Daniel 1:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

NIV: "Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink.

NASB: Please put your servants to the test for ten days, and let us be given some vegetables to eat and water to drink.

CSB: "Please test your servants for ten days. Let us be given vegetables to eat and water to drink.

NLT: Please test us for ten days on a diet of vegetables and water,' Daniel said.

KJV: Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

NKJV: “Please test your servants for ten days, and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink.

Daniel must have been highly esteemed by the steward who had been assigned over him (Daniel 1:11), just as he was by the chief eunuch (Daniel 1:9), because he was allowed to make a significant suggestion. These men were charged with preparing captured Jewish boys to become advisors for King Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:3–5). That included eating the same food as the king (Daniel 1:5), which would have been ceremonially unclean and associated with idol worship (Daniel 1:8). The chief eunuch was hesitant to allow Daniel to eat other food (Daniel 1:10), but Daniel asks the steward in charge of the king's food to test their alternative diet of vegetables and water.

The Hebrew word for "vegetables" includes seed-bearing plants, meaning anything that grows up from the ground. This diet probably included grains as well. Eating a vegetarian diet would keep Daniel and his friends from eating improperly prepared or idol-sacrificed food. Drinking only water would help them avoid the undiluted wine preferred by the Babylonians.

The number ten in the Bible is often used for a period of trial or testing. For example, the Egyptians experienced a judgment of ten plagues (Exodus 7—12), and Jesus foretold that the Devil would throw some members of the church at Smyrna into prison and cause them to have tribulation ten days (Revelation 2:10). Certainly, ten days on this diet would not threaten anyone's health, nor jeopardize a steward's reputation with the king. It was a reasonable length of time. Daniel does not promise to eat the king's food if the test fails, but only asks the man to act as he sees fit (Daniel 1:13).

Although this diet made Daniel and his friends even healthier than those who ate the king's food (Daniel 1:14–15), the point is not to endorse a vegetarian or vegan lifestyle. Healthy eating is good, and caring for the body is good as well; yet the purpose of this incident is to establish how God honored Daniel's convictions.

Daniel 1:8–16 explains one of the ways Daniel and three other captured Hebrew boys (Daniel 1:1–7) resisted being corrupted by the pagan culture of Babylon. King Nebuchadnezzar assigned the Hebrew youths the same kind of food and wine that he ate and drank. These would have been unclean, for various reasons, under the Law of Moses. Daniel received permission from his supervising steward to eat only vegetables and water for a ten-day test. When the Hebrew youths were healthier than those who ate the king's food, they were allowed to continue their special diet.

When Daniel was young, Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took many of its treasures and people back to their land. Daniel was chosen to become an advisor due to his good looks and bright mind. Along with other boys, he was educated and given a Babylonian name. Daniel and several friends demonstrate faithfulness to God by avoiding foods that might be unclean. They also excel in their roles. This leads Daniel to become an important advisor regarding dreams and visions, as described starting in chapter 2.

Daniel was taken captive when Babylon conquered the nation of Israel. The first chapter of the book establishes his history, his level of natural talent, and the depth of his faith. This is followed by a series of prophetic interpretations tied to Gentile nations in chapters 2—7. Chapters 8—12 focus on prophecies more closely related to the nation of Israel. Many of these details are restated or expanded in the book of Revelation.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.