The king talked with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king.
Parallel Translations
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The king talked with them; and among them all was found no one like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Therefore stood they before the king.
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And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
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And the king spoke with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; therefore stood they before the king.
Cross-references (5)
Passages linked to Daniel 1:19 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Genesis 41:46 Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt.
- Proverbs 22:29 Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will serve kings. He won’t serve obscure men.
- Daniel 1:5 The king appointed for them a daily portion of the king’s dainties, and of the wine which he drank, and that they should be nourished three years; that at its end they should stand before the king.
- 1 Kings 17:1 Elijah the Tishbite, who was one of the settlers of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, before whom I stand, there shall not be dew nor rain these years, but according to my word.”
- Jeremiah 15:19 Therefore Yahweh says, “If you return, then I will bring you again, that you may stand before me; and if you take out the precious from the vile, you will be as my mouth. They will return to you, but you will not return to them.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Dan 1:19 And the king communed with them; and…
Dan 1:19 And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.
Ver. 19. And the king communed with them.] It seems he was himself a learned king, able to pose them, and put them to it. So was Alexander the Great, Ptolemy Philadelph, Julius Caesar, Constantine the Great, Charles the Great, Alphonsus of Arragon, our Henry I, surnamed Beauclerc, and King James, who was able to confer learnedly with any man in his faculty. Alphonsus was wont to say that an unlearned king was but a crowned ass, and that he would not be without that little learning he had for all that he was worth besides.
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And among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.] That which Patricius saith of the son of Juba, king of Numidia, taken captive by Julius Caesar, may fitly be applied to these four noble captives: Quicquid nobilitatis fortuna eripuerat, id longe accumulatius ei restituerat bonarum artium disciplina, What lustre soever they had lost by their captivity, was abundantly made up and restored by their excellent learning.
Therefore stood they before the king.] Who had no sooner proved them, but he highly approved them. O Hortensi admodum adolescentis ingenium, ut Phidiae signum simul aspectum et probatum est. {a} So Daniel’s and the rest: neither need we wonder, since, beside all other helps, they were "taught of God."
{a} Cicero.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Communed with them, i.e. to try their proficiency: this…
Communed with them, i.e. to try their proficiency: this argues the king’s ability and judgment, how else could he discern their fitness and their excellency above others? He examined all candidates, he preferred those that outstripped others.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And the king communed with them,.... He asked them…
And the king communed with them,.... He asked them several questions upon the several articles of literature in which they had been educated, to try and see what proficiency they had made; he discoursed with them on various topics of learning, that he might be able to form a judgment of them, and of their capacities, and what employments under him they would be most fit for, and capable of. This shows that the king was a man of learning and good sense, as well as prudence, to be capable of taking such a step as this:
and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah; for their learning and knowledge: after the king had gone through the examination of all the youths, these four appeared to be the greatest proficients, and were accordingly taken notice of and distinguished:
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therefore stood they before the king; ministered unto him, became his servants, and even came to be of his privy council, especially Daniel; see Pro 22:29.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Before - Both in the presence chamber, and in…
Before - Both in the presence chamber, and in the council chamber, to try their proficiency; this shews the king's ability and judgment, how else could he discern their fitness, and their excellency above others.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 19. And among them all] All the young…
Verse 19. And among them all] All the young noble captives from different nations.
Therefore stood they before the king.] It appears that only four were wanting.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain And the king communed with them - Hebrew, “spake…
And the king communed with them - Hebrew, “spake with them.” Probably he conversed with them on the points which had constituted the principal subjects of their studies; or he “examined” them. It is easy to imagine that this must have been to these young men a severe ordeal.
And among them all was found none like Daniel ... - Daniel and his three friends had pursued a course of strict temperance; they had come to their daily task with clear heads and pure hearts - free from the oppression and lethargy of surfeit, and the excitement of wine; they had prosecuted their studies in the enjoyment of fine health, and with the buoyousness and elasticity of spirit produced by temperance, and they now showed the result of such a course of training. Young men of temperance, other things being equal, will greatly surpass others in their preparation for the duties of life in any profession or calling.
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Therefore stood they before the king - It is not said, indeed, that the others were not permitted also to stand before the monarch, but the object of the historian is to trace the means by which “these youths” rose to such eminence and virtue. It is clear, however, that whatever may have been the result on the others, the historian means to say that these young men rose to higher eminence than they did, and were permitted to stand nearer the throne. The phrase “stood before the king,” is one which denotes elevated rank. They were employed in honorable offices at the court, and received peculiar marks of the royal favor.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain stood . . . before the king--that is, were…
stood . . . before the king--that is, were advanced to a position of favor near the throne.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 19. communed] talked. The Heb. word is the usual…
19. communed] talked. The Heb. word is the usual one for ‘speak,’ or ‘talk’; and nothing different from ordinary conversation is meant. ‘Commune’ occurs elsewhere in A.V., R.V., for the same Heb. word, and with exactly the same meaning; as Gen_18:33; Gen_23:8; Gen_34:6; Exo_25:22; Exo_31:18; 1Sa_9:25; 1Sa_19:3, &c.
and (i.e. and so) they stood before the king] i.e. became his personal attendants (Dan_1:5).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And the king communed with them; and among them…
And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azarish: therefore stood they before the king. The word translated "communed" really means "spake," and is the common word for this. The Septuagint translates here wmilhsen, which does mean "commune." Theodotion renders ejlalhse. Jerome has loeutus; the Peshitta has malel; all these may be rendered "talked." From Nebuchadnezzar"s great reverence for the national religion and for the national magic, we may be certain that much of the conversation would turn on those magical formulae which have been to such a large extent preserved to us. Even if, as we think, the immediate occasion of Daniel and his companions appearing before the king was his "dream," still he would not unnaturally examine them further. It is not unlikely that this conversational examination would involve naturally the languages they would have to be proficient in were they to be of the royal council. They would have to be acquainted with Accadian, the original tongue of all the most sacred magical formulae; with Assyrian, the language in which the royal annals were recorded; and with Aramaic, which was, as we have already said, the language of commerce and diplomacy. Hebrew, the language of the four in whom we are more especially interested, was spoken, not merely by the holy people, but also by the Edomites, Ammonites, Moabites, and the Phoenicians. Further, Egypt was a factor that had to be taken into account, and so, not unlikely, the tongue of Egypt would be known by some, at any rate, of the court officials in Babylon. The empire of the Hittites had certainly passed away, but, probably, their language was still known and spoken by a large number of the inhabitants of Nebuchadnezzar"s extensive empire. Not only were the languages of peoples west of Babylon to be considered, but also those to the east; there were the Aryan tongues too. If the tradition is correct that Nebuchadnezzar married a Median wife, the Median tongue, which seems to have been the same with that of Persia, would be, above all, important, Not unlikely questions of policy and statecraft would be submitted to these candidates, to see what they would say. Above all, in personal intercourse the King of Babylon would be able to form some estimate of the real worth of these youths, There probably would enter in a large measure of caprice, or even superstition, into his choice, yet not unlikely his strong practical sense would limit his superstition. The result of this examination is eminently satisfactory to the young Hebrews. They were found superior to all their competitors. Therefore stood they before the king. Professor Bevan would render this "became his personal attendants a very natural translation. We know, from the Ninevite marbles, that the king is always, alike on the field of battle, the hunting-field, and the council-chamber, attended by eunuchs. It may, however, be regarded as referring to the special subjects of their study. As they had been admitted to the class of magicians and astrologers, it would mean they were admitted to the number of those who were royal magicians and astrologers those whom the king consulted. It is not to be understood that, even though they were admitted to this number, they were therefore necessarily admitted before the king in this capacity on ordinary occasions. They would occupy but a subordinate position in the huge Babylonian hierarchy. We must note here a variation in the Septuagint, h+san, "they were." We, for our part, agree with Professor Bevan, in regarding this as a scribal blunder in the Greek, and that the original text was probably esthsan. The only difficulty is that the blunder is also in Paulus Tellensis.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 The king spoke with them
The king spoke with them
The king spoke with the "four young men" (Daniel 1:17).
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among the whole group there were none to compare with Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
This can be stated in positive form. AT: "Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah pleased him much more than anyone else in the whole group" (See: Litotes)
Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah
These are the names of men. See how you translated these names in Daniel 1:6-7.
ten times better
Here "ten times" is an exaggeration representing great quality. AT: "much better" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization)
the first year of King Cyrus
"the first year that King Cyrus ruled Babylon"
translationWords
king
Daniel
Azariah
servant
wise
magic
kingdom
Cyrus
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 1:19 The king talked with all the young men…
1:19 The king talked with all the young men who were trained, not just Daniel and his three friends. This was a thorough oral examination and discussion of things that were most important to the king. God arranged for the four young men to be his witnesses among the nations, and they were greatly honored by being appointed to positions of power, responsibility, and opportunity (cp. Gen 41:37-40; 45:5; Exod 2:1-10).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.