Person Old Testament
Melzar
Also known as Melzar =KJV; steward =ESV; guard =NIV
Melzar, the steward appointed by the chief eunuch to oversee Daniel and his companions. Mentioned in 2 verses across 1 book, first at Daniel 1:11.
Why it matters. Babylonian official in charge of Daniel and his friends.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Melzar
Melzar, also referred to as "the steward," was a Babylonian official appointed by Ashpenaz, the chief eunuch, to oversee Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan.1.11). He was responsible for providing them with their daily provisions and monitoring their well-being. When Daniel requested a diet of vegetables and water instead of the king's food and wine, Melzar initially hesitated, fearing for his own life if the young men's appearance suffered (Dan.1.11). However, he agreed to a ten-day test, and when Daniel and his friends appeared healthier than those who ate the king's food, Melzar allowed them to continue with their chosen diet (Dan.1.16).
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.