And the prince of the eunuchs said to Daniel: I fear my lord, the king, who hath appointed you meat and drink: who if he should see your faces leaner than those of the other youths, your equals, you shall endanger my head to the king.
וַיֹּ֜אמֶר שַׂ֤ר הַסָּרִיסִים֙ לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל יָרֵ֤א אֲנִי֙ אֶת־אֲדֹנִ֣י הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מִנָּ֔ה אֶת־מַאֲכַלְכֶ֖ם וְאֶת־מִשְׁתֵּיכֶ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֡ר לָמָּה֩ יִרְאֶ֨ה אֶת־פְּנֵיכֶ֜ם זֹֽעֲפִ֗ים מִן־הַיְלָדִים֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר כְּגִֽילְכֶ֔ם וְחִיַּבְתֶּ֥ם אֶת־רֹאשִׁ֖י לַמֶּֽלֶךְ׃
2 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Upon noticing his fear, anxiety, and deep concern for his salvation, the relentless dread of death gripped his spirit. "I am afraid," he confessed, "of my lord, the king... if he observes that your faces are more haggard than those of your peers, I will be held guilty before him." They alleviated his terror and encouraged him to extend mercy towards them. Those who refrain from inflicting harm upon themselves can indeed be untouched by others.
The anxiety of the chief of the eunuchs was justified, for he was a man unfamiliar with divine grace, perceiving matters through a purely human lens. He believed that the body could only thrive on rich foods and feared that if his companions indulged while they lived simply, it would result in a visible difference in their appearance. Consequently, he worried he would face severe consequences for disobeying the king’s orders. Observing the elder's distress, the honorable Daniel approached Amelsar, the steward appointed by the chief of the eunuchs for himself and for Ananias, Azariah, and Mishael, and spoke.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS