Background on the Book of Daniel

The Hebrew name for the Book of Daniel is “Daniel (דִּנִיֵּאל / daw-nee-yale’),” which means “God is my judge.” This title aptly reflects the book’s theme: when the defeated people were exiled to Babylon, God revealed Himself as the judge of history to both the Babylonian king (4:37) and the prophet (7:10, 22, 26). As earthly kingdoms changed and succeeded one another, God revealed another eternal kingdom (2:44). To accomplish this glorious plan, God provided salvation and preserved His chosen people in exile, preparing a suitable group of instruments for Himself, such as Daniel and his three friends, Ezekiel in the early period, and Zerubbabel, Haggai, Zechariah, Ezra, Nehemiah, Mordecai, and Esther in the later period. Both Jewish and church tradition hold that this book was written by Daniel in the sixth century BC, and the Lord Jesus also testified that its author was “Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15).

Daniel was likely born in the eighteenth year of King Josiah’s reign, when the Book of the Law was discovered in the Temple (2 Kings 22:8). His childhood saw King Josiah’s revival and his death in battle, as well as the teachings of the prophet Jeremiah. In his youth, he witnessed the corruption of Judah’s last kings, the first exile in 605 BC, and the destruction of the Temple and holy city in 586 BC. In his old age, he witnessed the fall of Babylon in 539 BC and King Cyrus’s decree to rebuild the Temple in 538 BC. His life fully encompassed Jeremiah’s prophesied destruction: “These nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years” (Jeremiah 25:11); and he also experienced the prophesied rebuilding: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans” (Jeremiah 25:12), and “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10).

In 640 BC, King Josiah of Judah ascended to the throne (2 Kings 21:23-26). Under the fifty-seven-year rule of Kings Manasseh and Amon, the Southern Kingdom of Judah had become a vassal state of Assyria, and idol worship was rampant. In the eighth year of his reign, Josiah began to “seek the God of his father David” (2 Chronicles 34:3). In his twelfth year, he “purified Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 34:3), repaired the Temple, and restored the Passover. During this period, Ashurbanipal (reigned 669-631 BC), the last great king of the Assyrian Empire, died, after which Assyria no longer had the power to prevent Josiah from breaking free and achieving independence. However, Josiah’s example and efforts failed to bring about a true revival among the people; many simply followed a man, not God. Daniel grew up in such a mixed era of genuine and superficial revival.

In 609 BC, Josiah died in battle on the plain of Megiddo while attempting to intercept a passing Egyptian expeditionary force (2 Kings 23:30). From then on, Judah became a vassal state of Egypt, and both its kings and people quickly descended into corruption. In 605 BC, Nebuchadnezzar II defeated the combined forces of Egypt and Assyria in the Battle of Carchemish, leading to the collapse of the Assyrian Empire. In the same year, Nebuchadnezzar inherited the throne and, pressing his advantage, drove the Egyptian pharaoh back to Egypt, seizing control of the Levant region. Judah also transitioned from being a vassal of Egypt to a vassal of the Babylonian Empire. Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiakim of Judah captive along with some Temple vessels (2 Chronicles 36:6-7); meanwhile, some “royal and noble youths from Israel” were left in Babylon as hostages, among whom was Daniel of the tribe of Judah. Daniel was selected to serve in the Babylonian palace.

Four years after Nebuchadnezzar’s death, Cyrus the Great (also known as Cyrus II, Cyrus the Great, or Syrus; c. 600-530 BC) of the Achaemenid Persian tribe unified Persia. Eight years later, he conquered Media, and then over the next decade, successively conquered Parthia, Lydia, Asia Minor, and Central Asia. Babylon’s northern and eastern territories fell into Cyrus’s hands. In 539 BC, Cyrus led the combined Medo-Persian army to conquer Babylon, establishing the vast Persian Empire, and Daniel was able to continue serving in the Persian court. In 538 BC, Cyrus permitted the remnant of the exiles to return to Jerusalem (Ezra 2:1-3:1) and, the following year, they began rebuilding the Temple (Ezra 3:8-13).

This book records the experiences of Daniel and his three friends. Its content begins in the “third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah” and ends in the “third year of Cyrus king of Persia,” approximately from 605-536 BC. This corresponds to the period in China from the Spring and Autumn Period when King Zhuang of Chu vied for supremacy in the Central Plains until the second弭兵会盟 (alliance to stop war). From this book, we can read about the faithfulness of the saints and see God’s grace. However, God did not promise that loving Him would exempt one from the fiery furnace or the lion’s den, nor did He promise that faithfulness would guarantee promotion, let alone that prayer would grant superhuman wisdom. If the testimonies of these heroes of faith are not simply reproducible “spiritual models” for everyone, then how can they comfort the weak and fill them with hope as they await God? In reality, the purpose of this book is not merely to establish examples of faithfulness but to reveal God’s works and plans, so that our faith is based on knowing God and understanding our part in His glorious kingdom. All the testimonies and visions in this book revolve around God Himself and encompass three major themes: 1) God’s judgment over history; 2) God’s accomplishment of His kingdom; and 3) God’s revival of His chosen people.

To the superficial observer, this book might seem like a mere compilation of court legends and folk tales, fragmented and pieced together. In actuality, its structure is ingenious and seamlessly integrated, a meticulously crafted work by a single author. To those with preconceived notions, this book might appear as a realm of mysterious dreams and obscure symbols, or apocalyptic literature plagiarized from pagan myths. In truth, this book is the Holy Spirit revealing the truth of history from God’s perspective, foretelling historical trends, and reminding us to pay attention to the meaning of history. The prophecies in this book are not limited to the specific circumstances and crises faced by God’s chosen people at the time but provide a comprehensive overview of human history, revealing God’s universal will and showing us how God’s kingdom will come to earth.