Daniel 1:8
New English Translation
8 But Daniel made up his mind[a] that he would not defile[b] himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine.[c] He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself.
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- Daniel 1:8 tn Heb “placed on his heart.”
- Daniel 1:8 tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”sn Various reasons have been suggested as to why such food would defile Daniel. Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it was food that had been offered to idols. Daniel’s practice in this regard is strikingly different from that of Esther, who was able successfully to conceal her Jewish identity.
- Daniel 1:8 tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”
Daniel 1:8
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
8 But Daniel was resolved not to defile himself with the king’s food or wine; so he begged the chief chamberlain to spare him this defilement.[a]
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- 1:8 This defilement: the bread, meat, and wine of the Gentiles were unclean (Hos 9:3; Tb 1:12; Jdt 10:5; 12:1–2) because they might have been offered to idols; and the meat may not have been drained of blood, as Jewish dietary law requires. This test relates to the attempt of Antiochus to force Jews to eat forbidden foods in contempt of their religion (1 Mc 1:62–63; 2 Mc 6:18; 7:1).
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