Painterly portrait of a bearded Hebrew man in robes blending navy, cream and gold, holding a scroll. — Painterly interpretation — not a historical likeness.

Old Testament

Daniel

Faithful in a foreign court — prophet of the kingdoms to come.

Widely acceptedc. 620–530 BC, Babylonian exile

Their story, briefly

Taken to Babylon as a young exile under Nebuchadnezzar.
Refused the king's food to honor God's law; thrived anyway.
Interpreted the king's dreams of empires rising and falling.
Thrown into the lions' den for praying to God despite a royal decree.
Received apocalyptic visions of the coming kingdom of the Son of Man.

Key passages

Daniel 1:8-17
Daniel 3:16-18
Daniel 6:10-22
Daniel 7:13-14

How their life points to Christ

Daniel's vision of 'one like a Son of Man' coming on the clouds is the title Jesus most often used for himself. The kingdom Daniel saw in the distance is the kingdom Jesus came to inaugurate.

Common misunderstandings

Daniel is real history embedded in apocalyptic genre — both, not either/or.

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More from Scripture

Painterly portrait of an aged Hebrew man with a long white beard, holding stone tablets, robed in earth tones.

Moses

Reluctant prophet who led Israel out of Egypt and received the Law.

Painterly portrait of a rugged prophet with wild gray-streaked hair and beard, wearing a rough camel-hair cloak.

Elijah

Bold prophet who confronted kings — and crashed into burnout.

Painterly portrait of a dignified older Hebrew prophet with a long gray beard, holding a scroll, robed in deep indigo and cream.

Isaiah

Prophet of holiness and hope — who saw the Suffering Servant centuries early.