more than the study of proverbs. The youths were trained in the language and literature of the Babylonians (1:4). The word for “Babylonians” is actually “Chaldeans,” as the NIV footnote acknowledges (see also NRSV). Originally, this word referred to a people who lived in southern Mesopotamia. Over time they expanded northward and eventually came to dominate Babylonia. The book of Daniel retains this meaning in 5:30 and 9:1, where “Chaldean” (NIV “Babylonian[s]”) denotes a people group (see also “Chaldean”