These four were part of the deportation. They were of noble background, possibly even royalty (Daniel 1:3): “youths without blemish, of good appearance and skillful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to stand in the king’s palace” (v 4). Evidently, those carted off to Babylon were selected for their learning as well as their looks. We get the sense that their deportation was meant to siphon off the intellectual capital of a recently occupied state. Babylon