Meaning of DANIEL

Proper name of three Israelite characters:

(a) Daniel, the fourth of the so-called "major prophets", is the main biblical character who bears this name, author of the book that bears his name, highly esteemed among the Jews of all times (Mt. 24:15), descendant of the royal family of David (Dan. 1:3), who was taken captive to Babylon as a young man, in the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim of Judah (600 B.C.).

He was chosen with three of his companions (Ananiah, Mishael and Azariah) to reside at the court of Nebuchadnezzar, where he found favor like Joseph in Egypt, and made great progress in the sciences of the Chaldeans, as well as in the sacred language but refused to be contaminated. eating from the provisions of the king's table, which were often ceremonially impure for a Jew or tainted by contact with idolatrous worship.

At the end of about three years of education, Daniel and his companions surpassed all the others and received good jobs in the royal service. There Daniel briefly displayed his prophetic gifts, interpreting a dream of Nebuchadnezzar, by whom he was made governor of Babylon and head of the educated and priestly class.

He seems to have been away, perhaps at some foreign embassy, when his three companions were thrown into the burning furnace.

Some time later he interpreted another dream of Nebuchadnezzar, and later the famous vision of Belshazzar, one of whose last acts was to promote Daniel to a much higher position than he had previously held during his reign (Dan. 5:29; 8: 27).

After the capture of Babylon by the Medes and Persians, Darius the Mede, who "took the kingdom" after Belshazzar, made him "first president" of some 120 princes. Envy caused them to form a plot to have him thrown into the lions' den, an act that brought about their own destruction (Dan. 6).

Daniel continued in all his high offices, and enjoyed the favor of Cyrus until his death. During this period he worked fervently, with fasting and prayers, as well as taking timely measures to ensure the return of the Jews to their own land, the promised time having arrived for them (Dan. 9).

He lived long enough to see the decree issued in that regard and many of his people returned to Jerusalem; but it is not known if he ever visited that city again, as he was over 80 years old at the time (356 BC).

In the third year of Cyrus he had a series of visions that showed him what the State of the Jews had to be until the coming of the promised Redeemer; and by which we see him calmly awaiting the peaceful end of a life well spent.

Daniel always followed the will of God. Both his youth and his old age were equally consecrated to God. He preserved his honesty in difficult circumstances, and amid the fascination of an Eastern court, he was pure and just. He confessed the name of God before the idolatrous princes, and was on the point of being a martyr, had it not been for the miracle that preserved him from death.

(b) Among the other characters who bore this name of Daniel, the Bible highlights:
(A) The second son of David, also called Chileab (1 Chron. 3:1; 2 Sam. 3:3).
(B) Descendant of Ithamar, fourth son of Aaron. He was one of the leaders who accompanied Ezra from Babylon to Judea, and who later had an important part in the reform of the people (Ezra 8:2; Neh. 10:6).