Daniel 1:4

ESV youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king 's palace, and to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

NIV young men without any physical defect, handsome, showing aptitude for every kind of learning, well informed, quick to understand, and qualified to serve in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the language and literature of the Babylonians.

NASB youths in whom there was no impairment, who were good-looking, suitable for instruction in every kind of expertise, endowed with understanding and discerning knowledge, and who had ability to serve in the king’s court; and he ordered Ashpenaz to teach them the literature and language of the Chaldeans.

CSB young men without any physical defect, good-looking, suitable for instruction in all wisdom, knowledgeable, perceptive, and capable of serving in the king’s palace. He was to teach them the Chaldean language and literature.

NLT Select only strong, healthy, and good-looking young men,' he said. 'Make sure they are well versed in every branch of learning, are gifted with knowledge and good judgment, and are suited to serve in the royal palace. Train these young men in the language and literature of Babylon. '

KJV Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.

NKJV young men in whom there was no blemish, but good-looking, gifted in all wisdom, possessing knowledge and quick to understand, who had ability to serve in the king’s palace, and whom they might teach the language and literature of the Chaldeans.

What does Daniel 1:4 mean?

The Jewish youths chosen to serve in Nebuchadnezzar's court were physically and mentally superb. Gentile nations often interpreted attractive appearance to mean the gods had gifted the individuals. The captive youths' keen knowledge and high intellect qualified them to learn their captive nation's literature and language. Training the children of noble families to be Babylonian court advisors would have made it easier for the king to integrate his newly conquered subjects. Part of their training was also cultural (Daniel 1:5), attempting to fully integrate them into their new roles (Daniel 1:7).

The Chaldeans were an ethnic and political group from southwest Babylon. The Hebrew word for "Chaldean," kasdim', is used here and in other places as a cultural group (Daniel 5:30; 9:1). The word also appears several times as a reference to specially trained Babylonian astrologers (Daniel 2:2, 4, 5, 10; 5:11). The Chaldeans spoke a Semitic dialect resembling Akkadian and slightly related to Hebrew. Daniel and his friends may have had some knowledge of this language already.

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Context Summary
Daniel 1:1–7 introduces several main characters featured in this book. Along with King Nebuchadnezzar are Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These four young men came from royalty and nobility but were taken to Babylon after the fall of Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar planned to educate them in Babylonian culture and immerse them in his lifestyle. The four were to be presented to the king after three years to see the results of their training. The four captive boys are given new names to correspond with their new lives: Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

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Chapter Summary
When Daniel was young, Babylon conquered Jerusalem and took many of its treasures and people back to their land. Daniel was chosen to become an advisor due to his good looks and bright mind. Along with other boys, he was educated and given a Babylonian name. Daniel and several friends demonstrate faithfulness to God by avoiding foods that might be unclean. They also excel in their roles. This leads Daniel to become an important advisor regarding dreams and visions, as described starting in chapter 2.

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