Chapters 1 and 8–12 of the book are written in Hebrew and Chapters 2–7 in Aramaic, the language of the Babylonian empire. The book of Daniel is not presented in chronological order. The Chronology & Original Languages of Daniel The book of Daniel was placed in the Writings section of the Hebrew Bible because Daniel ministered to Gentiles as a government official rather than as a preaching prophet. Daniel’s ministry lasted the entire 70 years of the Judean Babylonian captivity from 605 to 535 BC. God’s holy land was virtually vacant of its people.ĭaniel rose to a high position in Babylon and continued in public office until 538 BC, one year after Cyrus the Persian captured Babylon and issued an edict saying the Judeans could return to Jerusalem ( Daniel 1:21). He also deported the remaining Judean people, leaving only a few very poor people in the country. He deported King Zedekiah to Babylon after killing his sons in front of him and blinding him.
Zedekiah likewise conspired with Egypt, so Nebuchadnezzar once again returned to Jerusalem in 586 BC, burning the city and the temple to the ground. One of these was the prophet Daniel, who was about 13 years old.īecause the Judeans revolted against Nebuchadnezzar, making treaties with his enemy Egypt, he returned in 597 BC and deported King Jehoiachin, his mother, and the entire court plus all the tradesmen in Judah, most of the priests, and almost all of the wealthy landowners, leaving Zedekiah as only a puppet governor with the title of King. In 605 BC he came to Jerusalem, made King Jehoiakim his vassal, seized articles from the Jerusalem temple and deported some young Judeans-perhaps from the royal family-to Babylon to train as administrators.
King Nebuchadnezzar II reigned from 605 BC to his death in 562 BC, a total of 43 years ruling the known world. What Is the Historical Background of the Book of Daniel? Would they allow themselves to be assimilated into this culture with its magnificent buildings and colorful religion, a culture that had taken over almost all of the known world, or would they remain loyal to the God of Heaven, the one true God who had called Abraham out of a similar culture 1,500 years earlier. In Babylon, God’s chosen people had to make a choice. Yet it is a story of God’s providence and protection of his chosen people, even while he is disciplining them for their disobedience. The Judeans are captives in Babylon for 70 years, and God’s Holy Land is vacant. The events here take place during a most disastrous time in the history of the Kingdom of Judah.
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