Daniel 1:11
in Daniel 1Then Daniel said to the steward whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then said Daniel to the steward whom the prince of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah:
KJV
Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,
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This verse in Daniel 1
Commentary
6 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel ... - Margin, or, the “steward.” It is not easy to determine whether the word here used (מלצר meltsâr) is to be regarded as a proper name, or the name of an office. It occurs nowhere else, except in Dan 1:16, applied to the same person. Gesenius regards it as denoting the name of an office in the Babylonian court - master of the wine, chief butler. Others regard it as meaning a treasurer. The word is still in use in Persia.
This site's exposition
to Melzar
on Daniel 1:11-14
Daniel takes his proposal to Melzar, the steward set immediately over the four, and asks for a ten-day trial rather than an outright refusal, pulse to eat and water to drink in place of the king's provision. The request is modest and measurable, an appeal to be judged by the plainest evidence, our countenances as they appear before thee, rather than by argument. Melzar's consent, given for ten days only, is a small risk on his part matched by a much larger act of trust on theirs, and the bench notes the wisdom of asking for a test rather than a permanent exemption.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They were jealous over themselves, lest, though it should not be sinful in itself, it should be an occasion of sin to them, lest, by indulging their appetites with these dainties, they should grow sinful, voluptuous, and in love with the pleasures of Babylon. They had learned David's prayer, Let me not eat of their dainties ( Ps. cxli.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
Then said Daniel to Melzar,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Melzar--rather, the steward, or chief butler, entrusted by Ashpenaz with furnishing the daily portion to the youths [GESENIUS]. The word is still in use in Persia.
Then said Daniel to Melzar - Melzar was an officer under Ashpenaz, whose office it was to attend to the food, clothing, etc., of these royal captives. Others think מלצר meltsar, master of the inn or hotel, the name of an office.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֥אמֶר | vaiyomer | and he said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| דָּנִיֵּ֖אל | daniyel | Daniel | H1840 → | 24 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הַמֶּלְצַ֑ר | hameltzar | the guardian | H4453 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר | ʾasher | whom | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מִנָּה֙ | minah | he had assigned | H4487 → | 28 times |
| שַׂ֣ר | sar | [the] chief of | H8269 → | 421 times |
| הַסָּֽרִיסִ֔ים | hasarisim | the officials | H5631 → | 42 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| דָּנִיֵּ֣אל | daniyel | Daniel | H1840 → | 24 times |
| חֲנַנְיָ֔ה | chananyah | Hananiah | H2608 → | 29 times |
| מִֽישָׁאֵ֖ל | mishael | Mishael | H4332 → | 7 times |
| וַעֲזַרְיָֽה׃ | vaazaryah | and Azariah | H5838 → | 49 times |
וַיֹּ֥אמֶרand he said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
דָּנִיֵּ֖אלDaniel
daniyelH1840 →24 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הַמֶּלְצַ֑רthe guardian
hameltzarH4453 →
אֲשֶׁ֤רwhom
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מִנָּה֙he had assigned
minahH4487 →28 times
שַׂ֣ר[the] chief of
sarH8269 →421 times
הַסָּֽרִיסִ֔יםthe officials
hasarisimH5631 →42 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
דָּנִיֵּ֣אלDaniel
daniyelH1840 →24 times
חֲנַנְיָ֔הHananiah
chananyahH2608 →29 times
מִֽישָׁאֵ֖לMishael
mishaelH4332 →7 times
וַעֲזַרְיָֽה׃and Azariah
vaazaryahH5838 →49 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Daniel
Who and where
1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Daniel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.