Original Word: דָּנִיֵּאל
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Daniye'l
Pronunciation: dah-nee-YEL
Phonetic Spelling: (daw-nee-yale')
KJV: Daniel
NASB: Daniel
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) corresponding to H1840 (דָּנִיֵאל דָּנִאֵל - Daniel)]

1. Danijel, the Heb. prophet

Daniel

(Aramaic) corresponding to Daniye'l; Danijel, the Heb. Prophet -- Daniel.

see HEBREW Daniye'l

Word Origin
(Aramaic) corresponding to Daniyyel
Definition
"God is my judge," an Isr. leader in Bab.
NASB Translation
Daniel (52).

דָּנִיֵּאל proper name, masculine Daniel (Biblical Hebrew id.); — Daniel 2:13,14 50t. Daniel.

Personal background

Daniel (“God is my Judge”) was a noble Judean youth taken captive to Babylon in the third year of Jehoiakim (Daniel 1:1–6). Though exiled, he remained steadfast to the covenant, refusing the king’s food and wine, and was blessed with “knowledge and skill in every kind of literature and wisdom” (Daniel 1:17).

Daniel in the Babylonian court

Elevated by God-given insight, Daniel served under Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, Darius the Mede, and Cyrus the Persian. His roles included:
• Interpreter of Nebuchadnezzar’s forgotten dream (Daniel 2).
• Public herald of divine judgment after interpreting the tree vision (Daniel 4).
• Decipherer of the handwriting on the wall, announcing the fall of Babylon (Daniel 5).
• Chief administrator over 120 satraps in the Medo-Persian empire (Daniel 6:1–3).

His integrity provoked envy, leading to the lions’-den plot. Yet “when Daniel was lifted from the den, no wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God” (Daniel 6:23).

Model of godly faithfulness

Daniel’s consistent obedience is marked by:
• Dietary conviction (Daniel 1:8).
• Daily petition—“he knelt down three times a day and prayed” (Daniel 6:10).
• Moral courage before kings (Daniel 5:17–23).

Scripture presents him alongside Noah and Job as exemplary (compare Ezekiel 14:14, 20).

Prophetic ministry

Chapters 7–12 record four major visions:

1. Four beasts and the Son of Man (Daniel 7).
2. Ram and goat, predicting Medo-Persia and Greece (Daniel 8).
3. Seventy “sevens” outlining redemptive history to Messiah the Prince (Daniel 9:24–27).
4. The final revelation (Daniel 10–12) detailing conflicts between North and South, Antiochus IV, and the climactic resurrection—“many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake” (Daniel 12:2).

These prophecies undergird later biblical eschatology and are foundational for Revelation.

Prayer life

Daniel’s intercessory prayer in Daniel 9 exemplifies covenant pleading: confession of national sin (9:4–15), petition for mercy (9:16–19), and immediate angelic response. His prayers were accompanied by fasting and sackcloth, revealing earnest dependence on God’s timetable rather than human schemes.

Theological themes

• Sovereignty of God: “The Most High rules over the kingdom of men and gives it to whom He wishes” (Daniel 4:17).
• Preservation of the faithful remnant.
• Kingdom succession culminating in an everlasting kingdom (Daniel 2:44; 7:27).
• Resurrection and final judgment (Daniel 12:2–3).

Foreshadowing of Christ and eschatological importance

The stone “cut without hands” (Daniel 2:34) and the “Son of Man coming with the clouds of heaven” (Daniel 7:13) anticipate Messiah’s incarnation and exaltation (compare Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7). Daniel’s seventy-weeks prophecy pinpoints the anointing and atoning work of Jesus Christ, affirming the unity of Scripture.

References beyond the Book of Daniel

The prophet’s extraordinary wisdom is echoed in Ezekiel 28:3 (“Are you wiser than Daniel?”). His stature among the righteous in Ezekiel 14 demonstrates an early recognition of his historical reality.

New Testament confirmation

Jesus cites “the prophet Daniel” by name when speaking of the “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15), affirming both Daniel’s authorship and prophetic authority. Hebrews 11:33–34 alludes to “those who shut the mouths of lions,” placing Daniel among the heroes of faith.

Legacy

Daniel’s example fuels confidence that personal holiness and steadfast prayer can influence empires and unveil God’s redemptive plan. The Book of Daniel continues to instruct believers about living faithfully in a hostile culture while awaiting the consummation of the everlasting kingdom.

בְּדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל בְּדָנִיֵּֽאל׃ בדניאל בדניאל׃ דָּֽנִיֵּ֔אל דָּֽנִיֵּ֖אל דָּֽנִיֵּ֜אל דָּֽנִיֵּאל֙ דָּנִיֵּ֗אל דָּנִיֵּ֛אל דָּנִיֵּ֜אל דָּנִיֵּ֣אל דָּנִיֵּ֥אל דָּנִיֵּאל֙ דָּנִיֶּ֔אל דָֽנִיֵּ֑אל דָֽנִיֵּ֔אל דָֽנִיֵּ֜אל דָֽנִיֵּאל֙ דָנִיֵּ֖אל דָנִיֵּ֗אל דָנִיֵּ֛אל דָנִיֵּ֡אל דָנִיֵּאל֙ דניאל וְ֠דָנִיֵּאל וְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל וְדָנִיֵּ֖אל וְדָנִיֵּ֣אל וְדָנִיֵּאל֙ וּלְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל וּלְדָנִיֵּ֖אל ודניאל ולדניאל לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל לְדָֽנִיֵּ֔אל לְדָֽנִיֵּאל֙ לְדָנִיֵּ֑אל לְדָנִיֵּ֔אל לְדָנִיֵּ֖אל לְדָנִיֵּ֗אל לְדָנִיֵּ֛אל לְדָנִיֵּ֜אל לְדָנִיֵּ֣אל לְדָנִיֵּ֥אל לְדָנִיֵּֽאל׃ לדניאל לדניאל׃ bə·ḏā·nî·yêl beDaniYel bəḏānîyêl dā·nî·yel dā·nî·yêl ḏā·nî·yêl daniYel dānîyel dānîyêl ḏānîyêl lə·ḏā·nî·yêl ledaniYel ləḏānîyêl ū·lə·ḏā·nî·yêl uledaniYel ūləḏānîyêl veDaniYel wə·ḏā·nî·yêl wəḏānîyêlInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts