How to Read Daniel

by Tremper Longman III

Publisher:

IVP Academic

, 2020

Overview

Beyond the familiar lions’ den and fiery furnace, much of the book of Daniel seems baffling to modern readers. The first half recounts stories full of ancient Near Eastern protocol and imperial court drama; the second half features apocalyptic visions of monstrous beasts and cosmic conflict. Many Christians misunderstand or simply avoid the book. But failing to read Daniel well means missing a critical part of God’s message to us.

According to Tremper Longman III, when we read Daniel on its own terms and in its original context, we’ll discover that all of the book is easier to understand than we might think. In this volume of the popular How to Read Series, Longman brings his expertise as an Old Testament scholar and teacher to orient readers to a proper engagement with Daniel. He examines the book’s genre, structure, historical background, and major theological message before diving deeper into each of the stories and visions.

As we learn how to enter the world of Daniel, we find a message not only for his generation but also for ours: even in hostile circumstances, God is in control, and he will have the final victory. Longman draws out this theme of Daniel for the twenty-first century, finding help for faithful living in a toxic culture and hope in a troubled world. How to Read Daniel is the perfect starting point for anyone studying, teaching, or seeking a reliable guide to this ancient book.

Key Features

• Orients readers to a proper engagement with Daniel
• Examines the genre, structure, historical background, and major theological message
• Explores each of the stories and visions

Contents

Part 1: Reading Daniel in Its Original Setting

• Stories and Visions in the Midst of Oppression: Genre, Structure, and Language
• Babylonian Exile and Persian (and Greek) Domination: The Historical Setting of the Book of Daniel
• Comfort in the Midst of Oppression: The Theme of the Book

Part 2: Reading Daniel as Six Stories and Four Visions

• Forced to Train in a Hostile Environment, Part 1: Daniel 1
• Forced to Train in a Hostile Environment, Part 2: Daniel 2
• God Humbles Powerful Nebuchadnezzar: Daniel 4
• Who Can Interpret the Writing on the Wall?: Daniel 5
• The Three Friends and the Fiery Furnace: Daniel 3
• Daniel in the Lion’s Den: Daniel 6
• “One Like the Son of Man”: Daniel 7
• A Ram and a Goat: Daniel 8
• Seventy Weeks: The Exile Continues: Daniel 9
• “Yet He Will Come to His End”: Daniel 10:1–12:4
• “Go Your Way to the End”: Daniel 12:5-13

Part 3: Reading Daniel as a Twenty-First-Century Christian

• How to Live in a Toxic Culture: Daniel 1–6
• Finding Comfort in God’s Ultimate Victory: Daniel 7–12

Top Highlights

“Actually, though, the main point of the book is not the dream but rather showing the superiority of Yahweh’s wisdom to anything that the four men might have learned back at Babylonian University.” (Page 66)

“Daniel and his friends knew (as does the reader) that they were good-looking in the Babylonian sense not because of their royally mandated diet but in spite of it. God made them pleasingly plump, not the rich food and wine of the king’s table.” (Page 61)

“The theology behind this move is either that the god of the defeated nation was himself defeated by the god of the more powerful nation or that the former came over to the side of the more powerful nation due to some failing on the part of his people.” (Page 52)

“I submit that, rather than being pessimistic, apocalyptic literature is optimistic. God’s people will be freed from their oppression, while those who harm them will be punished.” (Page 12)

“Thus right from the start it appears that the exile will not definitely stop after seventy years, but it will be a longer period of time.” (Page 112)

Product Details

• Title: How to Read Daniel
• Author: Tremper Longman III
• Series: How to Read
• Publisher: IVP
• Publication Date: 2020
• Pages: 208
• Resource Type: Introduction
• Topic: Daniel

About Tremper Longman III

Tremper Longman III serves as Distinguished Scholar and Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies at Westmont College. He has written over 35 books, including commentaries on Genesis, Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, Nahum, and Revelation. His books have been translated into 18 different languages. In addition, as a Hebrew scholar, he is one of the main translators of the popular New Living Translation, and has served as a consultant on other popular Bible translations, including The Message, the New Century Version, the Christian Standard Bible, and the Common Bible. He has also edited and contributed to a number of study Bibles and Bible dictionaries, most recently The Baker Illustrated Bible Dictionary.

He earned his BA from Ohio Wesleyan University, his MDiv from Westminster Theological Seminary, and both his MPhil and PhD from Yale University. Dr. Longman and his wife, Alice, have three sons and eight grandchildren.