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Good News Translation
Daniel 1:20
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In every matter of wisdom and understanding that the king consulted them about, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and mediums in his entire kingdom.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
As for every matter of expertise and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the soothsayer priests and conjurers who were in all his realm.
Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the fortune-tellers and magicians in his kingdom!
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the [learned] magicians and enchanters (Magi) in his whole realm.
And in all matters of wisedome, and vnderstanding that the King enquired of them, hee founde them tenne times better then all the inchanters and astrologians, that were in all his realme.
As for every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
From then on, whenever the king asked for advice, he found their wisdom was ten times better than that of any of his other advisors and magicians.
and in all matters requiring wisdom and understanding, whenever the king consulted them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and exorcists in his entire kingdom.
And in all matters of judicious wisdom, as to which the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the scribes [and] magicians that were in all his realm.
Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed great wisdom and understanding. The king found they were ten times better than all the magicians and wise men in his kingdom.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in his whole realm.
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired from them, he found them ten times better than all of the magicians and conjurers that were in his entire kingdom.
And in any matter of wisdom and understanding that the king asked from them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and the conjurers who were in all his kingdom.
which in all wisdome and matters off vnderstodinge, that he enquered off them, founde them ten tymes better, the all the soythsayers and charmers, that were in all his realme.
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.
And in any business needing wisdom and good sense, about which the king put questions to them, he saw that they were ten times better than all the wonder-workers and users of secret arts in all his kingdom.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.
And in all matters of wisedome and vnderstanding that the king enquired of them, hee found them ten times better then all the Magicians and Astrologers that were in all his Realme.
In all matters of wysdome and vnderstanding that the king enquired of them, he founde them ten times better then all the wyse men and soothsayers that were in all his realme.
And in every matter of wisdom and knowledge wherein the king questioned them, he found them ten times wiser than all the enchanters and sorcerers that were in all his kingdom.
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm.
And ech word of wisdom and of vndurstondyng, which the king axide of hem, he foond in hem ten fold ouer alle false dyuynouris and astronomyens, that weren in al his rewme.
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the sacred scholars and psychics that were in all his realm.
And in all matters of wisdom [and] understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times superior to all the magicians [and] astrologers that [were] in all his realm.
In every matter of wisdom and insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding about which the king examined them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers who were in all his realm.
Whenever the king consulted them in any matter requiring wisdom and balanced judgment, he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.
Every time the king asked them questions that needed wise and understanding answers, he found that they knew ten times more than all the wonder-workers under his rule who used their secret ways.
In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
and, in any matter of wisdom and discernment as to which the king, enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the sacred scribes - the magicians, who were in all his realm.
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the diviners, and wise men, that were in all his kingdom.
And in every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his kingdom.
and [in] any matter of wisdom [and] understanding that the king hath sought of them, he findeth them ten hands above all the scribes, the enchanters, who [are] in all his kingdom.
Daniel Was Gifted by God It was the third year of King Jehoiakim's reign in Judah when King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon declared war on Jerusalem and besieged the city. The Master handed King Jehoiakim of Judah over to him, along with some of the furnishings from the Temple of God. Nebuchadnezzar took king and furnishings to the country of Babylon, the ancient Shinar. He put the furnishings in the sacred treasury. The king told Ashpenaz, head of the palace staff, to get some Israelites from the royal family and nobility—young men who were healthy and handsome, intelligent and well-educated, good prospects for leadership positions in the government, perfect specimens!—and indoctrinate them in the Babylonian language and the lore of magic and fortunetelling. The king then ordered that they be served from the same menu as the royal table—the best food, the finest wine. After three years of training they would be given positions in the king's court. Four young men from Judah—Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—were among those selected. The head of the palace staff gave them Babylonian names: Daniel was named Belteshazzar, Hananiah was named Shadrach, Mishael was named Meshach, Azariah was named Abednego. But Daniel determined that he would not defile himself by eating the king's food or drinking his wine, so he asked the head of the palace staff to exempt him from the royal diet. The head of the palace staff, by God's grace, liked Daniel, but he warned him, "I'm afraid of what my master the king will do. He is the one who assigned this diet and if he sees that you are not as healthy as the rest, he'll have my head!" But Daniel appealed to a steward who had been assigned by the head of the palace staff to be in charge of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: "Try us out for ten days on a simple diet of vegetables and water. Then compare us with the young men who eat from the royal menu. Make your decision on the basis of what you see." The steward agreed to do it and fed them vegetables and water for ten days. At the end of the ten days they looked better and more robust than all the others who had been eating from the royal menu. So the steward continued to exempt them from the royal menu of food and drink and served them only vegetables. God gave these four young men knowledge and skill in both books and life. In addition, Daniel was gifted in understanding all sorts of visions and dreams. At the end of the time set by the king for their training, the head of the royal staff brought them in to Nebuchadnezzar. When the king interviewed them, he found them far superior to all the other young men. None were a match for Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And so they took their place in the king's service. Whenever the king consulted them on anything, on books or on life, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his kingdom put together.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
in all: 1 Kings 4:29-34, 1 Kings 10:1-3, 1 Kings 10:23, 1 Kings 10:24, Psalms 119:99
wisdom and understanding: Heb. wisdom of understanding
ten: Genesis 31:7, Numbers 14:22, Nehemiah 4:12, Job 19:3
the magicians: Daniel 2:2-11, Daniel 2:21-23, Daniel 4:7, Daniel 4:8-18, Daniel 5:7, Daniel 5:8, Daniel 5:17, Genesis 41:8, Exodus 7:11, Exodus 7:12, Exodus 7:22, Exodus 8:7, Exodus 8:19, Isaiah 19:3, Isaiah 47:12-14, 2 Timothy 3:8, 2 Timothy 3:9
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 4:6 - Surely 1 Samuel 18:30 - behaved himself 1 Kings 4:30 - the children Ezra 8:18 - a man of understanding Isaiah 44:25 - maketh Ezekiel 28:3 - thou art Daniel 2:13 - and they Daniel 4:9 - master
Cross-References
Then God commanded, "Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin;
He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number.
Then God commanded, "Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small"—and it was done.
So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.
but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food"—and it was done.
So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names.
Take all the birds and animals out with you, so that they may reproduce and spread over all the earth."
He spoke of trees and plants, from the Lebanon cedars to the hyssop that grows on walls; he talked about animals, birds, reptiles, and fish.
all animals, tame and wild, reptiles and birds.
You work for something with all your wisdom, knowledge, and skill, and then you have to leave it all to someone who hasn't had to work for it. It is useless, and it isn't right!
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king inquired of them,.... At the time of their examination before him, when he put questions to them, which they gave a ready, pertinent, and solid answer to: and afterwards, when he had occasion to consult them on any affair,
he found them ten times, or ten hands g better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm; than all the magi and sophies, the enchanters, diviners, soothsayers, and such who pretended to judicial astrology, and to judge of and foretell things by the position of the stars; these young men were able to give more pertinent answers to questions put to them, and better advice and counsel when asked of them, than all the persons before described, throughout the king's dominions.
g עשר ידות "decem manibus", Montanus.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And in all matters of wisdom and understanding - Margin, “of.” The Hebrew is, “Everything of wisdom of understanding.” The Greek, “In all things of wisdom “and” knowledge.” The meaning is, in everything which required peculiar wisdom to understand and explain it. The points submitted were such as would appropriately come before the minds of the sages and magicians who were employed as counselors at court.
He found them ten times better - Better counselors, better informed. Hebrew, “ten “hands” above the magicians;” that is, ten “times,” or “many” times. In this sense the word “ten” is used in Genesis 31:7, Genesis 31:41; Numbers 14:22; Nehemiah 4:12; Job 19:3. They greatly surpassed them.
Than all the magicians - Greek, τοὺς ἐπαοιδοὺς tous epaoidous. The Greek word means, “those singing to;” then those who propose to heal the sick by singing; then those who practice magical arts or incantations - particularly with the idea of charming with songs; and then those who accomplish anything surpassing human power by mysterious and supernatural means. - Passow. The Hebrew word (הרטמים chareṭummı̂ym), occurs only in the following places in the Scriptures, in all of which it is rendered “magicians:” - Genesis 41:8, Genesis 41:24; Exodus 7:11, Exodus 7:22; Exodus 8:7 (3), 18 (14), 19 (15); Exodus 9:11; Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:2. From this it appears that it applied only to the magicians in Egypt and in Babylon, and doubtless substantially the same class of persons is referred to. It is found only in the plural number, “perhaps” implying that they formed companies, or that they were always associated together, so that different persons performed different parts in their incantations.
The word is defined by Gesenius to mean, “Sacred scribes, skilled in the sacred writings or hieroglyphics - ἱερογραμματεῖς hierogrammateis - a class of Egyptian priests.” It is, according to him (Lex.), of Hebrew origin, and is derived from חרט chereṭ, “stylus” - an instrument of writing, and the formative מ (m). It is not improbable, he suggests, that the Hebrews with these letters imitated a similar Egyptian word. Prof. Stuart (in loc.) says that the word would be correctly translated “pen-men,” and supposes that it originally referred to those who were “busied with books and writing, and skilled in them.” It is evident that the word is not of Persian origin, since it was used in Egypt long before it occurs in Daniel. A full and very interesting account of the Magians and their religion may be found in Creuzer, “Mythologie und Symbolik,” i. pp. 187-234. Herodotus mentions the “Magi” as a distinct people, i. 101.
The word “Mag” or “Mog” (from the μάγοι magoi of the Greeks, and the “magi” of the Romans) means, properly, a “priest;” and at a very early period the names “Chaldeans” and “Magi” were interchangeable, and both were regarded as of the same class. - Creuzer, i. 187, note. They were doubtless, at first, a class of priests among the Medes and Persians, who were employed, among other things, in the search for wisdom; who were connected with pagan oracles; who claimed acquaintance with the will of the gods, and who professed to have the power, therefore, of making known future events, by explaining dreams, visions, preternatural appearances, etc. The Magi formed one of the six tribes into which the Medes were formerly divided (Herodotus, i. 101), but on the downfall of the Median empire they continued to retain at the court of the conqueror a great degree of power and authority. “The learning of the Magi was connected with astrology and enchantment, in which they were so celebrated that their name was applied to all orders of magicians and enchanters.” - Anthon, “Class. Dic.” These remarks may explain the reason why the word “magician” comes to be applied to this class of men, though we are not to suppose that the persons referred to in Genesis and Exodus, under the appellation of the Hebrew name there given to them (הרטמים chareṭummı̂ym), or those found in Babylon, referred to in the passage before us, to whom the same name is applied, were of that class of priests.
The name “magi,” or “magician,” was so extended as to embrace “all” who made pretensions to the kind of knowledge for which the magi were distinguished, and hence, came also to be synonymous with the “Chaldeans,” who were also celebrated for this. Compare the notes at Daniel 2:2. In the passage before us it cannot be determined with certainty, that the persons were of “Magian” origin, though it is possible, as in Daniel 2:2, they are distinguished from the Chaldeans. All that is certainly meant is, that they were persons who laid claim to the power of diving into future events; of explaining mysteries; of interpreting dreams; of working by enchantments, etc.
And astrologers - - האשׁפים hâ'ashâpı̂ym. This word is rendered by the Septuagint, μάγους magous, “magians.” So also in the Vulgate, “magos.” The English word “astrologer” denotes “one who professes to foretell future events by the aspects and situation of the stars.” - Webster. The Hebrew word - אשׁפים 'ashâpı̂ym - according to Gesenius, means “enchanters, magicians.” It is derived, probably, from the obsolete root אשׁף 'âshap, “to cover,” “to conceal,” and refers to those who were devoted to the practice of occult arts, and to the cultivation of recondite and cabalistic sciences. It is supposed by some philologists to have given rise, by dropping the initial א to the Greek σοφος sophos, “wise, wise man,” and the Persian sophi, an epithet of equivalent import. See Gesenius on the word, and compare Bush on Daniel 2:2. The word is found only in Daniel, Daniel 1:20; Daniel 2:2, Daniel 2:10, Daniel 2:27; Daniel 4:7 (4); Daniel 5:7, Daniel 5:11, Daniel 5:15, in every instance rendered “astrologer” and “astrologers.” There is no evidence, however, that the science of astrology enters into the meaning of the word, or that the persons referred to attempted to pracrise divination by the aid of the stars. It is to be regretted that the term “astrologer” should have been employed in our translation, as it conveys an intimation which is not found in the original. It is, indeed, in the highest degree probable, that a part of their pretended wisdom consisted in their ability to cast the fates of men by the conjunctions and opposition of the stars, but this is not necessarily implied in the word. Prof. Stuart renders it “enchanters.”
In all his realm - Not only in the capital, but throughout the kingdom. These arts were doubtless practiced extensively elsewhere, but it is probable that the most skillful in them would be assembled at the capital.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Daniel 1:20. Magicians and astrologers — Probably the same as philosophers and astronomers among us.
