Children in whom was no blemish, but well favoured, and skilful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans.
Children in whom was no blemish. A handsome form was connected, in Oriental ideas, with mental power. "Children" means youths of 12 or 14 years old.
Whom they might teach ... the tongue of the Chaldeans - their language and literature, the Aramaic-Babylonian. That the pagan lore was not altogether valueless appears from the Egyptian magicians who opposed Moses. Compare also the case of the eastern magi who sought Jesus, and who may have drawn the tradition as to the "King of the Jews" from Daniel 9:24, written in the East. As Moses was trained in the learning of the Egyptian sages, so Daniel was trained in that of the Chaldeans, in order to familiarize his mind with mysterious lore, and so develop his heaven-bestowed gift of understanding in visions (Daniel 1:4-5; Daniel 1:17).