Daniel 1:12

"“Test your servants, I beg you, ten days; and let them give us vegetables to eat and water to drink."

Key Reflection

The original audience in Daniel 1:12 would have recognized this request as a deliberate test of faith and obedience, set by the king's officials to see if the young Hebrews could resist his command to eat non-Jewish food. The ten-day trial period allowed them to observe the impact of a plant-based diet without meat or wine, which were common in the Babylonian court, on their health and vitality compared to the usual royal provisions. This context highlights the significance of maintaining dietary laws as a symbol of loyalty to their faith and cultural identity amidst foreign rule.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days -A period which would indicate the probable result of the entire experiment. If during that period there were no indications of diminished health, beauty, or vigour, it would not be unfair to presume that the experiment in behalf of temperance would be successful, and it would not be improper then to ask that it might be continued longer. And let them give us pulse to eat -Margin, “of pulse that we may eat.” Hebrew, “Let them give us of pulse, and we will eat.” The word “pulse” with us means leguminous plants with thin seeds; that is, plants with a pericarp, or seed-vessel, of two valves, having the seeds fixed to one suture only.

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