"of the king's seed and of the
princes," whom Nebuchadnezzar had carried captive to Babylon in an
invasion not recorded in the books of Kings or Chronicles (1:1-3). Thus
was fulfilled the prophecy recorded in Isa. 39:7. But God graciously
turned this into a rich blessing to the Hebrew nation; for Daniel,
having been educated with his three companions, Hananiah, Mishael, and
Azariah, "in the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans," and having
"understanding in all visions and dreams," a remarkable proof of which
he gave by relating to Nebuchadnezzar the dream which had gone from him,
with its interpretation, was made "ruler over the whole province of
Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon,"
and at his request his three companions were also set over the affairs
of the province of Babylon (chaps. 1, 2). He continued in high honor at
the court of Babylon as a wise and incorruptible statesman, and a
prophet who had the gift of interpreting dreams, till the overthrow of
the Chaldean empire by the Medes and Persians. By Darius the Mede he was
treated with like honor (perhaps in connection with his interpretation
of Belshazzar's dream, chap. 5), being made chief of the three
presidents whom he set over his whole realm, and a plot formed to
destroy him was frustrated through God's miraculous interposition and
turned to the increase of his honor and influence; so that he continued
to prosper "in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the
Persian" (chap. 6). He lived, therefore, to see the release of his
countrymen from their long captivity, though it does not appear that he
himself returned to his native land. Probably he continued in the
service of the Persian court to the day of his death.

20. The first chapter is introductory to the whole book, giving an
account of the selection and education of Daniel and his three
companions by direction of the king of Babylon. The prophecies that
follow naturally fall into two series. The _first_, occupying chaps.
2-7, is written in Chaldee from the middle of the fourth verse of chap.
2. It unfolds the relation which God's kingdom holds to the heathen
powers as seen (1,) in a twofold vision of the four great monarchies of
the world, in the form first of an image consisting of four parts, and
then of four great beasts rising up out of the sea, the last monarchy
being succeeded by the kingdom of the God of heaven, which shall never
be destroyed (chaps