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Ten Times Better

Pastor Bill Farrow

Daniel 1:20

20  And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

(Verse 20) - And in all matters of wisdom and understanding – The margin reads: "of." The Hebrew is, "Everything of wisdom of understanding." The Septuagint uses: "In all things of wisdom "and" knowledge." The meaning is, in everything which required peculiar wisdom to understand and explain it. The points submitted were such as would appropriately come before the minds of the sages and magicians who were employed as counselors at court.

He found them ten times better - Better counselors, better informed. Literally the Hebrews reads: "ten “hands" above the magicians;" that is, ten "times," or "many" times. In this sense the word "ten" is used to refer to an indefinite number – not specifically ten as that precise number would have been hard to quantify.  The idea is that they greatly surpassed them.

Than all the magicians - The Greek word means, "those singing to;" then those who propose to heal the sick by singing; then those who practice magical arts or incantations - particularly with the idea of charming with songs; and then those who accomplish anything surpassing human power by mysterious and supernatural means. The Hebrew word occurs only in the following places in the Scriptures, in all of which it is rendered "magicians:" (Gen. 41:8, 24; Exo. 7:11, 22; 8:7 (3), 18 (14), 19 (15); 9:11; Dan. 1:20; 2:2). From this it appears that it applied only to the magicians in Egypt and in Babylon, and doubtless substantially the same class of persons is referred to. It is found only in the plural number, "perhaps" implying that they formed companies, or that they were always associated together, so that different persons performed different parts in their incantations.

The word is defined by many scholars to mean, "Sacred scribes, skilled in the sacred writings or hieroglyphics, sometimes a reference to a class of Egyptian priests." It is, according to some, of Hebrew origin, and is derived from a word meaning "stylus" - an instrument of writing. One writer suggested that the word would be correctly translated "pen-men," and supposes that it originally referred to those who were "busied with books and writing, and skilled in them." It is evident that the word is not of Persian origin, since it was used in Egypt long before it occurs in Daniel. 

The word "Mag" or "Mog" means, properly, a "priest;" and at a very early period the names "Chaldeans" and "Magi" were interchangeable, and both were regarded as of the same class. They were doubtless, at first, a class of priests among the Medes and Persians, who were employed, among other things, in the search for wisdom; who were connected with pagan oracles; who claimed acquaintance with the will of the gods, and who professed to have the power, therefore, of making known future events, by explaining dreams, visions, preternatural appearances, etc. The Magi formed one of the six tribes into which the Medes were formerly divided, but on the downfall of the Median empire they continued to retain at the court of the conqueror a great degree of power and authority. The learning of the Magi was connected with astrology and enchantment, in which they were so celebrated that their name was applied to all orders of magicians and enchanters.  This may explain the reason why the word "magician" comes to be applied to this class of men, though we are not to suppose that the persons referred to in Genesis and Exodus, or those found in Babylon, referred to in the passage before us, to whom the same name is applied, were of that class of priests.  The name "magi," or "magician," was so extended as to embrace "all" who made pretensions to the kind of knowledge for which the magi were distinguished, and hence, came also to be synonymous with the "Chaldeans," who were also celebrated for this.

And astrologers - This word is rendered by the Septuagint "magians." So also in the Vulgate, "magos." The English word "astrologer" denotes "one who professes to foretell future events by the aspects and situation of the stars." The Hebrew word means "enchanters, magicians." It is derived, probably, from the obsolete root "to cover," "to conceal," and refers to those who were devoted to the practice of occult arts, and to the cultivation of recondite and cabalistic sciences. It is supposed by some philologists to have given rise, by dropping the initial letter, to the Greek word meaning "wise, wise man,". The word is found only in Daniel, Dan. 1:20; 2:2, 10, 27; 4:7 (4); 5:7, 11, 15, in every instance rendered "astrologer" and "astrologers." There is no evidence, however, that the science of astrology enters into the meaning of the word, or that the persons referred to attempted to practice divination by the aid of the stars. It is to be regretted that the term "astrologer" should have been employed in our translation, as it conveys an intimation which is not found in the original. It is, indeed, in the highest degree probable, that a part of their pretended wisdom consisted in their ability to cast the fates of men by the conjunctions and opposition of the stars, but this is not necessarily implied in the word.  It is evidently another word for enchanters or practitioners of the magical arts.

In all his realm - Not only in the capital, but throughout the kingdom. These arts were doubtless practiced extensively elsewhere, but it is probable that the most skillful in them would be assembled at the capital.

It is not simply that Daniel and his friends were as good as the others.  No, not at all.  They were better than all of the other who tested with them, and better, in fact, than anyone else in the entire realm! The results, in Daniel’s life were such that obedience yielded tremendous increase and blessing by God.  He was exalted above all who were his peers in the areas that God desired him to minister. 

We need to be careful here to expect from God the kind of blessing Daniel received from God, but perhaps not the degree to which he experienced it!  Obedience yields blessing, but the extent to God will raise us up depends entirely on He and His plan, and not on our ability or willingness to follow after Him.  Obedience does yield blessing, but we must be careful to see that we obey because of God’s goodness to us, and out of a heart of gratitude to Him for that grace, and not as a formula to bring greatness.

Is my obedience to God out of gratitude to Him for His grace, or am I seeking to earn and guarantee favor because of my own works?