I taught high school and every year when I got my new class lists I would go over the list checking the names for students I knew or had heard about and making sure I could pronounce their names. Grade 9 classes were a new challenge as most of them were new to the school and didn't want to be centred out.
One student that caught my eye was called Rocky with a strong Italian last name. I was sure I was going to meet up with a tough grade nine boy. When I called his name on the first day a small short sighted boy in the front row answered. He was Rocky. I learned that day not to judge a person by their name. Especially in our culture.
However that wasn't true in Daniel's day. His name and the names of his friends all reflected their faith in God but the new names that they were given reflected Babylonian gods. I am sure that during their time together they used their Hebrew names and not their Babylonian ones. Daniel it seems to have maintained his Hebrew name in spite of the Babylonian influence.
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