Daniel 1:8-15. Daniels diet

[hmbld]

Daniel 1:8-15 KJV.  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

 

 

I have heard that this is showing us a diet without meat is healthy.  But verse 8 is stating Daniel would not defile himself with the king's meat.  Isn't this indicating that it is not meat that he objects to, but it is the king's meat he objects to?

[Guest]

Yes. The Babylonians were gentiles and would slaughter and butcher their animals in ways that were against the Mosaic law. There is a good chance that the king's meat would have been offered to the local "gods" as well, so Daniel was wanting to avoid both issues. As far as whether or not the verses can be used as proof text for a vegatarian or vegan diet, I doubt that's a good use of the text here. The point was Daniel wanted to avoid defiling himself according to Jewish law, and God made a way for him to do that even though he was a captive in a foreign land.

 

On the other hand: If you want to try a vegatarian or vegan diet, that's up to your personal choice. There are many who live their lives that way. It's not required to do so, and makes no difference to our salvation since salvation is found in Christ alone.

[Guest]

Adam and Eve were vegetarians in the Garden. GOD Himself is the first described as killing an animal, ut we are not told when men began to eat meat. It was umdoubtedly after the fall when animals became afraid of humans and the animals turned on each other because of sin. That is when GOD changed the conditions on the planet.

[Guest]

Adam and Eve were vegetarians in the Garden. GOD Himself is the first described as killing an animal, ut we are not told when men began to eat meat. It was undoubtedly after the fall when animals became afraid of humans and the animals turned on each other because of sin. That is when GOD changed the conditions on the planet.

 

I'm not able to look it up at the moment, but I believe you'll find the account of God giving man all things to eat toward the end of the Noah account. I'm going off of my (somewhat creaky) memory here, but I believe that's where the change was made when Noah and his family got off the ark.

[Guest]

Adam and Eve were vegetarians in the Garden. GOD Himself is the first described as killing an animal, ut we are not told when men began to eat meat. It was undoubtedly after the fall when animals became afraid of humans and the animals turned on each other because of sin. That is when GOD changed the conditions on the planet.

 

I'm not able to look it up at the moment, but I believe you'll find the account of God giving man all things to eat toward the end of the Noah account. I'm going off of my (somewhat creaky) memory here, but I believe that's where the change was made when Noah and his family got off the ark.

 

 

Then

 

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

 

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. Genesis 1:29-30

 

And Now

 

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

 

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

 

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

 

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat. Genesis 9:1-4

[Guest]

Yep.

[Guest shiloh357]

Daniel 1:8-15 KJV.  But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

9 Now God had brought Daniel into favour and tender love with the prince of the eunuchs.

10 And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king.

11 Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah,

12 Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink.

13 Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king's meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants.

14 So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days.

15 And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king's meat.

 

 

I have heard that this is showing us a diet without meat is healthy.  But verse 8 is stating Daniel would not defile himself with the king's meat.  Isn't this indicating that it is not meat that he objects to, but it is the king's meat he objects to?

Well it was probably not meat that came from animals that  Jew like Daniel could eat.  It wasn't a diet for health reasons, but of obedience to the Torah.  It was God who made Daniel and his friends appear more healthy, not the fact that they abstained from meat.   Besides, there is no way that only ten days of veganism could produce the results they saw in Daniel and his friends so quickly.

[hmbld]

Thanks for your replies! By the way, I'm not planning on going without meat in my diet, I was wondering about the reason Daniel did it. Thanks!

[Riverwalker]

Daniel did not eat the meat of the Babylonians because it was offered to idols and not correctly prepared (with Jewish Law)

 

 

 

In Acts 10 Peter's Vision God tells Him to eat EVERYTHING 

¹⁰ And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

¹¹ And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

¹² Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

¹³ And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

¹⁴ But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

¹⁵ And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

¹⁶ This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

[hmbld]

Daniel did not eat the meat of the Babylonians because it was offered to idols and not correctly prepared (with Jewish Law)

 

 

 

In Acts 10 Peter's Vision God tells Him to eat EVERYTHING 

¹⁰ And he became very hungry, and would have eaten: but while they made ready, he fell into a trance,

¹¹ And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel descending upon him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners, and let down to the earth:

¹² Wherein were all manner of fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air.

¹³ And there came a voice to him, Rise, Peter; kill, and eat.

¹⁴ But Peter said, Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean.

¹⁵ And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common.

¹⁶ This was done thrice: and the vessel was received up again into heaven.

Isn't this passage dealing with more than what animals to eat?