Pulse

Pulse is a plain food — the umbrella verses both come from Daniel's ten-day test in the Babylonian court, where pulse and water are set against the king's richer fare.

A Sort of Food

The proposal is Daniel's, addressed to the steward who oversees the young men's diet. "Prove your slaves, I urge you, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink" (Da 1:12). The two items together — pulse and water — define the simpler regimen Daniel asks to be tested for ten days against the king's provision.

The Substitution

The steward agrees, and the second verse records the swap as it actually unfolds: "So the steward took away their dainties, and the wine that they should drink, and gave them pulse" (Da 1:16). The dainties and wine are removed, the pulse takes their place, and the umbrella's whole content is the picture of this substituted simple food in court.