VERSE 9: “And God gave to Daniel grace before the face of the chief of the eunuchs.”

Grace: Kindness or mercy. Grace not only saves us (Titus 2:11), but it also teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and helps us to live self-controlled, upright and Godly lives (Titus 2:12)

Chief: Captain
Note: As there are natural laws, so, too, are there spiritual laws. Daniel’s commitment to Biblical truth caused God to move in his life.

VERSE 10: “And the chief of the eunuchs said to Daniel, ‘I fear my lord the king, who has appointed your food and your drink. Why should it be that your faces should appear less than the other young people of your age? Then my head would be obligated to the king.’”

I fear my lord: The captain’s lord was not the Lord God of Israel. He was afraid of Nebuchadnezzar and, in the natural, it made no sense for him to disobey the king’s orders. My head would be obligated to the king: He would be in danger of death.

VERSE 11: “Daniel said to the attendant, appointed by the chief of the eunuchs, over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah”

Attendant: A “go-between”. In modern Hebrew, this is a word that means a waiter or waitress.

VERSE 12: “Test, please, your servants for ten days, and give to us only vegetation to eat and water to drink.”

Ten: Ten is a number of testing (Revelation 2:10)

Vegetation: Fruit and vegetables, i.e. food that came from seeds planted in the ground.

VERSE 13: “And then let our appearance be before you, and the appearance of the young people that eat of the king’s delicacies. According to what you see, deal with us your servants.”

And then: After this ten day “experiment”/period of testing.

Our appearance: Speaking of himself, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah.

According to what you see: Daniel wants their appearance to be compared to those who eat of the king’s delicacies.

VERSE 14: “He heard them, in this manner, and he tested them for ten days.”

Note: This was a miracle. It made no sense for this man to take a risk, but he did.

VERSE 15: “And at the end of those ten days their countenances appeared good and healthy in the flesh, more so than all the young people that ate from the king’s delicacies.”

Note: Daniel and his three friends honoured G-d by not wanting to eat or drink anything that violated His Word. Although we are not under the law today, the principles of kashrut (kosher) teach us a very important principle – God determines everything. We need to submit to His authority and leadership; not only in what we eat or drink, but also in every aspect of our lives. Do what God says is permissible, and stay away from those things that He says are forbidden.
When we live by this principle it is an invitation for God to move in our lives. (Example: In the garden of Eden, Eve decided that her opinion was more significant than God’s. Where God had said “Do not eat”, Eve decided the fruit looked good for food, and so she ate it. Acting on her opinion brought about death in her life).

VERSE 16: “And it came about that the attendant lifted up from them the kings delicacies and the wine from their drink, and he gave to them vegetation.”

VERSE 17: “And to these four young people, God gave knowledge and understanding in every book and wisdom; and Daniel had understandings of all visions and dreams.”

Understanding: Intelligence

In every book: Meaning, in every subject.

Note: Because these men had honoured G-d in (what can be seen as) the small things in their lives, God moved supernaturally within them to provide them with what they needed in order to be useful to Him.

VERSE 18: “And at the end of the days, which the king had said, they were brought by the chief of the eunuchs before Nebuchadnezzar.”

The end of the days: That is, after those three years.

VERSE 19: “And the king spoke with them, and he did not find, from all of them, any like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; therefore, they stood before the king.”

From all of them: Nebuchadnezzar interviewed all the young noblemen from Israel who had been in preparation for serving him, but none of the others compared to Daniel and his three friends. They stood before the king: Meaning this: they were brought close to the king. They became individuals that he trusted, and were given a superior position in this world (in order to fulfil the
purposes of God).

VERSE 20: “And in everything of wisdom and understanding, which the king sought from them, he found them ten times better than all the wise men, or the enchanters, and also all those who were in his kingdom.”

Better than all: Daniel and his friends were not only better than the young people that they were in competition against, but were found to be better than all who were in the kingdom.

Wise men: Sages

Enchanters: Individuals that dealt with astrology. Daniel and his friends had supernatural power.

VERSE 21: “And it came about that Daniel was there until the first year of Cyrus the king.”

The first year of Cyrus: This was the year when the Babylonian empire came to an end. Throughout the Babylonian empire Daniel had been in a chief position, being able to influence king Nebuchadnezzar.