And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

And the king communed with them; and among them all was found none like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: therefore stood they before the king.

And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.

And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.

Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

Then Daniel went in, and desired of the king that he would give him time, and that he would show the king the interpretation.

Then Daniel went to his house, and made the thing known to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, his companions:

3:1 to Jerusalem. This gathering at Jerusalem and reinstitution of the sacrifices (Ezra 3:2) probably marks the end of the seventy-year exile predicted by Jeremiah (see Jeremiah 25:11-12; Daniel 9:2). Although the exact dates are uncertain, many authorities believe the exile began in about 605 B.C. and the return began in about 535 B.C.

9:6 I am ashamed. Although he himself had not sinned, Ezra identified himself with his people, confessing their sins as a people. The prophet Daniel had done the same (Daniel 9:5-14) as he prayed for God to send His people back home from their exile in Babylon. The Lord Jesus Christ not only identified Himself with us in our sinful state but also then “bare our sins in His own body on the tree” (I Peter 2:24).

Introduction to Nehemiah Since Ezra and Nehemiah were once considered to be one book, and since Ezra and Nehemiah were contemporaries in post-exilic Jerusalem, there is much in common between the two books (see “Introduction” to Ezra). In fact, many of the ancient scribes believe Ezra actually wrote the first few chapters of Nehemiah, but the internal evidence strongly favors Nehemiah as the author. Nehemiah was a high official in the court of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. As a Jew, however, he was greatly concerned about the reestablishment of Jerusalem and the temple back in Israel. Approximately fourteen years after Ezra received his decree from the king Artaxerxes, Nehemiah obtained another decree from the same king, giving him authority to rebuild the wall and the city as a whole. This was almost certainly the decree prophesied by Daniel as the beginning of the “seventy weeks” in Daniel’s famous prediction of the coming of the Messiah (Daniel 9:24-27). Under Nehemiah’s dynamic leadership, the walls were quickly rebuilt, despite much opposition from the previous inhabitants of the land. Under Ezra’s spiritual leadership, and Nehemiah’s governmental leadership, the remnant nation experienced a significant religious revival, though it never again gained complete independence.

2:1 month Nisan. This would mean the first day of the month Nisan, which was the first month of the religious year of Israel. The twentieth year of Artaxerxes is generally accepted as 445 B.C., in terms of more or less standard secular chronology. This date is important as the starting date of the uniquely significant prophecy of the seventy weeks (see notes on Daniel 9:25-27).

2:5 build it. Nehemiah’s request and commission were not to build the temple, which was already completed, but the city, especially its walls (compare Daniel 9:25).

2:8 the king granted me. See Nehemiah 2:l. This important decree in effect started the divine clock for the prophesied time of Messiah’s first coming to Jerusalem (Daniel 9:25- 27).

1:4 the riches. Xerxes was the fourth king prophesied in Daniel 11:2, who was to be “far richer” than all before him. Xerxes historically is indeed known to have developed an exceedingly rich and luxurious regime.

1:19 be not altered. See also Daniel 6:13. The Persians considered their laws to be so perfect—an opinion probably justified in most cases—that once enacted, they could be neither repealed nor revised. Vashti thus lost her position as queen, but was presumably still in the harem.

3:2 bowed not. In the Hebrew, “bow down” is the same as “worship.” Mordecai, as a believing Jew, refused to worship Haman, knowing that God alone must be worshiped (Exodus 20:5; Daniel 3:18; etc.). Not even angels are to be worshipped (e.g., Revelation 22:8,9).

3:8 a certain people. It may be significant that Haman did not reveal that this “certain people” were the Jews. He may have been afraid that Ahasuerus (Xerxes) would remember the earlier decrees of Cyrus and Darius favoring the Jews, and possibly also remember the honored position that Daniel—also a Jew—had held in the courts of two Persian kings (Ezra l:2-3; 6:11-12; Daniel 6:25-28).