“Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation.”
Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, So you are Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, whom the king my father brought from Judah? I have heard of you that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have enlightenment, good sense, and excellent wisdom. Belshazzar addresses Daniel with apparent respect (acknowledging his reputation) yet also with implicit skepticism or challenge—calling him one of the exiles and referencing his foreign origins. The king's greeting suggests a complex mixture: he has heard of Daniel's reputation and has been advised to consult him, yet he may harbor doubt about an exile's ability to interpret Babylon's divine mysteries. Belshazzar's reference to hearing about Daniel suggests that the king knows Daniel's reputation even if he has not previously utilized him. The king's conditional tone—I have heard of you—leaves open the possibility that he doubts whether Daniel can actually deliver what reputation promises.
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