Daniel’s refusal to eat the food provided by the king of Babylon is among the most popular of the Bible’s stories. But what food did Daniel refuse, what did he request, and why? A new look at the Hebrew text and its background suggests new answers. Dr. Aubrey Buster, who has been with us before, is Associate Professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College. Her publications include Remembering the Story of Israel: Historical Summaries and Memory Formation in Second Temple Judaism. Dr. John Walton, Old Testament Professor Emeritus at Wheaton Graduate School, is a frequent contributor to this podcast. He has many volumes in his “Lost World” series along with many other publications, including Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament: Introducing the Conceptual World of the Hebrew Bible. Dr. Buster and Dr. Walton are collaborating on a major commentary on Daniel (NICOT). The first volume on Daniel 1-6 is due out soon.

Check out related programs at Wheaton College:

B.A. in Classical Languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew): https://bit.ly/3Sm7pdH

M.A. in Biblical Exegesis: https://bit.ly/43IbAqx

Food as an Identity Assertion, with Aubrey Buster and John Walton: Daniel 1:8-16