Amsal 23:3

23:3 Do not crave that ruler’s ¹  delicacies,

for ²  that food is deceptive. ³ 

Mazmur 141:4

141:4 Do not let me have evil desires, ⁴ 

or participate in sinful activities

with men who behave wickedly. ⁵ 

I will not eat their delicacies. ⁶ 

Daniel 1:8-10

1:8 But Daniel made up his mind ⁷  that he would not defile ⁸  himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. ⁹  He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. 1:9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. ¹⁰  1:10 But he ¹¹  responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided ¹²  your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? ¹³  If that happened, ¹⁴  you would endanger my life ¹⁵  with the king!”

[23:3]  ¹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the ruler mentioned in v. 1) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:3]  ² sn The final line gives the causal clause: The impressive feast is not what it appears to be; the king is not doing you a favor, but rather wants something from you or is observing you (K&D 17:104); cf. TEV “he may be trying to trick you.”

[23:3]  ³ sn Verses 1-3 form the sixth saying about being cautious before rulers (cf. Instruction of Amememope, chap. 23, 23:13-18). One should not get too familiar with rulers, for they always have ulterior motives. The Mishnah cites Gamaliel as warning that a ruler only draws someone into his court for his purpose, but in their day of trouble he will not be there to help them (m. Abot 2:3).

[141:4]  ⁴ tn Heb “do not turn my heart toward an evil thing.”

[141:4]  ⁵ tn Heb “to act sinfully in practices in wickedness with men, doers of evil.”

[141:4]  ⁶ sn Their delicacies. This probably refers to the enjoyment that a sinful lifestyle appears to offer.

[1:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “placed on his heart.”

[1:8]  ⁸ tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”

[1:8]  sn Various reasons have been suggested as to why such food would defile Daniel. Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it had to do with such food having been offered to idols. Daniel’s practice in this regard is strikingly different from that of Esther, who was able successfully to conceal her Jewish identity.

[1:8]  ⁹ tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”

[1:9]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “Then God granted Daniel loyal love and compassion before the overseer of the court officials.” The expression “loyal love and compassion” is a hendiadys; the two words combine to express one idea.

[1:10]  ¹¹ tn Heb “The overseer of the court officials.” The subject has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:10]  ¹² tn Heb “assigned.” See v. 5.

[1:10]  ¹³ tn Heb “Why should he see your faces thin from the young men who are according to your age?” The term translated “thin” occurs only here and in Gen 40:6, where it appears to refer to a dejected facial expression. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “be weak.” See HALOT 277 s.v. II זעף.

[1:10]  ¹⁴ tn The words “if that happened” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “my head.” Presumably this is an implicit reference to capital punishment (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although this is not entirely clear.