Daniel 1:18

King James Version (KJV)

Now at the end of the days that the king had said he should bring them in, then the prince of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar.

Adam Clarke
Bible Commentary

Now at the end of the days - That is, at the end of three years, Daniel 1:5.

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Albert Barnes
Notes on the Whole Bible

Now at the end of the days … - After three years. See Daniel 1:5.

The prince of the eunuchs brought them in - Daniel, his three friends, and the others who had been selected and trained for the same purpose.

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Matthew Henry
Concise Bible Commentary

Daniel and his fellows kept to their religion; and God rewarded them with eminence in learning. Pious young persons should endeavour to do better than their fellows in useful things; not for the praise of man, but for the honour of the gospel, and that they may be qualified for usefulness. And it is well for a country, and for the honour of a prince, when he is able to judge who are best fitted to serve him, and prefers them on that account. Let young men steadily attend to this chapter; and let all remember that God will honour those who honour him, but those who despise him shall be lightly esteemed.

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SDA Bible Commentary (limited)
Volume 1-7

18. At the end of the days. Some expositors have thought that when the king required his wise men to interpret his dream in his 2d year (ch. 2:1), Daniel was not called to the meeting because his schooling was not yet completed, and that he and his friends were condemned to share the fate of the wise men because they belonged to the profession, although they were not yet full-fledged members of it. This view cannot be regarded as correct. The young apprentices were to be trained three years in order to “stand before the king” (ch. 1:5); and it was “at the end of the days” specified that they were brought before the king for examination. Then “stood they before the king” (see on v. 19). This statement indicates that the three-year training period ended before the king examined them and “found” that Daniel and his three friends were better than all the other candidates. This could hardly have taken place after one of them, Daniel, had already received high honors and had been promoted to the rule of the province and supervision over all the wise men, and after the other three had been given high office (ch. 2:46-49). The logical sequence, as well as the narrative order, requires that Daniel’s three-year course end before Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in his 2d year.

All this leads to the conclusion that this was not a period of 36 months; that these three years must be counted inclusively; they represent (1) Nebuchadnezzar’s accession year (see on v. 2), in which the Hebrew captives arrived in Babylon and entered their training; (2) Nebuchadnezzar’s year 1, which was the calendar year beginning at the next New Year’s Day after his accession; and (3) Nebuchadnezzar’s year 2, in which Daniel graduated and stood “before the king,” and the year in which he interpreted the dream (see ch. 2:1; also PK 491).

By applying the commonly used ancient method of inclusive reckoning, which is attested in numerous cases as the usual way of counting time (see Vol. II, pp. 136, 137), there is no need to assert, as modern commentators have done, that ch. 1 stands chronologically in contradiction to ch. 2, or to take recourse in the fanciful or forced explanations that are found in many commentaries. For example, Jerome declared that the 2d year of ch. 2:1 refers to the 2d year after the conquest of Egypt; and the Jewish scholar Ibn Ezra thought that it was the 2d year after the destruction of Jerusalem. Later some conjectured that Nebuchadnezzar reigned with his father two years (see Vol. III, p. 91).

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Ellen G. White
Fundamentals of Christian Education, 77-81

The prophet Daniel was an illustrious character. He was a bright example of what men may become when united with the God of wisdom. A brief account of the life of this holy man of God is left on record for the encouragement of those who should afterward be called to endure trial and temptation. FE 77.1

When the people of Israel, their king, nobles, and priests, were carried into captivity, four of their number were selected to serve in the court of the king of Babylon. One of these was Daniel, who early gave promise of the remarkable ability developed in later years. These youth were all of princely birth, and are described as “children in whom was no blemish, but well-favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them.” Perceiving the superior talents of these youthful captives, King Nebuchadnezzar determined to prepare them to fill important positions in his kingdom. That they might be fully qualified for their life at court, according to Oriental custom, they were to be taught the language of the Chaldeans, and to be subjected for three years to a thorough course of physical and intellectual discipline. FE 77.2

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Ellen G. White
The Upward Look, 253

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. Daniel 1:8. UL 253.1

The first chapter of Daniel teaches the lesson that what we eat and drink has an influence upon the powers of the mind, and that if we would have healthful bodies and clear minds, we must be careful of our diet. If we are careless in this matter and eat simply to gratify taste, the digestive organs are impaired and the brain is confused, and neither can act their part as fully as God intended they should.... UL 253.2

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Ellen G. White
Counsels on Diet and Foods, 28-32

To win the prize for which they strove,—a chaplet of perishable flowers, bestowed amid the applause of the multitude,—was considered the highest honor. If so much could be endured, so much self-denial practiced, in the hope of gaining so worthless a prize, which only one at best could obtain, how much greater should be the sacrifice, how much more willing the self-denial, for an incorruptible crown, and for everlasting life! CD 28.1

There is work for us to do—stern, earnest work. All our habits, tastes, and inclinations must be educated in harmony with the laws of life and health. By this means we may secure the very best physical conditions, and have mental clearness to discern between the evil and the good.—Christian Temperance and Bible Hygiene, 25, 1890 CD 28.2

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Ellen G. White
Counsels on Diet and Foods, 154-5

[When Most Fiercely Tempted, Christ Ate Nothing—70]

[The Strength of Temptation to Indulge Appetite Measured by Anguish of Christ During His Fast—298]

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Daniel 1:18