Judean noble exiled to Babylon who rose to prominence through God-given wisdom, survived being thrown into a den of lions for continuing to pray, and received sweeping visions of future kingdoms and a coming "son of man" — language Jesus later applied to Himself.
For younger readers
Daniel was a young man taken far from home to live in Babylon, but he decided to stay faithful to God even in a strange new place, starting with what he chose to eat. God gave Daniel special wisdom, and he became famous for explaining dreams no one else could understand, including a king's dream about future kingdoms. Daniel's three friends were once thrown into a blazing furnace for refusing to worship an idol, and God protected them completely. Later, Daniel himself was thrown into a den of hungry lions simply for continuing to pray to God — but God shut the lions' mouths and kept him safe all night. Daniel's story is a wonderful example of staying faithful and brave even when it's difficult, and trusting that God is always with us.
Interpretive note: Most evangelical scholars affirm the traditional sixth-century BC exilic dating implied by the book itself, but many critical scholars date the book of Daniel to the 2nd century BC on the basis of its detailed later-historical content and Aramaic/Hebrew style — a significant, long-running authorship and dating dispute worth noting rather than resolving silently.
Life Story
Daniel was among the young Judean nobles taken to Babylon after Nebuchadnezzar's first siege of Jerusalem, where he and three companions — renamed Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego — resolved not to defile themselves with the king's food, and God gave them wisdom "ten times better" than all the royal magicians (Daniel 1). Daniel alone could recall and interpret Nebuchadnezzar's forgotten dream of a great statue representing successive kingdoms, struck down by a stone "cut out without hands" — a picture of God's eternal kingdom breaking into human history (Daniel 2). His three friends survived being thrown into a fiery furnace for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, emerging without even the smell of smoke on them (Daniel 3). Decades later, under Belshazzar, Daniel alone could interpret mysterious handwriting on the palace wall announcing the kingdom's fall that night (Daniel 5). Under Darius the Mede, jealous officials tricked the king into banning prayer to anyone but himself; Daniel kept praying openly toward Jerusalem anyway and was thrown into a den of lions, but God shut the lions' mouths and he emerged unharmed (Daniel 6). Daniel also received visions of seventy "weeks" of years counting toward the Messiah's coming and being "cut off," and a coming "son of man" given everlasting dominion — language Jesus applied directly to Himself (Daniel 7:13-14; 9:24-27; Matthew 26:64).
First named in Ezekiel 14:14-20
References: Ezekiel 14:14-20; Ezekiel 28:3; Daniel 1:6-21; Daniel 2:13-49; Daniel 4:8-19; Daniel 5:12-29; Daniel 6:2-28; Daniel 7:1-28; Daniel 8:1-27; Daniel 9:2-22; Daniel 10:1-12; Daniel 12:4-9; Matthew 24:15
Genealogy
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Lives of Scripture