However, there is no reason to assume that the book of daniel is in error. The traditional christian interpretation of the seventy weeks. Mar 31, 2020 what is the meaning of mene mene tekel upharsin. Book of daniel overview insight for living ministries. The angel gabriel specifically told daniel to seal up these prophecies until the time of the end. This book takes its name not from the author, who is actually unknown, but from its hero, who was allegedly among the first jews deported to babylon, where he lived at least until 538 b. The book of daniel records the actions, prophecies, and visions of the prophet daniel. The book is said to make several historical blunders. How old was daniel from the bible when he died and how. The book of daniel, originally written in hebrew and aramaic, is a book in both the hebrew bible tanakh and the christian old testament. Chapter 2 the historical errors of daniel plymouth brethren.
Biblical scientific errors are external errors something that the bible gets wrong about the external world as opposed to internal errors something that contradicts the bible s own message. The use of the aramaic language in the book of daniel is not surprising, given the fact that the setting for this book is during the jews captivity in babylon. Doc historical issues in the book of daniel norm althausen. The book says that daniel is its writer in several places, such as 9.
The prophecy in daniel 7 is rich in biblical symbolism, which is the key to its unraveling. The human population didnt come from just two people, and certainly was as never low as. Through a series of dreams and visions and their interpretations daniel is shown an outline of future kingdoms of the world. Why did daniel get all of the historical facts wrong in. The stories of the first half are considered legendary in origin, and the visions of the second the product of anonymous authors in the maccabean period. Study guide for daniel by chuck smith blue letter bible. These are all of the chapters of the book of daniel. In todays excerpt from the most recent edition in the story of god bible commentary series, author wendy l. The book of daniel is an apocalypse, a literary genre in which a heavenly reality is revealed to a human recipient.
I have a question that someone may be able to help with. He ends up taking back the cream of the crop, the most elite and noble israelites, to serve at his court in babylon. As it happens, the book of daniel offers a readymade framework for unpacking its meaning in the workplace. Over the years i have been asked if i had any other books of the bible that are explained like the one for the book of revelation which took a year to complete. The book of which he is the hero divides into two parts, a set of tales in chapters 16 from no earlier than the hellenistic period 32330 bce, and the series of visions in chapters 712 from the maccabean era. The book of daniel is the apocalyptic book of the hebrew bible. Biblical scientific errors refer to biblical claims that go against scientific data, usually as a result of a literalistic reading. Daniel bible book with full chapters new international. His life and prophecies are recorded in the book of daniel. We will use the principle that the bible must be its own interpreter as we seek to understand this crucial prophecy. Daniel is one of the most controversial books of the bible, yet its message is clear and unmistakable. The bible, in contrast, is claimed by many believers to be infallible, inerrant and perfect.
Second, the divine inspiration of the bible hangs in the balance. On the other hand, at the end of three years he was supposed to stand before the king. However, the historical accuracy of daniels record confirms a 6th century composition, and the best conclusion is that the book of daniel is a revelation from god. A classic example of textual errors caused by careless transcribers or ignorant translators is. Watch our overview video on the book of daniel, which breaks down the literary design of the book and its flow of thought. The book of daniel is a composite text of dubious historicity from various genres, and daniel himself is a legendary figure. The angel had no more to say, and the volume might be sealed up. In appendix 1, i illustrate how andersons interpretation inserted the antichrist in daniel 9. Daniel accordingly asks, and receives, specific information on this point daniel 12. The purpose of the book of daniel in the book of daniel the scriptures foretell how the lord will deal with the people of daniel the jews and the gentile nations.
Jul 17, 2019 this, at least in my opinion, leaves open the room for errors in details like understanding of science and the natural world. Jan 02, 2020 daniel served in the royal court of nebuchadnezzar and several rulers who followed nebuchadnezzar. The prophet daniel is one of four major prophets in hebrew scripture, along with isaiah, jeremiah, and ezekiel. We claim jesus is the only way because he made that clear in the bible. Further evidence of the books date is in the fact that daniel is excluded from the hebrew bible s canon of the prophets, which was closed around 200 bc, and the wisdom of sirach, a work dating from around 180 bc, draws on almost every book of the old testament except daniel, leading scholars to suppose that its author was unaware of it. Much of what is presently called conservative christianity has done the same, especially with its premature interpretation of the sealed prophecies in daniel, chapter 4 and chapters. While bible scholars debate issues like when it was written and whether it is historically accurate, the book of daniel consistently calls gods people of every generation to faithfulness. We are studying daniel on wednesday evening and some seem to think that the 7 times are seasons, some think months, and a couple think they are years.
Daniels four beasts bible symbols in the prophecy of daniel. Many critical scholars attribute the obvious historical errors of the book of daniel to naivete. Later in the book, daniel prophesied of terrible trials still to come in the promised land daniel 11. Shadrach, meshach, and abednego are figures from chapter 3 of the book of daniel, three hebrew men thrown into a fiery furnace by nebuchadnezzar, king of babylon, when they refuse to bow down to the kings image. Darius the mede is a different person from darius i of persia. Commentators have argued what the sealing of daniel means. Daniel 4, the madness of nebuchadnezzar the fourth chapter of the bible s book of daniel tells how king nebuchadnezzar learns the lesson of gods sovereignty, who is able to bring low those who walk in pride. The widely held view that the book of daniel is largely fictional rests mainly on the modern philosophical assumption that longrange predictive prophecy is impossible.
The prophecies in the book of daniel are so detailed and accurate that scholars who dont believe in the bible as the inspired word of god have trouble accepting daniel as the author of his book. Their hebrew names are mishael, hananiah, and azariah. In spite of satans attacks, daniel was able to record these key concepts for people living in the tumultuous time before christs return. Contradictions and internal errors in the bible he lists all these supposed errors and contradictions in the creation story without acknowledging the fact that he is only attacking 1 particular interpretation. Daniels third great appearance in the book is in chapter 5, where he is called upon to explain the extraordinary writing upon the wall of belshazzars palace, which foretold the end of the babylonian empire and the incoming of the medes and persians. Its prophecies speak with increased meaning to this generation. As the extrabiblical sources have become more complete, these alleged errors in the book of daniel have come to be recognized only as. Daniel was young enough when he went to babylon that the kind of food he ate could impact his physical development.
The meaning is, that all has been communicated which it was intended to communicate. Throughout the rest of the bible, each author portrays different periods of history and demonstrates different types of relationships with god and the world. And, the seventhday adventists are not the only ones to get into eschatological trouble by ignoring what the bible says about the prophecies in the book of daniel. And there shall be a time of trouble under antiochus epiphanes. Critics charge there are numerous historical errors involving events, persons, and dates. Of such the lord had said, wickedness has come to babylon through the elders and judges posing as guides to the people. And the lord gave jehoiakim king of judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of god. Indeed, the interpretation of many of the events of daniel 11 finds quite widespread agreement among bible commentators, although one needs to avoid the adventistdispensationalist prophecy extremists. This chapter begins with an account of a time of exceeding great trouble to the people of god, who are comforted with the consideration of michael the great prince being on their side, and with a promise of deliverance, with the resurrection of the dead, and the glorious state of wise and good men upon that, daniel 12. A large part of the book is written in aramaic chapters 2. Fundamentalists who struggle to explain away the errors in the bible frequently attack the. Virtually every area of apologetics stands or falls on the bible. King james version errors errors in the king james bible.
Daniel, as many other authors of the antiquity and the bible, writes of himself in the third person throughout the first part of the book. The story of daniel motivates faithfulness despite. Daniel contains an incredible amount of detail concerning the kingdoms of the gentiles from the reign of nebuchadnezzar, from about 605 b. Nebuchadnezzar dreams of a great tree that shelters the whole world, but in his dream an angelic watcher appears and decrees that the tree must be cut down and that for seven years. What is the meaning of the handwriting on the wall. Fourth the predictions given by daniel in the form of the interpretation of. But most of us know them by the pagan names given to them by the babylonians shadrach, meshach.
The book of daniel is followed by the prophet hosea, the first of the prophets in the book of the twelve. How could the author of the book of daniel make such an error if he lived and wrote at. It does not say these years were concluded before the events of ch. The big picture of the book of daniel bible commentary. Although there are two other men named daniel in the biblea son of david 1 chronicles 3. Daniel, book of, a book of the third division of the hebrew bible, the hagiographa, named for a man daniel whose fortunes and predictions are the subject of the book. Previously, daniel had told king nebuchadnezzar that there is a god in heaven who reveals secrets daniel 2. This changed the entire meaning of daniel s magnificent vision and distorts the true significance of this important prophecy. Why did daniel get all of the historical facts wrong in daniel 11. His predictions, covering twentyfive hundred years of history, clearly outline world events from the prophets time six hundred years before christ to ours. The authenticity of few books in the bible has been more furiously assailed by critics that the book of daniel. The most extensive use of aramaic in the bible is found in the book of daniel, including king nebuchadnezzars edict in chapter 4. Further light from extrabiblical sources have confirmed that he was, in fact, the last king of babylon.
Daniel, theology of definition and meaning bible dictionary. Scientific, historical errors and mistakes in the bible. However, all the stories of the book of daniel relate directly to the persecution under antiochus. In addition, the captivating prophecy, imagery, and symbolism make the book of daniel one of the most read of hebrew scripture, our old testament of the bible. Daniel s aramaic is closer to eastern aramaic rather than western aramaic much like that which is found in the elephantine papyri fifthcentury b. Proper usage and audio pronunciation plus ipa phonetic transcription of the word book of daniel. This inaccurate method of bible interpretation is known as eisegesis. The historical errors of the book of daniel are the first ground of the. When the book of daniel is examined for content and literary character, it falls naturally into two roughly equal parts which may be designated daniel a. Davids second son, born unto him in hebron, of abigail the carmelitess 1 chronicles 3. The book of daniel has sometimes been classified with the prophetic books of the old testament, a mistake owing largely to a failure to distinguish between the predominant characteristics of prophetic and apocalyptic writings.
Strictly speaking, the book does not belong to the prophetic writings but rather to a distinctive type of literature known as apocalyptic, of which it is an early specimen. In daniel s dream, he sees the four winds of heaven churning up the great sea. Daniels parents chose a hebrew name for their son meaning god is my judge, testifying of their faith in the one, true god. Fundamentalists who struggle to explain away the errors in the bible frequently attack the errors of the holy books of other religions as eagerly as any freethinker, and i see no reason to treat the book of daniel.
Discover the 66 books of the bible discover books of the. Book of daniel from the king james version of the bible. Discover books of the bible this web site explains various books of the bible, by explaining each individual scripture. We also know that god will be fair to those whove never heard the gospel because of his character revealed in the bible. Daniel and his godfearing friends were forced to live in babylon, far from home and far from the land their lord had promised them. Daniel 4 niv nebuchadnezzars dream of a tree bible. The book of daniel speaks of things that can be interpreted in many ways, and many scholars, who do not have any concept of an inner meaning, interpret them literally. Daniel belongs to the latter group, a type of writing that in many respects sharply contrasts prophetic literature.
Daniel 12 commentary john gills exposition on the whole bible. However, the book of daniel found in the hebrew bible is a combination of hebrew and. One of the four great prophets, although he is not once spoken of in the old testament as a prophet. Daniel s friends shadrach, meshach and abednego served as advisers to king nebuchadnezzar of babylon. And in fact the book of revelation is largely a christian interpretation of the. So, without the slightest embarrassment or hesitation, i largely rely here on the halley outline of daniel. A noble jewish youth of jerusalem, he is taken into captivity by nebuchadnezzar of babylon and serves the king and his successors with loyalty and ability until the time of the persian conqueror cyrus, all the while remaining true. Daniel is a book of a number of astounding miracles. The bible prophet, daniel, outlines in vivid detail world events now unfolding before our eyes. As if that were not enough, still more errors crept in to the kjv bible because the translators, picked by king james to produce an english version of gods word, read into certain texts their own biases, prejudices and long held church doctrines. Whatever the trial was, though, it was always the result of sin.
The book of daniel is one of the most significant prophetic books in the bible. The simple meaning is, that he who was the guardian angel of that nation, or who was appointed to watch over its interests, would at that time of great trouble interpose and render aid. Understanding the book of daniel free bible booklets. Daniel with book summary versebyverse bible commentary. This creates a rich, colorful experience in studying the bible. As the leadership in many churches today are moving people to greek dictionaries, lexicons, or some other book or new bible version, the numerous conflicting versions set up the need for an interpreter a pastor with a lexicon to supersede the authority of the holy bible, moving the church, ever so subtly, back to the old testament or roman. The prophetic book of daniel was written for our time.
Daniel taken to babylon in the third year of the reign of jehoiakim king of judah, nebuchadnezzar king of babylon came to jerusalem and besieged it. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with this that we have missed its main message. The result is a forcing of the word to fit into preconceived notions, and this in turn, unfortunately leads into misunderstanding. Advance your knowledge of scripture with this resource library of over 40 reference books, including commentaries and study bible notes. The book of daniel differs from the majority of hebrew prophecy. Its prophecies of worldruling empires are closely related to revelation. The book of daniel begins with king nebuchadnezzar, the ruler of babylon, ransacking jerusalem. This series explains in simple terms the relationship between these two books of the bible. Part of the section of the bible referred to as ketuvim the writings see the torah, it is an apocalyptic book, like the book of revelations in the new testament. In the hebrew bible the book of daniel does not belong to the prophets but to the writings hebr. In the book of daniel we read about three young hebrew men held captive in babylon by nebuchadnezzar.
The entire bible is rife with historical errors, its hard to just name a few major ones in such a short space. But thou, o daniel, shut up the words to wit, by sealing them up, or by closing the book, and writing no more in it. Daniel god my judge, which accords with the character and contents of the book. Clicking on a chapter will show you the text of that chapter of daniel in the bible new international version. Many base their entire religious ideology around the presumption that the bible is free from errors or mistakes, so demonstrating the presence of errors is key to rebutting their religious claims.
Belteshazzar, do not let the dream or its meaning alarm you. The book of daniel is often read for its contribution to our understanding of endtimes events, but sometimes christians have been so obsessed with. And yet, to those living in the midst of them, this was a question of vital interest. A summary of the contents of each bible book contains summaries for the old and new testament. In any case, daniel, like revelation the other book length apocalypse in the bible provides much valuable material relevant to work. The book of daniel is a 2ndcentury bc biblical apocalypse combining a prophecy of history. Daniel is a hebrew name meaning god is my judge international standard bible encyclopedia, daniel. That framework is a nested parallelism structure in technical terms, a chiasm.