year of the reign of king jehoiakim of judah daniel ... · year of the reign of king jehoiakim of...

2011 William E. Wenstrom, Jr. Bible Ministries

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Daniel 1:1-2

Daniel 1:1-King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon Attacked Jerusalem in the Third Year of the Reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah Daniel Chapter One Daniel chapter one serves as an introduction to the book and presents the historical setting for the book. It presents the events in the lives of Daniel and his three friends when they were teenagers. This introductory chapter records the godly character of Daniel, which explains why he was used by God mightily throughout his life as he served under several kings.

Walvoord writes “The first chapter of Daniel is a beautifully written, moving story of the early days of Daniel and his companions in Babylon. In brief and condensed form, it records the historical setting for the entire book. Moreover, it sets the tone as essentially the history of Daniel and his experiences in contrast to the prophetic approach of the other major prophets, who were divine spokesmen to Israel. In spite of being properly classified as a prophet, Daniel was in the main a governmental servant and a faithful historian of God’s dealings with him. Although shorter than prophetical books like Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, the book of Daniel is the most comprehensive and sweeping revelation recorded by any prophet of the Old Testament. The introductory chapter explains how Daniel was called, prepared, matured, and blessed of God. With the possible exceptions of Moses and Solomon, Daniel was the most learned man in the Old Testament and most thoroughly trained for his important role in history and literature.” (Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation; page 29; Moody Press; Chicago; 1971)

Constable writes, “Chapter 1 provides an introduction to the whole book. It relates early events in the lives of Daniel and his three Hebrew contemporaries, but the emphasis is on Daniel's decisions. These choices formed the basis for his character, and his character and abilities accounted for the unusually long and successful career that he enjoyed in the service of several monarchs. His godly character also provides a key concerning God's choice of him to receive and transmit the remarkable revelations of the future that this book contains. God's choice of Daniel was sovereign, but Daniel's choices qualified him to serve as God intended (cf. 1 Tim. 1:12).” (Constable, Thomas L., Notes on Daniel-2007 Edition, copyright 2007; Published by Sonic Light: http://www.soniclight.com)

Daniel chapter one presents the personal history and character of Daniel which serves to demonstrates why God chose him to serve under several kings. It records Daniel and his three friends exercising courage and not compromising with the pagan culture of Babylon and maintaining strict adhere to the dietary regulations of


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the Mosaic Law. It presents these four young men withstanding the idolatry and ungodly culture of the Babylonians. This chapter reveals that Daniel and his friends were loyal to the Lord in the face of stiff opposition from an ungodly culture that sought to seduce and pressure them from abandoning the ways of the Lord.

Chapter one contains historical narrative and can be divided into three sections: (1) We have the record of Daniel’s deportation to Babylon (1:1-7). (2) We have the record of Daniel’s devotion to the Lord as demonstrated by his strict observance of the dietary regulations of the Mosaic Law (1:8-16). (3) In His providence, God blesses Daniel’s loyalty to Him and obedience to His commands by promoting him in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom (1:17-21). This chapter has a chiastic structure. The first fourteen verses present the tension between the Babylonian culture and the culture of the Nebuchadnezzar’s court and Daniel’s culture in Judaism. The last seven verses of the chapter present the reader the resolution to this tension. Daniel 1:1-7: Daniel’s Deportation to Babylon

Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. 3 Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his officials, to bring in some of the sons of Israel, including some of the royal family and of the nobles, 4 youths in whom was no defect, who were good-looking, showing intelligence in every branch of wisdom, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability for serving in the king’s court; and he ordered him to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans. 5 The king appointed for them a daily ration from the king’s choice food and from the wine which he drank, and appointed that they should be educated three years, at the end of which they were to enter the king’s personal service. 6 Now among them from the sons of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. 7 Then the commander of the officials assigned new names to them; and to Daniel he assigned the name Belteshazzar, to Hananiah Shadrach, to Mishael Meshach and to Azariah Abed-nego. (NASB95) This pericope deals with the deportation to Babylon of Daniel and his three friends and is divided into five sections: (1) Nebuchadnezzar conquers Jerusalem and deports the king of Judah to Babylon (verses 1-2). (2) Nebuchadnezzar orders certain Israelites including the royal family and nobles to be indoctrinated into Babylonian society and trained to serve him (verses 3-4). (3) Nebuchadnezzar


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stipulates the food they should eat and orders them trained to serve him (verse 5). (4) The identification of four of the Israelites specially chosen to go through this indoctrination and training for service (verse 6). (5) The overseer of the officials gives Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah Babylonian names as part of their indoctrination to Babylonian society (verse 7).

Daniel 1:1-4 presents to the reader the circumstances which led to Daniel and his three friends being deported to Babylon. Daniel 1:5-7 presents to the reader their circumstances in Babylon. The Third Year of the Reign of Jehoiakim of Judah Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. (NASB95) “ In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah” is composed of the preposition bĕ ( ב) (beth), “in” and its object is the feminine singular construct form of the noun šā·nā(h) (שנה) (shaw-naw), “the year” which is modified by the masculine singular form of the numeral šā·lîš (שליש) (shaw-loshe), “third ” and this is followed by the preposition lĕ ( ל) (lamed), “of” and its object is the feminine singular construct form of the noun mǎl·ḵûṯ (מלכות) (mal-kooth), “the reign of” and then we have the masculine singular form of the proper name yehô·yā·qîm (יהויקים) (yeh-ho-yaw-keem), “Jehoiakim” which is modified by the masculine singular construct form of the noun mě·lěḵ (מל�) (meh-lek), “king of” and this is followed by the masculine singular form of the proper name yehû·ḏā(h) (יהודה) (yeh-hoo-daw), “Judah.” yehô·yā·qîm

The proper name yehô·yā·qîm, “Jehoiakim” means “Yahweh raises up” or “Yahweh has established” or “Yahweh has caused to stand.” Here it refers to the name of one of the last kings of Judah. He is mentioned many times in Scripture (Daniel 1:1-2; 2 Kings 23:34-36; 24:1, 5-6, 19; 1 Chronicles 3:15-16; 2 Chronicles 36;4-5, 8; Jeremiah 1:2; 22:18, 24; 24:1; 25:1; 26:1, 21-23; 27:1, 20; 28:4; 35:1; 36:1, 9, 28-30, 32-37:1; 45:1; 46:2; 52:2). His father was Josiah and he succeeded Jehoahaz as king of Judah (609-597 B.C.). Family Tree of Jehoiakim

“Jehoiakim” was the name given to him by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. His original

name was “Eliakim” (2 Kings 23:34). He and his predecessor on the throne were


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brothers, sons of Josiah. Eliakim or Jehoiakim was the older of the two. Neco changed his name as a mark of vassalage.

Jehoiakim or Eliakim became king at twenty-five and reigned for 11 years and is recorded in 2 Kings 23:34-24:6 and 2 Chronicles 36:4-8. His name is the last entry in the “book of the Chronicle of the Kings of Judah (2 Kings 24:5). At the beginning of his reign, Judah was subject to Egypt. However, Babylon defeated Egypt and Jehoiakim transferred his allegiance to Babylon but he rebelled after three years. Jehoiakim was guilty of shedding innocent blood (2 Kings 24:4). He had the prophet Uriah assassinated for opposing him (Jeremiah 26:20-21). He opposed Jeremiah (36:26). He even personally burnt the scroll from which Jehudi read the words of the prophet to him (verse 22). A comparison of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:18-19; 36:30) with 2 Chronicles 36:6 indicates died while being dragged off to exile. His life and reign was characterized by faithlessness to the Lord and compromise with Israel’s and God’s enemies.

yehû·ḏā(h)

The proper name yehô·yā·qîm, “Jehoiakim” is modified by the proper name yehû·ḏā(h), “Judah” and the noun mǎl·ḵûṯ, which means “reign” since it refers to


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the period of time in which Jehoiakim ruled over Judah. The proper name yehû·ḏā(h), “Judah” means “I will praise the Lord” and was the name given to the fourth child that Leah bore to Jacob whose birth is recorded in Genesis 29:35.

In Daniel 1:1 it refers to the southern kingdom. After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel had a civil war and was divided into a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. The latter took the name Judah. Lĕ

In Daniel 1:1, the proper name yehô·yā·qîm, “Jehoiakim” is the object of the preposition lĕ, which is a marker of possession indicating that this reign “belongs to” Jehoiakim.

mǎl·ḵûṯ

The noun mǎl·ḵûṯ, “reign” is in the construct state governing the proper name

yehô·yā·qîm, “Jehoiakim” indicating that this reign “belongs to” Jehoiakim. mě·lěḵ

The noun mě·lěḵ means “king” referring to the governmental head of Judah, i.e.

the southern kingdom. The word is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the proper name yehû·ḏā(h), “Judah” and together they denote Judah’s king or the king that Judah possesses.

šā·nā(h)

The noun šā·nā(h) means “year” referring to a unit of time involving a complete

cycle of seasons, spring, summer, fall and winter. Daniel is writing according to the Jewish reckoning of time and thus this word denotes 360 days. It does not refers to 365 days but rather 360 days since the solar year, which we live by in the twenty-first century, of 365.25 days was unknown to the nations in the Old Testament. The Jewish year of biblical times was lunar-solar and had only 360 days. šā·lîš

The noun šā·nā(h) is modified by the number šā·lîš, which means “third”

defining the year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah when Jerusalem was attacked by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.


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bĕ

The noun šā·nā(h) is the object of the preposition bĕ, which is a marker of an

extent of time within a larger unit and thus means “during.” Therefore, it denotes that “during” the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem, which would have been in approximately 605 B.C.

Daniel 1:1 and Jeremiah 25:1 and 46:2

Now, Daniel 1:1 conflicts with Jeremiah 25:1 and 46:2. The latter two state that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. The critics of the Bible have seized upon this “apparent” contradiction, which can be easily resolved.

First of all, for both the Babylonians and the Jews, a king’s “ascension” year was the year he ascended to the throne and that “year” would often last only a few months. Also, for both the Babylonians and the Jews, the first “regnal” year or in other words his first full year of reign began with the first day of the new civil year. For the Babylonians this would have been the first of Nisan (late March and early April) whereas the Jews began their civil year on the first of Tishri (late September and early October).

Now, Pharaoh Neco of Egypt installed Jehoiakim as a vassal king under Egyptian authority in the fall of 609 B.C., changing his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. The first regnal year of Jehoiakim according to the Babylonian reckoning of time would have been the spring, in the month of Nisan 608 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in September 605 B.C. Therefore, if we do the math, we can see that according to the Babylonian reckoning of time, Nebuchadnezzar attached Jerusalem during the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Thus, Daniel 1:1 is using the Babylonian reckoning of time.

On the other hand, the first regnal year of Jehoiakim according to the Jewish reckoning of time would have been the fall, in the month of Tishri 609 B.C. since Pharaoh Neco of Egypt installed Jehoiakim as a vassal king under Egyptian authority in the fall of 609 B.C., changing his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. As we noted Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem in September of 605 B.C. Therefore, if we do the math we can see that according to the Jewish reckoning of time (Jewish civil year begins in the month of Tishri), Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Thus, both Jeremiah and Daniel are not using ascension years but regnal years. Daniel’s use of the Babylonian reckoning of time should not be considered unusual since he spent his entire life in Babylon.


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Nebuchadnezzar King of Babylon Besieged Jerusalem Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. (NASB95) “Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it” is composed of the third person masculine singular qal active perfect form of the verb bôʾ came to” and this is followed by the masculine singular form of“ ,(bow) (בוא) the proper name neḇû·ḵǎḏ·ně(ʾ)ṣ·ṣǎr (נבוכדנאצר) (neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar), “Nebuchadnezzar” which is modified by the masculine singular construct form of the noun mě·lěḵ (מל�) (meh-lek), “king of” and then we have the feminine singular form of the proper noun bā·ḇěl (בבל) (baw-bel), “Babylon” and this is followed by the feminine singular form of the proper name yerû·šā·lǎ·yim ( ירושלם) (yer-oo-shaw-lah-im), “Jerusalem” and then we have the conjunction waw ( ו) (waw), “and” which is followed by the third person masculine singular qal active imperfect form of the verb ṣûr (צור) (tsoor), “besieged” and then we have the preposition ʿǎl (אל) (al), “upon” and lastly we have the third person feminine singular pronomial suffix hî(ʾ it“ ,(hoo) (היא) ( .”

neḇû·ḵǎḏ·ně(ʾ)ṣ·ṣǎr

The proper name neḇû·ḵǎḏ·ně(ʾ)ṣ·ṣǎr, “Nebuchadnezzar” who was the second

ruler of the Chaldean dynasty of Babylon. Babylonian inscriptions give his name as Nabu-kudurru-usur, which means “Nabu protect my boundary stone” (i.e. the territory of his empire). The Babylonian spelling accounts for the form “Nebuchadnezzar.” (e.g. Jeremiah 25:1).

When Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem during the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah, he had not yet ascended the throne as king of Babylon. At that time in 605 B.C. his father Nabopolassar was king of Babylon. However, while fighting in battle, Nebuchadnezzar rushed back to Babylon to ascend the throne when he heard of his father’s death. Daniel 1:1 was written at a later date after Nebuchadnezzar had assumed the throne.

mě·lěḵ

In Daniel 1:1, the noun mě·lěḵ appears a second time where it again means

“king” but this time it is used with reference to Nebuchadnezzar referring to the fact that he was governmental head of Babylon.


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bā·ḇěl The word mě·lěḵ is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the

proper noun bā·ḇěl (בבל) (baw-bel), “Babylon” and together they denote that Nebuchadnezzar is Babylon’s king or the king that Babylon possesses.

The city of Babylon was founded by Nimrod according to Genesis 10:10 whom made it his capital. However, Babylonian religious tradition gives credit to the god Marduk. It is located in modern Iraq, about twenty miles south of Baghdad, near the modern city of Hilla, on the Euphrates River, south of where the Tigris and Euphrates approach. Babylon had long been the commercial and pagan religious center of the entire Mesopotamian region. The city was at its zenith when Daniel was taken captive. Nebuchadnezzar expanded the city and made it a magnificent capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

The city was a square and was approximately 14 miles on each side. It was surrounded by a double wall with a wide moat in between. The inner wall was about 75 feet high and 32 feet wide. The outer wall of the city was about 344 feet high and 86 feet wide. Four horse chariots could run on top of the wall, pass each other and turn. The Euphrates River flowed through the city. Orchards and fields were within the city walls. The famous hanging gardens were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The walls, palaces, temples and homes associate with the city were built with brick. bôʾ

In Daniel 1:1, the verb bôʾ means “to arrive at” since it refers to linear

movement to a particular reference point, which is identified by the proper name yerû·šā·lǎ·yim, “Jerusalem” which functions as an accusative direct object. The stative qal stem of the verb expresses the state of Nebuchadnezzar arriving at Jerusalem in order to besiege her. The active voice of the verb is stative indicating the same thing. The perfect tense of the verb is stative emphasizing the present state of Nebuchadnezzar and his army reaching Jerusalem for the purpose of laying siege to her.

yerû·šā·lǎ·yim

The Hebrew term yerû·šā·lǎ·yim is usually written yerûšālaim in the Old

Testament is an anomalous form, since Hebrew cannot have two consecutive vowels. This was resolved in later Hebrew by inserting the letter “y,” thus giving yerû·šā·lǎ·yim, which occurs a few times in the Old Testament (Jeremiah 26:18). We are not certain of the meaning of the name Jerusalem.


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The original form of the word in Hebrew was yeruŝālēm as indicated by the abbreviation ŝālēm (Eng. ‘Salem’) in Ps. 76:2, and by the Aramaic form of the name yerûšlēm, found in Ezra 5:14. The name appears in the Egyptian Execration Texts (19th and 18th century) and in later Assyrian documents (as Urusalim or Urisalimmu).

The first part of the name is usually thought to mean “foundation” and the second element, is cognate with the Hebrew word for “peace,” referring to a Canaanite deity Shalem. Thus, it appears that “foundation of Shalem’ is probably the original sense of the name and eventually over the course of time the second element was associated with “peace” (Heb. šālôm) among the Jews (cf. Hebrews 7:2).

The city of Jerusalem is located along the central mountain ridge of Palestine, 36 miles east of the Mediterranean and 16 miles west of the northern tip of the Dead Sea and is situated 2100-1500 ft. above sea level in a relatively level plateau of the Benjaminite highlands. On the east, is the Kidron valley, which separates it from the Mount of Olives and on the west and south by the Hinnom valley.

The early history of Jerusalem cannot be traced. It is first referred to in the Old Testament as “Salem” and was ruled by Melchizedek according to Genesis 14:18 and was identified as Jerusalem according to Psalm 76:2. The city was under Canaanite control until the Israelite invasion under Joshua and was named “Jebus” since it was in the hands of the Jebusites. King David captured the city by surprise (2 Samuel 5:6-9) and improved the fortifications and built himself a palace and transferred the ark of the covenant there. Solomon his son built a temple in Jerusalem, which was plundered by the Egyptians after his death, in the fifth year of his successor, Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25f). Philistine and Arab tribes plundered the palace in Jehoram’s reign. During Amaziah’s reign, he fought with the king of the northern kingdom, Jehoash who broke down part of the city walls and looted the temple and palace. Uzziah repaired the damage and during Ahaz’s reign, the city was able to withstand the attacks of Syria and Israel.

The city escaped destruction during Hezekiah’s reign due to the Lord’s direct intervention against Assyria. Nebuchadrezzar of Babylon captured the city of Jerusalem in 597 B.C. and in 587 B.C. destroyed the city and the temple. By the end of the century, while under Persian rule, the exiles of the city were allowed to return. Nehemiah repaired the broken down city walls in the middle of the fifth century.

Alexander the Great ended the Persian dominance at the end of the fourth century and one of his generals after his death, namely Ptolemy entered Jerusalem and placed it under his realm. In 198 B.C. Jerusalem fell to Antiochus II, the Seleucid king of Syria and 30 years later, Antiochus IV entered Jerusalem, destroyed its walls and plundered and desecrated the temple. Judas the Maccabee


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led a Jewish revolt and in 165 B.C. the temple was recaptured and rededicated. Judas and his successors won their independence for Judea and the Hasmonean dynasty ruled a free Jerusalem until the middle of the first century B.C. when Rome arrived on the scene. In 63 B.C., the Roman general Pompey conquered the city and then Antigonus, aided by the Parthians captured it in 40 B.C. and just 3 years after that Herod the Great took control of Jerusalem. He launched major construction projects, one of which was to rebuild the temple but on a much grander scale. During the days of the Lord and the apostles, the city was in Roman control. wa

The conjunction wa is a marker of a sequence of closely related events meaning

that it is introducing a clause that marks the next sequential event that took place after Nebuchadnezzar arrived at Jerusalem. It indicates that after Nebuchadnezzar arrived at Jerusalem he “then” attacked the city. ṣûr

The verb ṣûr means “to lay siege” in the sense of encircling a fortified area as an aggressive military strategy to defeat a city or a nation. Here it is used of Nebuchadnezzar encircling the city of Jerusalem as an aggressive military strategy to defeat the city of Jerusalem or to make her capitulate. The word denotes relentlessly attacking Jerusalem. This would involve cutting off supplies to the city and preventing people from escaping from her. The tactics included building a mound to reach the wall and using battering rams and towers to breach it. The inhabitants of a besieged city were threatened with death and famine. Some surrendered to the enemy in order to preserve their lives. The qal stem of the verb expresses the action of Nebuchadnezzar’s Babylonian army laying siege against Jerusalem. The active voice denotes that Nebuchadnezzar as the subject performs the action of besieging Jerusalem. The imperfect tense of the verb is an iterative imperfect describing the action of Nebuchadnezzar besieging Jerusalem repeatedly. ʿǎl

The verb ṣûr is employed with the preposition ʿǎl, which is a marker of

opposition with the implication of hostility toward an object. Here the preposition marks Nebuchadnezzar opposing the city of Jerusalem and expressing hostility


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toward her by laying siege to her. The third person feminine singular pronomial suffix hî(ʾ) means “her” referring to Jerusalem. Author’s Translation of Daniel 1:1 Daniel 1:1 During the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Judah’s king, Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king arrived at Jerusalem and then he lay siege against her. First of Three Deportations

Nebuchadnezzar’s attack of Jerusalem in 605 B.C. during the third year of Jehoiakim, Judah’s king resulted in the first of three deportations of the Jewish people (Daniel 1:1; 2 Kings 24:1-2, 13; 2 Chronicles 36:5, 6, 7).


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The Times of the Gentiles

Nebuchadnezzar’s attack in 605 B.C. also resulted in the beginning of an important prophetic period called “the times of the Gentiles,” which is described in Daniel 2:31-45 and Daniel 7. This prophetic period refers to an extended period of time when the Gentiles are the dominant world powers and Israel is subject to those powers and extends from the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar (586 B.C.) and continues through the Tribulation (Revelation 11:2). This period of history includes the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the church age and the Tribulation period. This phrase does not rule out temporary Jewish control of Jerusalem as has occurred in the past during the Maccabean era (164-63 B.C), the first Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70), the second Jewish revolt (A.D. 132-135) and now since 1967 and the Six-Day War. However, this control is only temporary because Revelation 11:1-2 predicts at least another three-and-one-half years of Gentile domination during the last half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, also known as the Tribulation. Luke 21:23 “Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days; for there will be great distress upon the land and wrath to this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” (NASU)

Pentecost writes concerning this period, “The times of the Gentiles is that extended period of time in which the land given in covenant by God to Abraham and his descendants is occupied by Gentile powers and the Davidic throne is empty of any rightful heir in the Davidic line. The times of the Gentiles, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar’s invasion of Jerusalem in 605 B.C., will continue till the Messiah returns. Then Christ will subdue nations, deliver the land of Israel from its Gentile occupants, and bring the nation Israel into her covenanted blessings in the millennial kingdom. God had made a covenant with Israel in Moab (Deut. 28-30) just before she entered the land (Deut. 29:1). In this covenant God set forth the principle by which He would deal with His people. Their obedience to Him would bring blessing (Deut. 28:1-14) but disobedience to Him would bring discipline (Deut. 28:15-68). In this second portion God outlined the disciplines He would use to correct the people when their walk was out of line with His revealed Law. These disciplines would seek to conform them to His demands so they would be eligible for His blessings. The ultimate discipline He would use to correct His people was the invasion of Gentile nations who would subjugate them to their authority and disperse them from their land (Deut. 28:49-68). Moses then stated when Israel


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would come under God’s discipline, that discipline would not be lifted until the people forsook their sin, turned in faith to God, and obeyed His requirements (Deut. 30:1-10). The Northern Kingdom of Israel had gone into captivity to Assyria in 722 B.C. This was the outworking of the principles of Deuteronomy 28. From time to time (though not consistently) the Southern Kingdom (Judah), in light of the fall of the Northern Kingdom, had heeded the prophets’ admonitions and turned to God. The Southern Kingdom continued for more than a century longer because of her repentance and obedience under her godly kings. That condition, however, did not last. Judah also ignored God’s covenant, neglected the Sabbath Day and the sabbatical year (Jer. 34:12-22), and went into idolatry (Jer. 7:30-31). Therefore, because of the covenant in Deuteronomy 28, judgment had to fall on Judah. God chose Nebuchadnezzar as the instrument to inflict discipline on God’s disobedient people (cf. Jer. 27:6; Hab. 1:6).”1

1 Walvoord, J. F., Zuck, R. B., & Dallas Theological Seminary. (1983-). The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures (Da 1:1). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.


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Daniel 1:2-The Lord Delivers Jehoiakim Into Nebuchadnezzar’s Power Along With Some Of The Vessels Of Temple Review of Daniel 1:1

Daniel 1:1 records king Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacking Jerusalem in the third year of the reign of king Jehoiakim of Judah. Daniel 1:1 During the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign, Judah’s king, Nebuchadnezzar, Babylon’s king arrived at Jerusalem and then he lay siege against her.

We noted that Daniel 1:1 appears to conflict with Jeremiah 25:1 and 46:2. The latter two state that Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon attacked Jerusalem during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. The critics of the Bible have seized upon this “apparent” contradiction. However, it is easily resolved when we understand that Daniel is writing from the Babylonian perspective and Jeremiah from the Jewish perspective. The Babylonians considered the first year of a king’s reign as the accession year, i.e. the year he ascended to the throne. That “year” would often last only a few months. The first regnal year or in other words his first full year of reign began with the first day of the new civil year. For the Babylonians this would have been the first of Nisan (late March and early April). Jeremiah was writing from the Jewish perspective who followed the accession year system. The Jews began their civil year on the first of Tishri (late September and early October).

Pharaoh Neco of Egypt installed Jehoiakim as a vassal king under Egyptian authority in the fall of 609 B.C., changing his name from Eliakim to Jehoiakim. This year was Jehoiakim’s accession year. His first regnal year was 608 B.C. After the downfall of Assyrian, Neco marched into Palestine. He did this to assist the Assyrian forces according to the Babylonian Chronicle published in 1923 by Gadd. Josiah did not want Neco to aid the enemies of Judah and thus sought to stop him at Megiddo. However he was assassinated there in 609 B.C. Jehoahaz II, the son of Josiah was installed as king but after three months he was ousted by Neco in favor of his elder brother Jehoiakim. Neco made him a tributary and demanded him to pay one hundred talents of silver and one of gold (2 Kings 23:33).

In 605 B.C., Nebuchadnezzar attacked Egypt in the Battle of Carchemish which resulted in the defeat of Egypt. Carchemish was destroyed by the Babylonians in approximately June of that year. The Babylonian king pursued the Egyptians and thus expanded his area of authority. He went into Syria and toward Palestine. Upon learning of the death of his father Nabopolassar, Nebuchadnezzar returned from Riblah to Babylon in August 605 B.C. where he was crowned king. After this he returned to Palestine and attacked Jerusalem in September 605 B.C.


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Thus, if Jehoiakim’s first regnal year began in Nisan 608, Nebuchadnezzar’s defeat of the Assyrian-Egyptian coalition at the battle of Carchemish would have taken place during Jehoiakim’s third regnal year according to Babylonian reckoning, which again would have the first regnal year as beginning with the first of Nisan. On other hand, the civil year in the Jewish calendar began on the first of Tishri rather than the first of Nisan. Therefore, if Jehoiakim was appointed as a vassal king by Neco in the late fall of 609 his first regnal year according to the Jewish reckoning of time would have begun in Tishri 608. Consequently, Tishri 605 would have inaugurated his fourth regnal year. Thus, Jeremiah 25:1 and 46:2 have this first of Nebuchadnezzar’s three invasions of Jerusalem as taking place during the fourth year of Jehoiakim’s reign. Therefore, there is no contradiction or error in the Scripture and both Jeremiah and Daniel are using accession year chronology.

When Nebuchadnezzar attacked Jerusalem during the third year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah, he had not yet ascended the throne as king of Babylon. At that time in 605 B.C. his father Nabopolassar was king of Babylon. However, while fighting in battle, Nebuchadnezzar rushed back to Babylon to ascend the throne when he heard of his father’s death. Daniel 1:1 was written at a later date after Nebuchadnezzar had assumed the throne. Nebuchadnezzar was one of the giants of the ancient world. He was not only a magnificent military commander but also a great builder. He restored many temples in Babylon. He constructed a raised processional street from the Ishtar gate and built a colossal, ornate palace. He was also known as a great lawgiver and judge. Archaeologists have found his code of laws and his regulations for Babylon and for his court. He was also involved in pagan idolatry and was considered very religious. He observed ceremonies of the Babylonian religion and made elaborate offerings to the gods of Babylon. His records also show that he made an image to himself which appears to be the one mentioned in Daniel 3:1. An archaeologist by the name of J. Oppert found remains of a forty-six foot square and twenty-foot-high brick platform that might have been used as the platform for the gold image mentioned in Daniel 3:1. Like the Assyrian and Babylonian kings, his archives do not make mention of any of his defeats. However, an inscription from the latter half of his reign indicates he was deposed from power for approximately four years. This no doubt is a reference to Nebuchadnezzar’s seven year exile mentioned in Daniel chapter four in which he acted like a wild animal which was the result of his failure to acknowledge Daniel’s God as sovereign over him.

Babylon had long been the commercial and pagan religious center of the entire Mesopotamian region. The city was at its zenith when Daniel was taken captive.


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Nebuchadnezzar expanded the city and made it a magnificent capital of the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

The city was a square and was approximately 14 miles on each side. It was surrounded by a double wall with a wide moat in between. The inner wall was about 75 feet high and 32 feet wide. The outer wall of the city was about 344 feet high and 86 feet wide. Four horse chariots could run on top of the wall, pass each other and turn.

The Euphrates River flowed through the city. Orchards and fields were within the city walls. The famous hanging gardens were one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. The walls, palaces, temples and homes associate with the city were built with brick.

The city of Jerusalem is located along the central mountain ridge of Palestine, 36 miles east of the Mediterranean and 16 miles west of the northern tip of the Dead Sea and is situated 2100-1500 ft. above sea level in a relatively level plateau of the Benjaminite highlands. On the east, is the Kidron valley, which separates it from the Mount of Olives and on the west and south by the Hinnom valley.

Nebuchadnezzar’s attack of Jerusalem in 605 B.C. during the third year of Jehoiakim, Judah’s king resulted in the first of three deportations of the Jewish people (Daniel 1:1; 2 Kings 24:1-2, 13; 2 Chronicles 36:5, 6, 7).

Nebuchadnezzar’s attack in 605 B.C. also resulted in the beginning of an important prophetic period called “the times of the Gentiles,” which is described in Daniel 2:31-45 and Daniel 7. This prophetic period refers to an extended period of time when the Gentiles are the dominant world powers and Israel is subject to those powers and extends from the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar (586 B.C.) and continues through the Tribulation (Revelation 11:2). This period of history includes the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the church age and the Tribulation period. This phrase does not rule out temporary Jewish control of Jerusalem as has occurred in the past during the Maccabean era (164-63 B.C), the first Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70), the second Jewish revolt (A.D. 132-135) and now since 1967 and the Six-Day War. However, this control is only temporary because Revelation 11:1-2 predicts at least another three-and-one-half years of Gentile domination during the last half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, also known as the Tribulation. The Lord Delivers Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s Power

Daniel 1:2 records the Lord delivering Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s power along with some of the articles of the temple.


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Daniel 1:1 In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. 2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. (NASB95) “The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand” is composed of the conjunction wa ( ו) (waw), which is not translated and it is followed by third person singular qal active imperfect form of the verb nā·ṯǎn (נתן) (naw-than), “gave” and then we have the masculine plural form of the noun ʾā·ḏôn (אדני) (aw-done), “the Lord ” and this is followed by the first person singular pronomial suffix ʾǎnî (אני) (an-ee), which is not translated and then we have the preposition bĕ ( ב) (beth), “ into” and its object is the feminine singular construct form of the noun yāḏ (יד) (yawd), “hand” and with it we have the third person masculine singular pronomial suffix –hû (־הו) (who), “his” and then we have the object marker ʾēṯ (את) (ayth), which is not translated but is marking the masculine singular form of the proper name yehô·yā·qîm (יהויקים) (yeh-ho-yaw-keem), “Jehoiakim” as the direct object and the latter is modified by the masculine singular construct form of the noun mě·lěḵ (מל�) (meh-lek), “king of” and this is followed by the masculine singular form of the proper name yehû·ḏā(h) (יהודה) (yeh-hoo-daw), “Judah.” Wa The conjunction waw is emphatic meaning that the word is introducing a statement that is advancing and intensifying the previous statement in verse 1. Verse 2 advances upon and intensifies verse 1 in the sense that it is providing more information for the reader with regards to Nebuchadnezzar laying siege against Jerusalem during the third regnal year of Jehoiakim’s reign over Judah. This not only was an attack on Jerusalem but also a national tragedy that led to the deportation of the king of Judah. Verse 2 reveals that not only did Nebuchadnezzar attack Jerusalem during Jehoiakim’s reign but also the Lord Himself delivered Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s hand along with some of the articles from Solomon’s temple. Therefore, we will translate the conjunction “indeed.” ʾā·ḏôn

The noun ʾā·ḏôn is a reference to the Lord emphasizing His sovereign authority over the king of Judah, Jehoiakim as well as Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. It emphasizes the majesty of His sovereign rulership over the nations of the earth.


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This word was used by devout Jews in an effort to avoid taking the personal name of Yahweh in vain. The initial practice of substituting this word for Yahweh occurred in speech only. However, over time, when the proper name Yahweh appeared in manuscripts, it came to be pronounced ʾā·ḏôn. Ultimately the reading of proper name was replaced entirely by ʾā·ḏôn. This change appears to have taken place by 300 B.C.

Waltke writes “To avoid the risk of taking God’s name (YHWH) in vain, devout Jews began to substitute the word ʾădōnā(y) for the proper name itself. Although the Masoretes left the four original consonants in the text, they added the vowels ĕ (in place of ă for other reasons) and ā to remind the reader to pronounce ʾădōnā(y) regardless of the consonants. This feature occurs more than six thousand times in the Hebrew Bible. Most translations use all capital letters to make the title ‘LORD.’ Exceptions are the ASV and New World Translation which use ‘Jehovah,’ Amplified which uses ‘Lord,’ and JB which uses ‘Yahweh.’ What those cautious Jews did was similar to our custom of saying ‘that is’ when we see the abbreviation ‘i.e.’ in the text. Later the Jews substituted other words such as ‘the name,’ ‘the blessed,’ or ‘heaven’ (cf. Mk 14:61–62).”2

When ʾ ādôn appears in the special plural form, with a first common singular pronominal suffix (o;ădōnā[y] ), which is the case here in Daniel 1:2, the word always refers to God. Just as ʾĕlōhîm (God) is plural in Hebrew, so this word might also be called an intensive plural or plural of majesty. Only rarely is the suffix translated (cf. Gen 18:3; Isa 21:8; Ps 16:2).

In Daniel 1:2, the noun ʾā·ḏôn makes clear to the reader that Nebuchadnezzar’s success in defeating Jehoiakim and sacking the city of Jerusalem was ultimately the result of the Lord sovereignly giving him success in the endeavor. The word teaches that the Judean monarchy fell because the Lord decreed for it to take place. It indicates that Nebuchadnezzar was only the human instrument that the Lord used to bring this about. The entire book of Daniel emphasizes that the Lord is the absolute sovereign over Judah and Israel as well as the nations of the world. We will translate ʾā·ḏôn, “the Lord.” nā·ṯǎn The verb nā·ṯǎn means “to deliver” in the sense that the Lord handed over Jehoiakim and some of the articles from the temple to Nebuchadnezzar. Jeremiah 36:30-31 teaches that the reason why the Lord delivered Jehoiakim into

2 Alden, R. (1999). 27 אדן. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (13). Chicago: Moody Press.


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Nebuchadnezzar’s power is because he committed evil in the sight of the Lord and rejected His Word through the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 25:1-11 also teaches that the Lord delivered Judah into Nebuchadnezzar’s power because of their idolatry. Also, a comparison of Leviticus 25:1-12, 26:32-35, 43, Jeremiah 25:11, 29:10 and 2 Chronicles 26:21 indicates that the Lord delivered Judah into Nebuchadnezzar’s power because they failed to respect the Sabbath Day and the sabbatic year in which every seventh year they were to let the land rest. In Daniel 1:1, the qal stem of the verb nā·ṯǎn is fientive expressing an action taken by the Lord against Jehoiakim. The imperfect wa refers to a completed action as part of a temporal sequence. The imperfect tense of the verb describes this event of the Lord delivering Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s power in teh past from Daniel’s perspective at the time of writing. We will translate the verb nā·ṯǎn, “delivered.” ו ביד

The noun yāḏ means “hand” and was used to symbolize “power” and “authority’ or “strength” (cf. Deuteronomy 8:17; 32:26). In Daniel 1:2, the word is used with this metaphorical or figurative sense for Nebuchadnezzar’s “power” or “authority.” Thus, the Lord delivered Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s “power” or “authority.” It denotes that Jehoiakim was under Nebuchadnezzar’s “authority” or “power.” The noun yāḏ is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the pronomial suffix, “his” which refers to Nebuchadnezzar and together they denote this power is “possessed by” Nebuchadnezzar. The noun yāḏ is the object of the preposition bĕ, which marks the goal of the Lord acting upon Jehoiakim, namely to deliver him “into” Nebuchadnezzar’s power and authority. Therefore, we will translate the prepositional phrase ו ”.into his power“ ,ביד yehô·yā·qîm

The proper name yehô·yā·qîm, “Jehoiakim” means “Yahweh raises up” or “Yahweh has established” or “Yahweh has caused to stand.” Here it refers to the name of one of the last kings of Judah. He is mentioned many times in Scripture (Daniel 1:1-2; 2 Kings 23:34-36; 24:1, 5-6, 19; 1 Chronicles 3:15-16; 2 Chronicles 36;4-5, 8; Jeremiah 1:2; 22:18, 24; 24:1; 25:1; 26:1, 21-23; 27:1, 20; 28:4; 35:1; 36:1, 9, 28-30, 32-37:1; 45:1; 46:2; 52:2). His father was Josiah and he succeeded Jehoahaz as king of Judah (609-597 B.C.).

“Jehoiakim” was the name given to him by Pharaoh Neco of Egypt. His original name was “Eliakim” (2 Kings 23:34). He and his predecessor on the throne were


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brothers, sons of Josiah. Eliakim or Jehoiakim was the older of the two. Neco changed his name as a mark of vassalage.

Jehoiakim or Eliakim became king at twenty-five and reigned for 11 years and is recorded in 2 Kings 23:34-24:6 and 2 Chronicles 36:4-8. His name is the last entry in the “book of the Chronicle of the Kings of Judah (2 Kings 24:5). At the beginning of his reign, Judah was subject to Egypt. However, Babylon defeated Egypt and Jehoiakim transferred his allegiance to Babylon but he rebelled after three years. Jehoiakim was guilty of shedding innocent blood (2 Kings 24:4). He had the prophet Uriah assassinated for opposing him (Jeremiah 26:20-21). He opposed Jeremiah (36:26). He even personally burnt the scroll from which Jehudi read the words of the prophet to him (verse 22). A comparison of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 22:18-19; 36:30) with 2 Chronicles 36:6 indicates died while being dragged off to exile. His life and reign was characterized by faithlessness to the Lord and compromise with Israel’s and God’s enemies. yehû·ḏā(h)

The proper name yehô·yā·qîm, “Jehoiakim” is modified by the proper name yehû·ḏā(h), “Judah” and the noun mǎl·ḵûṯ, which means “reign” since it refers to the period of time in which Jehoiakim ruled over Judah. The proper name yehû·ḏā(h), “Judah” means “I will praise the Lord” and was the name given to the fourth child that Leah bore to Jacob whose birth is recorded in Genesis 29:35.

In Daniel 1:1 it refers to the southern kingdom. After the death of Solomon, the nation of Israel had a civil war and was divided into a northern kingdom and a southern kingdom. The latter took the name Judah. mě·lěḵ

The noun mě·lěḵ means “king” referring to the governmental head of Judah, i.e.

the southern kingdom. The word is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the proper name yehû·ḏā(h), “Judah” and together they denote Judah’s king or the king that Judah possesses. The Articles of the Temple

Daniel 1:2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. (NASB95)


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“Along with some of the vessels of the house of God” is composed of the conjunction wa ( ו) (waw), “along with” and then we have the preposition min (מן) (min) and this is followed by the feminine singular construct form of the noun qeṣāṯ (קצת) (kets-awth), “some of” and then we have the masculine plural construct form of the noun kelî ( ליכ ) (kel-ee), “the vessels of” and this is followed by the masculine singular construct form of the noun bǎ·yiṯ (בית) (bah-yith), “the house of” and then we have the articular masculine plural form of the noun ʾělō·hîm ”.God“ ,(el-o-heem) (א$הים) Wa The conjunction wa is adjunctive meaning that the word is introducing a clause that presents “additional” items that were delivered into Nebuchadnezzar’s power. It indicates that “in addition to” Jehoiakim being delivered by the Lord into Nebuchadnezzar’s power, some of the articles of the temple were as well. Therefore, we will translate the word “as well as.” kelî The noun kelî means “vessels” or “articles” and is used in the plural and refers to the various articles pertaining to the worship of the Lord in Solomon’s temple. It does not refer to the main items of the temple such as the altar or lampstand but rather it refers to the equipment used in serving these. Thus, Daniel 1:2 is recording that Nebuchadnezzar took the equipment in the temple which was symbolic of its owner and brought them to the temple of his god in Babylon. 2 Kings 24:1 records that Jehoiakim was forced to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and as part of this tribute the latter took the gold articles of the temple and brought them to Babylon. He placed them in the treasury of the temple of the god he worshipped, which cuneiform inscriptions reveal was Marduk. These articles were made of gold, silver and bronze according to Daniel 5:2-3. This tribute is also mentioned in 2 Chronicles 36:7, 10, 18. These articles were restored seventy years later by Cyrus (Ezra 1:7). Taking these gold, silver and bronze articles would have religious significance in Daniel’s day since removing them from Solomon’s temple would be a sign of victory of Nebuchadnezzar’s god over Yahweh, who was Jehoiakim’s God. Wars were fought in a god’s name in the ancient world and thus the plunder from a victory belonged to the victorious god. The temple articles are his booty. In Daniel 1:2, the noun kelî is in the construct form meaning that it is governing the noun qeṣāṯ, which follows it. Thus, the latter is modifying the former


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expressing a genitive relation to the former. We will translate this word “of articles.” מקצת

The noun qeṣāṯ is employed with the preposition min and together they denote a portion as a division of a larger group. They denote that Nebuchadnezzar took a portion of the gold, silver and bronze articles of the temple and put them into the treasury of his god, Marduk. The preposition is used in a partitive sense to denote the whole from which a part is taken. Thus, these two words denote that Nebuchadnezzar took only a part or a portion of the gold, silver and bronze articles from Solomon’s temple and placed them in the treasury of his god, Marduk, in Babylon. We will translate these two words “a portion from .” bǎ·yiṯ The noun bǎ·yiṯ is in the construct form with noun ʾělō·hîm, “God” and means “house” or “temple” of God. Here it refers to Solomon’s temple, which was of course located in Jerusalem and was still standing during the reign of Jehoiakim.

The word is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the proper name ʾělō·hîm, “God” and together they denote God’s temple or the temple God possesses.

Allen Myers writes “David brought the ark to Jerusalem and placed it in a tent (2 Sam. 6). He made plans to erect a temple in Jerusalem, but was forbidden by God to do so (7:5–16; 1 Chr. 22:8). He did, however, acquire a site (the threshing floor of Araunah/Ornan, perhaps a preIsraelite sacred site) and made preparations for the temple’s construction (1 Chr. 22). Solomon began building the temple in the fourth year of his reign (ca. 958 B.C.) and completed it seven years later. Its construction was supervised by Phoenician craftsmen (1 Kgs. 7:13–14, 40–45), Phoenician materials were used (5:6, 8–10), and the temple no doubt reflected Phoenician styles. Attempts to construct a model of the temple on the basis of the biblical accounts and analogies from other ancient Near Eastern temples cannot be completely accurate, because the Bible’s descriptions are not complete and appear to be in conflict at some points. Nevertheless, some of the larger features of Solomon’s temple can be described. The temple was surrounded by a courtyard in which stood the ‘molten sea’ and the altar of sacrifice. The temple proper was rectangular and was divided into three sections from front to back, each 20 cubits (8.9 m. [29 ft.]) wide. Directly in front of the first section, the vestibule, were twc free-standing bronze pillars. The vestibule was 10 cubits (4.5 m. [14.5 ft. ]) from front to back. The second section was the ‘holy place,’ where much of the priestly


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activity took place. It was 40 cubits (18 m. [58 ft.]) from front to back and contained the altar of incense, ten golden lampstands, and the table for the Bread of the Presence. The inner sanctuary, the ‘most holy place’ or ‘holy of holies,’ was 20 cubits (8.9 m. [29 ft.]) wide and deep. Two large cherubim were in the inner sanctuary above the ark. This room was entered only by the high priest and only on the Day of Atonement. Although the temple was constructed of huge blocks of stone, the interior was covered with paneling and elaborate woodwork so that no stonework was visible. Many items in the central room and in the inner sanctuary were inlaid with gold. Three stories of storage rooms were built around the back and sides of the temple proper. These rooms probably housed priests on duty, supplies, the temple treasury, gifts and tribute, and perhaps even weapons (1 Kgs. 7:51; 14:25–26; 15:18; 2 Kgs. 11:10; 12:4). Solomon’s great ceremony of dedication involving ‘all the assembly of Israel’ (1 Kgs. 8:14; cf. v. 1) shows how the new temple served to unite all phases of Israel’s religion. The construction of the temple occurred a generation after the establishment of the Davidic monarchy in Israel and of the royal capital in Jerusalem. In the ancient world, the building of a temple served as a visible symbol of the presence of a god, as well as of his approval of the temple’s builder, thus justifying the current leadership. It also demonstrated that the king’s authority over subservient peoples was legitimate, a crucial factor in an empire as large as Solomon’s. Changes took place in the temple after the time of Solomon as it was plundered by outsiders and raided by Judean kings for tribute payments. Some kings deliberately introduced changes in the furnishings (esp. Ahaz; 2Kgs. 16:7–18). When Jerusalem fell in 587/ 586 Nebuchadrezzar removed the remaining sacred items from the temple and burned it to the ground. Nevertheless, even after its destruction pilgrimages were still made to the temple site (Jer 41:5).” (Myers, A. C. (1987). The Eerdmans Bible dictionary (990). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans)

Richard Lawrence writes, “The Jerusalem temple was a place where God and human beings might meet. Solomon reflected the Hebrew vision of a transcendent God when he cried out, ‘The heavens, even the highest heaven, cannot contain You. How much less this temple I have built!’ (1 Kings 8:27) The temple might reflect God’s glory. But ultimately the Jerusalem temple existed for the sake of God’s people, not for God. The temple served as the place of meeting between God and His covenant people. It was here the Jewish people offered the sacrifices that atoned for their sins; it was here they gathered to praise God during national religious festivals. It was here they humbled themselves in times of national or personal distress; here they sought God’s intervention and help. The temple was a visible reminder that God was present with them. As the only authentic place of sacrifice, the temple served as a witness to the great truth that man must approach God as God chooses. All roads do not lead to God, or to heaven! There is one way,


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and only one, to approach God, the way that God Himself has ordained. Three temples were erected on the same site, a fourth is predicted by Ezekiel. Solomon’s temple. This first temple stood for nearly 375 years. Then in 586 b.c. it was razed by the Babylonians. Ezekiel 8–11 graphically portrays the idolatrous sins which caused the Lord to withdraw His presence from the temple at that time. During Judah’s long history, each period of revival was marked by repair of the temple and restoration of temple worship. Zerubbabel’s temple. A small company of survivors led by Zerubbabel returned to Judah from Babylon in 538 b.c. They built a second temple, less splendid than the first, but a testimony to God’s continuing presence with the Jews. Herod’s temple. The second temple was greatly expanded and beautified in a 40-year project undertaken by Herod the Great. Jesus taught in Herod’s temple and drove tradesmen from it. This temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world, was destroyed by the Romans in a.d. 70. Ezekiel’s temple. The Prophet Ezekiel predicts that yet another temple will be constructed in the same place when Messiah comes. Today the Mosque of Omar, the second most holy place in Islam, rests on the Temple Mount.” (Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.) (283). Wheaton: Victor Books.)

The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary has the following comment, “The idea that the Tabernacle, a temporary building, should be supplanted by a permanent one of stone, seems to have been suggested to David by the Spirit (1 Chron 28:12,19), especially after he had secured peace by conquest of his enemies (2 Sam 7:1-13; 1 Chron 17:1-14; 28:1-19); but he was forbidden to build for the reason that he stated to Solomon, ‘But the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'You have shed much blood, and have waged great wars; you shall not build a house to My name, because you have shed so much blood on the earth before Me’ (1 Chron 22:8). He, however, collected much material for the building and made arrangements to have the task completed by his son Solomon. The latter was a man of peace, and his reign a period of peace and prosperity (2 Sam 7:9-13; 1 Kings 5:3-4; 1 Chron 22:7-10). Solomon, as soon as he was securely seated upon the throne, made arrangements for beginning to build the Temple (1 Chron 22; 28:1-29:30). He entered into a treaty with Hiram king of Tyre, stipulating that this monarch should permit him to get cedar and cypress wood and blocks of stone from Lebanon, and that he would allow workmen sent by Solomon to fell the wood and quarry and hew the stones, under the direction of skilled workmen, subjects of Hiram. In return Solomon was to send supplies of wheat, oil, and wine. It was also arranged that Solomon was to have the services of a skillful artist by the name of Huram-abi to take charge of the castings and of the manufacture of the more valuable furnishings of the Temple (1 Kings 5; 2 Chron 2:1). So, in the fourth year of his reign, c. 960 B.C., Solomon began the erection of the sacred edifice, which was built on Mt. Moriah to the E of Zion, an eminence that David himself had selected


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for the purpose when he built an altar upon it after the plague had ceased (1 Chron 21:18,26; 22:1). To secure an adequate site for the Temple and its courts, an area of at least 600 by 300 feet was required. The summit of the hill had to be leveled and slightly enlarged by means of fill and retaining walls built on the sides. The edifice was completed in the eleventh year of Solomon's reign, i.e., in seven and a half years (c. 953 B.C.). The Temple proper was a building formed of hewn stones, 60 cubits long, 20 wide, and 30 in height (measuring from the inside), and covered with a flat roof composed of rafters and boards of cedar, overlaid with marble (see figure 7 for a plan of the Temple). Josephus (Ant. 8.3.2) says, ‘[The height of the temple] was sixty cubits, and the length was the same, and its breadth twenty. There was another [story of equal dimensions]; so that the entire [height] of the temple was a hundred and twenty cubits.’ Josephus probably gave the external dimensions, whereas in the book of Kings the internal measurements are given. Inside, the building was divided by means of a partition of cedar wood into the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place, so that the former was 40 cubits long, 20 wide, and 30 high, and the latter was a cube measuring 20 cubits in each direction. The other 10 cubits formed ‘upper rooms’ (2 Chron 3:9). On the inside the walls were lined with wood, so as to cover the stones; the walls and roof were covered with cedar and the floor with planks of cypress wood. The side walls were covered over with carved work, representing cherubim, palms, garlands, and opening flowers (1 Kings 6:18; 2 Chron 3:5), so that all was overlaid with thin plates of gold. The floor as well as the walls and ceilings were covered with gold (1 Kings 6:30). The entrance to the Holy of Holies consisted of a folding door in the partition wall, four cubits wide, made of olive wood and ornamented with overlaid carvings of cherubim, palms, and opening flowers. These doors, as well as those at the entrance of the Holy Place, were hung on hinges of gold (1 Kings 7:50). These doors stood open, but a veil, similar in material and ornamentation to the veil in the Tabernacle, hung over them. The entrance to the Holy Place consisted of a folding door of cypress wood with doorposts of olive wood, each one being divided into an upper and lower section (like Dutch doors), and ornamented in the same manner as the door of the Holy of Holies. In the front of the building was a porch 20 cubits wide and 10 cubits deep (1 Kings 6:3; 2 Chron 3:4). There would seem to be an error in the text (cf. 2 Chron 3:4) as to the height of the "porch"; because a front 120 cubits high to a house only 30 cubits high could not properly be called 'ulam (a ‘porch’); it could only have been a migdal (a ‘tower’). Two bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz (see below), stood at the entrance of the Temple. On the sides and rear of the building, wings were added, each three stories high, containing rooms for storing furniture and provisions required for the Temple service. These wings were so constructed that the rafters of the different stories rested upon projections on the outside of the walls of the main building, so as to avoid inserting them in the walls


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themselves (1 Kings 6:5-6). Each story was 5 cubits high, and 5, 6, and 7 cubits wide, respectively; they were connected by passages and stairs (6:8). There was an inner court (1 Kings 6:36) running around the Temple and reserved exclusively for the priests. It was formed by an outer or boundary wall, composed of three layers of hewn stone and a ‘row of cedar beams,’ probably laid upon the stones to protect the masonry. Outside of this was the ‘great court’ (2 Chron 4:9), intended for the use of the people and probably enclosed with masonry. Access to it was by doors of bronze. From the fact that the (inner) court of the priests is called ‘the upper court’ (Jer 36:10), it is likely that it was on a higher level than the outer court; and it is not unlikely that the Temple itself was higher than the inner court, so that the whole would have a terracelike aspect. So far as can be gathered from subsequent statements of an incidental nature (2 Kings 23:11; Jer 35:4; 36:10; Ezek 8:1; etc.), it would appear that there were vestibules and porticoes at the gates of the outer court, and that, if we may judge from the pattern of the Temple, at all four sides, probably in the corners and on both sides of the gate, as the Temple of Ezekiel's vision would seem to show. The measurement of the courts is not given, but following the analogy of the Tabernacle (cf. Ezek 40:27), we may venture to assume that the court of the priests was 100 cubits, and the same in breadth, measuring it on the E, or front, side of the Temple. This would make the entire measurement 100 cubits wide by 200 in length. We will then have for the outer court an area of at least 400 cubits long and 200 cubits wide. In the Holy of Holies was placed the Ark, with its Mercy Seat, which was taken from the Tabernacle. It stood between two cherubim, which were 10 cubits high, made of olive wood and overlaid with gold. Their wings were outstretched and were about 5 cubits long, touching each other over the Ark, while the outer wings touched the side walls of the room (1 Kings 6:23-28; 2 Chron 3:10-13). They stood upon their feet and faced ‘the main room,’ i.e., toward the Holy Place (3:13). In the Holy Place were the altar of incense, or ‘golden altar’ (1 Kings 7:48; cf. 6:22; 4:19), made of cedar wood and overlaid with gold; ten golden lampstands with seven lamps to each (these were placed in front of the Holy of Holies, five of them being on the right side and five on the left; 1 Kings 7:49; 2 Chron 4:7); and ten tables for the bread of the Presence, five being on each side (4:8). The form and construction of these objects have not been minutely described, as they were clearly modeled after those in the Tabernacle, only made on a larger scale to correspond with the greater dimensions of the Temple rooms. Of course the several articles of furniture were accompanied by their utensils-cups and snuffers for the lampstand and bowls, spoons, firepans, etc. for the tables (1 Kings 7:50; 2 Chron 4:22; etc.). In the inner court was the altar of burnt offering (1 Kings 8:64), which according to 2 Chron 4:1 was 20 cubits square and 10 cubits high, and patterned after the one in the Tabernacle. The following utensils for this altar are mentioned: basins, shovels,


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bowls, pails, and forks (1 Kings 7:40,45; 2 Chron 4:11,16). A little to the S, but between the altar and the porch, stood the bronze sea, a huge round basin. There were also on each side of the altar, at the right and left wings of the Temple, ten bronze lesser lavers on wheels (1 Kings 7:27-39; 2 Chron 4:6). See the article Laver. Archaeology has shown that the plan of Solomon's Temple was characteristically Phoenician, as would be expected, since it was constructed by a Tyrian architect (1 Kings 7:13-15). Similar plans of sanctuaries of the general period, 1200-900 B.C., have been excavated in northern Syria. The temple at Tell Tainat, excavated in 1936 by the University of Chicago, is smaller but similar to Solomon's structure. At Tell Tainat the shrine gives evidence that Solomon's Temple was pre-Greek and authentic as 1 Kings 6-7 would indicate. Archaeology has also shown that the proto-Aeolian pilaster capital, extensively used in Solomon's Temple, also was used at Megiddo, Samaria, and Shechem from the period 1000 to 700 B.C. The Temple decorations such as lilies, palmettes, and cherubim were likewise characteristically Syro-Phoenician. The cherubim or winged sphinxes appear hundreds of times in the iconography of western Asia between 1800 and 600 B.C. The two columns, Jachin and Boaz, are also illustrated at Tell Tainat and elsewhere in the ancient Near East. Such pillars flanked the main entrance of the Temple and were common in the first millennium B.C. in Syria, Phoenicia, and Cyprus. They spread to Assyria, where they are found in Sargon's temple at Khorsabad and to the Phoenician colonies in the Mediterranean. After the completion of the building, Solomon had the Ark placed in the Holy of Holies, and dedicated the Temple with solemn thanksgiving and prayer, accompanied with liberal thank offerings. This service, participated in by the heads of the tribes as well as by men from all parts of Israel, lasted seven days. So large was the number of animals offered that it was necessary for a time to convert the inner court in front of the porch into a place of sacrifice, as the altar of burnt offering was not capable of holding the multitude of sacrifices (1 Kings 8:1-6; 2 Chron 5:1-6:42; 7:7). Immediately after the consecration prayer, which Solomon offered while kneeling upon the bronze platform that was erected in the inner court in front of the altar (2 Chron 6:13), fire fell from heaven and consumed the burnt offering (7:1). At the disruption of the kingdom, the Temple ceased to be the sanctuary of all the Israelite people; Jeroboam erected special places of worship at Bethel and Dan for the use of the revolting ten tribes; but the Temple continued to be the authorized center of worship for the kingdom of Judah. As early as the days of Rehoboam, the Temple treasures were plundered by Shishak king of Egypt (1 Kings 14:26), and gold and silver from there were subsequently sent to Ben-hadad, king of Syria, to purchase an alliance against Baasha, king of Israel (15:18-21). Under Jehoshaphat the outer court was renewed (2 Chron 20:5), and under Jehoash considerable repairs were made upon the Temple itself (2 Kings 12:5-12), necessitated by the


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havoc wrought by the wicked Athaliah (2 Chron 24:7). During the reign of Amaziah all the gold and silver (as well as the utensils that had gold or silver about them) that were in the Temple were plundered by Jehoash king of Israel (2 Kings 14:14). After this Jotham "built the upper gate" of the Temple (15:35; 27:3), probably at the entrance to the inner court. Ahaz, on the other hand, had the altar of burnt offering taken away and another put in its place, designed after one he had seen in Damascus; he also had the decorations removed from the laver stands, the basins themselves taken out, the oxen removed from under the bronze sea, and the latter placed upon a ‘pavement of stone’ (2 Kings 16:10-17). This was done to secure for the king of Assyria those artistic objects, as he had already given him silver and gold from the Temple and palace (v. 8). King Hezekiah was also compelled to pay tribute to Sennacherib. He took silver from the Temple and stripped the gold from the Temple doors and posts (18:15-16). Worst of all was the desecration of the Temple by Manasseh. He caused altars for ‘all the host of heaven’ to be erected in both courts, set up an image of Asherah in the sanctuary (21:4-5,7), and erected in the Temple court ‘houses of the male cult prostitutes’ (23:7), probably tents or huts, for the paramours to dwell in, and in which there were also women who wove tent-temples for Asherah. He kept horses consecrated to the sun in a place set apart for them in the inner court toward the back of the Temple (v. 11). Josiah purged the sacred place of these abominations (vv. 4-8); but soon afterward Nebuchadnezzar captured Jerusalem and gathered together all the treasures of the Temple, including the golden utensils, and carried them off (24:13). Eleven years later Jerusalem was destroyed by the Chaldeans, who burned the Temple to the ground after pillaging it of its remaining valuables, which they took to Babylon (25:9,13-17; 52:13,17-23). (From The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

Holman’s Bible Atlas commenting on Solomon’s Temple, write, “Solomon’s most celebrated accomplishment was the construction of a temple for Yahweh. This beautiful building on the eminence north of David’s city crowned the capital city until the temple was destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar more than 350 years later. Again, Phoenician influence predominated in the seven-year project. Hiram, king of Tyre, furnished timber and skilled craftsmen to assist Solomon. Men from the Phoenician city Gebal (Byblos) joined Solomon’s laborers as well. Since Israel had little experience in metalworking, Solomon imported a Phoenician metalsmith, also named Hiram. He fashioned the bronze pillars and decorations, the great basin or ‘the molten sea,’ the bronze altar, and other vessels and tools used in the temple (1 Kgs. 6). The temple of Yahweh was a rectangular structure composed of three main parts oriented on an east-west axis. A person entered the temple from the east through a porch flanked on both sides by two


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bronze pillars, Jachin and Boaz. The porch led to the main hall of the temple, or ‘Holy Place,’ where three pieces of furniture used in worship were located: the golden lampstand (Menorah), the altar of incense, and the table of shewbread. Beyond the main room at the western end of the structure, a cubical room known as the “Holy of Holies” housed the Ark of the Covenant. Two gilded olivewood cherubim kept silent watch over the sacred chest. The architectural scheme of a three-part temple is known from a few earlier Canaanite temples found at Hazor and Lachish. A more contemporary parallel is the small ‘royal chapel’ found at Tell Tainet in Syria, which is dated to the ninth century. The temple of Tell Tainet not only bears an architectural plan similar to Solomon’s temple at Jerusalem, but was also located in close proximity to the palace, as was the Jerusalem temple. The outer walls of Solomon’s temple were made of fine white limestone that was locally quarried. The interior walls were covered by cedar planks, while cypress and olivewood provided floor coverings, doors and door frames, and other furnishings. Ornate carvings, precious stones, and gold overlay adorned the interior walls and equipment. Multilevel storage facilities surrounded the temple on all sides except the entrance. The great bronze laver and sacrificial altar stood in the forecourt east of the porch. Estimates of the size of the temple depend on the size of the cubit and one’s interpretation of the measurements given in several texts (1 Kgs. 6; 2 Chr. 3; Ezek. 40–42). The length of a cubit varied historically between 17.5 and 21 inches. If the measurements in 1 Kgs. 6 refer to the interior dimensions, the interior space, counting the porch, totaled 70 cubits (115 feet) in length and 20 cubits (33 feet) in width. Ezekiel’s dimensions presume the ancillary storage facilities, giving a larger total—perhaps 180 feet long and 85 feet wide. Altogether, the temple must have been an impressive structure. Its memory still stirred the hearts of faithful Jews even after its destruction (Ezra 3:12–13; Hag. 2:1–3).” (Pages 113-114)

Lessing writes, “The temple is Yahweh’s dwelling place, his royal palace. Although Yahweh is so great that ‘heavens and the highest heavens’ can not contain him (1 Ki 8:27), he takes up residence in Zion (Is 8:18; Ps 132:13). The presence of Yahweh in the temple is manifested by his “glory’ (כבוד, Ps 63:3 [ET63:2]), the ‘cloud’ of his ‘glory’ (1 Ki 8:10–11; 2 Chr 5:13–14), and his ‘name,’ which dwells there (e.g., Deut 12:5). In biblical theology, a ‘name’ represents the person who bears it; hence where Yahweh’s name is, there he himself is present (Pss 99:6; 116:4–6). It is therefore Yahweh’s presence that makes the temple holy. Yahweh’s holy temple is both located on earth in Jerusalem (Ps 79:1) and in heaven (Ps 11:4; Micah 1:2).” (Concordia Commentary: Jonah; page 196)


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It was in Solomon’s temple that the “Shekinah” glory was located on planet

earth. The Lord Jesus Christ was the “Shekinah” glory in the Old Testament. The term “Shekinah” is a transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning “the one who dwells” or “that which dwells”. This word is not used in Scripture but the root word shakan (to dwell) and the related word mishkan (tabernacle) are used often and both are associated with the presence of God dwelling with man. The meaning of the word “Shekinah,” “the One Who dwells” emphasizes that God seeks to live with man and not vice versa. The term “Shekinah” originally was used in the Jewish Targums (Aramaic translation of Hebrew Bible) and rabbinic literature whenever the Hebrew text would mention the presence of God. The Shekinah glory appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). This visible manifestation of God’s presence appears in Israel’s wilderness wanderings through a pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night, which was for guidance and assurance of God’s presence with Israel (Exodus 13:21-22). The angel of God is associated with this visible manifestation and is a theophany, a visible and auditory manifestation of the preincarnate Christ (Exodus


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14:19-20). The Shekinah glory appeared on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16-18). The Shekinah glory appeared in the Tabernacle in Israel (Exodus 33:9-11; 18-23; 40:34-38). The Shekinah glory would dwell between the cherubim above the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle (2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chronicles 13:6; Psalm 80:1; 99:1; Isaiah 37:16). The glory of God is the “manifestation” of the holiness of God, i.e. the absolute perfection of His character. Thus, the glory of God is the “manifestation” of the presence of God since the presence of God’s holiness indicates that God Himself is present since God as to His Person is holy. When God and His glory are present, His holiness is present. As to His nature, God is not physical light, but rather He employs physical light to manifest His presence, and which manifestations of light are called the glory of God. The Son of God is that member of the Trinity who manifests the Godhead to Their creatures. Thus, the Lord Jesus Christ is the glory of God since He is the holiness of God incarnate and He is the holiness of God incarnate because He is the incarnate Son of God. The glory of God is found in creation in that God manifests His omnipotence and wisdom through what He has created (Psalm 19:1-4). The glory of God was found in the Garden of Eden since the preincarnate Christ was present with Adam and the Woman (Genesis 3). The meaning of the word “Shekinah,” “the One Who dwells” emphasizes that God seeks to live with man and not vice versa (Exodus 25:8-9). So the term “Shekinah” was used to describe the visible manifestation of God’s presence. The Shekinah glory appeared to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). This visible manifestation of God’s presence appears in Israel’s wilderness wanderings through a pillar of cloud during the day and the pillar of fire at night, which was for guidance and assurance of God’s presence with Israel (Exodus 13:21-22). The angel of God is associated with this visible manifestation and is a theophany, a visible and auditory manifestation of the preincarnate Christ (Exodus 14:19-20). The Shekinah glory appeared on Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:16-18). The Shekinah glory appeared in the Tabernacle in Israel (Exodus 33:9-11, 18-23; 40:34-38). The Shekinah glory would dwell between the cherubim above the mercy seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Tabernacle (2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chronicles 13:6; Psalm 80:1; 99:1; Isaiah 37:16)). Ezekiel 8-11 records the departure from Israel of the Shekinah glory. Therefore, we can see that the glory of the Lord had initially dwelt in the tabernacle in the wilderness (Ex 40:34 Ex 30:34-38). It departed when the Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant, which God allowed because of Israel’s sin. The glory of God came into the temple of Solomon upon completion and consecration (1 Kings


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8:10). Then, it progressively departed the Temple, in preparation for the destruction of the nation of Israel which had turned irrevocably to the worship of abominable idols (First step: Ezekiel 8:3-4; Second: Ezekiel 9:3; Third: Ezekiel 10:18-19; Fourth: Ezekiel 11:22-23). The Temple that was rebuilt after Judah’s seventy years of exile in Babylon did not possess the Shekinah glory of the LORD. Many in Israel wept over this fact that the Shekinah glory had departed (Ezra 3:12). The Shekinah glory appeared in Israel for thirty-three and a half years in the Person of Jesus Christ but departed when they crucified Him. It will return to the millennial temple in the Person of the resurrected, glorified incarnate Son of God, Jesus Christ (Haggai 2:9; Isaiah 4:5; 35:1-3). In John 1:14, the apostle John draws the parallel between the Shekinah glory in Old Testament Israel and the incarnation of the Son of God. Hebrews 1:3 teaches that Jesus Christ is the “Shekinah” glory. In 1 Corinthians 10, Paul alludes to the fact that Jesus Christ is the Shekinah glory that was with Exodus generation of Israel. Paul calls the Lord Jesus Christ, “the Lord of glory .” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8) This same Shekinah glory indwells the body of a believer in the church age (Colossians 1:24-27). ʾělō·hîm The noun ʾělō·hîm means “God” and emphasizes the transcendent character of God. Thus, the word emphasizes that Daniel’s God is transcendent of His creation and creatures and thus superior to the gods of the Babylonians or the god of Nebuchadnezzar, Marduk. It refers to the Lord’s complete sovereign power over Nebuchadnezzar and all the rulers of the earth. This word is employed here rather than the noun Yahweh since the latter is used to emphasize Israel’s covenant relationship to God whereas the latter emphasizes that Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians were Gentiles and thus did not have a covenant relationship with God. Though grammatically plural, the meaning of the noun Elohim is singular. Jack Scott writes, “The plural ending is usually described as a plural of majesty and not intended as a true plural when used of God. This is seen in the fact that the noun ʾĕlōhîm is consistently used with singular verb forms and with adjectives and pronouns in the singular. Albright has suggested that the use of this majestic plural comes from the tendency in the ancient near east toward a universalism: “We find in Canaanite an increasing tendency to employ the plural štorôt ʿstartesʾ, and natôt ʿnathsʾ, in the clear sense of totality of manifestations of a deity’ ” (William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity, 2d ed., p. 213). But a better reason can be seen in Scripture itself where, in the very first chapter of Gen, the necessity of a term conveying both the unity of the one God and yet allowing for a plurality


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of persons is found (Gen 1:2,26). This is further borne out by the fact that the form ʾĕlōhîm occurs only in Hebrew and in no other Semitic language, not even in Biblical Aramaic (Gustav F. Oehler, Theology of the Old Testament, p. 88).” (Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, page 44)

In Daniel 1:1, the articular construction of this noun denotes the uniqueness of Daniel’s God, Yahweh in that He is the one and only God, the Creator and Redeemer of mankind. It sets Daniel’s God in contrast to Nebuchadnezzar’s god, Marduk. We will translate the word “the one and only God’s.” Nebuchadnezzar Transports a Portion of Temple’s Articles to Babylon

Daniel 1:2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. (NASB95) “And he brought them to the land of Shinar” is composed of the conjunction wa ( ו) (waw), “and” and then we have the third person masculine singular hiphil imperfect form of the verb bôʾ he brought to” and this is followed“ ,(bow) (בוא) by the third person masculine plural pronomial suffix -hē·mā(h) (־המה) (haym-maw), “them” and then we have the feminine singular construct form of the noun ʾě·rěṣ (ארץ) (eh-rets), “the land of” and this is followed by the feminine singular form of the proper noun šin·ʿār (שנער) (shin-awr), “Shinar.” Wa The conjunction wa is a marker of sequence indicating that it is introducing a clause that presents the next sequential event after the Lord delivered Jehoiakim into Nebuchadnezzar’s power. We will translate the word “then.” bôʾ The verb bôʾ is in the hiphil stem and means “to transport” indicating that Nebuchadnezzar took some of the gold, silver and bronze articles from Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem and “transported” them to Babylon. The word denotes linear movement and carrying of these articles from Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem to the treasury of the temple of Nebuchadnezzar’s god in Babylon. The hiphil stem of this verb is causative indicating that Nebuchadnezzar “caused” these articles to be transported from Jerusalem to Babylon by giving orders to his soldiers to do so.


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The imperfect wa refers to a completed action as part of a temporal sequence. The imperfect tense of the verb describes this event of Nebuchadnezzar giving the order to transport a portion of the articles of the temple of God in the past from Daniel’s perspective at the time of writing after the Lord delivered Jehoiakim into his power. We will translate the verb bôʾ , “he caused to be transported.” -hē·mā(h) The masculine plural form of the pronomial suffix -hē·mā(h) means “them” referring to a portion of the gold, silver and bronze articles of the temple of God in Jerusalem. The word is the direct of the verb bôʾ . ר ארץ־שנע

The noun ʾě·rěṣ denotes a region or territory or in other words a large area of the earth where distinct cultures or kingdoms reside. Here the word is used in the construct form meaning that it is governing the noun šin·ʿār, which follows indicating the latter has a genitive relationship. This would indicate that this territory or region belongs to Shinar. The noun šin·ʿār was located in the southern region of Mesopotamia, south of Baghdad in Iraq.

The NET Bible writes “The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Josh 7:21; Isa 11:11; Zech 5:11).”3

Herman Austel writes, “Shinar is the ot designation for southern Mesopotamia, the alluvial plain between the rivers Euphrates and Tigris. The area was known by the Sumerians as Sumer and Akkad. It later became known as Babylonia. In two of the eight passages Shinar is called Babylonia in the LXX (Isa 11:11 and Zech 5:11). In Gen 10:10 we are told that the great tyrant and empire builder Nimrod founded his kingdom in Babel, Erech (Sumerian Uruk), Akkad (Agade) and Calneh in the land of Shinar. From here he pushed north into Assyria. It was here also, in Shinar, that rebellious man built the well-known tower of Babel in direct defiance of God (Gen 11:2). In Dan 1:2 it is the land of Shinar to which Nebuchadnezzar removes the vessels of the temple of God, and in Isa 11:11 we are told that Shinar is one of the lands from which regathered Israel will return when the Millenial age is established. In Zech 5:11 the woman in the ephah, representing a concentration of evil (v. 8), is removed to the land of Shinar where a temple is built for her. All of this points to a sinister significance for Shinar as being the

3 Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.


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major center for the development of a culture and civilization built on counterfeit religion, rebelliousness against the true God and his revealed word, the cradle of imperial tyranny and the enemy of God’s people, in short, the epitome of wickedness. (Cf. as well the many biblical references to Babylon.) In addition to the above passages, Amraphel who makes war on the king of Sodom is stated to be king of Shinar (Gen 14:1, 9). Also, part of the illegal spoil taken by Achan (Josh 7:21) is a garment from Shinar.”4

Nebuchadnezzar Stored the Articles in the House of His God

Daniel 1:2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. (NASB95)

4 Austel, H. J. (1999). 2424 שנער. In R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke (Eds.), Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (R. L. Harris, G. L. Archer, Jr. & B. K. Waltke, Ed.) (electronic ed.) (943–944). Chicago: Moody Press.


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“To the house of his god” is composed of the masculine singular construct form of the noun bǎ·yiṯ (בית) (bah-yith), “the house of” and then we have masculine plural construct form of the noun ʾělō·hîm (א$הים) (el-o-heem), “god” and then we have the third person masculine singular pronomial suffix –hû (־הו) (who), “his” bǎ·yiṯ The noun bǎ·yiṯ is in the construct form with noun ʾělō·hîm, “God” and means “house” or “temple” of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, which was Marduk. The word is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the proper name ʾělō·hîm, “God” and together they denote temple of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, Marduk. ʾělō·hîm The noun ʾělō·hîm is used here as a majesty of plural referring to one particular god of Nebuchadnezzar, which cuneiform inscriptions identifies as Marduk. Usually when this word is used with relation to a heathen or unregenerate person in the ancient world, it is a numerical plural referring to many gods since people in the ancient world were polytheists.

The construct form of the noun indicates that it is governing the pronomial suffix hû, which is used as a possessive pronoun meaning “his” referring to Nebuchadnezzar. Together they denote this god belonged to Nebuchadnezzar.

The city of Babylon was founded by Nimrod according to Genesis 10:10 whom made it his capital. However, Babylonian religious tradition gives credit to the god Marduk.

If you drop the first consonant of Nimrod's name and take the others, MRD, you will have the basic root of the god of Babylon, whose name was Marduk, and whom most scholars identify with Nimrod. In the Babylonian religion, Nimrod (or Marduk) held a unique place and his wife was Semiramis. Marduk and Semiramis were the ancient god and goddess of Babylon and had a son whom Semiramis claimed was virgin-born, and they founded the mother and child cult. This was the central character of the religion of ancient Babylon, the worship of a mother and child, supposedly virgin born. As the ancient legend says, Nimrod died and became the sun god. His wife Semiramis was impregnated by a sunbeam and gives birth to her son Tammuz (a counterfeit miraculous birth) who was later killed by a wild boar. However, after Semiramis cries for 40 days, Tammuz comes back to life again, which is a counterfeit of the resurrection. In fact, this is the origin of a counterfeit religious system that revolves around the worship of a mother and child.


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During the Babylonian captivity Jeremiah the prophet condemned Israel’s worship of Semiramis “Queen of Heaven” (Jeremiah 7:18-19; 44:15-30) and at Jerusalem, in the Temple, they were worshipping Tammuz, the son of Semiramis (Ezekiel 8:14-15). This idolatrous worship spread around the globe where in Egypt Semiramis is called Isis and her son is Osiris, and in India, it was Isi and Iswara and in Assyria it was Ishtar and Bacchus and in Asia it was Cybele and Deoius and in ancient Greece it was Aphrodite and Eros and in ancient Rome it was Fortuna and Jupiter.

Nimrod is presented in Scripture as the founder of the kingdom of Babylon, which is presented in Scripture as an evil system originating from Satan in both type and prophecy (Isa. 21:9; Jer. 50:24; Rev. 16:19; 17:5; 18:2).

Genesis 10:8 Now Cush became the father of Nimrod (“rebel”); he became a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the LORD; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the LORD.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. (NASB95) “Babel” is located in modern Iraq, about twenty miles south of Baghdad, near the modern city of Hilla, on the Euphrates River, south of where the Tigris and Euphrates approach. The story of the Tower of Babel is told in Genesis 11:1-9. This building was a ziggurat, which rose in the center of the court of the Temple of Marduk. The expression “Tower of Babel” does not appear in the Bible but is used popularly for ziggurat structure built on the plain of Shinar where the descendants of Noah migrated and settled after the Flood.

The name “Babel” has no connection with the Hebrew balal, “He confused” and its meaning is in fact patent in its Assyrian form, Bab-ili, “gate of god.” The final syllable, el in Hebrew, is common to all Semitic languages and means, “god” while bab is well-known in Assyrian, Arabic, Aramaic and late Hebrew.

In Genesis 11:9, Moses is indulging in a play on words, meaning a verbal irony. Babel, therefore, became a synonym for the confusion caused by the language barriers, which God imposed on the human race because of their pride and arrogance in attempting to establish a one-world government and state religion that would honor mankind rather than God and would be independent of Him.

Genesis 11:1 Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a


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name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” (NASB95)

“City ” is the noun ir , which refers to a fortified city that had its own king with surrounding villages. None of our modern terms such as city, town or village adequately convey the meaning or the mental picture contained in this word. Not only is there a difference between the modern and ancient city, there were differences between the ancient cities themselves, making a definition even more difficult.

The primary distinction between a city and a village is that the former `ir generally had a wall and the frequent reference to the “gate” of the city where governmental functions were held, underscores the walled nature of cities. The villages were in an adjacent agricultural area of a city and were in turn dependent on the city for protection. In the ancient world, the city was primarily intended for religious and public purposes or gatherings. Therefore, based upon the meaning of this word ir in the Hebrew, we know that this city that Nimrod and his followers decided to build would be fortified with a wall with surrounding villages and an adjacent agricultural area and would be for religious and public purposes. The building of this city would have taken place after a council of elders whom Nimrod presided over and would be the center or meeting of this one world government and religion.

The “ziggurat” comes from the term ziqqurratu, apparently meaning “peak,” or the highest point of a mountain and were massive and lofty, solid-brick, staircase structures and at the top, there was a place to worship the stars of the stellar universe and the fallen angels.

There are many ziggurats in Babylon but the one considered to be the tower of Babel of their ancient city is called “The Temple of the Foundation of Heaven and Earth,” which was called by Nebuchadnezzar, “the tower of Babylon.”

This structure was situated in the southern portion of the city, not far from the right bank of the Euphrates and was dedicated to the god of Babylon, Marduk. If you drop the first consonant of Nimrod's name and take the others, MRD, you will have the basic root of the god of Babylon, whose name was Marduk, and whom most scholars identify with Nimrod.

The NET Bible has the following note, “The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. 2 ,1 א�הים). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god


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Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means ‘Nabu has protected the son who will inherit’ (HALOT 660 s.v. נבוכדראצר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77–81.” 5 The Treasury of Nebuchadnezzar’s God

Daniel 1:2 The Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, along with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god. (NASB95) “And he brought the vessels into the treasury of his god” is composed of the conjunction wa ( ו) (waw), “and” which is followed by the object marker ʾēṯ (את) (ayth), which is not translated but is marking the articular masculine plural form of the noun kelî (כלי) (kel-ee), “the vessels” as the direct object and then we have the third person masculine singular hiphil perfect form of the verb bôʾ he“ ,(bow) (בוא) brought into” and this is followed by the masculine singular construct form of the noun bǎ·yiṯ (בית) (bah-yith) and the masculine singular construct form of the noun ʾô·ṣār (אוצר) (o-tsaw), “the treasury of” and then we have the masculine plural construct form of the noun ʾělō·hîm (א$הים) (el-o-heem), “god” which is followed by the third person masculine singular pronomial suffix –hû (־הו) (who), “his.” Wa The conjunction wa is used in an explicative sense meaning that the clause is introducing a statement that clarifies or specifies the exact location in which Nebuchadnezzar stored a portion of the articles from Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem after subjugating that city and Jehoiakim to his rule. Therefore, we will translate the word “specifically.” bôʾ Once again we have the verb bôʾ in the hiphil stem. However, this time it is in the perfect tense and means “to store” in a particular location indicating that

5 Biblical Studies Press. (2006; 2006). The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press.


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Nebuchadnezzar placed a portion of the articles of Solomon’s temple in the treasury of his god, Marduk in Babylon. The hiphil stem of this verb is causative indicating that Nebuchadnezzar “caused” these articles to be stored in the treasury of the temple of his god, Marduk, in Babylon. The perfect tense of the verb describes this event of Nebuchadnezzar storing a portion of the articles of the temple in the treasury of his god in Babylon as a complete whole. We will translate the verb bôʾ , “he caused to be stored in.” kelî

Once again, we have the noun kelî which again means “vessels” or “articles” and is used in the plural referring to the various articles pertaining to the worship of the Lord in Solomon’s temple. 2 Kings 24:1 records that Jehoiakim was forced to pay tribute to Nebuchadnezzar and as part of this tribute the latter took the gold articles of the temple and brought them to Babylon. He placed them in the treasury of the temple of the god he worshipped, which cuneiform inscriptions reveal was Marduk. These articles were made of gold, silver and bronze according to Daniel 5:2-3. This tribute is also mentioned in 2 Chronicles 36:7, 10, 18. These articles were restored seventy years later by Cyrus (Ezra 1:7). The articular form of the noun kelî is anaphoric meaning that the word was used previously in the sentence and is retaining the same meaning in its second occurrence. ʾēṯ

Not translated is the object marker ʾēṯ (את) (oath), which functions as a structural marker of the case of the direct object. It is the primary particle of the accusative case in Hebrew and here it is used to mark the proper noun kelî as the direct object of the verb bôʾ . It is also used for emphasis and is in fact a weakened emphatic particle. We will translate this word “these articles.” bǎ·yiṯ Once again, the noun bǎ·yiṯ is in the construct form and is used with noun ʾělō·hîm, “God” and means “house” or “temple” of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, which was Marduk. The word is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the proper name ʾô·ṣār, which follows it. Together they denote the treasury belongs to the temple of Marduk.


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ʾělō·hîm Again, the noun ʾělō·hîm is used here as a majesty of plural referring to one particular god of Nebuchadnezzar, which cuneiform inscriptions identifies as Marduk. The construct form of the noun indicates that it is governing the pronomial suffix hû, which is used as a possessive pronoun meaning “his” referring to Nebuchadnezzar. Together they denote this god belonged to Nebuchadnezzar. Therefore, we will translate יו ”.his god’s“ ,א$ה ʾô·ṣār The noun ʾô·ṣār is used in a literal sense for the treasury of the temple of Nebuchadnezzar’s god, Marduk. It refers to a storage vault which would hold valuables and was part of the temple of Marduk in Babylon. It would contain items of gold, silver, bronze, iron and precious stones.

The word is in the construct state indicating that it is governing the proper name bǎ·yiṯ, which follows it. Together they denote the temple’s treasury. Author’s Translation of Daniel 1:2 Daniel 1:2 Indeed the Lord delivered Jehoiakim, Judah’s king into his power as well as a portion of articles from the one and only God’s house. Then, he caused them to be transported to the land of Shinar, his god’s house. Specifically, he caused these articles to be stored in his god’s temple treasury.

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