as “music.”<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Ugab<\/span><em>,<\/em> a flutelike instrument, is mentioned in Scripture four times (Gn 4:21; Jb 21:12; 30:31; Ps 150:4; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates it as “organ”). It is only in Psalm 150 that the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">ugab<\/span> is connected with a sacred occasion.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PercussionInstruments\">Percussion Instruments<\/p>\n<p>Most of the accounts of percussion instruments are found in the early history of the Hebrew people. They were gradually eliminated from the temple orchestra, perhaps because of their association with idolatrous practices.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Mena anim<\/span> was a loud metal rattle, constructed with a frame carrying loose rings. It is included in a list of instruments in 2 Samuel 6:5 (<span>rsv<\/span> “castanet”; <span>kjv<\/span> mistranslates as “cornet”). It was likely a form of the <em>sistrum,<\/em> an Egyptian instrument.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Pamonim<\/span> were the bells attached to the lower hem of the priest’s garment, described in Exodus 28:33-34 and 39:25-26. They were not loud but indicated the position of the high priest as he entered the sanctuary.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Shalishim<\/span><em>,<\/em> often translated as <em>sistrum<\/em> or <em>timbrel,<\/em> is a kind of rattle. It is not clear whether this term actually refers to a musical instrument. It appears in 1 Samuel 18:6 as part of the reception of King Saul and David after the battle with the Philistines.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Toph<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">tof<\/span> was an instrument used mainly by women, but there are some indications that men might have played it as well (1 Sm 10:5; <span>kjv<\/span> “tabret”; 2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). The mention of this kind of hand drum appears 15 times in the Bible. A wooden or metal hoop was covered with the skin of a ram or wild goat and was played with the hand. It is not clear whether the <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> had skin on just one side or two. Some commentators have described it as a tambourine or timbrel but there is no indication that it included jangles. The <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">toph<\/span> was used in merrymaking and was rather loud (Ex 15:20; Ps 81:2).<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">Zelzelim<\/span> or <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">meziltayim<\/span> were cymbals. Both of these words come from the Hebrew root <span class=\"hebrew\" lang=\"he\">zala<\/span><em>,<\/em> meaning “to resound” or “to tingle,” and the noun forms represent the instrument known as the cymbal. Sometimes these terms are wrongly translated as “castanets.” These were the only percussion instruments included in the temple music and were always referred to in a dual form, suggesting a pair of cymbals, but played by one man. Cymbals made of metal were known to most ancient cultures. They appear for the first time in the Bible when the ark was transferred to Jerusalem (2 Sm 6:5; 1 Chr 13:8). Later they were played in the temple by the leaders of the Levitical singers (1 Chr 15:19). The function of the cymbals was less musical than liturgical, being used as signals for the singing to begin and between the sections of the psalms. Two different kinds of cymbals are mentioned in Psalm 150, but their difference is not clear, probably involving either size or material.<\/p>","summary_ro":"MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music. In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in K...","summary_en":"MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS Stringed, wind, and percussion instruments used to make music. In contrast to the detailed accounts of liturgical music in the OT, the descriptions of the musical instruments themselves are rather sparse. Because of the injunction of the second commandment, interpreted by the Hebrews as discouraging pictorial representations, there are few drawings of Hebrew instruments. In addition to the instruments used in the temple, the book of Daniel lists six instruments played in K...","source":"Articles\/M.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":33461,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Sackbut*","title_en":"Sackbut*","content_ro":"<h3>SACKBUT*<\/h3>\n<p>KJV rendering of trigon, a triangular-shaped harp, in Daniel 3:5-15. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Sabcha).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>SACKBUT*<\/h3>\n<p>KJV rendering of trigon, a triangular-shaped harp, in Daniel 3:5-15. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Sabcha).<\/p>","summary_ro":"SACKBUT* KJV rendering of trigon, a triangular-shaped harp, in Daniel 3:5-15. See Musical Instruments (Sabcha).","summary_en":"SACKBUT* KJV rendering of trigon, a triangular-shaped harp, in Daniel 3:5-15. See Musical Instruments (Sabcha).","source":"Articles\/S.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":37706,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Trigon*","title_en":"Trigon*","content_ro":"<h3>TRIGON*<\/h3>\n<p>Triangular-shaped harp mentioned in Daniel 3:5-15. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Sabcha).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>TRIGON*<\/h3>\n<p>Triangular-shaped harp mentioned in Daniel 3:5-15. <em>See<\/em> Musical Instruments (Sabcha).<\/p>","summary_ro":"TRIGON* Triangular-shaped harp mentioned in Daniel 3:5-15. See Musical Instruments (Sabcha).","summary_en":"TRIGON* Triangular-shaped harp mentioned in Daniel 3:5-15. See Musical Instruments (Sabcha).","source":"Articles\/T.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53471,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:5","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","summary_en":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81097,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:5","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","summary_en":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108723,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:5","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","summary_en":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136349,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:5","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:5","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:5<\/strong> <em>Pipes<\/em> could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the <em>other<\/em> instruments.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","summary_en":"3:5 Pipes could be rendered “drums,” or possibly this was a word of musical direction that indicated being “in harmony” with the other instruments.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"7":[{"id":53472,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:7","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","summary_en":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81098,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:7","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","summary_en":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108724,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:7","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","summary_en":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136350,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:7","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:7","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:7<\/strong> <em>all the people:<\/em> Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so <em>all the<\/em> non-Jewish <em>people<\/em> obeyed the king’s command.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","summary_en":"3:7 all the people: Outside of Israel, idol worship was normal, so all the non-Jewish people obeyed the king’s command.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"8":[{"id":19767,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Jew","title_en":"Jew","content_ro":"<h3>JEW<\/h3>\n<p>Judean, belonging to Judah. The short form of the English word was developed from the French. The underlying Hebrew word is used first in 2 Kings 16:6 as a national term, meaning citizens of Judah. It came into general use in the period of Jeremiah just before the exile (late sixth century <span>BC<\/span>; see Jer 32:12). It reflects a growing sense of national identity among foreign nations in an international world. In Jeremiah 34:9, a statement concerning the national principle that an individual citizen had the right to freedom from slavery uses the term “Jew.” In Jeremiah 52:28 it is poignantly used in giving the number of deported citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Once the people were in exile, the term’s national meaning was expanded with a religious one. The Jews were different from surrounding peoples in that they preserved a living religious tradition of one true God. A Jewish-Gentile polarization developed. Thus in Daniel 3:8-12 certain Jews are accused of deviating from otherwise acceptable Babylonian religious practices. The book of Esther is concerned with the problem of Jewish identity and survival in a hostile alien environment. Esther 8:17 speaks of Gentiles declaring themselves Jews in the religious sense of becoming proselytes.<\/p>\n<p>After the exile, the strongly religious meaning of “Jew” is expressed in the prophecy of Zechariah 8:23 that the Jew would be courted by Gentiles because God was with him. In Ezra 4:12 the term “Jews” is the national designation of the returned exiles, as it is in the book of Nehemiah (e.g., Neh 1:2; 4:2). In Nehemiah 13:24 there is a consciousness of the social exclusiveness of the Jews: on religious grounds, marriage to foreigners is deplored.<\/p>\n<p>In the NT “Jew” continues to have the same national and\/or religious meaning. Culturally, Jews have religious and other customs that NT documents addressed to Gentiles find it necessary to explain (Mk 7:3; Jn 5:1; 19:40). Jews are contrasted with Gentiles (Acts 11:19), Samaritans (Jn 4:9, 22), and proselytes (Acts 2:10). Jewish Christians can be called “Jews” (Gal 2:13), but there is an increasing stress on the religious distinctions between Jew and Christian. In Romans 2:17-29 Paul gives an interesting theological analysis of the term “Jew.” He is at pains to emphasize that the true meaning of the word lies not in outward religious profession but in an inward attitude to God. Paul was doubtless thinking of the inadequacy of his own life as a Jew before he was converted to the Christian faith (cf. Phil 3:3-6). His mention of “praise” in Romans 2:29 is the climax of the passage. It is a forceful play on words: in Hebrew, Judah means praise (Gn 29:35; cf. 49:8).<\/p>\n<p>The apostle Paul is here moving in the direction of regarding Christianity as the true heir of the faith of the OT. Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 express similar sentiments: to be truly a Jew is much more than a matter of birth and synagogue observance. Underlying these passages in both Revelation and Romans is obviously the issue of the messianic claims of Jesus (cf. Rom 9:3-5; 10:1-4). The NT bears sad testimony to the opposition of Jews to the Christian message. The gospel proved a cause of offense to the Jews (1 Cor 1:23). Paul himself, despite his claim of impeccable Jewish credentials (Acts 26:4-7), found himself the object of bitter Jewish attacks (21:11; 23:12, 27). Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 describe the Jews’ opposition as satanic: they were carrying out the work of God’s adversary, Satan.<\/p>\n<p>These negative overtones are especially attached to the use of the word “Jew” in John’s Gospel. It is found some 70 times, versus about five or six instances in each of the synoptic Gospels. Some passages, such as those already cited, have no associations of hostility. But in most cases the fourth Gospel uses “Jews” in the sense of the religious authorities, especially those in Jerusalem, who were hostile to Jesus (see, e.g., Jn 5:18; 9:18; 11:8; 18:36). It is noteworthy that in 9:22 the parents of the blind man, clearly Jews themselves, are said, literally, to fear the investigating Jews. In 18:14 “Jews” stands for the chief priests and Pharisees of 18:3. It must be emphasized that the author, who was obviously a Jew himself, was not expressing an anti-Semitic viewpoint as such. He condemned not race or people but those who opposed Jesus. He gladly acknowledged that some Jews put their faith in Jesus (8:31; 11:45: 12:11). Nathanael is featured as a type of the Christian Jew, a true Israelite “in whom is no guile” (1:47; cf. v 31; see Gn 27:35; 32:28).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Judaism; Judaizers; Pharisees; Postexilic Period.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>JEW<\/h3>\n<p>Judean, belonging to Judah. The short form of the English word was developed from the French. The underlying Hebrew word is used first in 2 Kings 16:6 as a national term, meaning citizens of Judah. It came into general use in the period of Jeremiah just before the exile (late sixth century <span>BC<\/span>; see Jer 32:12). It reflects a growing sense of national identity among foreign nations in an international world. In Jeremiah 34:9, a statement concerning the national principle that an individual citizen had the right to freedom from slavery uses the term “Jew.” In Jeremiah 52:28 it is poignantly used in giving the number of deported citizens.<\/p>\n<p>Once the people were in exile, the term’s national meaning was expanded with a religious one. The Jews were different from surrounding peoples in that they preserved a living religious tradition of one true God. A Jewish-Gentile polarization developed. Thus in Daniel 3:8-12 certain Jews are accused of deviating from otherwise acceptable Babylonian religious practices. The book of Esther is concerned with the problem of Jewish identity and survival in a hostile alien environment. Esther 8:17 speaks of Gentiles declaring themselves Jews in the religious sense of becoming proselytes.<\/p>\n<p>After the exile, the strongly religious meaning of “Jew” is expressed in the prophecy of Zechariah 8:23 that the Jew would be courted by Gentiles because God was with him. In Ezra 4:12 the term “Jews” is the national designation of the returned exiles, as it is in the book of Nehemiah (e.g., Neh 1:2; 4:2). In Nehemiah 13:24 there is a consciousness of the social exclusiveness of the Jews: on religious grounds, marriage to foreigners is deplored.<\/p>\n<p>In the NT “Jew” continues to have the same national and\/or religious meaning. Culturally, Jews have religious and other customs that NT documents addressed to Gentiles find it necessary to explain (Mk 7:3; Jn 5:1; 19:40). Jews are contrasted with Gentiles (Acts 11:19), Samaritans (Jn 4:9, 22), and proselytes (Acts 2:10). Jewish Christians can be called “Jews” (Gal 2:13), but there is an increasing stress on the religious distinctions between Jew and Christian. In Romans 2:17-29 Paul gives an interesting theological analysis of the term “Jew.” He is at pains to emphasize that the true meaning of the word lies not in outward religious profession but in an inward attitude to God. Paul was doubtless thinking of the inadequacy of his own life as a Jew before he was converted to the Christian faith (cf. Phil 3:3-6). His mention of “praise” in Romans 2:29 is the climax of the passage. It is a forceful play on words: in Hebrew, Judah means praise (Gn 29:35; cf. 49:8).<\/p>\n<p>The apostle Paul is here moving in the direction of regarding Christianity as the true heir of the faith of the OT. Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 express similar sentiments: to be truly a Jew is much more than a matter of birth and synagogue observance. Underlying these passages in both Revelation and Romans is obviously the issue of the messianic claims of Jesus (cf. Rom 9:3-5; 10:1-4). The NT bears sad testimony to the opposition of Jews to the Christian message. The gospel proved a cause of offense to the Jews (1 Cor 1:23). Paul himself, despite his claim of impeccable Jewish credentials (Acts 26:4-7), found himself the object of bitter Jewish attacks (21:11; 23:12, 27). Revelation 2:9 and 3:9 describe the Jews’ opposition as satanic: they were carrying out the work of God’s adversary, Satan.<\/p>\n<p>These negative overtones are especially attached to the use of the word “Jew” in John’s Gospel. It is found some 70 times, versus about five or six instances in each of the synoptic Gospels. Some passages, such as those already cited, have no associations of hostility. But in most cases the fourth Gospel uses “Jews” in the sense of the religious authorities, especially those in Jerusalem, who were hostile to Jesus (see, e.g., Jn 5:18; 9:18; 11:8; 18:36). It is noteworthy that in 9:22 the parents of the blind man, clearly Jews themselves, are said, literally, to fear the investigating Jews. In 18:14 “Jews” stands for the chief priests and Pharisees of 18:3. It must be emphasized that the author, who was obviously a Jew himself, was not expressing an anti-Semitic viewpoint as such. He condemned not race or people but those who opposed Jesus. He gladly acknowledged that some Jews put their faith in Jesus (8:31; 11:45: 12:11). Nathanael is featured as a type of the Christian Jew, a true Israelite “in whom is no guile” (1:47; cf. v 31; see Gn 27:35; 32:28).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Judaism; Judaizers; Pharisees; Postexilic Period.<\/p>","summary_ro":"JEW Judean, belonging to Judah. The short form of the English word was developed from the French. The underlying Hebrew word is used first in 2 Kings 16:6 as a national term, meaning citizens of Judah. It came into general use in the period of Jeremiah just before the exile (late sixth century BC; see Jer 32:12). It reflects a growing sense of national identity among foreign nations in an international world. In Jeremiah 34:9, a statement concerning the national principle that an individual c...","summary_en":"JEW Judean, belonging to Judah. The short form of the English word was developed from the French. The underlying Hebrew word is used first in 2 Kings 16:6 as a national term, meaning citizens of Judah. It came into general use in the period of Jeremiah just before the exile (late sixth century BC; see Jer 32:12). It reflects a growing sense of national identity among foreign nations in an international world. In Jeremiah 34:9, a statement concerning the national principle that an individual c...","source":"Articles\/J.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"11":[{"id":53473,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:11","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","summary_en":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81099,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:11","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","summary_en":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108725,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:11","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","summary_en":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136351,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:11","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:11","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:11<\/strong> In some situations, the Lord’s people must <em>refuse to obey<\/em> the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","summary_en":"3:11 In some situations, the Lord’s people must refuse to obey the established authorities in order to remain faithful to the Lord (cp. Acts 4:19; 5:29; Rom 13:1-7).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"12":[{"id":87,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Abednego","title_en":"Abednego","content_ro":"<h3>ABEDNEGO<\/h3>\n<p>One of Daniel’s three friends who was sentenced to death by Nebuchadnezzar but was protected in the fiery furnace by an angel (Dn 1:7; 3:12-30). <em>See<\/em> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah).<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>ABEDNEGO<\/h3>\n<p>One of Daniel’s three friends who was sentenced to death by Nebuchadnezzar but was protected in the fiery furnace by an angel (Dn 1:7; 3:12-30). <em>See<\/em> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah).<\/p>","summary_ro":"ABEDNEGO One of Daniel’s three friends who was sentenced to death by Nebuchadnezzar but was protected in the fiery furnace by an angel (Dn 1:7; 3:12-30). See Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah).","summary_en":"ABEDNEGO One of Daniel’s three friends who was sentenced to death by Nebuchadnezzar but was protected in the fiery furnace by an angel (Dn 1:7; 3:12-30). See Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah).","source":"Articles\/A.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":25290,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Meshach","title_en":"Meshach","content_ro":"<h3>MESHACH<\/h3>\n<p>One of the three companions of the prophet Daniel who was thrown into the fiery furnace (Dn 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30). <em>See<\/em> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>MESHACH<\/h3>\n<p>One of the three companions of the prophet Daniel who was thrown into the fiery furnace (Dn 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30). <em>See<\/em> Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.<\/p>","summary_ro":"MESHACH One of the three companions of the prophet Daniel who was thrown into the fiery furnace (Dn 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30). See Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.","summary_en":"MESHACH One of the three companions of the prophet Daniel who was thrown into the fiery furnace (Dn 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30). See Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.","source":"Articles\/M.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53474,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:12","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:12","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","summary_en":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81100,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:12","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:12","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","summary_en":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108726,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:12","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:12","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","summary_en":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136352,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:12","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:12","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:12<\/strong> These <em>Jews<\/em> had defied his <em>Majesty<\/em> the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","summary_en":"3:12 These Jews had defied his Majesty the king, specifically by refusing to worship his statue. Defying the king was an act of high treason (cp. 2:10-13).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"13":[{"id":53475,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:13","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","summary_en":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81101,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:13","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","summary_en":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108727,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:13","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","summary_en":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136353,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:13","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:13","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:13<\/strong> Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly <em>rage<\/em> against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","summary_en":"3:13 Nebuchadnezzar was capable of deadly rage against even his most honored officials (cp. 2:12, 48-49).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"14":[{"id":53476,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:14","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","summary_en":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81102,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:14","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","summary_en":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108728,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:14","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","summary_en":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136354,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:14","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:14","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:14<\/strong> <em>Is it true . . . ?<\/em> The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","summary_en":"3:14 Is it true . . . ? The Aramaic word is used only here in the Old Testament. The king may have been asking, “Are your actions deliberate?”","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"15":[{"id":53477,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:15","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","summary_en":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81103,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:15","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","summary_en":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108729,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:15","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","summary_en":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136355,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:15","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:15","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:15<\/strong> <em>I will give you one more chance:<\/em> The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","summary_en":"3:15 I will give you one more chance: The three men’s earlier relationship to the king may have helped them get a second chance.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"16":[{"id":53478,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:16","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:16","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","summary_en":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81104,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:16","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:16","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","summary_en":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108730,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:16","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:16","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","summary_en":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136356,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:16","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:16","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:16-18<\/strong> The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel <em>from<\/em> the <em>power<\/em> of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","summary_en":"3:16-18 The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"17":[{"id":8580,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Book of Daniel","title_en":"Book of Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Book of<\/h3>\n<p>Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel is part of the third section, called the Writings, along with such books as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. It was not included in the second section of the OT, called the Prophets. Although portions of his book may be interpreted from a prophetic perspective, Daniel is never explicitly identified as a prophet. The book’s two major divisions are narratives about Daniel’s life (1–6) and Daniel’s visions (7–12).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date<\/p>\n<p>• Language<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>In terms of having a known author, the book of Daniel is anonymous, as are many books coming from the ancient world. The existing text bears only a title, “Daniel,” identifying the key subject matter of the book: the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>The first six chapters of the book contain information about Daniel written in the third person; beginning in Daniel 7:2, however, the book purports to contain words written by Daniel in the first person. Although the traditional view within Judaism, later adopted by Christianity, was that Daniel wrote the entire book named for him, there is little confirming evidence. Jesus’ words about things “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Mt 24:15) do not clarify who wrote the whole book, since the words in question appear in the second half of the book of Daniel, explicitly identified as his words. Thus the problem of who wrote the first part remains.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Daniel wrote the entire book, he is definitely the key character. The only source of information about him is the book itself. Daniel was a Hebrew from Judah, probably of royal lineage, born late in the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. As a young boy, he was taken from his homeland to Babylon (in what is now southern Iraq) around 605 <span>BC<\/span>. There, after three years of formal education in language and literature (Dn 1:4-5), he became an official in the royal household. The first six chapters tell of particular incidents in Daniel’s life but do not provide a comprehensive biography of his life and times.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” As a foreign resident in Babylon, he was given another name, Belteshazzar, which may have meant “may Bel (god) protect his life” in the Babylonian language.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Date\">Date<\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about the authorship of the book of Daniel naturally contributes to uncertainty about the date of its writing. If Daniel was the author of the whole book, a date in the second half of the sixth century <span>BC<\/span> is likely. If he was not the author, a later date is possible. The conservative interpretation has usually been that the book was written in the sixth century <span>BC<\/span>. An alternative position is that the book was written about 165 <span>BC<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence exists to support both the early and late dates of Daniel. Those who argue for a late date and an author besides Daniel normally use two lines of argument, one historical and the other linguistic. But those espousing an earlier date have counterarguments, all of which are discussed below.<\/p>\n<h5>Historical Argument<\/h5>\n<p>According to the historical argument, the writer was thoroughly familiar with the history of Near Eastern imperial power from the sixth to the second centuries, but had an incomplete, erroneous view of the historical details in the second half of the sixth century, Daniel’s era. Such an imbalance in knowledge implies a late date of writing.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the historical argument must be conceded by those holding a more conservative view. The book of Daniel does present a remarkable knowledge of Near Eastern history. The critical question is whether that knowledge was normal human knowledge, gained after the events, or special knowledge revealed to Daniel beforehand. That question is answered in different ways by different people, depending on their view of prophecy and other factors.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of the historical argument is technically more complex. Was the writer’s knowledge of history in the late sixth century <span>BC<\/span> really erroneous? The most significant problem is that of the identity of Darius the Mede (Dn 5:30-31). The book of Daniel says that Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and was succeeded at a later date by Cyrus. External historical sources contain no reference to a Darius at the time, but show clearly that it was Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Advocates of a late date consider that strong evidence. Those who advocate an early date have no simple solution to the problem. One proposed solution is that Darius and Cyrus are two names for the same person. A basis for that hypothesis is that Daniel 6:28 can be translated: “Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even [that is] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” An analogy appears in the use of the names Pul and Tiglath-pileser in 1 Chronicles 5:26. In summary, the dating of Daniel on the basis of the writer’s historical knowledge is difficult, whether one suggests an early or late date.<\/p>\n<h5>Linguistic Argument<\/h5>\n<p>The linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are also complex, especially for a person not familiar with the original languages of the book (Hebrew and Aramaic). Advocates of a late date use three related arguments: (1) the Aramaic language of the book is typical of late Aramaic (second century <span>BC<\/span> and later); (2) the presence of Persian loan words is a further indication of the late date of the book’s Aramaic; and (3) the presence of Greek loan words in the Aramaic shows that the language must be dated after the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Orient (c. 330 <span>BC<\/span>). For the advocates of a late date for the book’s composition, the last argument is most compelling. It would be impossible, they affirm, to find Greek loan words in Aramaic two centuries before Alexander’s time.<\/p>\n<p>Although the arguments are at first convincing, on closer examination they are less persuasive to those who hold the conservative view. Each of the three parts of the argument has been answered.<\/p>\n<p>1. Aramaic was in common use in the Near East from about the ninth century <span>BC<\/span>, being recognized as an official language in Assyria from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span>. Ninety percent of the Aramaic words in Daniel were used in that older language, in both the Old and Imperial Aramaic dialects. The remaining 10 percent, known only in later texts in the light of present evidence, might indicate a late date, but they could equally be early uses of the words in question.<\/p>\n<li>2. The evidence of Persian loan words in Aramaic can function like a boomerang. It is true that later Aramaic has many Persian loan words (about 19 appear in Daniel), but one can give an alternative explanation for Persian loan words in Daniel at an early date. The story of Daniel is set, in part, in the context of life in a Persian-controlled court. The Persians used Aramaic in their administrative control of the empire, and their own language inevitably penetrated Aramaic. If one assumes an early date for the book of Daniel, then it was being written in precisely the period when Persian would be having its greatest influence on Aramaic.<\/li>\n<li>3. The evidence of Greek words in Daniel’s Aramaic (a total of three) is not altogether compelling. Greek (or “Ionian”) traders traveled in various parts of the Near East from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span> onward. Greek mercenaries fought for Near Eastern states in and after the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. In Daniel’s lifetime King Nebuchadnezzar is known to have employed Greek artisans in the city of Babylon. Thus, it is unnecessary to limit the possibilities of Greek penetration of the Aramaic language to the period after Alexander. The conqueror was by no means the first Greek to set foot in the Orient.<\/li>\n<h5>Conclusion<\/h5>\n<p>The historical and linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are inconclusive for either an early or late date of writing. To a large extent, dating the book depends on other matters, such as authorship, intention, and the extent to which one takes a “prophetic” interpretation of portions of the book. To postulate that Daniel was the author is consistent with the evidence currently available. Further, evidence provided by some of the Daniel material from the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran does not support a late date for the book. All Daniel manuscripts and fragments are second-century <span>BC<\/span> copies, thus requiring an earlier date for the original. One manuscript, related paleographically to the large Isaiah Scroll, must have come originally from the same period—estimated to be several centuries before the Qumran copy of Isaiah. Other manuscripts from Qumran show that no OT canonical material was composed later than the Persian period. Thus, no manuscript evidence exists for a second-century <span>BC<\/span> date for Daniel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Language\">Language<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting features of the book of Daniel is not immediately evident to a reader of the English Bible. The book is bilingual. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and Daniel 8–12 are written in Hebrew, the language of the other OT books. The middle section (Dn 2:4b–7:28), however, is written in Aramaic, a different but related language. Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon. Some have suggested that an original Aramaic book was expanded by a Hebrew writer, with additions to the original book at the beginning and the end. Others suggest that a portion of the original Hebrew book was lost, so the missing section was replaced from a surviving Aramaic translation. More complex and ingenious suggestions have also been made, but none has been commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Another suggestion is possible. The book of Daniel (whatever date one prefers) may simply reflect the bilingual character of its cultural setting. (As a modern example, consider the many written materials in Canada that appear in both English and French.) Finally, one can regard the bilingual character as another of the mysterious aspects of the book that make its interpretation difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>The background of the book of Daniel can be examined from two perspectives. It may be viewed from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, of which Daniel was a part (early sixth century <span>BC<\/span>), or in the light of future historical events (second century <span>BC<\/span>), toward which the visions in the book’s second half seem to point.<\/p>\n<h5>The Babylonian Exile<\/h5>\n<p>Although Daniel himself was exiled about 605 <span>BC<\/span>, the major phase of the Babylonian exile began in 586 <span>BC<\/span>, following the defeat of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The account extends through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (properly Nebuchadrezzar) and Belshazzar, culminating in the early years of the Persian king Cyrus, who took over the city of Babylon in 539 <span>BC<\/span>. For the Jews the exile was a time of hardship but also a time of renewed theological understanding. Both aspects are reflected in the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n<h5>The Seleucid Period in Palestine<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel’s visions in the latter half of the book appear to refer to the Seleucid period in Palestine, specifically the time when the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, a member of the Seleucid dynasty (175–163 <span>BC<\/span>). Whether the visions were prophetic anticipations of future events or reflections of contemporary culture, the Seleucid period is important to a full understanding of the book.<\/p>\n<p>Under Antiochus, Palestinian Jews experienced a time of considerable hardship. The ancient faith was severely undermined, the high priesthood in Jerusalem was sold to the highest bidder, and the temple was desecrated in several ways. Pressure was exerted on the Jews to adapt their lives and faith to Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture. Although some capitulated, others refused and steadfastly held firm to the old faith. A rebellion against the oppressive measures of Antiochus began in 168 <span>BC<\/span>. By 164 the rebels had largely succeeded in getting rid of the objectionable practices. But the Seleucid period was generally a bad time for faithful Jews, when all the forces of history seemed to work against the true faith. Part of the book of Daniel’s greatness lies in its theological understanding of history, which enabled men and women to continue living in faith through a time of terrible crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>The scriptural section of the OT called the Writings served a variety of purposes. The psalms, for example, were used primarily in Israel’s worship. The proverbs may have been part of Israel’s school curriculum. The book of Job addressed a specific human and theological problem.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the book of Daniel is not so easy to determine, since it is essentially a story, a partial biography of Daniel. It is not strictly a prophetic book, nor is it history in the modern sense. Much of it is concerned with dreams and their interpretations.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the word “history” provides a clue to its purpose. Daniel seeks to provide theological understanding of history. The first six chapters tell about Daniel and his companions, not merely to satisfy historical curiosity but to teach the reader. OT theology insisted that the God of Israel participated in human life and history. To read biblical history, therefore, is to discover God’s participation in human affairs and to learn how God and human beings relate to each other. In the opening chapters of Daniel one reads of events in the life of a man of remarkable faith, the kind of history from which one may learn how to live.<\/p>\n<p>The last six chapters focus on Daniel’s dreams. Although neither the dreams nor the interpretations are easy to understand, it is possible to see the theme of history emerging again. The emphasis in chapters 7–12 is not on history as a record of past events but on the meaning of history and the world’s future. In the biblical perspective, the movements of human societies in the present and future matter as much as past history. Though Daniel’s visions are dominated by nations and superpowers, they have a more basic theme: God’s power over human beings and nations. History often appears to be a conglomeration of chaos and human conflict. Yet God ultimately controls history and moves it toward a goal. In spite of ambiguous details at the end of the book, Daniel provides hope for people living in a time of crisis. Even if what is said about the “time of the end” cannot be understood now (Dn 12:9), the end of history is full of hope for those with faith in God (v 13). The purpose of the book of Daniel thus has to do with the meaning of history, both what can be learned from the past and what can be hoped for in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>The book also contains specific theological statements on such matters as human faith, divine salvation, and the nature of revelation. One theological matter in Daniel deserves particular attention: the doctrine of resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>The NT’s clear doctrine of resurrection followed by judgment is not a central theme in the OT. For the most part, the Hebrews’ faith was fixed on the realities of earthly life. Hope for life beyond the grave is hinted at in many texts but remains implicit. Only in the later writings of the OT, especially those of Ezekiel and Daniel, does a more explicit doctrine of resurrection develop.<\/p>\n\n<p>The focal point of that doctrine in the book of Daniel is 12:2: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (<span>nlt<\/span>). The doctrine of personal resurrection provides a basis for individual hope within an understanding of present and future history. Nations move against nations in apparent turmoil. God is believed to be in ultimate control, but what becomes of all the people who die while history is still in motion? The dead shall rise again, says Daniel, and in their resurrection bodies shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will be rewarded with everlasting life, but others will be condemned to shame.<\/p>\n<p>To the readers of the book of Daniel, the doctrine of resurrection provided hope in an otherwise bleak and hopeless world. It was a reminder that the actions of earthly life are important—they form the basis of future judgment. The world has a larger horizon of life beyond the body’s death. Ultimately, there will be justice, even though justice is rarely seen in the present existence. Evildoers may live without ever being punished. Yet beyond the death of the body lies a final judgment characterized by God’s justice.<\/p>\n<p>So the book of Daniel is about history and hope. Life must be lived now; for that, the book offers in the first six chapters the insight of Daniel’s experience. Life is lived in the context of war and international chaos; for that, chapters 7–12 depict God’s sovereignty and his purposes in history. Individual life moves toward death; for that, the writer speaks of resurrection and judgment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentStoriesaboutDaniel16\">Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<h5>Daniel and His Companions (1:1-21)<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel and his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were exiled to Babylon some 19 years before the main exile following the destruction of Jerusalem. The four healthy young men, selected from among many Jewish exiles, were at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar assigned to a special three-year training program to make them court aides.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the four Jewish youths entered Babylon’s high society, they faced a dietary problem. The king provided them with the best food and wine from the royal kitchens, but a Jew’s diet was restricted by the laws of God (see Dt 14). The four asked for a diet of vegetables and water, not to be fussy or ungrateful, but to remain faithful to their God. The story tells how the dietary situation worked out and sees them through their education and Daniel’s appointment as a royal counselor.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode thus focuses on a key issue faced by all Jewish exiles: How could one live in a foreign land, with foreign food and customs, yet remain faithful to God and his laws? Daniel provided a model. He was courageous enough not to compromise, but wise enough to seek a solution acceptable to all. His faithfulness was rewarded by God. By the end of the episode, Daniel is seen as a person with special wisdom and gifts from God. The rest of his life was marked by the exercise of those gifts.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1-49)<\/h5>\n<p>The king had a dream and, although he could not remember its substance, it weighed heavily on his mind. When his corps of professional interpreters could do nothing for him, he ordered that they be executed. The king’s order included Daniel and his companions, whose training qualified them as interpreters. Daniel obtained a stay of execution by offering to interpret the dream. After prayer, Daniel received from God both the substance of the dream and its interpretation, which he relayed to the king. The grateful Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his companions to important positions in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Although the writer recorded both the king’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, the problem for a modern reader is how to interpret the interpretation. The king saw in his dream a statue, with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. The interpretation identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold. His kingdom would be followed by three other kingdoms, each represented by the statue’s parts and substances. At that point modern interpretations begin to diverge.<\/p>\n<p>A common interpretation of the four sequential kingdoms is as follows: Chaldean Empire (gold), MedoPersian Empire (silver), Greece (brass), Rome (iron and clay). Others suggest an alternative interpretation: Chaldean Empire (gold), Media (silver), Persia (brass), Greece (iron and clay). To focus too much attention on identifying the four kingdoms can result in failure to see the chapter’s key feature. From the midst of those human kingdoms, “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever” (2:44, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Babylonian king’s dream anticipated the coming of a greater kingdom, that of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<h5>The Fiery Furnace (3:1-30)<\/h5>\n<p>The story continues, focusing on Daniel’s three friends and using their Babylonian names—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a massive gold statue, 90 feet (27.4 meters) high. At its dedication ceremony everyone was required to bow down and worship as a band began to play. The three young Hebrews, who refused to worship, were summoned before the king. Their continued firm refusal led to a sentence of execution, and they were thrown into a fiercely burning furnace. Remarkably, they did not burn, and a fourth being appeared with them in the furnace. As they emerged unharmed from the ordeal, the king acknowledged God’s power of salvation and rewarded them.<\/p>\n<p>The story illustrates a second dilemma of the Jews in exile. Faithfulness to God’s first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Dt 5:7), could lead to death. The three young men were faithful—not out of confidence that God would rescue them, but whether or not he chose to spare their lives (Dn 3:17-18). As it happened, God delivered them; they were tossed into the furnace bound, but they came out free men. The message was profound: certainly the Jews should believe in a God able to deliver from the flames of persecution, but they should believe and hold fast even if no deliverance could be seen beyond the trial.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream and Madness (4:1-37)<\/h5>\n<p>On two occasions Nebuchadnezzar had confessed faith in the living God: when Daniel had interpreted his dream of the statue (2:47), and on the release of Daniel’s three companions from the furnace (3:28). Nonetheless, the king’s faith was shallow. The story in chapter 4 recounts a lapse of faith that brought terrible consequences. After eight years, when those consequences had run their course, the king again acknowledged God (4:37).<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is presented in the form of a proclamation, written by Nebuchadnezzar and widely circulated after the events in the story had transpired. The king dreamed of a tall tree growing in a field to ever greater heights. A divine messenger ordered the tree cut down, with only a stump and roots left in the ground. The stump and roots then took the form of a man, but the man’s mind was replaced with that of an animal. For seven years that semihuman creature behaved like a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel showed the king how the dream applied to the king himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the great tree that would be cut down; he would behave like a beast in the field for seven years. One year after the king had been told that interpretation, the judgment came. For seven years he behaved like an animal until his sanity returned.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the king’s story is that his madness was no accident but rather divine judgment. His arrogant belief that he had the power of God led to heavy retribution (4:30). The king was probably afflicted with a rare and peculiar form of mental illness today called “boanthropy.” The true meaning of the story lies at a deeper level: to think that one is God, having absolute power and control of one’s own life, is madness. That kind of madness can be cured and overcome only with the realization that absolute power and authority belong to God alone.<\/p>\n<h5>Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1-31)<\/h5>\n<p>The scene shifts to the reign of a later king in Babylon, Belshazzar. The son of Nabonidus, he was probably co-regent with Nabonidus (555?–539 <span>BC<\/span>), with special authority in the region of Babylon. The theme of his story is similar to that of chapter 4. Belshazzar, in the course of an enormous feast, called for the sacred vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem. With the sacred vessels the Babylonians toasted the local gods, a sacrilegious act that invited divine judgment. It came in the form of words written on the wall by a hand, which Daniel interpreted for the king as words of judgment (5:26-28). Although he praised Daniel for the interpretation, the king missed both the true meaning of the words and the lesson taught to Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor (vv 18-22). Belshazzar was killed that very night when Darius the Mede entered the city and captured it. The theme continues remorselessly: human pride and arrogance do not pass unnoticed by the God of history, who controls and directs human events toward the fulfillment of his purpose.<\/p>\n<h5>The Den of Lions (6:1-28)<\/h5>\n<p>The theme of chapter 6 is similar to that of chapter 3, but with Daniel as the story’s central figure. He is portrayed as one unwilling to compromise, fully obedient to Darius as long as that was possible, but unwilling to disobey the law of God. Hence, Daniel knowingly disobeyed a royal decree that prohibited prayer to anyone other than the king himself. Although he was aware of the consequences, Daniel remained faithful to God. The immediate outcome, when his enemies reported him, was an order of execution—Daniel was thrown to the lions. He was delivered from the hungry cats, and the king, relieved of a terrible predicament, had the plotters punished.<\/p>\n<p>A double message emerges from the story. On the one hand, God’s servant must be faithful in prayer and worship, regardless of the outcome; God delivers, and in that case did deliver Daniel from disaster. On the other hand, the effect of Daniel’s faithfulness was that the king, who had ordered his subjects to worship him, learned about true worship (6:25-27). The effects of faithfulness, like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pool, spread far beyond the one who is faithful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentDanielsVisions712\">Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p>With the beginning of chapter 7 the chronological sequence of the book of Daniel changes; Daniel’s first vision goes back to the first year of Belshazzar (7:1), but subsequent visions take place as late as the reign of Cyrus, the Persian king (10:1). Chapters 7–12 emphasize the meaning of history and God’s sovereignty in history, expressed in the mysterious symbolism of dreams. The whole section can be divided as follows: (1) vision of four beasts (7:1-28); (2) vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-27); (3) Daniel’s prayer (9:1-27); (4) vision of the end times (10:1–12:13).<\/p>\n<p>The first vision again takes up the theme of four kingdoms, already seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch 2). In the second vision the focus is narrowed down to two kingdoms, Persia and Greece. Much of the final vision of the end times deals with events occurring during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century <span>BC<\/span>. All the visions play on the same theme. Although human kingdoms may exert their might in a chaotic world, the sovereign God acts through history’s apparent chaos toward an ultimate goal of salvation.<\/p>\n<p>The primary interpretation of the visions can be perceived in past historical events, but a further messianic dimension can be seen in the light of the NT. That dimension is most evident in chapter 7. In the context of the four kingdoms, a divine court of judgment is established, presided over by the “Ancient of Days”—the almighty God (7:9). Then Daniel sees the arrival of “one like a son of man” (7:13). Though the phrase “son of man” was later perceived to be a messianic title, it did not technically have that meaning in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:13 is a principal source for the title “Son of Man,” which Jesus commonly used to designate himself. His most significant use of that term was at his trial, where he directly associated his title with Daniel 7 (Mt 26:63-64).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel (Person) #3; Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Prophecy; Prophet, Prophetess.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Book of<\/h3>\n<p>Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel is part of the third section, called the Writings, along with such books as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. It was not included in the second section of the OT, called the Prophets. Although portions of his book may be interpreted from a prophetic perspective, Daniel is never explicitly identified as a prophet. The book’s two major divisions are narratives about Daniel’s life (1–6) and Daniel’s visions (7–12).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date<\/p>\n<p>• Language<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>In terms of having a known author, the book of Daniel is anonymous, as are many books coming from the ancient world. The existing text bears only a title, “Daniel,” identifying the key subject matter of the book: the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>The first six chapters of the book contain information about Daniel written in the third person; beginning in Daniel 7:2, however, the book purports to contain words written by Daniel in the first person. Although the traditional view within Judaism, later adopted by Christianity, was that Daniel wrote the entire book named for him, there is little confirming evidence. Jesus’ words about things “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Mt 24:15) do not clarify who wrote the whole book, since the words in question appear in the second half of the book of Daniel, explicitly identified as his words. Thus the problem of who wrote the first part remains.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Daniel wrote the entire book, he is definitely the key character. The only source of information about him is the book itself. Daniel was a Hebrew from Judah, probably of royal lineage, born late in the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. As a young boy, he was taken from his homeland to Babylon (in what is now southern Iraq) around 605 <span>BC<\/span>. There, after three years of formal education in language and literature (Dn 1:4-5), he became an official in the royal household. The first six chapters tell of particular incidents in Daniel’s life but do not provide a comprehensive biography of his life and times.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” As a foreign resident in Babylon, he was given another name, Belteshazzar, which may have meant “may Bel (god) protect his life” in the Babylonian language.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Date\">Date<\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about the authorship of the book of Daniel naturally contributes to uncertainty about the date of its writing. If Daniel was the author of the whole book, a date in the second half of the sixth century <span>BC<\/span> is likely. If he was not the author, a later date is possible. The conservative interpretation has usually been that the book was written in the sixth century <span>BC<\/span>. An alternative position is that the book was written about 165 <span>BC<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence exists to support both the early and late dates of Daniel. Those who argue for a late date and an author besides Daniel normally use two lines of argument, one historical and the other linguistic. But those espousing an earlier date have counterarguments, all of which are discussed below.<\/p>\n<h5>Historical Argument<\/h5>\n<p>According to the historical argument, the writer was thoroughly familiar with the history of Near Eastern imperial power from the sixth to the second centuries, but had an incomplete, erroneous view of the historical details in the second half of the sixth century, Daniel’s era. Such an imbalance in knowledge implies a late date of writing.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the historical argument must be conceded by those holding a more conservative view. The book of Daniel does present a remarkable knowledge of Near Eastern history. The critical question is whether that knowledge was normal human knowledge, gained after the events, or special knowledge revealed to Daniel beforehand. That question is answered in different ways by different people, depending on their view of prophecy and other factors.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of the historical argument is technically more complex. Was the writer’s knowledge of history in the late sixth century <span>BC<\/span> really erroneous? The most significant problem is that of the identity of Darius the Mede (Dn 5:30-31). The book of Daniel says that Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and was succeeded at a later date by Cyrus. External historical sources contain no reference to a Darius at the time, but show clearly that it was Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Advocates of a late date consider that strong evidence. Those who advocate an early date have no simple solution to the problem. One proposed solution is that Darius and Cyrus are two names for the same person. A basis for that hypothesis is that Daniel 6:28 can be translated: “Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even [that is] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” An analogy appears in the use of the names Pul and Tiglath-pileser in 1 Chronicles 5:26. In summary, the dating of Daniel on the basis of the writer’s historical knowledge is difficult, whether one suggests an early or late date.<\/p>\n<h5>Linguistic Argument<\/h5>\n<p>The linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are also complex, especially for a person not familiar with the original languages of the book (Hebrew and Aramaic). Advocates of a late date use three related arguments: (1) the Aramaic language of the book is typical of late Aramaic (second century <span>BC<\/span> and later); (2) the presence of Persian loan words is a further indication of the late date of the book’s Aramaic; and (3) the presence of Greek loan words in the Aramaic shows that the language must be dated after the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Orient (c. 330 <span>BC<\/span>). For the advocates of a late date for the book’s composition, the last argument is most compelling. It would be impossible, they affirm, to find Greek loan words in Aramaic two centuries before Alexander’s time.<\/p>\n<p>Although the arguments are at first convincing, on closer examination they are less persuasive to those who hold the conservative view. Each of the three parts of the argument has been answered.<\/p>\n<p>1. Aramaic was in common use in the Near East from about the ninth century <span>BC<\/span>, being recognized as an official language in Assyria from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span>. Ninety percent of the Aramaic words in Daniel were used in that older language, in both the Old and Imperial Aramaic dialects. The remaining 10 percent, known only in later texts in the light of present evidence, might indicate a late date, but they could equally be early uses of the words in question.<\/p>\n<li>2. The evidence of Persian loan words in Aramaic can function like a boomerang. It is true that later Aramaic has many Persian loan words (about 19 appear in Daniel), but one can give an alternative explanation for Persian loan words in Daniel at an early date. The story of Daniel is set, in part, in the context of life in a Persian-controlled court. The Persians used Aramaic in their administrative control of the empire, and their own language inevitably penetrated Aramaic. If one assumes an early date for the book of Daniel, then it was being written in precisely the period when Persian would be having its greatest influence on Aramaic.<\/li>\n<li>3. The evidence of Greek words in Daniel’s Aramaic (a total of three) is not altogether compelling. Greek (or “Ionian”) traders traveled in various parts of the Near East from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span> onward. Greek mercenaries fought for Near Eastern states in and after the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. In Daniel’s lifetime King Nebuchadnezzar is known to have employed Greek artisans in the city of Babylon. Thus, it is unnecessary to limit the possibilities of Greek penetration of the Aramaic language to the period after Alexander. The conqueror was by no means the first Greek to set foot in the Orient.<\/li>\n<h5>Conclusion<\/h5>\n<p>The historical and linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are inconclusive for either an early or late date of writing. To a large extent, dating the book depends on other matters, such as authorship, intention, and the extent to which one takes a “prophetic” interpretation of portions of the book. To postulate that Daniel was the author is consistent with the evidence currently available. Further, evidence provided by some of the Daniel material from the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran does not support a late date for the book. All Daniel manuscripts and fragments are second-century <span>BC<\/span> copies, thus requiring an earlier date for the original. One manuscript, related paleographically to the large Isaiah Scroll, must have come originally from the same period—estimated to be several centuries before the Qumran copy of Isaiah. Other manuscripts from Qumran show that no OT canonical material was composed later than the Persian period. Thus, no manuscript evidence exists for a second-century <span>BC<\/span> date for Daniel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Language\">Language<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting features of the book of Daniel is not immediately evident to a reader of the English Bible. The book is bilingual. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and Daniel 8–12 are written in Hebrew, the language of the other OT books. The middle section (Dn 2:4b–7:28), however, is written in Aramaic, a different but related language. Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon. Some have suggested that an original Aramaic book was expanded by a Hebrew writer, with additions to the original book at the beginning and the end. Others suggest that a portion of the original Hebrew book was lost, so the missing section was replaced from a surviving Aramaic translation. More complex and ingenious suggestions have also been made, but none has been commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Another suggestion is possible. The book of Daniel (whatever date one prefers) may simply reflect the bilingual character of its cultural setting. (As a modern example, consider the many written materials in Canada that appear in both English and French.) Finally, one can regard the bilingual character as another of the mysterious aspects of the book that make its interpretation difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>The background of the book of Daniel can be examined from two perspectives. It may be viewed from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, of which Daniel was a part (early sixth century <span>BC<\/span>), or in the light of future historical events (second century <span>BC<\/span>), toward which the visions in the book’s second half seem to point.<\/p>\n<h5>The Babylonian Exile<\/h5>\n<p>Although Daniel himself was exiled about 605 <span>BC<\/span>, the major phase of the Babylonian exile began in 586 <span>BC<\/span>, following the defeat of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The account extends through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (properly Nebuchadrezzar) and Belshazzar, culminating in the early years of the Persian king Cyrus, who took over the city of Babylon in 539 <span>BC<\/span>. For the Jews the exile was a time of hardship but also a time of renewed theological understanding. Both aspects are reflected in the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n<h5>The Seleucid Period in Palestine<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel’s visions in the latter half of the book appear to refer to the Seleucid period in Palestine, specifically the time when the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, a member of the Seleucid dynasty (175–163 <span>BC<\/span>). Whether the visions were prophetic anticipations of future events or reflections of contemporary culture, the Seleucid period is important to a full understanding of the book.<\/p>\n<p>Under Antiochus, Palestinian Jews experienced a time of considerable hardship. The ancient faith was severely undermined, the high priesthood in Jerusalem was sold to the highest bidder, and the temple was desecrated in several ways. Pressure was exerted on the Jews to adapt their lives and faith to Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture. Although some capitulated, others refused and steadfastly held firm to the old faith. A rebellion against the oppressive measures of Antiochus began in 168 <span>BC<\/span>. By 164 the rebels had largely succeeded in getting rid of the objectionable practices. But the Seleucid period was generally a bad time for faithful Jews, when all the forces of history seemed to work against the true faith. Part of the book of Daniel’s greatness lies in its theological understanding of history, which enabled men and women to continue living in faith through a time of terrible crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>The scriptural section of the OT called the Writings served a variety of purposes. The psalms, for example, were used primarily in Israel’s worship. The proverbs may have been part of Israel’s school curriculum. The book of Job addressed a specific human and theological problem.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the book of Daniel is not so easy to determine, since it is essentially a story, a partial biography of Daniel. It is not strictly a prophetic book, nor is it history in the modern sense. Much of it is concerned with dreams and their interpretations.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the word “history” provides a clue to its purpose. Daniel seeks to provide theological understanding of history. The first six chapters tell about Daniel and his companions, not merely to satisfy historical curiosity but to teach the reader. OT theology insisted that the God of Israel participated in human life and history. To read biblical history, therefore, is to discover God’s participation in human affairs and to learn how God and human beings relate to each other. In the opening chapters of Daniel one reads of events in the life of a man of remarkable faith, the kind of history from which one may learn how to live.<\/p>\n<p>The last six chapters focus on Daniel’s dreams. Although neither the dreams nor the interpretations are easy to understand, it is possible to see the theme of history emerging again. The emphasis in chapters 7–12 is not on history as a record of past events but on the meaning of history and the world’s future. In the biblical perspective, the movements of human societies in the present and future matter as much as past history. Though Daniel’s visions are dominated by nations and superpowers, they have a more basic theme: God’s power over human beings and nations. History often appears to be a conglomeration of chaos and human conflict. Yet God ultimately controls history and moves it toward a goal. In spite of ambiguous details at the end of the book, Daniel provides hope for people living in a time of crisis. Even if what is said about the “time of the end” cannot be understood now (Dn 12:9), the end of history is full of hope for those with faith in God (v 13). The purpose of the book of Daniel thus has to do with the meaning of history, both what can be learned from the past and what can be hoped for in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>The book also contains specific theological statements on such matters as human faith, divine salvation, and the nature of revelation. One theological matter in Daniel deserves particular attention: the doctrine of resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>The NT’s clear doctrine of resurrection followed by judgment is not a central theme in the OT. For the most part, the Hebrews’ faith was fixed on the realities of earthly life. Hope for life beyond the grave is hinted at in many texts but remains implicit. Only in the later writings of the OT, especially those of Ezekiel and Daniel, does a more explicit doctrine of resurrection develop.<\/p>\n\n<p>The focal point of that doctrine in the book of Daniel is 12:2: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (<span>nlt<\/span>). The doctrine of personal resurrection provides a basis for individual hope within an understanding of present and future history. Nations move against nations in apparent turmoil. God is believed to be in ultimate control, but what becomes of all the people who die while history is still in motion? The dead shall rise again, says Daniel, and in their resurrection bodies shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will be rewarded with everlasting life, but others will be condemned to shame.<\/p>\n<p>To the readers of the book of Daniel, the doctrine of resurrection provided hope in an otherwise bleak and hopeless world. It was a reminder that the actions of earthly life are important—they form the basis of future judgment. The world has a larger horizon of life beyond the body’s death. Ultimately, there will be justice, even though justice is rarely seen in the present existence. Evildoers may live without ever being punished. Yet beyond the death of the body lies a final judgment characterized by God’s justice.<\/p>\n<p>So the book of Daniel is about history and hope. Life must be lived now; for that, the book offers in the first six chapters the insight of Daniel’s experience. Life is lived in the context of war and international chaos; for that, chapters 7–12 depict God’s sovereignty and his purposes in history. Individual life moves toward death; for that, the writer speaks of resurrection and judgment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentStoriesaboutDaniel16\">Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<h5>Daniel and His Companions (1:1-21)<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel and his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were exiled to Babylon some 19 years before the main exile following the destruction of Jerusalem. The four healthy young men, selected from among many Jewish exiles, were at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar assigned to a special three-year training program to make them court aides.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the four Jewish youths entered Babylon’s high society, they faced a dietary problem. The king provided them with the best food and wine from the royal kitchens, but a Jew’s diet was restricted by the laws of God (see Dt 14). The four asked for a diet of vegetables and water, not to be fussy or ungrateful, but to remain faithful to their God. The story tells how the dietary situation worked out and sees them through their education and Daniel’s appointment as a royal counselor.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode thus focuses on a key issue faced by all Jewish exiles: How could one live in a foreign land, with foreign food and customs, yet remain faithful to God and his laws? Daniel provided a model. He was courageous enough not to compromise, but wise enough to seek a solution acceptable to all. His faithfulness was rewarded by God. By the end of the episode, Daniel is seen as a person with special wisdom and gifts from God. The rest of his life was marked by the exercise of those gifts.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1-49)<\/h5>\n<p>The king had a dream and, although he could not remember its substance, it weighed heavily on his mind. When his corps of professional interpreters could do nothing for him, he ordered that they be executed. The king’s order included Daniel and his companions, whose training qualified them as interpreters. Daniel obtained a stay of execution by offering to interpret the dream. After prayer, Daniel received from God both the substance of the dream and its interpretation, which he relayed to the king. The grateful Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his companions to important positions in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Although the writer recorded both the king’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, the problem for a modern reader is how to interpret the interpretation. The king saw in his dream a statue, with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. The interpretation identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold. His kingdom would be followed by three other kingdoms, each represented by the statue’s parts and substances. At that point modern interpretations begin to diverge.<\/p>\n<p>A common interpretation of the four sequential kingdoms is as follows: Chaldean Empire (gold), MedoPersian Empire (silver), Greece (brass), Rome (iron and clay). Others suggest an alternative interpretation: Chaldean Empire (gold), Media (silver), Persia (brass), Greece (iron and clay). To focus too much attention on identifying the four kingdoms can result in failure to see the chapter’s key feature. From the midst of those human kingdoms, “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever” (2:44, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Babylonian king’s dream anticipated the coming of a greater kingdom, that of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<h5>The Fiery Furnace (3:1-30)<\/h5>\n<p>The story continues, focusing on Daniel’s three friends and using their Babylonian names—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a massive gold statue, 90 feet (27.4 meters) high. At its dedication ceremony everyone was required to bow down and worship as a band began to play. The three young Hebrews, who refused to worship, were summoned before the king. Their continued firm refusal led to a sentence of execution, and they were thrown into a fiercely burning furnace. Remarkably, they did not burn, and a fourth being appeared with them in the furnace. As they emerged unharmed from the ordeal, the king acknowledged God’s power of salvation and rewarded them.<\/p>\n<p>The story illustrates a second dilemma of the Jews in exile. Faithfulness to God’s first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Dt 5:7), could lead to death. The three young men were faithful—not out of confidence that God would rescue them, but whether or not he chose to spare their lives (Dn 3:17-18). As it happened, God delivered them; they were tossed into the furnace bound, but they came out free men. The message was profound: certainly the Jews should believe in a God able to deliver from the flames of persecution, but they should believe and hold fast even if no deliverance could be seen beyond the trial.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream and Madness (4:1-37)<\/h5>\n<p>On two occasions Nebuchadnezzar had confessed faith in the living God: when Daniel had interpreted his dream of the statue (2:47), and on the release of Daniel’s three companions from the furnace (3:28). Nonetheless, the king’s faith was shallow. The story in chapter 4 recounts a lapse of faith that brought terrible consequences. After eight years, when those consequences had run their course, the king again acknowledged God (4:37).<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is presented in the form of a proclamation, written by Nebuchadnezzar and widely circulated after the events in the story had transpired. The king dreamed of a tall tree growing in a field to ever greater heights. A divine messenger ordered the tree cut down, with only a stump and roots left in the ground. The stump and roots then took the form of a man, but the man’s mind was replaced with that of an animal. For seven years that semihuman creature behaved like a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel showed the king how the dream applied to the king himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the great tree that would be cut down; he would behave like a beast in the field for seven years. One year after the king had been told that interpretation, the judgment came. For seven years he behaved like an animal until his sanity returned.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the king’s story is that his madness was no accident but rather divine judgment. His arrogant belief that he had the power of God led to heavy retribution (4:30). The king was probably afflicted with a rare and peculiar form of mental illness today called “boanthropy.” The true meaning of the story lies at a deeper level: to think that one is God, having absolute power and control of one’s own life, is madness. That kind of madness can be cured and overcome only with the realization that absolute power and authority belong to God alone.<\/p>\n<h5>Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1-31)<\/h5>\n<p>The scene shifts to the reign of a later king in Babylon, Belshazzar. The son of Nabonidus, he was probably co-regent with Nabonidus (555?–539 <span>BC<\/span>), with special authority in the region of Babylon. The theme of his story is similar to that of chapter 4. Belshazzar, in the course of an enormous feast, called for the sacred vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem. With the sacred vessels the Babylonians toasted the local gods, a sacrilegious act that invited divine judgment. It came in the form of words written on the wall by a hand, which Daniel interpreted for the king as words of judgment (5:26-28). Although he praised Daniel for the interpretation, the king missed both the true meaning of the words and the lesson taught to Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor (vv 18-22). Belshazzar was killed that very night when Darius the Mede entered the city and captured it. The theme continues remorselessly: human pride and arrogance do not pass unnoticed by the God of history, who controls and directs human events toward the fulfillment of his purpose.<\/p>\n<h5>The Den of Lions (6:1-28)<\/h5>\n<p>The theme of chapter 6 is similar to that of chapter 3, but with Daniel as the story’s central figure. He is portrayed as one unwilling to compromise, fully obedient to Darius as long as that was possible, but unwilling to disobey the law of God. Hence, Daniel knowingly disobeyed a royal decree that prohibited prayer to anyone other than the king himself. Although he was aware of the consequences, Daniel remained faithful to God. The immediate outcome, when his enemies reported him, was an order of execution—Daniel was thrown to the lions. He was delivered from the hungry cats, and the king, relieved of a terrible predicament, had the plotters punished.<\/p>\n<p>A double message emerges from the story. On the one hand, God’s servant must be faithful in prayer and worship, regardless of the outcome; God delivers, and in that case did deliver Daniel from disaster. On the other hand, the effect of Daniel’s faithfulness was that the king, who had ordered his subjects to worship him, learned about true worship (6:25-27). The effects of faithfulness, like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pool, spread far beyond the one who is faithful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentDanielsVisions712\">Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p>With the beginning of chapter 7 the chronological sequence of the book of Daniel changes; Daniel’s first vision goes back to the first year of Belshazzar (7:1), but subsequent visions take place as late as the reign of Cyrus, the Persian king (10:1). Chapters 7–12 emphasize the meaning of history and God’s sovereignty in history, expressed in the mysterious symbolism of dreams. The whole section can be divided as follows: (1) vision of four beasts (7:1-28); (2) vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-27); (3) Daniel’s prayer (9:1-27); (4) vision of the end times (10:1–12:13).<\/p>\n<p>The first vision again takes up the theme of four kingdoms, already seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch 2). In the second vision the focus is narrowed down to two kingdoms, Persia and Greece. Much of the final vision of the end times deals with events occurring during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century <span>BC<\/span>. All the visions play on the same theme. Although human kingdoms may exert their might in a chaotic world, the sovereign God acts through history’s apparent chaos toward an ultimate goal of salvation.<\/p>\n<p>The primary interpretation of the visions can be perceived in past historical events, but a further messianic dimension can be seen in the light of the NT. That dimension is most evident in chapter 7. In the context of the four kingdoms, a divine court of judgment is established, presided over by the “Ancient of Days”—the almighty God (7:9). Then Daniel sees the arrival of “one like a son of man” (7:13). Though the phrase “son of man” was later perceived to be a messianic title, it did not technically have that meaning in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:13 is a principal source for the title “Son of Man,” which Jesus commonly used to designate himself. His most significant use of that term was at his trial, where he directly associated his title with Daniel 7 (Mt 26:63-64).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel (Person) #3; Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Prophecy; Prophet, Prophetess.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Book of Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, nlt). In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel i...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Book of Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, nlt). In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel i...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"18":[{"id":26722,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Mystery","title_en":"Mystery","content_ro":"<h3>MYSTERY<\/h3>\n<p>Counsel, or secret plan, that God shares only with his people. In most biblical passages it relates to the wise counsel of God in his guidance of history to its destiny. The most specific and significant application of the concept of mystery is to the plan of God regarding the death of Christ. It does not refer to a secret that God is unwilling to tell or to something so obscure that it could not be understood even if told.<\/p>\n<p>The passages in which its theological meaning is most clearly seen (among over 30 occurrences in Scripture) are Daniel 3:18-28; 4:6 (Septuagint); Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; Romans 11:25; 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 4:1; 15:51; Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-6, 9-12; Colossians 1:26-29; 2:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:9, 16; Revelation 1:20; 10:7; 17:5-18.<\/p>\n<p>In the passages in Daniel, the emphasis is on the revelation that God gave Daniel concerning the content and meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the future. It is important to note here that the dream was about what God was going to do. No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner could explain it, but “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Dn 2:28).<\/p>\n<p>Scholarly studies in recent years have determined that similar themes are found in other Jewish writings, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. The stress is on the decisions God has made about the future, especially the end time. The world wrestles with such matters as the problem of evil (i.e., Why, if God is both good and powerful, do people still suffer?). The believer identifies with these problems but knows that God has his providential plans and that one day he will make all things clear. The way God will bring vindication for those who are wronged in this world and judgment to those who do wrong is part of the content of the “mystery” and was a major emphasis in the writings around the time of Christ. God controls the affairs of the universe. The nations will eventually fulfill his purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11, and Luke 8:10 are part of the parables of the kingdom. The kingdom itself is related to the final climactic work of God in history. This is seen in some of the imagery of the parables, such as the harvest, which symbolizes future judgment. Therefore, the word “mystery” is appropriate and significant here. In the immediate context Jesus is explaining why he uses parables. They both vividly illustrate truth and conceal truth from those who are not receptive to it. Therefore, the word “mystery” (plural in Mt and Lk) describes the inner meaning of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom. Those who accept the message will know its meaning; those who do not will lose not only the meaning but apparently also the opportunity to hear and respond to the message of salvation (Mt 13:12-15).<\/p>\n<p>Another aspect of this passage lies in the unasked question as to why, if the Messiah has come, evil still persists in the world. The servants in one of the parables wanted to pull up the weeds, symbolizing evil or evil persons, but were told to allow them to grow until the time of harvest—that is, the judgment (Mt 13:24-30). The persistence of evil in the world and the way God will eventually deal with it is one of the “mysteries.”<\/p>\n<p>Romans 11:25 occurs in a large section (chs 9–11) that deals with the people of Israel and their future. Once again, the issue concerns a present problem and its future resolution. In this case the problem is the unbelief of Israel. The hardening of Israel during the present time is called a “mystery” (Rom 11:25). God’s purposes will not be thwarted, however, “and so all Israel will be saved” (v 26). This emphasis on the purposes of God is closely intertwined with the concept of the “mystery” and is basic to this entire passage.<\/p>\n<p>Romans 16:25 is broader in its scope, connecting the “revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past” with Paul’s “gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ.” Here the focus is more closely on the meaning of the death of Christ.<\/p>\n<p>God’s “secret wisdom” is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:7. The context is the message of the cross that Paul preaches. This message is foolishness to those who consider themselves wise but are lost, and it is the “foolishness” of what is preached that brings salvation to believers (1:18-25). Paul does not attempt to proclaim worldly “wisdom,” but he does declare a “message of wisdom” to those who are spiritually mature (2:6). To these he speaks the “secret wisdom,” or literally, “wisdom in a secret” (v 7). This passage clearly connects the basic concept of “mystery” as the counsel of God with the death of Christ as the means of salvation. It also connects mystery with the process of history (“the rulers of this age”) and with the sweep of God’s purposes from OT times into the future. Verse 10 emphasizes the fact that God has indeed revealed these mysteries to us.<\/p>\n<p>In 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul again speaks from the context of a contrast between God’s wisdom and that of the world (3:18-23). He speaks not only of secret things or mysteries but also introduces the concept of stewardship. He has been entrusted with the revelation of God’s mystery and must be faithful in his ministry of declaring it. This theme will reappear in Ephesians 3:2-6.<\/p>\n<p>Paul returns to the relationship of mystery and the end time in 1 Corinthians 15:51. The earlier passage (2:9-16) showed that human knowledge cannot possibly anticipate what God has planned, but God has revealed this mystery to believers. A major aspect of this revealed mystery is the way in which the faithful will be brought into the presence of God: “Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (15:51-52, <span>rsv<\/span>). The other references to mystery in 1 Corinthians occur in the broad context of chapters 12–14 dealing with spiritual gifts, which include receiving divine revelation, so the term “mysteries” in 13:2 and 14:2 is appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>Ephesians opens with a series of statements about God’s purpose in history, culminating in the universal headship of Christ (Eph 1:10). These statements include such terms as “chose,” “destined,” “will,” “purpose,” “plan,” and “counsel.” This is clearly the range of ideas associated with the word “mystery” in ancient Jewish writings, and these ideas shed light on Paul’s use of the summary expression: “For he has made known to us . . . the mystery of his will” (v 9, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Part of God’s purpose was to form a body of believers, reconciled to himself and to each other through the cross (Eph 2:14-18). In this body, Jewish and Gentile believers have been made members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus, a new phase of God’s revealed plan, which Paul here calls a “mystery” (3:6). As noted above, Paul himself has a responsibility to minister the truth of this “mystery” faithfully (3:2-5; cf. 1 Cor 4:1-5).<\/p>\n<p>Colossians continues to show Paul’s sense of responsibility regarding this “mystery,” which is now identified with the “word of God” (Col 1:25-29). Once again there is the idea of the span of history linked with the mystery that is known only by revelation: “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints” (v 26). As in Ephesians, the church is the locus for the working out of God’s mystery, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v 27). This Christ is proclaimed in wisdom, so that believers may reach mature completion in him (v 28). The Colossian believers are asked to pray for Paul as he preaches this “mystery” (4:3).<\/p>\n<p>It is made clear in 1 Timothy 3:16 that the “mystery of godliness” includes the basic elements associated with the “mystery,” such as its manifestation in the world and ultimate vindication. However, this grand plan of God does not unfold without opposition. In connection with the coming of the end time, Paul again mentions a mystery. This time it is a dark mystery, called the “secret power of lawlessness” (2 Thes 2:7). A similar evil force, “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes,” is introduced in the book of Revelation with the word “mystery” (Rv 17:5). Perhaps the idea is that there are forces counter to God whose workings are also impossible for humans to understand. God’s truth and power will, however, prevail over these, as he brings his own mystery, his wise counsel, to fulfillment.<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 10:6-7 declares this fulfillment. The ages of waiting in perplexity, of enduring evil, are over, as the angel announces, “There will be no more delay!” The time has finally come when “the mystery of God will be accomplished.” Note the dynamic quality of the mystery in this context. It is not just static truth but something that can be “accomplished.” This great climax to history is in accord with God’s previous revelation “to his servants, the prophets.” The mystery, then, is God’s wise counsel, which both guides history and is revealed in its culmination. It expresses God’s answer to the problem of evil and the vain opposition by evil powers. It declares the meaning of the central event in history, the death of Christ, and reveals the results of the resurrection in the ultimate transformation of all believers at the coming of Christ.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>MYSTERY<\/h3>\n<p>Counsel, or secret plan, that God shares only with his people. In most biblical passages it relates to the wise counsel of God in his guidance of history to its destiny. The most specific and significant application of the concept of mystery is to the plan of God regarding the death of Christ. It does not refer to a secret that God is unwilling to tell or to something so obscure that it could not be understood even if told.<\/p>\n<p>The passages in which its theological meaning is most clearly seen (among over 30 occurrences in Scripture) are Daniel 3:18-28; 4:6 (Septuagint); Matthew 13:11; Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10; Romans 11:25; 16:25; 1 Corinthians 2:7; 4:1; 15:51; Ephesians 1:9; 3:3-6, 9-12; Colossians 1:26-29; 2:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 Timothy 3:9, 16; Revelation 1:20; 10:7; 17:5-18.<\/p>\n<p>In the passages in Daniel, the emphasis is on the revelation that God gave Daniel concerning the content and meaning of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about the future. It is important to note here that the dream was about what God was going to do. No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner could explain it, but “there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries” (Dn 2:28).<\/p>\n<p>Scholarly studies in recent years have determined that similar themes are found in other Jewish writings, including the Dead Sea Scrolls. The stress is on the decisions God has made about the future, especially the end time. The world wrestles with such matters as the problem of evil (i.e., Why, if God is both good and powerful, do people still suffer?). The believer identifies with these problems but knows that God has his providential plans and that one day he will make all things clear. The way God will bring vindication for those who are wronged in this world and judgment to those who do wrong is part of the content of the “mystery” and was a major emphasis in the writings around the time of Christ. God controls the affairs of the universe. The nations will eventually fulfill his purposes.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew 13:11, Mark 4:11, and Luke 8:10 are part of the parables of the kingdom. The kingdom itself is related to the final climactic work of God in history. This is seen in some of the imagery of the parables, such as the harvest, which symbolizes future judgment. Therefore, the word “mystery” is appropriate and significant here. In the immediate context Jesus is explaining why he uses parables. They both vividly illustrate truth and conceal truth from those who are not receptive to it. Therefore, the word “mystery” (plural in Mt and Lk) describes the inner meaning of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom. Those who accept the message will know its meaning; those who do not will lose not only the meaning but apparently also the opportunity to hear and respond to the message of salvation (Mt 13:12-15).<\/p>\n<p>Another aspect of this passage lies in the unasked question as to why, if the Messiah has come, evil still persists in the world. The servants in one of the parables wanted to pull up the weeds, symbolizing evil or evil persons, but were told to allow them to grow until the time of harvest—that is, the judgment (Mt 13:24-30). The persistence of evil in the world and the way God will eventually deal with it is one of the “mysteries.”<\/p>\n<p>Romans 11:25 occurs in a large section (chs 9–11) that deals with the people of Israel and their future. Once again, the issue concerns a present problem and its future resolution. In this case the problem is the unbelief of Israel. The hardening of Israel during the present time is called a “mystery” (Rom 11:25). God’s purposes will not be thwarted, however, “and so all Israel will be saved” (v 26). This emphasis on the purposes of God is closely intertwined with the concept of the “mystery” and is basic to this entire passage.<\/p>\n<p>Romans 16:25 is broader in its scope, connecting the “revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past” with Paul’s “gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ.” Here the focus is more closely on the meaning of the death of Christ.<\/p>\n<p>God’s “secret wisdom” is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 2:7. The context is the message of the cross that Paul preaches. This message is foolishness to those who consider themselves wise but are lost, and it is the “foolishness” of what is preached that brings salvation to believers (1:18-25). Paul does not attempt to proclaim worldly “wisdom,” but he does declare a “message of wisdom” to those who are spiritually mature (2:6). To these he speaks the “secret wisdom,” or literally, “wisdom in a secret” (v 7). This passage clearly connects the basic concept of “mystery” as the counsel of God with the death of Christ as the means of salvation. It also connects mystery with the process of history (“the rulers of this age”) and with the sweep of God’s purposes from OT times into the future. Verse 10 emphasizes the fact that God has indeed revealed these mysteries to us.<\/p>\n<p>In 1 Corinthians 4:1 Paul again speaks from the context of a contrast between God’s wisdom and that of the world (3:18-23). He speaks not only of secret things or mysteries but also introduces the concept of stewardship. He has been entrusted with the revelation of God’s mystery and must be faithful in his ministry of declaring it. This theme will reappear in Ephesians 3:2-6.<\/p>\n<p>Paul returns to the relationship of mystery and the end time in 1 Corinthians 15:51. The earlier passage (2:9-16) showed that human knowledge cannot possibly anticipate what God has planned, but God has revealed this mystery to believers. A major aspect of this revealed mystery is the way in which the faithful will be brought into the presence of God: “Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet” (15:51-52, <span>rsv<\/span>). The other references to mystery in 1 Corinthians occur in the broad context of chapters 12–14 dealing with spiritual gifts, which include receiving divine revelation, so the term “mysteries” in 13:2 and 14:2 is appropriate.<\/p>\n<p>Ephesians opens with a series of statements about God’s purpose in history, culminating in the universal headship of Christ (Eph 1:10). These statements include such terms as “chose,” “destined,” “will,” “purpose,” “plan,” and “counsel.” This is clearly the range of ideas associated with the word “mystery” in ancient Jewish writings, and these ideas shed light on Paul’s use of the summary expression: “For he has made known to us . . . the mystery of his will” (v 9, <span>rsv<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>Part of God’s purpose was to form a body of believers, reconciled to himself and to each other through the cross (Eph 2:14-18). In this body, Jewish and Gentile believers have been made members together of one body and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus, a new phase of God’s revealed plan, which Paul here calls a “mystery” (3:6). As noted above, Paul himself has a responsibility to minister the truth of this “mystery” faithfully (3:2-5; cf. 1 Cor 4:1-5).<\/p>\n<p>Colossians continues to show Paul’s sense of responsibility regarding this “mystery,” which is now identified with the “word of God” (Col 1:25-29). Once again there is the idea of the span of history linked with the mystery that is known only by revelation: “the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints” (v 26). As in Ephesians, the church is the locus for the working out of God’s mystery, “which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (v 27). This Christ is proclaimed in wisdom, so that believers may reach mature completion in him (v 28). The Colossian believers are asked to pray for Paul as he preaches this “mystery” (4:3).<\/p>\n<p>It is made clear in 1 Timothy 3:16 that the “mystery of godliness” includes the basic elements associated with the “mystery,” such as its manifestation in the world and ultimate vindication. However, this grand plan of God does not unfold without opposition. In connection with the coming of the end time, Paul again mentions a mystery. This time it is a dark mystery, called the “secret power of lawlessness” (2 Thes 2:7). A similar evil force, “Babylon the Great, the Mother of Prostitutes,” is introduced in the book of Revelation with the word “mystery” (Rv 17:5). Perhaps the idea is that there are forces counter to God whose workings are also impossible for humans to understand. God’s truth and power will, however, prevail over these, as he brings his own mystery, his wise counsel, to fulfillment.<\/p>\n<p>Revelation 10:6-7 declares this fulfillment. The ages of waiting in perplexity, of enduring evil, are over, as the angel announces, “There will be no more delay!” The time has finally come when “the mystery of God will be accomplished.” Note the dynamic quality of the mystery in this context. It is not just static truth but something that can be “accomplished.” This great climax to history is in accord with God’s previous revelation “to his servants, the prophets.” The mystery, then, is God’s wise counsel, which both guides history and is revealed in its culmination. It expresses God’s answer to the problem of evil and the vain opposition by evil powers. It declares the meaning of the central event in history, the death of Christ, and reveals the results of the resurrection in the ultimate transformation of all believers at the coming of Christ.<\/p>","summary_ro":"MYSTERY Counsel, or secret plan, that God shares only with his people. In most biblical passages it relates to the wise counsel of God in his guidance of history to its destiny. The most specific and significant application of the concept of mystery is to the plan of God regarding the death of Christ. It does not refer to a secret that God is unwilling to tell or to something so obscure that it could not be understood even if told. The passages in which its theological meaning is most clearly...","summary_en":"MYSTERY Counsel, or secret plan, that God shares only with his people. In most biblical passages it relates to the wise counsel of God in his guidance of history to its destiny. The most specific and significant application of the concept of mystery is to the plan of God regarding the death of Christ. It does not refer to a secret that God is unwilling to tell or to something so obscure that it could not be understood even if told. The passages in which its theological meaning is most clearly...","source":"Articles\/M.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"23":[{"id":8552,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Additions to Daniel","title_en":"Additions to Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53479,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:23","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","summary_en":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81105,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:23","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","summary_en":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108731,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:23","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","summary_en":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136357,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:23","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:23","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:23<\/strong> In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, <em>The Prayer of Azariah<\/em> and <em>The Song of the Three Jews<\/em> are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","summary_en":"3:23 In the Greek version and the Latin Vulgate, The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three Jews are inserted after 3:23 (see Daniel Book Introduction, “Author and Date”).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"24":[{"id":8553,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Additions to Daniel","title_en":"Additions to Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"25":[{"id":53480,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:25","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:25","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","summary_en":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81106,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:25","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:25","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","summary_en":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108732,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:25","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:25","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","summary_en":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136358,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:25","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:25","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:25<\/strong> <em>walking around:<\/em> The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • <em>like a god<\/em> (literally <em>like a son of the gods<\/em>): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","summary_en":"3:25 walking around: The same word is used in Gen 3:8-9. • like a god (literally like a son of the gods): The king understood the being as the Lord’s angel (Dan 3:28).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"26":[{"id":53481,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:26","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:26","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","summary_en":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81107,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:26","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:26","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","summary_en":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108733,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:26","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:26","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","summary_en":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136359,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:26","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:26","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:26<\/strong> The title <em>Most High<\/em> is often used to refer to <em>God<\/em> (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","summary_en":"3:26 The title Most High is often used to refer to God (e.g., 4:2, 24-25; 7:25; Gen 14:18; Num 24:16; Deut 32:8-9; Ps 73:11; Isa 14:14). In Canaanite religion, it often referred to Baal.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"28":[{"id":1629,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Angel","title_en":"Angel","content_ro":"<h3>ANGEL<\/h3>\n<p>Messenger of God or supernatural being, either good or evil, with powers greater than humans possess.<\/p>\n<p>The first kind of angels mentioned in the Bible are cherubim (plural of “cherub,” a Hebrew word). They were celestial beings sent by God to guard the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3:24). They were represented symbolically on the ark of the covenant (Ex 25:18-22), in the tabernacle (Ex 26:31) and temple (2 Chr 3:7), and seen by the prophet Ezekiel in a vision of the restored Jerusalem (Ez 41:18-20). Two angels, Gabriel and the chief, or archangel, Michael, are named in the Bible (Dn 8:16; 9:21; 10:13; Lk 1:19, 26; Jude 1:9; Rv 12:7-9).<\/p>\n\n<p>In the Bible, angels are spiritual beings who serve primarily as messengers. The English word “angel” comes directly from a Greek word for messenger. In Luke 9:52, Jesus sent “messengers” ahead of him. Usually the same word is translated “angel” and is understood to mean a spiritual messenger from God. In the OT also, one Hebrew word can refer either to a human messenger or to a spiritual being. It is not always immediately clear which is meant, especially since angels sometimes appeared in human form. In certain passages, “the angel of God” or a similar phrase may refer to God delivering his own message (see Gn 18:2-15).<\/p>\n<p>Angels appeared to many of God’s people in the Bible to announce good news (Jgs 13:3), warn of danger (Gn 19:15), guard from evil (Dn 3:28; 6:22), guide and protect (Ex 14:19), nourish (Gn 21:14-20; 1 Kgs 19:4-7), or instruct (Acts 7:38; Gal 3:19). When Christ came to earth as the Savior, angels heralded his birth (Lk 2:8-15), guided and warned his parents (Mt 2:13), strengthened him when he was tempted (Mt 4:11) and in his last distress (Lk 22:43-44 in some manuscripts), and observed his resurrection (Mt 28:1-6). Jesus spoke about the guardian angels of little children (Mt 18:10). Philip was guided by an angel (Acts 8:26). Apostles were rescued from prison by an angel (Acts 5:19; 12:7-11). In a frightening situation, the apostle Paul was encouraged by an angel (Acts 27:21-25).<\/p>\n\n<p>The physical appearance of angels in biblical encounters was often unusual enough to distinguish them from ordinary people. The angel who moved the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb had an appearance like lightning and raiment white as snow (Mt 28:3). Many passages about angels are descriptions of dreams or visions. “Jacob’s ladder” with angels ascending and descending (Gn 28:12) is an example. In another dream an angel spoke to Jacob (Gn 31:11). An angel appeared to Cornelius in a vision (Acts 10:1-3). Major passages of this type include Isaiah 6 (the seraphim), much of the book of Ezekiel (the cherubim), and much of Daniel and Zechariah. In the NT, over a third of the references to angels are in the book of Revelation. In most cases there, the angelic beings are glorious or grotesque figures seen in visions and are not to be confused with human persons. The language describing such visions is appropriately mystical, or at least metaphorical and difficult to interpret.<\/p>\n<p>Angelology, or the doctrine of angels, is not a major theme in Christian theology in spite of the many references to angels in the Bible. Angels are included in descriptions of all that God created (Ps 148:2; Col 1:16). There are hints that they witnessed the creation of the world (Jb 38:7). No matter how close to God angels may be, they share with humankind the status of creatures. But as wholly spiritual creatures they are free from many human limitations, such as death (Lk 20:36). They do not marry (Mt 22:30), so they could be regarded as sexless. In all their appearances, angels in human form were taken to be men, never women or children. Their ability to communicate in human language and to affect human life in other ways is basic to their role in the Bible. Their power and awesome appearance (Mt 28:2-4) sometimes tempted people to fear or worship them, but the NT does not condone the worship of angels (Col 2:18; Rv 22:8-9). Though angels are stronger and wiser than human beings, their power and knowledge are also limited by God (Ps 103:20; Mt 24:36; 1 Pt 1:11-12; 2 Pt 2:11). <em>See<\/em> Cherub, Cherubim; Seraph, Seraphim; Demon; Demon-possession; Satan.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>ANGEL<\/h3>\n<p>Messenger of God or supernatural being, either good or evil, with powers greater than humans possess.<\/p>\n<p>The first kind of angels mentioned in the Bible are cherubim (plural of “cherub,” a Hebrew word). They were celestial beings sent by God to guard the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3:24). They were represented symbolically on the ark of the covenant (Ex 25:18-22), in the tabernacle (Ex 26:31) and temple (2 Chr 3:7), and seen by the prophet Ezekiel in a vision of the restored Jerusalem (Ez 41:18-20). Two angels, Gabriel and the chief, or archangel, Michael, are named in the Bible (Dn 8:16; 9:21; 10:13; Lk 1:19, 26; Jude 1:9; Rv 12:7-9).<\/p>\n\n<p>In the Bible, angels are spiritual beings who serve primarily as messengers. The English word “angel” comes directly from a Greek word for messenger. In Luke 9:52, Jesus sent “messengers” ahead of him. Usually the same word is translated “angel” and is understood to mean a spiritual messenger from God. In the OT also, one Hebrew word can refer either to a human messenger or to a spiritual being. It is not always immediately clear which is meant, especially since angels sometimes appeared in human form. In certain passages, “the angel of God” or a similar phrase may refer to God delivering his own message (see Gn 18:2-15).<\/p>\n<p>Angels appeared to many of God’s people in the Bible to announce good news (Jgs 13:3), warn of danger (Gn 19:15), guard from evil (Dn 3:28; 6:22), guide and protect (Ex 14:19), nourish (Gn 21:14-20; 1 Kgs 19:4-7), or instruct (Acts 7:38; Gal 3:19). When Christ came to earth as the Savior, angels heralded his birth (Lk 2:8-15), guided and warned his parents (Mt 2:13), strengthened him when he was tempted (Mt 4:11) and in his last distress (Lk 22:43-44 in some manuscripts), and observed his resurrection (Mt 28:1-6). Jesus spoke about the guardian angels of little children (Mt 18:10). Philip was guided by an angel (Acts 8:26). Apostles were rescued from prison by an angel (Acts 5:19; 12:7-11). In a frightening situation, the apostle Paul was encouraged by an angel (Acts 27:21-25).<\/p>\n\n<p>The physical appearance of angels in biblical encounters was often unusual enough to distinguish them from ordinary people. The angel who moved the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb had an appearance like lightning and raiment white as snow (Mt 28:3). Many passages about angels are descriptions of dreams or visions. “Jacob’s ladder” with angels ascending and descending (Gn 28:12) is an example. In another dream an angel spoke to Jacob (Gn 31:11). An angel appeared to Cornelius in a vision (Acts 10:1-3). Major passages of this type include Isaiah 6 (the seraphim), much of the book of Ezekiel (the cherubim), and much of Daniel and Zechariah. In the NT, over a third of the references to angels are in the book of Revelation. In most cases there, the angelic beings are glorious or grotesque figures seen in visions and are not to be confused with human persons. The language describing such visions is appropriately mystical, or at least metaphorical and difficult to interpret.<\/p>\n<p>Angelology, or the doctrine of angels, is not a major theme in Christian theology in spite of the many references to angels in the Bible. Angels are included in descriptions of all that God created (Ps 148:2; Col 1:16). There are hints that they witnessed the creation of the world (Jb 38:7). No matter how close to God angels may be, they share with humankind the status of creatures. But as wholly spiritual creatures they are free from many human limitations, such as death (Lk 20:36). They do not marry (Mt 22:30), so they could be regarded as sexless. In all their appearances, angels in human form were taken to be men, never women or children. Their ability to communicate in human language and to affect human life in other ways is basic to their role in the Bible. Their power and awesome appearance (Mt 28:2-4) sometimes tempted people to fear or worship them, but the NT does not condone the worship of angels (Col 2:18; Rv 22:8-9). Though angels are stronger and wiser than human beings, their power and knowledge are also limited by God (Ps 103:20; Mt 24:36; 1 Pt 1:11-12; 2 Pt 2:11). <em>See<\/em> Cherub, Cherubim; Seraph, Seraphim; Demon; Demon-possession; Satan.<\/p>","summary_ro":"ANGEL Messenger of God or supernatural being, either good or evil, with powers greater than humans possess. The first kind of angels mentioned in the Bible are cherubim (plural of “cherub,” a Hebrew word). They were celestial beings sent by God to guard the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3:24). They were represented symbolically on the ark of the covenant (Ex 25:18-22), in the tabernacle (Ex 26:31) and temple (2 Chr 3:7), and seen by the prophet Ezekiel in a vision of the restored Jer...","summary_en":"ANGEL Messenger of God or supernatural being, either good or evil, with powers greater than humans possess. The first kind of angels mentioned in the Bible are cherubim (plural of “cherub,” a Hebrew word). They were celestial beings sent by God to guard the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (Gn 3:24). They were represented symbolically on the ark of the covenant (Ex 25:18-22), in the tabernacle (Ex 26:31) and temple (2 Chr 3:7), and seen by the prophet Ezekiel in a vision of the restored Jer...","source":"Articles\/A.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":8558,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Additions to Daniel","title_en":"Additions to Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Additions to<\/h3>\n<p>Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the colorful story of Susanna, a maiden whom Daniel saved from execution, brought about by a false accusation of adultery. Susanna’s location in the text varies. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate place it after Daniel 12. Other ancient versions, such as the Old Latin, Coptic, and Arabic versions place it before chapter 1 because of Daniel’s apparent youth. The third addition, Bel and the Dragon, tells how Daniel duped pagan priests and killed a dragon “without sword or club.” The Roman Catholic Church accepts this material as canonical.<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>• Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>• Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PrayerofAzariahandtheSongoftheThreeYoungMen\">Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men<\/p>\n<p>Prayer for deliverance and hymn of praise attributed to three young Jews thrown into King Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace. Along with Daniel, the three youths had been taken into the court of the Babylonian king during the exile of the kingdom of Judah (Dn 1:1-6). Azariah was given the Babylonian name Abednego (v 7). He and his two friends were condemned to death for refusing to worship the king’s gold statue (3:1-23) but were so miraculously preserved from burning that “they didn’t even smell of smoke” (vv 24-27). Acknowledging that the God whom they worshiped had saved them, the king commanded that none of his subjects should ever dishonor the God of the Jews (vv 28-30).<\/p>\n<p>The Prayer and Song are among several “Additions to Daniel” found in early Greek and Latin versions but not in the original Hebrew and Aramaic texts. The additions seem to date from the intertestamental period of Jewish history, but the language of their composition is not certain. These two works, possibly composed in Hebrew, appear first in Greek in the Septuagint translation of the OT made in the second or third century <span>BC<\/span>. They were inserted in a logical place in the biblical narrative, following Daniel 3:23. Thus, the Septuagint version of Daniel contained 68 additional verses between 3:23 and 3:24, the first 22 being the Prayer of Azariah.<\/p>\n<p>In the fourth century <span>AD<\/span>, when Jerome translated the Bible into Latin, he realized that the Prayer, the Song, and several stories added onto the end of the book of Daniel (Susanna and the Elders; Bel and the Dragon) were not in the original texts, but he left them in place. Altogether, Jerome’s Vulgate Bible included 14 or 15 books or portions of books not recognized by Jewish scholars as part of their Scriptures. These writings are now known as the OT Apocrypha, and are usually omitted from Protestant Bibles. When Martin Luther translated the Bible into German in <span>AD<\/span> 1534, he collected them in a separate section at the end of the OT with a note that the Apocrypha (plural form of a Greek word meaning “hidden”) were “useful and good to read” even if not “equal to the sacred Scriptures.”<\/p>\n<p>Azariah’s prayer is certainly “useful and good” as a model prayer, being very similar to Daniel’s prayer (Dn 9:3-19) and to several of the biblical psalms (compare Pss 31 and 51). It contains confession and repentance as well as a plea for deliverance. Azariah admits that God’s people deserve his righteous judgment “because of our sins,” but he pleads with God to remember his promise to bless the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He offers as sacrifice “a contrite heart and a humble spirit,” dedicating himself and his companions to God.<\/p>\n<p>After Azariah’s prayer comes an account of how “the angel of the Lord” came down and “made the midst of the furnace like a moist whistling wind,” causing the three rescued youths to praise God “as with one mouth.” Their song, like Psalm 148, calls upon all of creation to “bless the Lord.”<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"SusannaandtheElders\">Susanna and the Elders<\/p>\n<p>In the Greek Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate, it follows the canonical conclusion of Daniel. It was probably written by a Jew who lived in Palestine in the middle of the first century before Christ. The setting of the story, however, is in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, daughter of Hilkiah, was a very beautiful woman married to Joakim, a rich man of distinction. Joakim’s distinction increased in the community when he opened up his beautiful garden to the Jewish community in exile. It was a proper meeting place for the elders and judges. Trouble arose when two elders recently elected as judges were filled with lust for Susanna. Their office as judge brought them back to Joakim’s garden whenever the court was in session. At opportune times the two judges, who knew nothing of each other’s desires, feasted their eyes on her beauty. One day they found themselves in a situation wherein they were forced to admit their passions to each other. The impropriety of their thoughts resulted in a plot to seduce Susanna quietly.<\/p>\n<p>Susanna, who was used to bathing herself in the garden pool to cool herself off in the heat of the day, came to the pool with her two maids for the purpose of bathing. The three ladies were unaware of the presence of the two judges, who had hidden themselves. When the two maids left to bring Susanna soap and olive oil, the judges took the occasion to present themselves to Susanna. They admitted to her their sexual desire for her and requested her permission to have relations with her. Their legal minds had devised a trap so that, if Susanna were to refuse them, a case would be presented in court according to which they would claim to have witnessed Susanna’s adulterous relation with a young man. Susanna, believing that adultery was a grievous sin against the Lord punishable by death, refused the judges, shouted for help, and hoped to be sustained by the members of her household. During the resulting tumult, the judges falsely accused Susanna to her servants.<\/p>\n<p>The piety of Susanna was tested in a court that favored the case of the judges. Since they were men of social standing in the community and they were united in their witness against Susanna, she had no chance for a fair trial. The court judged her guilty of adultery and condemned her to death. Her execution was delayed by the counsel of a young man named Daniel. He requested that the trial be reopened on the ground that the witnesses had not been cross-examined. In a separate cross-examination, it was discovered that their testimony did not corroborate. The one had seen Susanna with her young man under a clove tree and the other had seen them together under an oak tree. At the contradiction of the testimony, the assembly admitted the false evidence of the judges and the innocence of Susanna. Instead of Susanna, the two judges were put to death on the ground of having given false witness.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the story is threefold. It celebrates the piety and virtue of Susanna and the corruption of the judges, who “no longer prayed to God, but let their thoughts stray from him and forgot” the claims of morality. Second, it challenges the traditional legal method by which two witnesses could falsely accuse a man and their testimony was accepted as true. Naboth, Jesus, and others had been accused by false witnesses and found guilty without any cross-examination. Third, the story introduces the reader to Daniel, who is here pictured as a young, wise man whose wisdom challenges that of the elders.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"BelandtheDragon\">Bel and the Dragon<\/p>\n<p>The book has always been regarded as apocryphal by the Protestant churches but was confirmed as canonical by the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Trent (1545–63).<\/p>\n<p>The book contains two tales of Daniel, that is, the story of Bel and the story of the Dragon. The setting is in Babylon during the reign of Cyrus. Daniel was highly honored and was living as companion to the king but continued to worship God and to pray. Among the gods worshiped by Cyrus and the Babylonians, one of the greatest was Bel, or Marduk (OT Merodach).<\/p>\n<p>One day the king ordered Daniel to worship Bel because he was a powerful god, a fact supposedly proven by his voracious appetite. The king explained that Bel consumed 12 bushels (432 liters) of flour, 40 sheep, and 50 gallons (189 liters) of wine left for him daily in the temple. To the local people, Bel was obviously a mighty god. Daniel pointed out to the king that an idol made of clay and bronze could not possibly be consuming the food, and Daniel offered to prove it. In anger the king sent for the priests and demanded to know what happened to the food. They assured him that it was indeed eaten by the god.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the food was taken to the temple and placed on the table as usual. Unknown to the priests, Daniel had his servants sprinkle the floor with fine ashes. The temple was then sealed with the signet rings of the king and several of the priests. The next morning the seal was found intact and the group entered the temple. Seeing the table empty, the king rejoiced in the power of Bel. Daniel, however, pointed to many footprints clearly visible in the ashes, revealing to the king the trickery of the priests. They confessed that they had been entering by a secret door and removing the food. Cyrus ordered the 70 priests and their families killed and permitted Daniel to destroy the pagan temple.<\/p>\n<p>The second tale recounts events surrounding the worship of a dragon (possibly a serpent). The Babylonians venerated a dragon that, as the king pointed out to Daniel, was very much alive. Here there was no possibility of trickery, since all had seen the dragon eat and drink. But Daniel again refused the king’s request to worship an idol. Further, Daniel asked permission to kill the dragon without using either sword or staff, a seemingly impossible task. Receiving the king’s permission to try, Daniel made a concoction of pitch, fat, and hair; boiled it together; formed it into cakes; and fed it to the dragon. After eating the cakes, the dragon burst apart and died immediately. At the death of their dragon-god the king had to face the anger of the Babylonians, who were convinced that he had been converted to Judaism. To turn away their wrath, the king reluctantly delivered Daniel to them to be put to death.<\/p>\n<p>Two persons, usually condemned criminals, were thrown into a den of seven lions every day. This time the lions were not fed, but Daniel was thrown in alive. After six days, however, Daniel was still alive, although both he and the lions were extremely hungry. In a section of the text probably added later, the Lord sent an angel to the prophet Habakkuk, ordering him to take to Daniel a meal he had prepared for his reapers. Habakkuk began to make excuses that he had never been to Babylon and didn’t know where the lions’ den was. The angel then took him by the hair and deposited him in the lions’ den, where Habakkuk told Daniel that the Lord had remembered him. After giving Daniel the food, Habakkuk was returned safely to his own home.<\/p>\n<p>The next day the king arrived on the scene to bewail the death of Daniel, only to find to his amazement that his friend was still alive. Daniel was released from the den and his accusers were thrown in and devoured immediately by the ravenous lions.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon exists in two principal Greek and two Syriac texts, almost certainly derived from a lost Hebrew original. The author, place, and date of the original are unknown. It is possible that the story of Bel could have been written as early as the fourth century <span>BC<\/span>, with the dragon story composed later, possibly by a different author. The most satisfactory date, judging by the content and purpose of the work, would be 150– 100 <span>BC<\/span>, a time of great religious and political difficulty for the Jews.<\/p>\n<p>Bel and the Dragon was written to convey the futility of idol worship and to impress on the Jews the need to continue firm in their faith in times of persecution and hardship. Babylonian gods were ridiculed in both tales. The book may also have been a warning not to trust the friendship of the heathen, who in time of trouble might find it expedient to sacrifice the life of a friend. Despite the fact that Daniel was described as the king’s companion, under pressure the king was prepared to hand Daniel over to a mob.<\/p>\n<p>In the contest with Bel (Marduk), Daniel confronted a god who had been the patron of Babylon since 2275 <span>BC<\/span>. Frequent references to him were made in cuneiform inscriptions. For example, Nebuchadnezzar II had commanded the temple of Bel to be restored to a position of supremacy as one of the finest and most majestic ziggurats (pyramidal towers). The apocryphal writer would have been aware of the destruction of that famous landmark by the Persian king Xerxes I (ruled 486–464 <span>BC<\/span>), who carried off the seated golden image from the shrine. The temple was described as being in ruins at the time Alexander the Great entered Babylon in 332 <span>BC<\/span>. The dragon in the second tale had long been venerated in Near Eastern religion and was well known in legends of ancient Sumeria.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Additions to Part of the Deuterocanonical works, consists of three supplementary sections to the book of Daniel. This additional material is in the Greek translation of the OT book of Daniel, but not in the ancient Hebrew-Aramaic texts. One such addition is the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men inserted between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24. These 68 verses describe the actions and words of Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael in the fiery furnace. The second addition was the col...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":8583,"type":"article","type_label":"Articol","type_icon":"📖","type_color":"#d4af37","title_ro":"Book of Daniel","title_en":"Book of Daniel","content_ro":"<h3>DANIEL, Book of<\/h3>\n<p>Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel is part of the third section, called the Writings, along with such books as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. It was not included in the second section of the OT, called the Prophets. Although portions of his book may be interpreted from a prophetic perspective, Daniel is never explicitly identified as a prophet. The book’s two major divisions are narratives about Daniel’s life (1–6) and Daniel’s visions (7–12).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date<\/p>\n<p>• Language<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>In terms of having a known author, the book of Daniel is anonymous, as are many books coming from the ancient world. The existing text bears only a title, “Daniel,” identifying the key subject matter of the book: the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>The first six chapters of the book contain information about Daniel written in the third person; beginning in Daniel 7:2, however, the book purports to contain words written by Daniel in the first person. Although the traditional view within Judaism, later adopted by Christianity, was that Daniel wrote the entire book named for him, there is little confirming evidence. Jesus’ words about things “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Mt 24:15) do not clarify who wrote the whole book, since the words in question appear in the second half of the book of Daniel, explicitly identified as his words. Thus the problem of who wrote the first part remains.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Daniel wrote the entire book, he is definitely the key character. The only source of information about him is the book itself. Daniel was a Hebrew from Judah, probably of royal lineage, born late in the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. As a young boy, he was taken from his homeland to Babylon (in what is now southern Iraq) around 605 <span>BC<\/span>. There, after three years of formal education in language and literature (Dn 1:4-5), he became an official in the royal household. The first six chapters tell of particular incidents in Daniel’s life but do not provide a comprehensive biography of his life and times.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” As a foreign resident in Babylon, he was given another name, Belteshazzar, which may have meant “may Bel (god) protect his life” in the Babylonian language.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Date\">Date<\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about the authorship of the book of Daniel naturally contributes to uncertainty about the date of its writing. If Daniel was the author of the whole book, a date in the second half of the sixth century <span>BC<\/span> is likely. If he was not the author, a later date is possible. The conservative interpretation has usually been that the book was written in the sixth century <span>BC<\/span>. An alternative position is that the book was written about 165 <span>BC<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence exists to support both the early and late dates of Daniel. Those who argue for a late date and an author besides Daniel normally use two lines of argument, one historical and the other linguistic. But those espousing an earlier date have counterarguments, all of which are discussed below.<\/p>\n<h5>Historical Argument<\/h5>\n<p>According to the historical argument, the writer was thoroughly familiar with the history of Near Eastern imperial power from the sixth to the second centuries, but had an incomplete, erroneous view of the historical details in the second half of the sixth century, Daniel’s era. Such an imbalance in knowledge implies a late date of writing.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the historical argument must be conceded by those holding a more conservative view. The book of Daniel does present a remarkable knowledge of Near Eastern history. The critical question is whether that knowledge was normal human knowledge, gained after the events, or special knowledge revealed to Daniel beforehand. That question is answered in different ways by different people, depending on their view of prophecy and other factors.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of the historical argument is technically more complex. Was the writer’s knowledge of history in the late sixth century <span>BC<\/span> really erroneous? The most significant problem is that of the identity of Darius the Mede (Dn 5:30-31). The book of Daniel says that Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and was succeeded at a later date by Cyrus. External historical sources contain no reference to a Darius at the time, but show clearly that it was Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Advocates of a late date consider that strong evidence. Those who advocate an early date have no simple solution to the problem. One proposed solution is that Darius and Cyrus are two names for the same person. A basis for that hypothesis is that Daniel 6:28 can be translated: “Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even [that is] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” An analogy appears in the use of the names Pul and Tiglath-pileser in 1 Chronicles 5:26. In summary, the dating of Daniel on the basis of the writer’s historical knowledge is difficult, whether one suggests an early or late date.<\/p>\n<h5>Linguistic Argument<\/h5>\n<p>The linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are also complex, especially for a person not familiar with the original languages of the book (Hebrew and Aramaic). Advocates of a late date use three related arguments: (1) the Aramaic language of the book is typical of late Aramaic (second century <span>BC<\/span> and later); (2) the presence of Persian loan words is a further indication of the late date of the book’s Aramaic; and (3) the presence of Greek loan words in the Aramaic shows that the language must be dated after the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Orient (c. 330 <span>BC<\/span>). For the advocates of a late date for the book’s composition, the last argument is most compelling. It would be impossible, they affirm, to find Greek loan words in Aramaic two centuries before Alexander’s time.<\/p>\n<p>Although the arguments are at first convincing, on closer examination they are less persuasive to those who hold the conservative view. Each of the three parts of the argument has been answered.<\/p>\n<p>1. Aramaic was in common use in the Near East from about the ninth century <span>BC<\/span>, being recognized as an official language in Assyria from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span>. Ninety percent of the Aramaic words in Daniel were used in that older language, in both the Old and Imperial Aramaic dialects. The remaining 10 percent, known only in later texts in the light of present evidence, might indicate a late date, but they could equally be early uses of the words in question.<\/p>\n<li>2. The evidence of Persian loan words in Aramaic can function like a boomerang. It is true that later Aramaic has many Persian loan words (about 19 appear in Daniel), but one can give an alternative explanation for Persian loan words in Daniel at an early date. The story of Daniel is set, in part, in the context of life in a Persian-controlled court. The Persians used Aramaic in their administrative control of the empire, and their own language inevitably penetrated Aramaic. If one assumes an early date for the book of Daniel, then it was being written in precisely the period when Persian would be having its greatest influence on Aramaic.<\/li>\n<li>3. The evidence of Greek words in Daniel’s Aramaic (a total of three) is not altogether compelling. Greek (or “Ionian”) traders traveled in various parts of the Near East from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span> onward. Greek mercenaries fought for Near Eastern states in and after the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. In Daniel’s lifetime King Nebuchadnezzar is known to have employed Greek artisans in the city of Babylon. Thus, it is unnecessary to limit the possibilities of Greek penetration of the Aramaic language to the period after Alexander. The conqueror was by no means the first Greek to set foot in the Orient.<\/li>\n<h5>Conclusion<\/h5>\n<p>The historical and linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are inconclusive for either an early or late date of writing. To a large extent, dating the book depends on other matters, such as authorship, intention, and the extent to which one takes a “prophetic” interpretation of portions of the book. To postulate that Daniel was the author is consistent with the evidence currently available. Further, evidence provided by some of the Daniel material from the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran does not support a late date for the book. All Daniel manuscripts and fragments are second-century <span>BC<\/span> copies, thus requiring an earlier date for the original. One manuscript, related paleographically to the large Isaiah Scroll, must have come originally from the same period—estimated to be several centuries before the Qumran copy of Isaiah. Other manuscripts from Qumran show that no OT canonical material was composed later than the Persian period. Thus, no manuscript evidence exists for a second-century <span>BC<\/span> date for Daniel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Language\">Language<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting features of the book of Daniel is not immediately evident to a reader of the English Bible. The book is bilingual. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and Daniel 8–12 are written in Hebrew, the language of the other OT books. The middle section (Dn 2:4b–7:28), however, is written in Aramaic, a different but related language. Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon. Some have suggested that an original Aramaic book was expanded by a Hebrew writer, with additions to the original book at the beginning and the end. Others suggest that a portion of the original Hebrew book was lost, so the missing section was replaced from a surviving Aramaic translation. More complex and ingenious suggestions have also been made, but none has been commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Another suggestion is possible. The book of Daniel (whatever date one prefers) may simply reflect the bilingual character of its cultural setting. (As a modern example, consider the many written materials in Canada that appear in both English and French.) Finally, one can regard the bilingual character as another of the mysterious aspects of the book that make its interpretation difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>The background of the book of Daniel can be examined from two perspectives. It may be viewed from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, of which Daniel was a part (early sixth century <span>BC<\/span>), or in the light of future historical events (second century <span>BC<\/span>), toward which the visions in the book’s second half seem to point.<\/p>\n<h5>The Babylonian Exile<\/h5>\n<p>Although Daniel himself was exiled about 605 <span>BC<\/span>, the major phase of the Babylonian exile began in 586 <span>BC<\/span>, following the defeat of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The account extends through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (properly Nebuchadrezzar) and Belshazzar, culminating in the early years of the Persian king Cyrus, who took over the city of Babylon in 539 <span>BC<\/span>. For the Jews the exile was a time of hardship but also a time of renewed theological understanding. Both aspects are reflected in the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n<h5>The Seleucid Period in Palestine<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel’s visions in the latter half of the book appear to refer to the Seleucid period in Palestine, specifically the time when the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, a member of the Seleucid dynasty (175–163 <span>BC<\/span>). Whether the visions were prophetic anticipations of future events or reflections of contemporary culture, the Seleucid period is important to a full understanding of the book.<\/p>\n<p>Under Antiochus, Palestinian Jews experienced a time of considerable hardship. The ancient faith was severely undermined, the high priesthood in Jerusalem was sold to the highest bidder, and the temple was desecrated in several ways. Pressure was exerted on the Jews to adapt their lives and faith to Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture. Although some capitulated, others refused and steadfastly held firm to the old faith. A rebellion against the oppressive measures of Antiochus began in 168 <span>BC<\/span>. By 164 the rebels had largely succeeded in getting rid of the objectionable practices. But the Seleucid period was generally a bad time for faithful Jews, when all the forces of history seemed to work against the true faith. Part of the book of Daniel’s greatness lies in its theological understanding of history, which enabled men and women to continue living in faith through a time of terrible crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>The scriptural section of the OT called the Writings served a variety of purposes. The psalms, for example, were used primarily in Israel’s worship. The proverbs may have been part of Israel’s school curriculum. The book of Job addressed a specific human and theological problem.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the book of Daniel is not so easy to determine, since it is essentially a story, a partial biography of Daniel. It is not strictly a prophetic book, nor is it history in the modern sense. Much of it is concerned with dreams and their interpretations.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the word “history” provides a clue to its purpose. Daniel seeks to provide theological understanding of history. The first six chapters tell about Daniel and his companions, not merely to satisfy historical curiosity but to teach the reader. OT theology insisted that the God of Israel participated in human life and history. To read biblical history, therefore, is to discover God’s participation in human affairs and to learn how God and human beings relate to each other. In the opening chapters of Daniel one reads of events in the life of a man of remarkable faith, the kind of history from which one may learn how to live.<\/p>\n<p>The last six chapters focus on Daniel’s dreams. Although neither the dreams nor the interpretations are easy to understand, it is possible to see the theme of history emerging again. The emphasis in chapters 7–12 is not on history as a record of past events but on the meaning of history and the world’s future. In the biblical perspective, the movements of human societies in the present and future matter as much as past history. Though Daniel’s visions are dominated by nations and superpowers, they have a more basic theme: God’s power over human beings and nations. History often appears to be a conglomeration of chaos and human conflict. Yet God ultimately controls history and moves it toward a goal. In spite of ambiguous details at the end of the book, Daniel provides hope for people living in a time of crisis. Even if what is said about the “time of the end” cannot be understood now (Dn 12:9), the end of history is full of hope for those with faith in God (v 13). The purpose of the book of Daniel thus has to do with the meaning of history, both what can be learned from the past and what can be hoped for in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>The book also contains specific theological statements on such matters as human faith, divine salvation, and the nature of revelation. One theological matter in Daniel deserves particular attention: the doctrine of resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>The NT’s clear doctrine of resurrection followed by judgment is not a central theme in the OT. For the most part, the Hebrews’ faith was fixed on the realities of earthly life. Hope for life beyond the grave is hinted at in many texts but remains implicit. Only in the later writings of the OT, especially those of Ezekiel and Daniel, does a more explicit doctrine of resurrection develop.<\/p>\n\n<p>The focal point of that doctrine in the book of Daniel is 12:2: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (<span>nlt<\/span>). The doctrine of personal resurrection provides a basis for individual hope within an understanding of present and future history. Nations move against nations in apparent turmoil. God is believed to be in ultimate control, but what becomes of all the people who die while history is still in motion? The dead shall rise again, says Daniel, and in their resurrection bodies shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will be rewarded with everlasting life, but others will be condemned to shame.<\/p>\n<p>To the readers of the book of Daniel, the doctrine of resurrection provided hope in an otherwise bleak and hopeless world. It was a reminder that the actions of earthly life are important—they form the basis of future judgment. The world has a larger horizon of life beyond the body’s death. Ultimately, there will be justice, even though justice is rarely seen in the present existence. Evildoers may live without ever being punished. Yet beyond the death of the body lies a final judgment characterized by God’s justice.<\/p>\n<p>So the book of Daniel is about history and hope. Life must be lived now; for that, the book offers in the first six chapters the insight of Daniel’s experience. Life is lived in the context of war and international chaos; for that, chapters 7–12 depict God’s sovereignty and his purposes in history. Individual life moves toward death; for that, the writer speaks of resurrection and judgment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentStoriesaboutDaniel16\">Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<h5>Daniel and His Companions (1:1-21)<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel and his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were exiled to Babylon some 19 years before the main exile following the destruction of Jerusalem. The four healthy young men, selected from among many Jewish exiles, were at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar assigned to a special three-year training program to make them court aides.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the four Jewish youths entered Babylon’s high society, they faced a dietary problem. The king provided them with the best food and wine from the royal kitchens, but a Jew’s diet was restricted by the laws of God (see Dt 14). The four asked for a diet of vegetables and water, not to be fussy or ungrateful, but to remain faithful to their God. The story tells how the dietary situation worked out and sees them through their education and Daniel’s appointment as a royal counselor.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode thus focuses on a key issue faced by all Jewish exiles: How could one live in a foreign land, with foreign food and customs, yet remain faithful to God and his laws? Daniel provided a model. He was courageous enough not to compromise, but wise enough to seek a solution acceptable to all. His faithfulness was rewarded by God. By the end of the episode, Daniel is seen as a person with special wisdom and gifts from God. The rest of his life was marked by the exercise of those gifts.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1-49)<\/h5>\n<p>The king had a dream and, although he could not remember its substance, it weighed heavily on his mind. When his corps of professional interpreters could do nothing for him, he ordered that they be executed. The king’s order included Daniel and his companions, whose training qualified them as interpreters. Daniel obtained a stay of execution by offering to interpret the dream. After prayer, Daniel received from God both the substance of the dream and its interpretation, which he relayed to the king. The grateful Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his companions to important positions in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Although the writer recorded both the king’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, the problem for a modern reader is how to interpret the interpretation. The king saw in his dream a statue, with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. The interpretation identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold. His kingdom would be followed by three other kingdoms, each represented by the statue’s parts and substances. At that point modern interpretations begin to diverge.<\/p>\n<p>A common interpretation of the four sequential kingdoms is as follows: Chaldean Empire (gold), MedoPersian Empire (silver), Greece (brass), Rome (iron and clay). Others suggest an alternative interpretation: Chaldean Empire (gold), Media (silver), Persia (brass), Greece (iron and clay). To focus too much attention on identifying the four kingdoms can result in failure to see the chapter’s key feature. From the midst of those human kingdoms, “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever” (2:44, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Babylonian king’s dream anticipated the coming of a greater kingdom, that of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<h5>The Fiery Furnace (3:1-30)<\/h5>\n<p>The story continues, focusing on Daniel’s three friends and using their Babylonian names—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a massive gold statue, 90 feet (27.4 meters) high. At its dedication ceremony everyone was required to bow down and worship as a band began to play. The three young Hebrews, who refused to worship, were summoned before the king. Their continued firm refusal led to a sentence of execution, and they were thrown into a fiercely burning furnace. Remarkably, they did not burn, and a fourth being appeared with them in the furnace. As they emerged unharmed from the ordeal, the king acknowledged God’s power of salvation and rewarded them.<\/p>\n<p>The story illustrates a second dilemma of the Jews in exile. Faithfulness to God’s first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Dt 5:7), could lead to death. The three young men were faithful—not out of confidence that God would rescue them, but whether or not he chose to spare their lives (Dn 3:17-18). As it happened, God delivered them; they were tossed into the furnace bound, but they came out free men. The message was profound: certainly the Jews should believe in a God able to deliver from the flames of persecution, but they should believe and hold fast even if no deliverance could be seen beyond the trial.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream and Madness (4:1-37)<\/h5>\n<p>On two occasions Nebuchadnezzar had confessed faith in the living God: when Daniel had interpreted his dream of the statue (2:47), and on the release of Daniel’s three companions from the furnace (3:28). Nonetheless, the king’s faith was shallow. The story in chapter 4 recounts a lapse of faith that brought terrible consequences. After eight years, when those consequences had run their course, the king again acknowledged God (4:37).<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is presented in the form of a proclamation, written by Nebuchadnezzar and widely circulated after the events in the story had transpired. The king dreamed of a tall tree growing in a field to ever greater heights. A divine messenger ordered the tree cut down, with only a stump and roots left in the ground. The stump and roots then took the form of a man, but the man’s mind was replaced with that of an animal. For seven years that semihuman creature behaved like a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel showed the king how the dream applied to the king himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the great tree that would be cut down; he would behave like a beast in the field for seven years. One year after the king had been told that interpretation, the judgment came. For seven years he behaved like an animal until his sanity returned.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the king’s story is that his madness was no accident but rather divine judgment. His arrogant belief that he had the power of God led to heavy retribution (4:30). The king was probably afflicted with a rare and peculiar form of mental illness today called “boanthropy.” The true meaning of the story lies at a deeper level: to think that one is God, having absolute power and control of one’s own life, is madness. That kind of madness can be cured and overcome only with the realization that absolute power and authority belong to God alone.<\/p>\n<h5>Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1-31)<\/h5>\n<p>The scene shifts to the reign of a later king in Babylon, Belshazzar. The son of Nabonidus, he was probably co-regent with Nabonidus (555?–539 <span>BC<\/span>), with special authority in the region of Babylon. The theme of his story is similar to that of chapter 4. Belshazzar, in the course of an enormous feast, called for the sacred vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem. With the sacred vessels the Babylonians toasted the local gods, a sacrilegious act that invited divine judgment. It came in the form of words written on the wall by a hand, which Daniel interpreted for the king as words of judgment (5:26-28). Although he praised Daniel for the interpretation, the king missed both the true meaning of the words and the lesson taught to Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor (vv 18-22). Belshazzar was killed that very night when Darius the Mede entered the city and captured it. The theme continues remorselessly: human pride and arrogance do not pass unnoticed by the God of history, who controls and directs human events toward the fulfillment of his purpose.<\/p>\n<h5>The Den of Lions (6:1-28)<\/h5>\n<p>The theme of chapter 6 is similar to that of chapter 3, but with Daniel as the story’s central figure. He is portrayed as one unwilling to compromise, fully obedient to Darius as long as that was possible, but unwilling to disobey the law of God. Hence, Daniel knowingly disobeyed a royal decree that prohibited prayer to anyone other than the king himself. Although he was aware of the consequences, Daniel remained faithful to God. The immediate outcome, when his enemies reported him, was an order of execution—Daniel was thrown to the lions. He was delivered from the hungry cats, and the king, relieved of a terrible predicament, had the plotters punished.<\/p>\n<p>A double message emerges from the story. On the one hand, God’s servant must be faithful in prayer and worship, regardless of the outcome; God delivers, and in that case did deliver Daniel from disaster. On the other hand, the effect of Daniel’s faithfulness was that the king, who had ordered his subjects to worship him, learned about true worship (6:25-27). The effects of faithfulness, like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pool, spread far beyond the one who is faithful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentDanielsVisions712\">Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p>With the beginning of chapter 7 the chronological sequence of the book of Daniel changes; Daniel’s first vision goes back to the first year of Belshazzar (7:1), but subsequent visions take place as late as the reign of Cyrus, the Persian king (10:1). Chapters 7–12 emphasize the meaning of history and God’s sovereignty in history, expressed in the mysterious symbolism of dreams. The whole section can be divided as follows: (1) vision of four beasts (7:1-28); (2) vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-27); (3) Daniel’s prayer (9:1-27); (4) vision of the end times (10:1–12:13).<\/p>\n<p>The first vision again takes up the theme of four kingdoms, already seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch 2). In the second vision the focus is narrowed down to two kingdoms, Persia and Greece. Much of the final vision of the end times deals with events occurring during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century <span>BC<\/span>. All the visions play on the same theme. Although human kingdoms may exert their might in a chaotic world, the sovereign God acts through history’s apparent chaos toward an ultimate goal of salvation.<\/p>\n<p>The primary interpretation of the visions can be perceived in past historical events, but a further messianic dimension can be seen in the light of the NT. That dimension is most evident in chapter 7. In the context of the four kingdoms, a divine court of judgment is established, presided over by the “Ancient of Days”—the almighty God (7:9). Then Daniel sees the arrival of “one like a son of man” (7:13). Though the phrase “son of man” was later perceived to be a messianic title, it did not technically have that meaning in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:13 is a principal source for the title “Son of Man,” which Jesus commonly used to designate himself. His most significant use of that term was at his trial, where he directly associated his title with Daniel 7 (Mt 26:63-64).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel (Person) #3; Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Prophecy; Prophet, Prophetess.<\/p>","content_en":"<h3>DANIEL, Book of<\/h3>\n<p>Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, <span>nlt<\/span>).<\/p>\n<p>In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel is part of the third section, called the Writings, along with such books as Psalms, Proverbs, and Job. It was not included in the second section of the OT, called the Prophets. Although portions of his book may be interpreted from a prophetic perspective, Daniel is never explicitly identified as a prophet. The book’s two major divisions are narratives about Daniel’s life (1–6) and Daniel’s visions (7–12).<\/p>\n<p>Preview<\/p>\n<p>• Author<\/p>\n<p>• Date<\/p>\n<p>• Language<\/p>\n<p>• Background<\/p>\n<p>• Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<p>• Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Author\">Author<\/p>\n<p>In terms of having a known author, the book of Daniel is anonymous, as are many books coming from the ancient world. The existing text bears only a title, “Daniel,” identifying the key subject matter of the book: the man himself.<\/p>\n<p>The first six chapters of the book contain information about Daniel written in the third person; beginning in Daniel 7:2, however, the book purports to contain words written by Daniel in the first person. Although the traditional view within Judaism, later adopted by Christianity, was that Daniel wrote the entire book named for him, there is little confirming evidence. Jesus’ words about things “spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Mt 24:15) do not clarify who wrote the whole book, since the words in question appear in the second half of the book of Daniel, explicitly identified as his words. Thus the problem of who wrote the first part remains.<\/p>\n<p>Whether or not Daniel wrote the entire book, he is definitely the key character. The only source of information about him is the book itself. Daniel was a Hebrew from Judah, probably of royal lineage, born late in the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. As a young boy, he was taken from his homeland to Babylon (in what is now southern Iraq) around 605 <span>BC<\/span>. There, after three years of formal education in language and literature (Dn 1:4-5), he became an official in the royal household. The first six chapters tell of particular incidents in Daniel’s life but do not provide a comprehensive biography of his life and times.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel’s name means “God is my judge.” As a foreign resident in Babylon, he was given another name, Belteshazzar, which may have meant “may Bel (god) protect his life” in the Babylonian language.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Date\">Date<\/p>\n<p>Uncertainty about the authorship of the book of Daniel naturally contributes to uncertainty about the date of its writing. If Daniel was the author of the whole book, a date in the second half of the sixth century <span>BC<\/span> is likely. If he was not the author, a later date is possible. The conservative interpretation has usually been that the book was written in the sixth century <span>BC<\/span>. An alternative position is that the book was written about 165 <span>BC<\/span>.<\/p>\n<p>Evidence exists to support both the early and late dates of Daniel. Those who argue for a late date and an author besides Daniel normally use two lines of argument, one historical and the other linguistic. But those espousing an earlier date have counterarguments, all of which are discussed below.<\/p>\n<h5>Historical Argument<\/h5>\n<p>According to the historical argument, the writer was thoroughly familiar with the history of Near Eastern imperial power from the sixth to the second centuries, but had an incomplete, erroneous view of the historical details in the second half of the sixth century, Daniel’s era. Such an imbalance in knowledge implies a late date of writing.<\/p>\n<p>The first part of the historical argument must be conceded by those holding a more conservative view. The book of Daniel does present a remarkable knowledge of Near Eastern history. The critical question is whether that knowledge was normal human knowledge, gained after the events, or special knowledge revealed to Daniel beforehand. That question is answered in different ways by different people, depending on their view of prophecy and other factors.<\/p>\n<p>The second part of the historical argument is technically more complex. Was the writer’s knowledge of history in the late sixth century <span>BC<\/span> really erroneous? The most significant problem is that of the identity of Darius the Mede (Dn 5:30-31). The book of Daniel says that Darius the Mede conquered Babylon and was succeeded at a later date by Cyrus. External historical sources contain no reference to a Darius at the time, but show clearly that it was Cyrus who conquered Babylon. Advocates of a late date consider that strong evidence. Those who advocate an early date have no simple solution to the problem. One proposed solution is that Darius and Cyrus are two names for the same person. A basis for that hypothesis is that Daniel 6:28 can be translated: “Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, even [that is] the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” An analogy appears in the use of the names Pul and Tiglath-pileser in 1 Chronicles 5:26. In summary, the dating of Daniel on the basis of the writer’s historical knowledge is difficult, whether one suggests an early or late date.<\/p>\n<h5>Linguistic Argument<\/h5>\n<p>The linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are also complex, especially for a person not familiar with the original languages of the book (Hebrew and Aramaic). Advocates of a late date use three related arguments: (1) the Aramaic language of the book is typical of late Aramaic (second century <span>BC<\/span> and later); (2) the presence of Persian loan words is a further indication of the late date of the book’s Aramaic; and (3) the presence of Greek loan words in the Aramaic shows that the language must be dated after the time of Alexander the Great’s conquest of the Orient (c. 330 <span>BC<\/span>). For the advocates of a late date for the book’s composition, the last argument is most compelling. It would be impossible, they affirm, to find Greek loan words in Aramaic two centuries before Alexander’s time.<\/p>\n<p>Although the arguments are at first convincing, on closer examination they are less persuasive to those who hold the conservative view. Each of the three parts of the argument has been answered.<\/p>\n<p>1. Aramaic was in common use in the Near East from about the ninth century <span>BC<\/span>, being recognized as an official language in Assyria from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span>. Ninety percent of the Aramaic words in Daniel were used in that older language, in both the Old and Imperial Aramaic dialects. The remaining 10 percent, known only in later texts in the light of present evidence, might indicate a late date, but they could equally be early uses of the words in question.<\/p>\n<li>2. The evidence of Persian loan words in Aramaic can function like a boomerang. It is true that later Aramaic has many Persian loan words (about 19 appear in Daniel), but one can give an alternative explanation for Persian loan words in Daniel at an early date. The story of Daniel is set, in part, in the context of life in a Persian-controlled court. The Persians used Aramaic in their administrative control of the empire, and their own language inevitably penetrated Aramaic. If one assumes an early date for the book of Daniel, then it was being written in precisely the period when Persian would be having its greatest influence on Aramaic.<\/li>\n<li>3. The evidence of Greek words in Daniel’s Aramaic (a total of three) is not altogether compelling. Greek (or “Ionian”) traders traveled in various parts of the Near East from the eighth century <span>BC<\/span> onward. Greek mercenaries fought for Near Eastern states in and after the seventh century <span>BC<\/span>. In Daniel’s lifetime King Nebuchadnezzar is known to have employed Greek artisans in the city of Babylon. Thus, it is unnecessary to limit the possibilities of Greek penetration of the Aramaic language to the period after Alexander. The conqueror was by no means the first Greek to set foot in the Orient.<\/li>\n<h5>Conclusion<\/h5>\n<p>The historical and linguistic arguments for the date of Daniel are inconclusive for either an early or late date of writing. To a large extent, dating the book depends on other matters, such as authorship, intention, and the extent to which one takes a “prophetic” interpretation of portions of the book. To postulate that Daniel was the author is consistent with the evidence currently available. Further, evidence provided by some of the Daniel material from the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran does not support a late date for the book. All Daniel manuscripts and fragments are second-century <span>BC<\/span> copies, thus requiring an earlier date for the original. One manuscript, related paleographically to the large Isaiah Scroll, must have come originally from the same period—estimated to be several centuries before the Qumran copy of Isaiah. Other manuscripts from Qumran show that no OT canonical material was composed later than the Persian period. Thus, no manuscript evidence exists for a second-century <span>BC<\/span> date for Daniel.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Language\">Language<\/p>\n<p>One of the most interesting features of the book of Daniel is not immediately evident to a reader of the English Bible. The book is bilingual. Daniel 1:1–2:4a and Daniel 8–12 are written in Hebrew, the language of the other OT books. The middle section (Dn 2:4b–7:28), however, is written in Aramaic, a different but related language. Various explanations have been offered for this phenomenon. Some have suggested that an original Aramaic book was expanded by a Hebrew writer, with additions to the original book at the beginning and the end. Others suggest that a portion of the original Hebrew book was lost, so the missing section was replaced from a surviving Aramaic translation. More complex and ingenious suggestions have also been made, but none has been commonly accepted.<\/p>\n<p>Another suggestion is possible. The book of Daniel (whatever date one prefers) may simply reflect the bilingual character of its cultural setting. (As a modern example, consider the many written materials in Canada that appear in both English and French.) Finally, one can regard the bilingual character as another of the mysterious aspects of the book that make its interpretation difficult.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"Background\">Background<\/p>\n<p>The background of the book of Daniel can be examined from two perspectives. It may be viewed from the perspective of the Babylonian exile, of which Daniel was a part (early sixth century <span>BC<\/span>), or in the light of future historical events (second century <span>BC<\/span>), toward which the visions in the book’s second half seem to point.<\/p>\n<h5>The Babylonian Exile<\/h5>\n<p>Although Daniel himself was exiled about 605 <span>BC<\/span>, the major phase of the Babylonian exile began in 586 <span>BC<\/span>, following the defeat of the kingdom of Judah and the destruction of Jerusalem. The account extends through the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar (properly Nebuchadrezzar) and Belshazzar, culminating in the early years of the Persian king Cyrus, who took over the city of Babylon in 539 <span>BC<\/span>. For the Jews the exile was a time of hardship but also a time of renewed theological understanding. Both aspects are reflected in the book of Daniel.<\/p>\n<h5>The Seleucid Period in Palestine<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel’s visions in the latter half of the book appear to refer to the Seleucid period in Palestine, specifically the time when the Jews were ruled by Antiochus Epiphanes, a member of the Seleucid dynasty (175–163 <span>BC<\/span>). Whether the visions were prophetic anticipations of future events or reflections of contemporary culture, the Seleucid period is important to a full understanding of the book.<\/p>\n<p>Under Antiochus, Palestinian Jews experienced a time of considerable hardship. The ancient faith was severely undermined, the high priesthood in Jerusalem was sold to the highest bidder, and the temple was desecrated in several ways. Pressure was exerted on the Jews to adapt their lives and faith to Hellenistic (Greek-influenced) culture. Although some capitulated, others refused and steadfastly held firm to the old faith. A rebellion against the oppressive measures of Antiochus began in 168 <span>BC<\/span>. By 164 the rebels had largely succeeded in getting rid of the objectionable practices. But the Seleucid period was generally a bad time for faithful Jews, when all the forces of history seemed to work against the true faith. Part of the book of Daniel’s greatness lies in its theological understanding of history, which enabled men and women to continue living in faith through a time of terrible crisis.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"PurposeandTheologicalTeaching\">Purpose and Theological Teaching<\/p>\n<p>The scriptural section of the OT called the Writings served a variety of purposes. The psalms, for example, were used primarily in Israel’s worship. The proverbs may have been part of Israel’s school curriculum. The book of Job addressed a specific human and theological problem.<\/p>\n<p>The purpose of the book of Daniel is not so easy to determine, since it is essentially a story, a partial biography of Daniel. It is not strictly a prophetic book, nor is it history in the modern sense. Much of it is concerned with dreams and their interpretations.<\/p>\n<p>Nevertheless, the word “history” provides a clue to its purpose. Daniel seeks to provide theological understanding of history. The first six chapters tell about Daniel and his companions, not merely to satisfy historical curiosity but to teach the reader. OT theology insisted that the God of Israel participated in human life and history. To read biblical history, therefore, is to discover God’s participation in human affairs and to learn how God and human beings relate to each other. In the opening chapters of Daniel one reads of events in the life of a man of remarkable faith, the kind of history from which one may learn how to live.<\/p>\n<p>The last six chapters focus on Daniel’s dreams. Although neither the dreams nor the interpretations are easy to understand, it is possible to see the theme of history emerging again. The emphasis in chapters 7–12 is not on history as a record of past events but on the meaning of history and the world’s future. In the biblical perspective, the movements of human societies in the present and future matter as much as past history. Though Daniel’s visions are dominated by nations and superpowers, they have a more basic theme: God’s power over human beings and nations. History often appears to be a conglomeration of chaos and human conflict. Yet God ultimately controls history and moves it toward a goal. In spite of ambiguous details at the end of the book, Daniel provides hope for people living in a time of crisis. Even if what is said about the “time of the end” cannot be understood now (Dn 12:9), the end of history is full of hope for those with faith in God (v 13). The purpose of the book of Daniel thus has to do with the meaning of history, both what can be learned from the past and what can be hoped for in the present and future.<\/p>\n<p>The book also contains specific theological statements on such matters as human faith, divine salvation, and the nature of revelation. One theological matter in Daniel deserves particular attention: the doctrine of resurrection.<\/p>\n<p>The NT’s clear doctrine of resurrection followed by judgment is not a central theme in the OT. For the most part, the Hebrews’ faith was fixed on the realities of earthly life. Hope for life beyond the grave is hinted at in many texts but remains implicit. Only in the later writings of the OT, especially those of Ezekiel and Daniel, does a more explicit doctrine of resurrection develop.<\/p>\n\n<p>The focal point of that doctrine in the book of Daniel is 12:2: “Many of those whose bodies lie dead and buried will rise up, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (<span>nlt<\/span>). The doctrine of personal resurrection provides a basis for individual hope within an understanding of present and future history. Nations move against nations in apparent turmoil. God is believed to be in ultimate control, but what becomes of all the people who die while history is still in motion? The dead shall rise again, says Daniel, and in their resurrection bodies shall be judged according to their deeds. Some will be rewarded with everlasting life, but others will be condemned to shame.<\/p>\n<p>To the readers of the book of Daniel, the doctrine of resurrection provided hope in an otherwise bleak and hopeless world. It was a reminder that the actions of earthly life are important—they form the basis of future judgment. The world has a larger horizon of life beyond the body’s death. Ultimately, there will be justice, even though justice is rarely seen in the present existence. Evildoers may live without ever being punished. Yet beyond the death of the body lies a final judgment characterized by God’s justice.<\/p>\n<p>So the book of Daniel is about history and hope. Life must be lived now; for that, the book offers in the first six chapters the insight of Daniel’s experience. Life is lived in the context of war and international chaos; for that, chapters 7–12 depict God’s sovereignty and his purposes in history. Individual life moves toward death; for that, the writer speaks of resurrection and judgment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentStoriesaboutDaniel16\">Content: Stories about Daniel (1–6)<\/p>\n<h5>Daniel and His Companions (1:1-21)<\/h5>\n<p>Daniel and his companions—Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were exiled to Babylon some 19 years before the main exile following the destruction of Jerusalem. The four healthy young men, selected from among many Jewish exiles, were at the command of King Nebuchadnezzar assigned to a special three-year training program to make them court aides.<\/p>\n<p>As soon as the four Jewish youths entered Babylon’s high society, they faced a dietary problem. The king provided them with the best food and wine from the royal kitchens, but a Jew’s diet was restricted by the laws of God (see Dt 14). The four asked for a diet of vegetables and water, not to be fussy or ungrateful, but to remain faithful to their God. The story tells how the dietary situation worked out and sees them through their education and Daniel’s appointment as a royal counselor.<\/p>\n<p>The first episode thus focuses on a key issue faced by all Jewish exiles: How could one live in a foreign land, with foreign food and customs, yet remain faithful to God and his laws? Daniel provided a model. He was courageous enough not to compromise, but wise enough to seek a solution acceptable to all. His faithfulness was rewarded by God. By the end of the episode, Daniel is seen as a person with special wisdom and gifts from God. The rest of his life was marked by the exercise of those gifts.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream (2:1-49)<\/h5>\n<p>The king had a dream and, although he could not remember its substance, it weighed heavily on his mind. When his corps of professional interpreters could do nothing for him, he ordered that they be executed. The king’s order included Daniel and his companions, whose training qualified them as interpreters. Daniel obtained a stay of execution by offering to interpret the dream. After prayer, Daniel received from God both the substance of the dream and its interpretation, which he relayed to the king. The grateful Nebuchadnezzar promoted Daniel and his companions to important positions in Babylon.<\/p>\n<p>Although the writer recorded both the king’s dream and Daniel’s interpretation, the problem for a modern reader is how to interpret the interpretation. The king saw in his dream a statue, with head of gold, chest and arms of silver, belly and thighs of brass, legs of iron, and feet of part iron and part clay. The interpretation identified Nebuchadnezzar as the head of gold. His kingdom would be followed by three other kingdoms, each represented by the statue’s parts and substances. At that point modern interpretations begin to diverge.<\/p>\n<p>A common interpretation of the four sequential kingdoms is as follows: Chaldean Empire (gold), MedoPersian Empire (silver), Greece (brass), Rome (iron and clay). Others suggest an alternative interpretation: Chaldean Empire (gold), Media (silver), Persia (brass), Greece (iron and clay). To focus too much attention on identifying the four kingdoms can result in failure to see the chapter’s key feature. From the midst of those human kingdoms, “During the reigns of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed; no one will ever conquer it. It will shatter all these kingdoms into nothingness, but it will stand forever” (2:44, <span>nlt<\/span>). The Babylonian king’s dream anticipated the coming of a greater kingdom, that of Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n<h5>The Fiery Furnace (3:1-30)<\/h5>\n<p>The story continues, focusing on Daniel’s three friends and using their Babylonian names—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar constructed a massive gold statue, 90 feet (27.4 meters) high. At its dedication ceremony everyone was required to bow down and worship as a band began to play. The three young Hebrews, who refused to worship, were summoned before the king. Their continued firm refusal led to a sentence of execution, and they were thrown into a fiercely burning furnace. Remarkably, they did not burn, and a fourth being appeared with them in the furnace. As they emerged unharmed from the ordeal, the king acknowledged God’s power of salvation and rewarded them.<\/p>\n<p>The story illustrates a second dilemma of the Jews in exile. Faithfulness to God’s first commandment, “You shall have no other gods before me” (Dt 5:7), could lead to death. The three young men were faithful—not out of confidence that God would rescue them, but whether or not he chose to spare their lives (Dn 3:17-18). As it happened, God delivered them; they were tossed into the furnace bound, but they came out free men. The message was profound: certainly the Jews should believe in a God able to deliver from the flames of persecution, but they should believe and hold fast even if no deliverance could be seen beyond the trial.<\/p>\n<h5>Nebuchadnezzar’s Second Dream and Madness (4:1-37)<\/h5>\n<p>On two occasions Nebuchadnezzar had confessed faith in the living God: when Daniel had interpreted his dream of the statue (2:47), and on the release of Daniel’s three companions from the furnace (3:28). Nonetheless, the king’s faith was shallow. The story in chapter 4 recounts a lapse of faith that brought terrible consequences. After eight years, when those consequences had run their course, the king again acknowledged God (4:37).<\/p>\n<p>The entire story is presented in the form of a proclamation, written by Nebuchadnezzar and widely circulated after the events in the story had transpired. The king dreamed of a tall tree growing in a field to ever greater heights. A divine messenger ordered the tree cut down, with only a stump and roots left in the ground. The stump and roots then took the form of a man, but the man’s mind was replaced with that of an animal. For seven years that semihuman creature behaved like a beast.<\/p>\n<p>Daniel showed the king how the dream applied to the king himself. Nebuchadnezzar was the great tree that would be cut down; he would behave like a beast in the field for seven years. One year after the king had been told that interpretation, the judgment came. For seven years he behaved like an animal until his sanity returned.<\/p>\n<p>The moral of the king’s story is that his madness was no accident but rather divine judgment. His arrogant belief that he had the power of God led to heavy retribution (4:30). The king was probably afflicted with a rare and peculiar form of mental illness today called “boanthropy.” The true meaning of the story lies at a deeper level: to think that one is God, having absolute power and control of one’s own life, is madness. That kind of madness can be cured and overcome only with the realization that absolute power and authority belong to God alone.<\/p>\n<h5>Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1-31)<\/h5>\n<p>The scene shifts to the reign of a later king in Babylon, Belshazzar. The son of Nabonidus, he was probably co-regent with Nabonidus (555?–539 <span>BC<\/span>), with special authority in the region of Babylon. The theme of his story is similar to that of chapter 4. Belshazzar, in the course of an enormous feast, called for the sacred vessels captured from the temple in Jerusalem. With the sacred vessels the Babylonians toasted the local gods, a sacrilegious act that invited divine judgment. It came in the form of words written on the wall by a hand, which Daniel interpreted for the king as words of judgment (5:26-28). Although he praised Daniel for the interpretation, the king missed both the true meaning of the words and the lesson taught to Nebuchadnezzar, his predecessor (vv 18-22). Belshazzar was killed that very night when Darius the Mede entered the city and captured it. The theme continues remorselessly: human pride and arrogance do not pass unnoticed by the God of history, who controls and directs human events toward the fulfillment of his purpose.<\/p>\n<h5>The Den of Lions (6:1-28)<\/h5>\n<p>The theme of chapter 6 is similar to that of chapter 3, but with Daniel as the story’s central figure. He is portrayed as one unwilling to compromise, fully obedient to Darius as long as that was possible, but unwilling to disobey the law of God. Hence, Daniel knowingly disobeyed a royal decree that prohibited prayer to anyone other than the king himself. Although he was aware of the consequences, Daniel remained faithful to God. The immediate outcome, when his enemies reported him, was an order of execution—Daniel was thrown to the lions. He was delivered from the hungry cats, and the king, relieved of a terrible predicament, had the plotters punished.<\/p>\n<p>A double message emerges from the story. On the one hand, God’s servant must be faithful in prayer and worship, regardless of the outcome; God delivers, and in that case did deliver Daniel from disaster. On the other hand, the effect of Daniel’s faithfulness was that the king, who had ordered his subjects to worship him, learned about true worship (6:25-27). The effects of faithfulness, like ripples from a pebble tossed in a pool, spread far beyond the one who is faithful.<\/p>\n<p class=\"h2\" id=\"ContentDanielsVisions712\">Content: Daniel’s Visions (7–12)<\/p>\n<p>With the beginning of chapter 7 the chronological sequence of the book of Daniel changes; Daniel’s first vision goes back to the first year of Belshazzar (7:1), but subsequent visions take place as late as the reign of Cyrus, the Persian king (10:1). Chapters 7–12 emphasize the meaning of history and God’s sovereignty in history, expressed in the mysterious symbolism of dreams. The whole section can be divided as follows: (1) vision of four beasts (7:1-28); (2) vision of the ram and the goat (8:1-27); (3) Daniel’s prayer (9:1-27); (4) vision of the end times (10:1–12:13).<\/p>\n<p>The first vision again takes up the theme of four kingdoms, already seen in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (ch 2). In the second vision the focus is narrowed down to two kingdoms, Persia and Greece. Much of the final vision of the end times deals with events occurring during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century <span>BC<\/span>. All the visions play on the same theme. Although human kingdoms may exert their might in a chaotic world, the sovereign God acts through history’s apparent chaos toward an ultimate goal of salvation.<\/p>\n<p>The primary interpretation of the visions can be perceived in past historical events, but a further messianic dimension can be seen in the light of the NT. That dimension is most evident in chapter 7. In the context of the four kingdoms, a divine court of judgment is established, presided over by the “Ancient of Days”—the almighty God (7:9). Then Daniel sees the arrival of “one like a son of man” (7:13). Though the phrase “son of man” was later perceived to be a messianic title, it did not technically have that meaning in the book of Daniel. Daniel 7:13 is a principal source for the title “Son of Man,” which Jesus commonly used to designate himself. His most significant use of that term was at his trial, where he directly associated his title with Daniel 7 (Mt 26:63-64).<\/p>\n<p><em>See also<\/em> Daniel (Person) #3; Diaspora of the Jews; Israel, History of; Prophecy; Prophet, Prophetess.<\/p>","summary_ro":"DANIEL, Book of Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, nlt). In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel i...","summary_en":"DANIEL, Book of Fourth book of the Major Prophets in the OT, characterized by vivid symbolism and reflecting heroic historical events during the Babylonian exile of the Jewish people. Because Daniel is not an easy book to understand, its interpretation requires careful study and reflection. Daniel himself wrote, when reflecting on the meaning of one of his visions, “I was greatly troubled by the vision and could not understand it” (Dn 8:27, nlt). In the old Jewish division of the OT, Daniel i...","source":"Articles\/D.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":53482,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:28","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:28","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","summary_en":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81108,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:28","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:28","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","summary_en":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108734,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:28","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:28","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","summary_en":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136360,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:28","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:28","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:28<\/strong> The king was surprised that God could <em>rescue<\/em> his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","summary_en":"3:28 The king was surprised that God could rescue his people, but the three Hebrew men knew that their God could deliver them (3:17).","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}],"30":[{"id":53483,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:30","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:30","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","summary_en":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":81109,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:30","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:30","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","summary_en":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":108735,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:30","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:30","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","summary_en":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false},{"id":136361,"type":"study_note","type_label":"Notă de studiu","type_icon":"📝","type_color":"#06b6d4","title_ro":"Notă de studiu: Daniel 3:30","title_en":"Study Note: Daniel 3:30","content_ro":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","content_en":"<p><strong>3:30<\/strong> <em>promoted:<\/em> A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.<\/p>","summary_ro":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","summary_en":"3:30 promoted: A related word is used in Gen 39:2. The men were rewarded for their righteousness and their faithfulness to the Lord.","source":"StudyNotes.xml","external_url":null,"has_map":false,"has_picture":false}]},"labels":{"article":"Articol","map":"Hartă","chart":"Diagramă","textbox":"Notă explicativă","picture":"Imagine","profile":"Profil","study_note":"Notă de studiu","theme_note":"Temă biblică"},"icons":{"article":"📖","map":"🗺️","chart":"📊","textbox":"💡","picture":"🖼️","profile":"👤","study_note":"📝","theme_note":"🎯"},"typeColors":{"article":"#d4af37","map":"#2d7d46","chart":"#3b82f6","textbox":"#8b5cf6","picture":"#ec4899","profile":"#f59e0b","study_note":"#06b6d4","theme_note":"#ef4444"}}
🔍
Niciun rezultat
Nu am găsit versete care să conțină textul căutat.
Daniel 3
📘 Info carte
Se încarcă...
📖 Resurse
Muzică de relaxareSelectează o piesă
0:00
Redare audio
0 piese
🍪 Folosim cookie-uri
Folosim cookie-uri esențiale pentru funcționarea platformei și cookie-uri de analiză pentru a îmbunătăți experiența ta.
Află mai multe
✝️
Logosasistentul Biserica Online
✝️
Bine ai venit! 👋
Sunt Logos, prietenul tău spiritual. Începe conversația — te ascult cu drag! ✨