Studies in the Book of Daniel

This commentary on the Biblical Book of Daniel answers crucial questions about the significance of his prophecy, and of the culture he lived among.

Not content with simply interpreting the prophecy of Daniel, Robert Dick Wilson delves into the social, historical and cultural aspects of ancient Babylonia. The significance of Nebuchadnezzar II in the story of Daniel, how his dreams were interpreted to become some of the most significant aspects of Old Testament prophecy, is discussed.

Other chapters focus on the Chaldeans and their society, the opposition that Babylon had to Israel - Daniel himself being a captive Hebrew man, taken from his homeland as a child - and the possibility that Nebuchadnezzar was mentally ill. The allusions to the events at the King's court in the Book of Daniel are examined in detail, with conclusions drawn to the most reasonable extent possible.

Certain elements of the story - such as Daniel being placed in a den of lions - are deemed to have been likely. The existence of vast prides of lions roaming the-then very fertile Euphrates plains, and the discovery of lion reliefs and sculpture in ancient Babylonian excavations, make a specially built den of lions a distinct possibility.

Robert Dick Wilson was a linguist who studied the Bible. Fluent in Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic and other ancient tongues, his scholarly gifts were famous in his native Pennsylvania and beyond. Part of the Presbytarian movement, he spent most of his life seeking to prove the veracity and truth of the Biblical lore.