Daniel 1:3

3 Então disse o rei a Aspenaz, chefe dos seus eunucos que trouxesse alguns dos filhos de Israel, dentre a linhagem real e dos nobres,

Daniel 1:3 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 1:3

And the king spake unto Ashpenaz, the master of his eunuchs,
&c.] That is, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon spake to this officer of his, whose name was Ashpenaz; which, according to Saadiah, signifies a man of an angry countenance; but Hillerus ^F5 derives it from the Arabic word <arabic> "schaphan", as designing one that excels in wit and understanding; for which reason he might have the command of the eunuchs, many of which the eastern princes had about them, particularly to wait upon their women, or to educate youth, as the Turks have now; though, as R. Jeshuah in Aben Ezra observes, the word signifies ministers, and may intend the king's nobles and courtiers, his ministers of state; and so this Ashpenaz may be considered as his prime minister, to whom he gave orders, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel;
whom he had taken and brought captive to Babylon, and were disposed of in some part or another of the city and country; and out of these it was his will that some should be selected and brought to his court: and of the king's seed, and of the princes:
or, "even ^F6 of the king's seed, and of the princes"; not any of the children of Israel, but such as were of the blood royal, or of the king of Judah's family, or some way related to it; or, however, that were of princely birth, the children of persons of the first rank, as the word ^F7 may signify; or of nobles and dukes, as Jarchi interprets it.

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 Onomast. Sacr. p. 752, 753.
F6 (hkwlmh erzmw) , so (w) is sometimes rendered; see Noldius. p. 276.
F7 (Mymtrp) "ex Graeca voce" (prwtov) , Grotius, Junius.

Daniel 1:3 In-Context

1 No ano terceiro do reinado de Jeoiaquim, rei de Judá, veio Nabucodonozor, rei de Babilônia, a Jerusalém, e a sitiou.

2 E o Senhor lhe entregou nas mãos a Jeoiaquim, rei de Judá, e uma parte dos vasos da casa de Deus; e ele os levou para a terra de Sinar, para a casa do seu deus; e os pôs na casa do tesouro do seu deus.

3 Então disse o rei a Aspenaz, chefe dos seus eunucos que trouxesse alguns dos filhos de Israel, dentre a linhagem real e dos nobres,

4 jovens em quem não houvesse defeito algum, de bela aparência, dotados de sabedoria, inteligência e instrução, e que tivessem capacidade para assistirem no palácio do rei; e que lhes ensinasse as letras e a língua dos caldeus.

5 E o rei lhes determinou a porção diária das iguarias do rei, e do vinho que ele bebia, e que assim fossem alimentados por três anos; para que no fim destes pudessem estar diante do rei.