In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,
Parallel translations
- KJV In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
- BSB In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
- NKJV In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
- NASB In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
- NLT It was the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, who became king of the Babylonians.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The chapter is dated to the first year of Darius the Mede, who ruled over the Babylonian realm. The setting marks the transition of empires and the threshold of Israel's restoration.
Overview
The precise dating to Darius's first year places this chapter at the fall of Babylon and the rise of Medo-Persia, the very moment Israel's exile nears its end. Such careful historical grounding is characteristic of Daniel. It sets the stage for Daniel's study of prophecy and his great prayer, showing that God works His redemptive timetable through the rise and fall of nations.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Dan 11:1“As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.
- Dan 5:31Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
- Dan 1:21Daniel continued even to the first year of king Cyrus.
- Dan 6:28So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 9:1 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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