Bible Strands
Daniel 1:3
Then the king ordered Ashpenaz, the chief of his court officials, to bring in some Israelites from the royal family and the nobility—
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The king issues a directive to Ashpenaz, chief of his court officials, immediately following the military conquest and temple despoliation described in Daniel 1:2.
The words — `רַב סָרִיסָיו` (rav sarisav) = chief of his officials; `לְהָבִיא` (le/habi) = to bring.
The thread — The decree to extract royal lineage parallels the exile prophecies in Isaiah 39:7, 2 Kings 20:17, and 2 Kings 24:15.
Why it lands — The text records a calculated administrative order to remove Israelite youth from their heritage, establishing the political reality that shapes the narrative.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And the king spake unto Ashpenaz the master of his eunuchs, that he should bring certain of the children of Israel, and of the king’s seed, and of the princes;
Cross-references
- Isaiah 39:7 And some of your descendants, your own flesh and blood, will be taken away to be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.”
- 2 Kings 20:17 The time will surely come when everything in your palace and all that your fathers have stored up until this day will be carried off to Babylon. Nothing will be left, says the LORD.
- 2 Kings 24:15 Nebuchadnezzar carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, as well as the king’s mother, his wives, his officials, and the leading men of the land. He took them into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
- Jeremiah 41:1 In the seventh month, Ishmael son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, who was a member of the royal family and one of the king’s chief officers, came with ten men to Gedaliah son of Ahikam at Mizpah, and they ate a meal together there.