Bible Character Explorer
Babylonian and Persian Exile • c. 620 to 538 BC
Daniel
Man Greatly BelovedThe exiled Judean who kept his integrity in a pagan court and received visions of the coming kingdom
"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank."
Daniel 1:8 (KJV)
Overview
Daniel was taken captive to Babylon as a young man during Nebuchadnezzar's first siege of Jerusalem. He rose to prominence through God-given wisdom in interpreting dreams and served under multiple kings across the Babylonian and Persian empires, including surviving a night in the lions' den. His book combines historical narrative with apocalyptic visions of future kingdoms and the coming of 'one like the Son of man,' a title Jesus applied to himself more than any other.
Gospel Connection
Daniel's vision of 'one like the Son of man' receiving an everlasting kingdom from the Ancient of Days is one of the most direct Old Testament sources for Jesus's self-identification. Jesus called himself the Son of Man more than any other title throughout his ministry, and at his trial, when asked directly if he was the Christ, he answered by quoting Daniel 7, declaring that they would see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven. Daniel's confidence that God rules over every empire and that his kingdom would never be destroyed finds its fulfillment in the kingdom Jesus inaugurated and will one day bring in fullness.
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See how this life points to Christ in the Gospel Connection section above.