DANIEL 1:17
 

[Daniel 1:17 AKJV] 

"As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams."
 

[Daniel 1:17 AMPC]

As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all [kinds of] visions and dreams. [Luke 21:15; James 1:5-7.]

Here are two extracts from this Bible verse:
 

• 1.**** God gave the four young men knowledge and skill in all Academics (all learning) and wisdom, but only gave one of them (Daniel) understanding in all visions and dreams.
   

They were all spiritual gifts, but not all in spiritual matters. There are spiritual gifts but in pursuance to non-spiritual matters, and on the other hand there are spiritual gifts exclusively in pursuance to spiritual matters — "comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Corinthians 2:13)
 

Notice that God gave the four of them spiritual gifts that became talents, skills or soundness of mind, in non-spiritual matters which were All Academics, meaning all learning and curricular Wisdom. But God did not give the four of them spiritual gifts that could make the four of them prophets or oracles of God, except Daniel that was given the gifts of understanding spiritual mysteries in all visions and dreams or revelations.
 

Therefore, God is relatively more selective or careful in giving out spiritual gifts that would make the receiver a prophet, interpreter or oracle, of God. In other words, there are more people that God gave skills, intelligence, in physical matters, sciences, technologies, arts, histories, culture, languages, economics, politics, etc. But compared to those, there are fewer people that were chosen to have gifts that cross the physical realms into spiritual Realms or mysteries of God. As it is written,
 

[Luke 8:10 NKJV] — And He said, “To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God, but to the rest it is given in parables, that ‘Seeing they may not see, And hearing they may not understand.’
 

Like Joseph in Egypt had, Daniel in Babylon also had understanding in all visions and dreams.

• 2.**** When God gave these four young men skills and intelligence, God did not give to the rest of their fellow classmates that had defiled themselves. Nevertheless, all of them already had some skills or intelligence to qualify to be enrolled or admitted into that class. God just gave of His grace to those four students to set them far above their fellows.
   

They were not lacking in skill or intelligence, seeing their initial qualifications proved they were all skillful and intelligent. Written:
 

[Daniel 1:4] — "Children in whom was no blemish, but well favored, and skillful in all wisdom, and cunning in knowledge, and understanding science, and such as had ability in them to stand in the king's palace, and whom they might teach the learning and the tongue of the Chaldeans."
 

Now they all had these skills or talents in them, but only four of them still received more of those as "Gifts of God" despite having them as qualifications. So no matter how much they had wisdom, knowledge, skill or understanding, there was still room for them to receive more of those as Gifts of God. When it comes to such grace, a cup is never truly full. There's always room to increase in learning, increase in wisdom, grow in knowledge and grow in grace. Do not stop to receive such grace from God. As it's written,
 

[Proverbs 1:5] — "A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain to wise counsels:"
 

[Luke 2:52] — "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."
 

Notice Daniel already had skills and understanding before God gave more to him here. But even after this, Daniel still set his heart to understand more, and God sent Angels to give Daniel understanding and skill more.
 

[Daniel 9:22] — "And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding."