Daniel (Hebrew origin: God is my judge)
(Daniel 1:6) 6th century b.c.e.
Daniel was a prophet, visionary, interpreter of dreams, and high official in the Babylonian administration. King Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream but could not recall it. That night the king's dream was revealed to Daniel in a vision. Daniel told the king that he had dreamed of a great statue, its head made of gold, its breast and arms of silver, its thighs of brass, its legs of iron, and its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. In the dream, a stone was thrown at the statue, which then broke into small pieces that were blown away by the wind. The stone grew into a great mountain that filled the whole earth. Daniel explained that the head of gold was Nebuchadnezzar himself and that the rest of the statue, made of different materials, represented successive kingdoms that would be swept away by the kingdom of God, which would last forever. The astonished king acknowledged the supremacy of God and, to show his gratitude and appreciation, appointed Daniel governor of the province of Babylon and head of all the wise men in the kingdom.
Years later, Belshazzar, who was by then the ruler in Babylon, invited 1,000 guests to a great banquet. While the men and women at the feast were praying to idols and getting drunk, a hand wrote a mysterious message on the wall. The queen suggested that Daniel be brought to the palace. He explained that the message said the kingdom would be divided and given to the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5:26-28). Later that night, Belshazzar was slain, and Darius the Median became the king of Babylon. Daniel was named one of the three top ministers of the new king, but the new ruler decreed that, for the next thirty days, anybody found making any petition to God or man, except to the king, would be put to death. Jealous royal advisors observed Daniel praying to God and reported this to the king. The king was reluctant to punish Daniel but, unable to change the decree, had him thrown into a lion's den. The next morning, the king, who had fasted the whole night, rushed to the lion's den and was happy to see Daniel coming out unhurt. He had Daniel's accusers thrown to the lions and decreed that everybody in the kingdom should revere God.
Read more biographies from Who's Who in the Jewish Bible.
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