year). The publication, moreover, of D. J. Wiseman’s Nebuchadnezzar tablets demonstrates that after the Babylonian defeat of Egypt at Carchemish in 605 Nebuchadnezzar did “conquer the whole area of Hatti” (Syria and Palestine) and “took away the heavy tribute of Hatti to Babylon” just as claimed in Daniel 1:2 (cf. 2 Chron 36:6–7). For three years Daniel was trained in all the wisdom of the Babylonians (Dan 1:4–5) and was assigned the Babylonian name Belteshazzar, “Protect his life!”—thereby invoking
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