Verse Lens · Expanded explanation
Daniel 1:21 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 21. 21And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Daniel 1:21 completes this movement with “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”.
God gives learning; the king finds them ten times better
This verse is one part of that explanation in Daniel 1:17-21. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Daniel 1:17–21
Read Daniel 1:21 with 1:17–21. Daniel 1:21 completes this movement with “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”. The complete unit establishes this movement: God gives all four learning and gives Daniel vision insight; their education and examination end with service spanning to Cyrus.
Why This Verse Appears Here
1:8-16 completes “A Bounded Food Test Negotiates Conscience and Risk”; the text now turns to “God-Given Learning Meets Royal Examination.” This completes the present movement before the next larger development: Chapter 2 tests Daniel's dream wisdom under a lethal royal demand. Within that movement: Daniel 1:21 completes this movement with “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”.
Phrase-by-Phrase Explanation
“And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”
In plain language: This wording completes this movement.
God gives all four learning and gives Daniel vision insight; their education and examination end with service spanning to Cyrus. Daniel 1:21 completes this movement with “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”.
Why it matters: This wording carries a material lexical, historical, theological, reception, or misuse boundary.
How certain? probableWhat This Verse Is Not Saying
Daniel 1:21 does not stand alone from Daniel 1:17–21. Daniel's resolve does not authorize endangering a subordinate, patient, or child with an unapproved food test. Its verse-specific role is: completes this movement with “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”.
What Remains True
Faithful conviction can combine clarity, respect for others' risk, testing, learning, and gratitude. Daniel 1:17-21 keeps that truth tied to this claim: God gives all four learning and gives Daniel vision insight; their education and examination end with service spanning to Cyrus. In this unit: Daniel 1:21 completes this movement with “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”.
Teach It Back
Explain Daniel 1:21's role in 1:17–21. Name the ancient setting, quote or paraphrase “And Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus”, state one material uncertainty, and name one conclusion the verse does not authorize.
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Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Daniel 1:17-21 — God-Given Learning Meets Royal ExaminationSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
Where care is needed
Daniel 1:21 must be read with this unit-level uncertainty: Dietary law, idol association, mourning, and rejection of royal patronage are leading explanations of defilement. The package keeps the motive open and prefers the text's clear emphasis on negotiated faithfulness and divine gift.
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact reader-facing KJV wording, paragraph markers, supplied-word markup, and complete verse coverage.
Exact location: Daniel 1:17-21, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM corpus
Open source ↗hebrew aramaic text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Daniel
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew-Aramaic wording, morphology, language boundary, names, repeated roots, clauses, and lexical controls.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v.2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Dan.xml, 1:17-21; Hebrew 1:1–2:4a and 8:1–12:13, Aramaic 2:4b–7:28
Open source ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Daniel with translators' notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2006
Supports: Verse-level Hebrew-Aramaic, textual, historical, translation, chronology, angelic-language, and duration notes.
Exact location: NET Bible Daniel PDF, printed pp. 1644–1645, translation and translator notes on 1:17-21
Open source ↗