Daniel 6
6
The Plot against Daniel
1After he became king, Darius the Mede decided to subdivide his kingdom into 120 provinces and strategically appointed a governor for each province. 2He also appointed three chief officials to watch over the work of these governors so that the king’s interests might not suffer, and Daniel was one of these three. 3Now Daniel had an extraordinary spirit and possessed exceptional qualities. He so distinguished himself # 6:3 The Aramaic root word nesah originally means “to be illustrious” or “to shine.” Daniel was one of the shining ones (see 12:3). The presence of God with Daniel caused him to stand apart from his peers. among all the chief officials and the governors that Darius intended to set him over his entire kingdom.
4For that reason, the chief officials and the governors were stirred to seek some pretext # 6:4 The Aramaic word ‘illah implies a legal indictment. against Daniel regarding his governmental affairs. But because he was trustworthy, no one could find # 6:4 One of the ways Aramaic and Hebrew embed a word play in the text is the repetition of words. For example, the word “seek” is found seven times in this chapter in the Aramaic text, and the word “found [find]” occurs eight times. The irony is that they were seeking to entrap Daniel, but Daniel was seeking the face of God. They wanted to find fault in him, but God found him faultless. (For more on this Aramaic wordplay, see Bill T. Arnold, “Wordplay and Narrative Techniques in Daniel 5 and 6,” Journal of Biblical Literature 112, no. 3 [1993]: 479–85.) any error or fault in him nor could they uncover any negligence or misconduct. 5Finally, his accusers said to themselves, “We will never find grounds for accusation against this Daniel unless it is related to his obedience to the law of his God.”
6So these 122 powerful politicians consulted together # 6:6 The precise meaning of this Aramaic expression hareggishu (translated here “consulted together”) is uncertain. (For possible meanings, see J. E. Goldingay, Daniel, Word Biblical Commentary, vol. 30 [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2019], 121.) as a group to entrap Daniel. And they went to speak to the king and said to him, “King Darius, live forever! 7All the officials of your kingdom—your high officials, administrators, advisers, and governors—we are all agreed that by royal decree the following prohibition should be enforced strictly: for thirty days, no one is to pray to any god or man except to you, O king; otherwise, he must be thrown into the lions’ den. # 6:7 Why did they use lions and not bears or some other form of execution? Great monarchs of that day had zoos and lion parks as part of the symbolism of their kingdoms. Furthermore, ch. 7:4 pictures Babylon as a lion. The entire Jewish captivity in Babylon was a type of captivity in a “lions’ den.” Daniel being thrown into that lions’ den was emblematic of the entire preceding seventy years. His miraculous rescue becomes a prophecy of the exodus of the Jews from Babylon that was soon to happen. The “mouths” (v. 22) of the lions are a parallel to the chief officials and politicians who sought Daniel’s demise. They accused Daniel with their mouths, but God sealed the mouths of the lions to prove that no weapon formed against God’s servants will prevail. 8Now therefore, let the king issue this written, irrevocable decree that cannot be altered according to the unchanging law of the Medes and the Persians.”
9So King Darius signed the written decree.
Daniel Thrown into the Lions’ Den
10Even after Daniel learned that the king had officially signed his decree, he continued his regular custom of praying at three set times a day. # 6:10 The bravery and courage of the prophet Daniel is noteworthy. He knew his life would be in danger if he continued his habit of prayer, but he would not be deterred. He went to the upper chamber of his house and opened the windows facing toward Jerusalem. Then he got down on his knees to pray, and he offered his grateful praise to God as he always had done.
11Then all those who conspired against Daniel came and spied on him. They found him praying # 6:11 Or “seeking.” Prayer is seeking the face of God. to God and asking him for help. 12So they approached the king and reminded him of his royal decree: “Your Majesty, did you not sign a decree forbidding everyone for thirty days to pray to any god or man except to you, O king, under penalty of being thrown into the lions’ den?”
“Yes, I did, and my decree is final,” the king answered. “It is irrevocable according to the law of the Medes and Persians.”
13They then told the king, “We discovered that Daniel, one of the foreign Jewish exiles, pays no heed to you, O king, and ignores the decree you have signed. For he prays to his God # 6:13 The words “to his God” are missing in the Hebrew manuscripts but are included in Greek texts (LXX and Theodotion). three times a day.”
14When King Darius heard this, he was deeply grieved and sought to find a way he could rescue Daniel from his fate. For most of that day until sundown, he wrestled within himself over how Daniel could be spared. 15But these powerful politicians went back to see the king and insisted, “Bear in mind, Your Majesty, that according to the law of the Medes and Persians, every edict or decree of the king is irrevocable.”
16So, the king gave orders to have Daniel brought in and cast into the lions’ den. # 6:16 The lion was an ancient symbol of kingdoms, including Persia. The Persian goddess Anahita was pictured as riding on the back of a lion. The lions’ den was a symbolic execution for anyone who placed another god above Anahita. If anyone blasphemed their goddess, they would have to face the wrath of the lions. For one to survive being thrown to the lions was a powerful spiritual sign to the king and the people of the land. Daniel’s divine rescue was a significant lesson not lost on the king. He saw Daniel’s God conquer their goddess Anahita. There were likely quite a number of lions kept in the den, for the politicians and their families could have numbered two or three hundred, and they all were devoured before they hit the ground (see v. 24). In a sense, Daniel took dominion over the lions with the power of God. But before they threw him into the lions’ den, the king said to Daniel, “Your God, whom you serve so faithfully, he will surely come to rescue you.” # 6:16 Or “May your God, whom you serve continually, come to your rescue.” This may have been more than a fond wish, maybe even a direct statement of firm faith. How we pray that believers today would have such great faith as this pagan king. Compare the words of Nebuchadnezzar (see 3:15). The Aramaic word used for rescue is shezib, but shezib carries the implication that Daniel’s rescue is because of love and affection. King Darius recognized that Daniel’s God loved him so much that he would not let Daniel be killed by the lions. Additionally, the Aramaic has a Piel imperfect form that serves as a reflexive. The king may have been saying, in effect, “The God who loves you so much will deliver you to protect himself.”
17A large stone was then brought and placed over the opening # 6:17 Like the stone sealing Jesus’ tomb, this stone, sealed for Daniel’s death, would also be pushed aside to reveal life. of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of each of his nobles # 6:17 The seal of the signet rings was a means of guaranteeing that the stone would not be moved. If anyone other than the king were to remove the stone, the penalty would be death. so that Daniel’s fate might not be changed. 18Then the king returned to his palace, where he spent the night fasting; he had no supper # 6:18 Or “diversion” or “entertainment.” The meaning of the Aramaic word dahawan is uncertain. brought to him and could not sleep a wink.
God Protects Daniel
19At the first sign of dawn, the king rose from his bed and hurried off to the lions’ den. 20As he drew near the den of lions, he called out to Daniel with a trembling # 6:20 Or “sorrowful.” voice: “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve so faithfully, been able to rescue you from the lions?”
21Then he heard a voice; it was Daniel—he was still alive! “O king, live forever,” answered Daniel. 22“My God sent his angel, who sealed the mouths of the lions. # 6:22 The subject of the verb here is not indicated in Aramaic, so grammatically it may be either God or his angel that shut the lions’ mouths. Regardless, God indeed was the agent behind this miracle. I am unharmed and without a scratch. For I have been found innocent before my God and before you, too, O king. I have committed no wrong.” # 6:22 This moment shows Daniel clearly as a type of the one who is greater than himself, Jesus Christ. Like Daniel, Jesus was blameless, a righteous man who was destined to rule. Daniel and Jesus were men of prayer. As with Daniel, the “officials” who sought to eliminate Jesus could find no cause or basis for their accusation. Both Jesus and Daniel were placed into sealed tombs. Yet both men “rose” again and were given favor and rulership. The life of Daniel is a powerful testimony that one can remain faithful to God with integrity before others, even in a difficult environment.
23The king was beside himself with joy! And he gave orders to have Daniel taken up out of the lions’ den. When the servants brought him up from the den, they could find no trace of injury on his body because he had trusted in his God. 24Then at the king’s command, those politicians who had maliciously plotted against # 6:24 Or “falsely accused.” Daniel, along with their wives and children, were arrested and flung into the lions’ den. And before they reached the bottom, the lions pounced on them and devoured them, bones and all. # 6:24 There is an Aramaic play on words in this verse that is missing from most translations. It is literally “Those who chewed up the pieces of Daniel [slandered him] . . . were chewed up [had their bones crunched] by the lions!” The Jewish midrash states that Daniel’s accusers were suggesting to the king that the lions were not hungry. Darius replied, “If so, go down and spend the night with them to see if they are not hungry!” (See Shocher Tov 64.)
King Darius’ Decree
25After that, King Darius wrote the following to all the people groups of his kingdom, those of every nation, tribe, and tongue throughout the land:
“May peace and prosperity be greatly multiplied to you!
26I hereby decree that throughout my royal dominion,
all people everywhere will tremble in fear
before the God whom Daniel worships.
He is the living God, enduring forever.
His kingdom will never be destroyed,
and his dominion continues without end.
27He is a mighty savior and deliverer.
He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth,
He alone has rescued Daniel from the claws of the lions.”
28From then on, Daniel prospered greatly during the reign of Darius and # 6:28 The conjunction “and” in both Hebrew and Aramaic can be used in the sense of “to wit,” “namely,” or “that is to say.” This has led some scholars to suggest that this phrase is intended to show that Darius and Cyrus were the same person. during the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
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Daniel 6: TPT
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