Chronology, Calculations, and Royal Reigns: The 70 Years of Babylonian Exile Between the First and Second Temples (Esther 1:2, Jeremiah 29:10, Daniel 9:2; Megillah 11b-12a)

Part of a series on the extended aggadic sugya in Tractate Megillah 10b-17a. See the previous installments listed in the previous piece here, after the intro.

The sugya in Megillah 11b-12a presents relatively complex chronological analysis, analyzing the prophesied 70-year Babylonian exile.¹ The sugya revolves around the calculation of the 70 year exile prophecied by Jeremiah.

The sugya discusses how three key figures—Belshazzar, Ahasuerus, and even the prophet Daniel himself—attempted to calculate the endpoint of the 70 years, with each making distinct interpretive errors.

The Verses

Jeremiah.29.10:

כי־כה אמר יהוה:

כי לפי מלאת לבבל שבעים שנה אפקד אתכם

והקמתי עליכם את־דברי הטוב

להשיב אתכם אל־המקום הזה

For thus said YHWH:

When Babylon’s 70 years are over, I will take note (אפקד) of you,

and I will fulfill to you My promise of favor—

to bring you back to this place.

Daniel.9.2:

בשנת אחת למלכו

אני דניאל בינתי בספרים מספר השנים

אשר היה דבר־יהוה אל־ירמיה הנביא

למלאות לחרבות ירושל͏ם שבעים שנה

in the 1st year of his [=Darius II] reign,

I, Daniel, consulted (בינתי) the books concerning the number of years

that, according to the word of YHWH that had come to Jeremiah the prophet

were to be the term of Jerusalem’s desolation—70 years.

Note on the word “Exile” (Galut)

The term "exile" (גלות, galut) carries two distinct, though related, meanings in Jewish history and discourse. Both meanings are historically and conceptually intertwined, but describe different aspects of displacement.

1) Forcible Relocation / Population Transfer / Expulsion

This meaning of galut refers to the actual act of deportation, where a ruling power forcibly removes a population from its land.²

This is evident in the Talmud’s description of these two waves of deportations:

• “Jehoiachin's exile”: Nebuchadnezzar exiled King Jehoiachin and the Judean elite to Babylonia after the first Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem.

• “Zedekiah’s exile”: After the destruction of the First Temple, a much larger group was exiled, marking the end of the independent Judean kingdom.

This sense of galut closely corresponds to the modern understanding of forced population transfers, forced displacements, or deportations in political history.

And see Wikipedia, “Babylonian captivity”:

The Babylonian captivity or Babylonian exile was the period in Jewish history during which a large number of Judeans from the ancient Kingdom of Judah were forcibly relocated to Babylonia by the Neo-Babylonian Empire.

The deportations occurred in multiple waves: After the siege of Jerusalem [...] around 7,000 individuals were deported to Mesopotamia. Further deportations followed the destruction of Jerusalem and [the] Temple [...]

2) The Period of Living Outside of Israel, When There Was No Temple

Once the initial forced deportations took place, a second, broader meaning of galut emerged: the state of being a people living outside of the Land of Israel, particularly under foreign rule. This meaning is not tied to a single deportation event but to a longer-term historical condition.

For example, when referring to the Babylonian exile, the phrase doesn’t just mean the physical event of deportation; it also signifies the entire period in which Jews lived in Babylonia, unable to return to a sovereign Jewish state or rebuild the Temple.

The Conceptual Distinction

• The first meaning (forced deportation) is a concrete, historical event—a single moment or series of moments when a population is uprooted.

• The second meaning (condition of exile) is an extended period of time during which a community remains outside its homeland.

See Wikipedia, “Exile”, bolding and parenthetical remarks mine:

Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country (sense #1), and secondarily (sense #2) expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose.

Usually persons and peoples suffer exile, but sometimes social entities like institutions (e.g. the papacy or a government) are forced from their homeland.

Overview of the Calculations

The sugya presents three different calculations of Jeremiah's prophesied 70-year Babylonian exile (see my table and timeline in later sections, visualizing the Talmudic chronology described in the following sections).

Belshazzar's Calculation

• 45 years of Nebuchadnezzar's reign

• 23 years of Evil-merodach's reign

• 2 years of Belshazzar's own reign

• Total: 70 years

Believing the full period had elapsed with no redemption, Belshazzar concluded the prophecy had failed and used the Temple vessels at his feast.

Breakdown of Nebuchadnezzar's 45-Year Reign

• Conquered Nineveh in year 1 (of his reign)

• Conquered Jehoiakim in year 2 (of his reign)

• Conquered Jehoiachin (“Jehoiachin's exile”) in year 8 (of his reign)

• Reigned another 37 years while Jehoiachin was imprisoned

• Total: 45 years (8+37=45. shown by Evil-merodach freeing Jehoiachin in Evil-merodach's first year)

Ahasuerus's Calculation

Ahasuerus attempted to correct Belshazzar's error by reinterpreting "for Babylonia" to mean "for the exile of Babylonia" (understood by him to mean Jehoiachin's exile, in year 8 of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, as mentioned):

• The previous calculation: 70 years

• 8 more years needed to complete the period:

  • 1 remaining year of Belshazzar

  • 5 years of Darius the Mede and Cyrus

  • 2 years of his own reign

The Correct Calculation

The Talmud explains that both kings erred because:

• The 70 years should have been counted from the destruction of Jerusalem (Zedekiah's exile, in year 18, 11 years after Jehoiachin's), not from Jehoiachin's exile (in year 7)

• The (Second) Temple was eventually built in the 2nd year of Darius II's reign

• The years were "partial years" (מקוטעות), explaining some chronological discrepancies

Reconciliation of Contradictory Verses

The sugya resolves the apparent contradiction in the two major verses (see earlier) between counting "70 years for Babylonia" versus "70 years for the desolations of Jerusalem" by distinguishing:

• The first period ended with Cyrus authorizing the Jews to return to Israel and rebuild the Temple (being "remembered")

• The second period ended with the actual rebuilding of the Temple

• Both were fulfillments of prophecy but at different times and in different ways

Table of Babylonian Exile Calculations: Timeline of Key Events and Rulers

“Year” starts from the start of the Babylonian Empire (=the start of Nebuchadnezzar's reign).

Vertical timeline of the Babylonian exile

Visualization of the Babylonian exile timeline, in the format of a vertical timeline.³

Contains:

1. A vertical timeline with labeled years

2. Color-coded events to distinguish between:

   • Regular historical events (blue)

   • The destruction of Jerusalem (purple)

   • Miscalculation events (red)

   • Prophecy fulfillment events (green)

3. Three colored brackets showing the competing calculations:

   • Belshazzar's calculation in red (Years 1-70)

   • Ahasuerus's calculation in orange (Years 8-77)

   • The correct calculation in green (Years 19-90+)

4. A note explaining the distinction between the two prophecy interpretations

Outline

The Verses

Note on the word “Exile” (Galut)

1. 1) Forcible Relocation / Population Transfer / Expulsion

2. 2) The Period of Living Outside of Israel, When There Was No Temple

3. The Conceptual Distinction

Overview of the Calculations

1. Belshazzar's Calculation

2. Breakdown of Nebuchadnezzar's 45-Year Reign

3. Ahasuerus's Calculation

4. The Correct Calculation

5. Reconciliation of Contradictory Verses

Table of Babylonian Exile Calculations: Timeline of Key Events and Rulers

Vertical timeline of the Babylonian exile

Outline

The Passage

1. Resolving the Apparent Contradiction in Ahasuerus' Reign (Esther 1:2-3)

2. Belshazzar

3. Belshazzar's calculation

4. Nebuchadnezzar's reign breakdown; Exile timeline

5. Belshazzar Uses Temple Vessels in False Assurance of Israel's not being redeemed, and is punished (Daniel 5:23,30, 6:1)

6. Ahasuerus's calculation

7. Ahasuerus Uses Temple Vessels in False Assurance of Israel's not being redeemed

8. The correct calculation

9. Daniel’s Error in Calculating the 70 Years of Exile (Daniel 9:2)

10. Resolution of the contradiction in verses re the start of the 70 years

The Passage

Megillah.11b.6-12a.4

Resolving the Apparent Contradiction in Ahasuerus' Reign (Esther 1:2-3)

Esther 1:2 states that Ahasuerus sat on his throne, implying the 1st year of his reign, while Esther 1:3 explicitly mentions the 3rd year, creating a seeming discrepancy.

Rava explains that "when he sat" (כשבת, “ke-shevet”) does not refer to the literal start of his reign but to when he felt “settled and secure” (נתיישבה דעתו) on his throne.

Ahasuerus delayed acting due to anxiety over the Jewish people's redemption. He recalled how Belshazzar miscalculated the 70-year exile (Daniel 5) and he believed that he calculated correctly, not making the same mistake (as will be discussed in the following sections).

״בימים ההם כשבת המלך״,

וכתיב בתריה: ״בשנת שלש למלכו״!

אמר רבא:

מאי ״כשבת״?

לאחר שנתיישבה דעתו.

אמר:

בלשצר חשב וטעה,

אנא חשיבנא, ולא טעינא.

The second verse in Esther states: “In those days when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom” (Esther 1:2), implying that the events to follow took place during the 1st year of his reign;

and one verse afterward it is written: “In the 3rd year of his reign” (Esther 1:3), indicating that it was the 3rd year, not the 1st.

Rava said:

There is no contradiction. What is the meaning of “when he sat” [keshevet]?

It is intended to indicate that he acted not immediately upon his rise to the throne, but rather after his mind was settled [shenityasheva], and he overcame his anxiety and worry with regard to the redemption of the Jewish people.

He said to himself as follows: Belshazzar, the king of Babylonia, calculated and erred with regard to the Jewish people’s redemption.

I too will calculate, but I will not err.

Belshazzar's calculation

Belshazzar's calculation of the 70 years:

1. 45 years of Nebuchadnezzar

2. 23 years of Evil-merodach

3. 2 years of his own reign

Total: 70 years

מאי היא?

דכתיב: ״כי לפי מלאת לבבל שבעים שנה אפקוד אתכם״,

וכתיב: ״למלאות לחרבות ירושלם שבעים שנה״.

חשוב:

1. ארבעין וחמש דנבוכדנצר,

2. ועשרים ותלת דאויל מרודך,

3. ותרתי דידיה —

הא שבעים.

אפיק מאני דבי מקדשא, ואשתמש בהו.

The Gemara explains: What is this calculation?

As it is written with regard to Jeremiah’s prophecy of a return to Eretz Yisrael: “After 70 years are accomplished for Babylonia I will remember you and perform My good word toward you, enabling you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10),

and elsewhere it is written in a slightly different formulation: “In the 1st year of his reign, I, Daniel, meditated in the books, over the number of the years, which the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish for the desolations of Jerusalem 70 years” (Daniel 9:2).

He, Belshazzar, calculated as follows:

1. 45 years of Nebuchadnezzar,

2. and 23 of Evil-merodach,

3. and 2 of his own,

for a total of 70 years that had passed without redemption.

He was therefore certain that Jeremiah’s prophecy would no longer be fulfilled, and he therefore said: I will take out the vessels of the Temple and use them.

Nebuchadnezzar's reign breakdown; Exile timeline

Nebuchadnezzar's reign breakdown:

1. Conquered Nineveh in year 1

2. Conquered Jehoiakim in year 2

3. 8 years before Jehoiachin's exile

4. 37 years while Jehoiachin was in prison

Total: 45 years

Exile timeline:

1. Exile in year 7 (after subjugation of Jehoiakim) = 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign (Jehoiachin's exile)

2. Exile in year 18 (after subjugation of Jehoiakim) = 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign (Zedekiah's exile)

ונבוכדנצר, מנלן דארבעין וחמש שנין מלך?

דאמר מר:

1. גלו בשבע, גלו בשמונה,

2. גלו בשמונה עשרה, גלו בתשע עשרה.

1. גלו בשבע לכיבוש יהויקים -- גלות יהויכין, שהיא שמונה לנבוכדנצר.

2. גלו בשמונה עשרה לכיבוש יהויקים -- גלות צדקיהו, שהיא תשע עשרה לנבוכדנצר,

דאמר מר:

• שנה ראשונה -- כיבש נינוה,

• שניה -- כיבש יהויקים.

וכתיב:

״ויהי בשלשים ושבע שנה לגלות יהויכין מלך יהודה

בשנים עשר חדש

בעשרים וחמשה לחדש

נשא אויל מרודך מלך בבל [בשנת מלכותו] את ראש יהויכין מלך יהודה

ויוצא אותו מבית הכלא״.

1. תמני

2. ותלתין ושבע —

הרי ארבעין וחמש דנבוכדנצר.

ועשרין ותלת דאויל מרודך — גמרא,

ותרתי דידיה —

הא שבעין.

The Gemara asks: From where do we derive that Nebuchadnezzar reigned for 45 years?

As the Master said:

1. They were exiled in the 7th year; they were exiled in the 8th year;

2. they were exiled in the 18th year; and they were exiled in the 19th year.

The Gemara explains:

1. They were exiled in the 7th year after Nebuchadnezzar’s subjugation of Jehoiakim, in what was known as the exile of Jehoiachin, which was actually the 8th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign.

2. Then later they were exiled a 2nd time in the 18th year after the subjugation of Jehoiakim, in what was known as the exile of Zedekiah, which was actually in the 19th year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign,

as the Master said:

• In the 1st year of his reign, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Nineveh;

• in his 2nd year he conquered Jehoiakim.

And it is written:

“And it came to pass in the 37th year of the exile of Jehoiachin, king of Judea,

in the 12th month,

on the 25th day of the month,

that Evil-merodach, king of Babylonia, in the 1st year of his reign, lifted up the head of Jehoiachin, king of Judea,

and brought him out of prison” (Jeremiah 52:31).

The Gemara calculates:

1. Since Evil-merodach acted in the 1st year of his reign, immediately after coming to power, it turns out that Nebuchadnezzar ruled for 8 years before he sent Jehoiachin into exile,

2. and 37 years during which Jehoiachin was in prison.

This equals 45 years of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar.

And the 23 years of Evil-merodach are known through tradition.

And together with the 2 years of Belshazzar,

this brings the count of the years of exile to 70.

Belshazzar Uses Temple Vessels in False Assurance of Israel's not being redeemed, and is punished (Daniel 5:23,30, 6:1)

Based on this calculations (in previous section) Belshazzar believed that the Jewish people would never be redeemed, leading him to desecrate the vessels of the Jewish Temple.

Daniel condemned Belshazzar for his arrogance and sacrilege, declaring that he had “lifted himself” (התרוממת) against God by using the Temple’s vessels.

That same night, Belshazzar was killed, fulfilling the prophecy of his downfall.

After Belshazzar’s death, Darius the Mede took the throne at the age of 62.

אמר: השתא ודאי תו לא מיפרקי,

אפיק מאני דבי מקדשא, ואשתמש בהו.

היינו דקאמר ליה דניאל:

״ועל מרי שמיא התרוממת

ולמאניא די בייתיה היתיו קדמך״,

וכתיב:

״ביה בליליא

קטיל בלשאצר מלכא [כשדאה]״.

וכתיב:

״ודריוש מדאה קבל מלכותא

כבר שנין שתין ותרתין״.

At that point Belshazzar said to himself: Now for sure they will not be redeemed.

Therefore, I will take out the vessels of the Holy Temple and use them.

This is that which Daniel said to him with regard to his impending punishment for using the Temple’s vessels:

“But you have lifted yourself up against the Master of heaven;

and they have brought the vessels of His House before you” (Daniel 5:23).

And it is written further in the chapter:

“In that night

Belshazzar, the king of the Chaldeans, was slain” (Daniel 5:30). This was the description of Belshazzar’s mistaken calculation.

And it states after the fall of Belshazzar:

“And Darius the Mede received the kingdom,

being about 62 years old” (Daniel 6:1).

Ahasuerus's calculation

Ahasuerus said that he would not make the same mistake as Belshazzar (as stated in the first section in the sugya).

Ahasuerus believed that the 70 years referred to "exile of Babylonia" not "kingdom of Babylonia".

The exile (Jehoiachin's exile) started 8 years after the start of the kingdom of Babylonia (as mentioned earlier).

He therefore calculated (adding to Belshazzar's calculation):

1. 1 year of Belshazzar

2. 5 years of Darius the Mede and Cyrus

3. 2 years of his own reign

Total: 8 years (beyond Belshazzar's calculation)

אמר:

איהו מיטעא טעי,

אנא חשיבנא ולא טעינא.

מי כתיב ״למלכות בבל״?

״לבבל״ כתיב,

מאי ״לבבל״? לגלות בבל,

כמה בצירן — תמני,

חשיב ועייל חילופייהו --

1. חדא דבלשצר,

2. וחמש דדריוש וכורש,

3. ותרתי דידיה —

הא שבעין.

Ahasuerus said:

He, Belshazzar, erred.

I too will calculate, but I will not err, thinking he understood the source of Belshazzar’s mistake.

Is it written: “70 years for the kingdom of Babylonia”?

It is written: “70 years for Babylonia.”

What is meant by “for Babylonia”? These words are referring to the 70 years for the exile of Babylonia.

How many years are still lacking from the 70 years? 8 years.

He calculated, and inserted in their stead:

1. 1 year of Belshazzar,

2. and 5 years of Darius and Cyrus,

3. and 2 years of his own,

bringing the total to 70.

Ahasuerus Uses Temple Vessels in False Assurance of Israel's not being redeemed, and is punished

Ahasuerus—like Belshazzar (in previous section)—believed that since the prophesied 70 years had passed without the Jewish people's redemption, they would never be redeemed.

Convinced of this, he too arrogantly took out the vessels of the Temple and used them for his own purposes (defiling sacred objects).

As a consequence, Satan “danced among them”, killing Vashti.⁴

כיון דחזי דמלו שבעין ולא איפרוק —

אמר: השתא ודאי תו לא מיפרקי,

אפיק מאני דבי מקדשא, ואשתמש בהו.

בא שטן וריקד ביניהן,

והרג את ושתי.

Once he saw that 70 years had been completed, and the Jewish people were still not redeemed,

he said: Now for sure they will not be redeemed.

Therefore, I will take out the vessels of the Temple and use them.

What happened to him? As a punishment for what he did, the Satan came and danced among them,

and brought confusion to his celebration until he killed Vashti.

The correct calculation

The 70 years should have been counted from the destruction of Jerusalem (Zedekiah's exile, i.e. 18th year, as above), not from Jehoiachin's exile (i.e. 7th year, as above).

The difference between these two exiles: 11 years (18 - 7 = 11).

Ahasuerus reigned for 14 years

The Temple was finally built in the 2nd year of Darius II's reign

והא שפיר חשיב?

איהו נמי מיטעא טעי,

דאיבעי ליה למימני מחרבות ירושלים.

סוף סוף כמה בצירן? חדיסר.

איהו כמה מלך? ארביסר,

בארביסר דידיה איבעי ליה למיבני בית המקדש,

אלמה כתיב: ״באדין בטילת עבידת בית אלהא די בירושלם״,

אמר רבא: שנים מקוטעות הוו.

תניא נמי הכי:

ועוד שנה אחרת לבבל

ועמד דריוש והשלימה.

The Gemara asks: But he calculated properly; why then did this happen?

The Gemara answers: He too erred in his calculation,

for he should have counted from the destruction of Jerusalem at the time of the exile of Zedekiah and not from the 1st exile of Jehoiachin.

The Gemara asks: Ultimately, how many years were lacking?

11, for the exile of Zedekiah took place 11 years after that of Jehoiachin.

How many years did Ahasuerus reign as king? 14.

Indeed, in his 14th year, then, the Temple should have been built.

If so, why is it written: “Then the work of the House of God, which is in Jerusalem, ceased; so it ceased until the 2nd year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia” (Ezra 4:24), which indicates that the Temple was not built during the entire reign of Ahasuerus?

Rava said: The years reckoned were partial years. To complete the 70 years, it was necessary to wait until the 2nd year of the rule of Darius II, when indeed the Temple was built.

This is also taught in a baraita, as an indication that the years counted were only partial years:

And when Belshazzar was killed, there was still another year left for Babylonia before the reckoning of the 70 years was completed.

And then Darius arose and completed it.

Although 70 years were previously counted according to Belshazzar’s count, from the exile of Jehoiakim, because the years were only partial, there was still 1 year left in order to complete those 70 years.

Daniel’s Error in Calculating the 70 Years of Exile (Daniel 9:2)

Rava states that Daniel himself made a miscalculation regarding the timeline of the 70-year prophecy.

He derives this from Daniel 9:2, where Daniel states that he “analyzed (בינותי) the books” to determine the number of years.

Rava interprets the word “analyzed”⁵ as an indication that Daniel had previously erred in his calculations (and was now re-evaluating them).

אמר רבא:

אף דניאל טעה בהאי חושבנא,

דכתיב:

״בשנת אחת למלכו

אני -- דניאל -- בינותי בספרים״.

מדקאמר ״בינותי״, מכלל דטעה.

Rava said:

Daniel also erred in this calculation,

as it is written:

“In the 1st year of his reign,

I, Daniel, meditated in the books over the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish for the desolations of Jerusalem 70 years” (Daniel 9:2).

From the fact that he said “I meditated,” a term indicating recounting and calculating, it can be inferred that he had previously erred.

Resolution of the contradiction in verses re the start of the 70 years

As mentioned earlier, the verse in Jeremiah speaks of "70 years for Babylonia".

While the verse in Daniel (citing that prophecy) speaks of "70 years for the desolations of Jerusalem" (referring to the destruction of the Temple).

Rava explains these referred to different events: the 1st was only for the Jews being "remembered" and permitted to return by Cyrus (not for actually rebuilding the Temple).

מכל מקום קשו קראי אהדדי,

כתיב: ״מלאות לבבל״,

וכתיב: ״לחרבות ירושלם״!

אמר רבא: לפקידה בעלמא.

והיינו דכתיב:

״כה אמר כורש מלך פרס:

כל ממלכות הארץ נתן לי ה׳ אלהי השמים

והוא פקד עלי לבנות לו בית בירושלם״.

The Gemara comments: In any case, the verses contradict each other with regard to how the 70 years should be calculated.

In one verse it is written: “After 70 years are accomplished for Babylonia I will remember [efkod] you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place” (Jeremiah 29:10), which indicates that the 70 years should be counted from the Babylonian exile.

And in another verse it is written: “That he would accomplish for the desolations of Jerusalem 70 years” (Daniel 9:2), indicating that the 70 years are calculated from the destruction of Jerusalem.

Rava said in response: The 70 years that “are accomplished for Babylonia” were only for being remembered [lifekida], as mentioned in the verse, allowing the Jews to return to Eretz Yisrael but not to build the Temple.

And this is as it is written with regard to Cyrus’s proclamation permitting the Jewish people’s return to Eretz Yisrael, in the seventieth year of the Babylonian exile:

“Thus says Cyrus king of Persia:

YHWH, God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth;

and He has charged [pakad] me to build Him a house in Jerusalem” (Ezra 1:2). The verse makes use of the same root, peh-kuf-dalet, heralding the return to Jerusalem to build the Temple, but not its actual completion.

1. This piece examines only the Talmud’s chronology within the sugya. For a comparison between the Talmud’s chronology and historical chronology, as well as an overview of rabbinic chronology more broadly, see Wikipedia’s entry on “Missing years (Jewish calendar).”

Note: In ed. Steinsaltz's translation and interpretation, I replaced all spelled-out numbers with Arabic numerals to enhance readability and facilitate following the calculations.

2. As an aside, in later Hebrew, expulsions became referred to as “gerush” (גירוש), as in Gerush Sefarad - the Spanish Expulsion.

3. Generated by Claude AI. You can see the the “artifact” here (zoom-able, and can be re-mixed):

https://claude.site/artifacts/4bb4cd96-cc62-47f4-9f31-d7667474a4f1

4. Presumably this is symbolic: Satan caused confusion at Ahasuerus’ celebration, which ultimately led to the execution of Vashti.

I cited this section of the sugya, and the previous one about Belshazzar, in a note on a later part of this sugya, see here, on section “Interpretation of "Shonim" in Esther 1:7: Divine Rebuke for Misuse of Temple Vessels“.

5. The verb בינותי comes from the root ב-י-ן (BIN, related to the word binah - בינה - “insight, discernment”), which is associated with understanding, discerning, or contemplating. In Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew, it often conveys deep study or analysis.

Here, it means that Daniel “[carefully] examined, analyzed [thoroughly], considered". This suggests an intense intellectual effort—Daniel was not merely reading the books but actively working through their meaning.

Compare the usage of this verb in Deuteronomy.32.7:

זכר ימות עולם

בינו שנות דר־ודר

Remember the days of old,

Consider the years of ages past

So the verb בינותי conveys a deep level of intellectual engagement, going beyond simple reading or surface-level understanding, suggesting an active process of making distinctions, drawing conclusions, and achieving a deeper grasp of the subject.

In Daniel 9:2, where Daniel says "אני דניאל בינותי בספרים" (“I, Daniel, understood from the books”), the verb implies that he did not simply read passively but engaged in an interpretative process, likely involving reasoning, comparison, and careful study. This highlights the cognitive intensity of his engagement with the texts, possibly applying exegetical or analytical methods.

Similarly, the usage of the root ב-י-ן in Deuteronomy 32:7 similarly emphasizes intellectual and historical reflection.

Here, בינו (imperative form) urges the audience to actively analyze history—to not just recall past events but to derive meaning from them. This suggests a connection between memory and discernment, implying that true remembrance requires deeper contemplation and understanding.

Based on all this, a more precise translation of "אני דניאל בינותי בספרים" should capture the depth of Daniel’s intellectual engagement with the texts. Therefore, I think a more precise translation is "I, Daniel, analyzed the books”, emphasizes a deliberate, thorough examination rather than passive reading.