Daniel
Believers are to live a life of holiness. The LORD God has sovereign control over the nations. The kingdom of God will ultimately triumph.
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12
Deuterocanonical chapters: Song of the Three Children, 13, 14
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, First Fast, Second Fast
SUMMARY
Title
The Book of Daniel is named for its principle character, who is also its author.
Author
The Book of Daniel says it was written by Daniel.
The Lord Jesus Christ attributed the authorship of the book to Daniel:
Matthew 24:15. When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
Daniel lived at least until the third year of Cyrus, or 536 BC.
Date
The events in the Book of Daniel took place in the sixth century BC.
Daniel’s familiarity with the individuals spoken of in the book and with the historical events and customs mentioned in the book necessitates a sixth-century date for the book.
Some people postulate a late date for the book. However, the minute details included in the book could hardly have been retained accurately by oral tradition for some 400 years.
Languages
The Book of Daniel is unusual in that it is written in three languages:
HEBREW
Chapters 1:1 to 2:4a and chapters 8 to 12 are in Hebrew.
Hebrew is the language of God’s covenant people.
ARAMAIC
Chapters 2:4b through 7:28 are in Aramaic.
Those chapters are about the LORD God’s program for the Gentile nations.
They are written in Aramaic, which was the language of the Gentile world.
GREEK
Three chapters exist in the Greek portion of the Book of Daniel.
They are recognized as Deuterocanonical Scripture by the Greek Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, and Catholic Churches.
Purpose
The Book of Daniel insists that believers live a life of holiness.
The Book of Daniel teaches that the LORD God has sovereign control over the nations.
The Book of Daniel is certain that the kingdom of God will ultimately triumph.
The Book of Daniel records certain events in Israel’s history in the 70-year Babylonian Captivity which are recorded nowhere else in Scripture.
The Book of Daniel outlines the future history of the times of the Gentiles, describing future empires that will occupy Palestine and rule over Israel until the Messiah returns.
The themes introduced in the Book of Daniel come to their ultimate consummation in the Book of Revelation.
OUTLINE
PERSONAL HISTORY OF DANIEL
Daniel 1:1-7. Daniel is deported to Babylon
Daniel 1:8-16. Daniel lives as a vegetarian
Daniel 1:17-21. Daniel is appointed to the royal court of Babylon
THE FUTURE HISTORY OF THE GENTILES
Daniel 2:1-49. Nebuchadnezzar has a puzzling dream
Daniel 3:1-29. Nebuchadnezzar builds a giant statue of himself
Daniel 4:1-18. Nebuchadnezzar has another puzzling dream
Daniel 4:19-27. Daniel interprets the dream
Daniel 4:28-37. Nebuchadnezzar loses his mind for seven years
Daniel 5:1-31. Belshazzar sees the writing on the wall
Daniel 6:1-28. Daniel in the lion’s den
Daniel 7:1-15. Daniel has a mysterious vision of four beasts
Daniel 7:16-28. An angel explains the vision
THE FUTURE HISTORY OF ISRAEL UNDER THE GENTILES
Daniel 8:1-14. Daniel has a vision of a ram and a goat
Daniel 8:15-27. An angel named Gabriel interprets the vision
Daniel 9:1-2. Daniel discovers a key verse in Jeremiah
Daniel 9:3-19. Daniel fasts and prays
Daniel 9:20-27. Gabriel explains the verse
Daniel 10:1. Daniel is given his final vision
Daniel 10:2-3. Daniel fasts for three weeks
Daniel 10:4-21. Gabriel arrives to interpret the vision
Daniel 11:1-2. The future rulers of the Persian Empire
Daniel 11:3-4. The rise of Alexander the Great
Daniel 11:5-20. The conflict between Egypt and Syria
Daniel 11:21-35. Invasion by Antiochus IV Epiphanies
Daniel 11:36-39. The Antichrist
Daniel 11:40-45. The Antichrist is attacked
Daniel 12:1-3. Michael will deliver Israel
Daniel 12:4. The book is sealed
Daniel 12:5-13. Concerning the Great Tribulation
THE DEUTEROCANONICAL PORTION OF THE BOOK OF DANIEL
SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNIGO
Song of the Three Holy Children (Daniel 3)
SUZANNA
Daniel 13:1-64. Righteous Suzanna
BEL AND THE DRAGON
Daniel 14:1-22. Daniel confronts the priests of Bel
Daniel 14:23-30. Daniel kills the dragon
Daniel 14:31-32. Daniel is thrown in the lion’s den
Daniel 14:33-42. The prophet Habakkuk helps Daniel
MEMORIZE
Here are some great verses to memorize:
Daniel 9:3. So I turned to the LORD God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.” (NIV translation)
Daniel 12:3. And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” (KJV translation)
SEE ALSO:
Great verses to memorize from the entire Bible
DANIEL
CHAPTERS: 01, 02, 03, 04, 05, 06, 07, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12
Deuterocanonical chapters: Song of the Three Children, 13, 14
RESOURCES: Summary, Outline, Memorize, First Fast, Second Fast
Unless otherwise noted, all Bible quotations on this page are from the World English Bible and the World Messianic Edition. These translations have no copyright restrictions. They are in the Public Domain.