Daniel Chapter 6

I. Daniel Chapter 6.

II. Study Text.

A. Outline.

6:1. Daniel is promoted by Darius. 6.4. His enemies conspire against him, and obtain an impious decree from the king. 6:10. Daniel is accused of disobedience, and cast into the lions’ den. 6:18. His miraculous preservation. 6:24: The destruction of his enemies. 6:25. The king’s decree acknowledging the God of Israel.

B. Details.

6:1. “120 satraps.” 120 assistants to Darius.

6:2. “that the king might not suffer loss.” I.e., have no financial loss. That is why he wanted someone trustworthy like Daniel.

6:8. The uncnhangeableness of Medo-Persian law is seen in Est 1:9; 8:8.

6:10. “toward Jerusalem.” A practice suggested by David and Solomon (Ps 5:7; 1 Kgs 8:33). Daniel’s example is one of legitimate disobedience to the government (cf. Acts 5:29; Rom 13:1-2).

6:16. “the lion’s den.” A large (v. 24) underground cave with an opening at the top (v. 23) and probably one at the side.

6:24. This cruel punishment is typically Persian.

C. Detailed Review.

6:1-2. When the Medo-Persian alliance overthrew the Neo-Babylonian Empire, it acquired much geographic territory that it proceeded to incorporate into its kingdom. The Persian Empire became the largest that the world had yet seen, eventually encompassing modern Turkey, Egypt, and parts of India and North Africa, as well as Babylonia. Darius divided his realm into 120 satrapies or provinces, and set a satrap (“protector of the realm”) in charge of each one (cf. Est 1:1; 8:9). They reported to three commissioners, one of whom was Daniel. Evidently Darius had heard about Daniel’s unique gifts and accomplishments as a Babylonian administrator, and wanted to use him in his cabinet. Dan 6:1 strongly suggests that “Darius” and “Cyrus” refer to the same person. Because of the vast geographical region that 120 satrapies entailed, this number and size of provinces would be consistent with the Persian Empire as historically ruled by Cyrus.

6:3. As time passed, Daniel distinguished himself above the other commissioners, even though he was in his 80s. Darius purposed to put him in charge of them all, to elevate him to prime minister. These verses set the stage for what follows by helping the reader appreciate how Darius felt about Daniel.

6:4. The text does not say why the other officials wanted to get rid of Daniel. Perhaps his integrity made it difficult for them to get away with graft and political corruption. Maybe since he was quite old they wanted to eliminate him so someone from a younger generation could take his place. Anti-Semitism appears to have been part of their reason (cf. Dan 3:2; 6:13). The text stresses the outstanding personal integrity and professional competence of Daniel.

6:5. The accusers’ plan was similar to that of the Babylonian officials who had tried to topple Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego (ch. 3). They knew that Daniel was a God-fearing man who did not worship pagan idols. So they set a trap for him believing that he would remain faithful to his faith. When Daniel had to choose between obeying his God or his government, his God came first (cf. Dan 6:10; Acts 5:29).

6:6-7. The adversaries’ exaggerated their claim that all the rulers of the kingdom had concurred with their proposal. Obviously Daniel had not agreed to it. Nevertheless it was believable enough that Darius did not object or consult Daniel. Furthermore, the plan catered to the king’s vanity. The proposed statute evidently covered petitions of a religious nature, rather than requests of any type, since a general ban, even a permanent ban, would have been absurd. Perhaps the antagonistic rulers also aimed at impressing the Babylonians with the importance of remaining loyal to their new Persian king. In any case, they promoted humanism, the philosophy that puts man in the place of God. The Babylonians burned criminals alive (ch. 4), but the Persians, who worshipped fire, threw them to the lions.

6:8-9. Under Persian law, the king was bound by the authority of a royal edict (Dan 6:8; 12; 15; cf. Est 1:19; 8:8). This made his power less than it was under an absolute dictator such as Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Dan 2:39).

6:10. The new decree did not deter Daniel from continuing to pray for the welfare of the city where God had sent them into exile, and for the Jews’ return from exile. That this was the subject of his praying, among other things, including thanksgiving (Dan 6:10), seems clear since Daniel possessed a copy of Jeremiah’s prophecy  (Dan 9:2; cf. Jer 29:1-10). Jeremiah had written that God had promised to hear such prayers, if they were sincere and wholehearted, to restore the fortunes of the Jews, and to re-gather them to the Promised Land  (Jer 29:12-14). Cyrus issued his decree allowing the Jews to return from exile in 538 B.C. (2 Chr 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4). The events of Dan 6 must have happened just before or shortly after this great turning point in Israel’s history. The events recorded in this chapter undoubtedly played some part in Cyrus’ decision to favor the Jews. Daniel refused to pray to the king, but he willingly prayed to the king’s Sovereign.

6:11. Daniel’s colleagues knew about his prayer habits (cf. Philippians 4:6). They contrived to observe him praying in his own house, somehow to enable them to give eyewitness testimony that they had seen him violate the king’s order. Did they suppose that Daniel would deny that he had been praying? They expected that the edict would not deter him from his regular devotional habit, even though it might cost him his life! What a testimony Daniel had among his fellow workers!

6:12-13. After reminding Darius of his decree, the hostile officials informed the king that his prime minister elect had violated it and was therefore worthy of death. Notice that they described Daniel as “one of the exiles from Judah” (cf. Dan 2:25; 5:13), rather than as a royal cabinet minister. They were evidently hoping that Daniel’s Jewish nationality and religion would contribute to Darius’ distaste for him. This was not the result, however. They also used almost the same words that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego’s accusers had used when they charged Daniel with disregarding the king (cf. Dan 3:12). To them, prayer to Yahweh constituted disrespect for the king, rather than respect for the Most High God. How quickly and persistently humankind reverts to humanism!

6:14-15. Daniel had so won the king’s favor that Darius immediately and energetically began trying to rescue his friend. Nebuchadnezzar had become angry with Daniel’s three friends when they refused to idolize him (Dan 3:19), but Darius became angry with himself for signing the decree (cf. Dan 2:1; 3:13; 5:6-9). This shows how much he respected and valued Daniel.

6:16. Darius’ parting words to Daniel are significant. One could render them, “Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.” The idea is that Darius had tried to save Daniel and had failed. Now, Yahweh must save him. We do not know, of course, if Darius knew about Yahweh’s deliverance of Daniel’s three friends. Again, we see that God did not preserve His servant from difficulty, but brought him though it safely, His normal way of dealing with His own.

6:17. The lions’ den appears to have been a large pit in the ground with an opening above that a large stone sealed, probably to keep people from stumbling into it. Such pits were commonly used as cisterns to store water or as prisons. Daniel had to be lifted up out of it (Dan 6:23), and others when thrown into it fell down toward its bottom (Dan 6:24). It may also have had a side entrance or drain since, if it did not, rain could have filled the den and drowned the lions. However, statements in the text cast the type of lions’ den pictured in this description into question. The king and his nobles sealed the stone that covered the opening to make sure no one would release Daniel (cf. the sealing of Jesus’ tomb).

6:18. In contrast to Nebuchadnezzar, who showed no compassion for Daniel’s three friends, Darius spent a fitful night without food, entertainment, or sleep. Normally, prayer accompanied fasting among the Israelites. Darius may have prayed too, but the point of this description is that he felt extremely anxious over the welfare of his friend.

6:19-20. Evidently, one night in the lions’ den was the minimum sentence the law required, because early the next morning Darius set out to free Daniel, if he had survived. Uncertain about the prophet’s fate, the king called to Daniel, whom he could not see, hoping that he might still be alive. Daniel had apparently told Darius previously that he worshipped the living God. Now Darius wanted to know if this God had been able to save His servant from the lions (cf. Dan 3:17; 6:16).

6:21-23. Daniel’s voice was untroubled. He even sermonized a bit from his unlikely chapel amid his subdued animal companions. After greeting the king courteously, he explained that his God had sent His angel who had shut the lions’ mouths (cf. Heb 11:33). This may have been the same angel, or the Angel of the Lord, who had visited Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace (Dan 3:28). Daniel believed that God had had mercy on him because he had not sinned against God or Darius in what he had done. True, he had violated the king’s edict, but he had not done anything that really harmed the king. God had rewarded Daniel’s trust (Dan 6:23), which Daniel demonstrated by obeying God’s will. Darius had Daniel extracted from the den, and undoubtedly marveled that he had sustained no injuries whatsoever (cf. Dan 3:27). Compare the accounts of Peter and Paul’s releases from prison in Acts 12,16.

6:24. Then the king applied the lex talionis (law of retaliation) and cast his friend’s accusers into the very den in which they had placed Daniel (cf. Gen 12:3; Est 7:9-10; Gal 6:7). Before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered and crushed them. The effects of people’s sins touch others beside themselves. The execution of the evildoers’ family members seems unfair and cruel, but it reflects the principle of corporate solidarity that was common in the biblical world. 

6:25-27. This story ends, as previous ones in the book did, with the king praising and promoting Yahweh. This expression of praise, however, surpasses the others (cf. Dan 3:28-29, 4:3, 34-37). Not only did Darius personally praise God, but he ordered his subjects to do the same thing (cf. Dan 3:29; 4:1). It is as though God was giving two witnesses to His people Israel, “Nebuchadnezzar and Darius.” Both monarchs testified to the living and eternal God’s unshakable sovereignty, grace, and power in heaven and on earth (cf. Dan 4:3, 34-35). These testimonies certainly would have encouraged the Israelites to trust Him in spite of the circumstances of the exile.

6:28. The last verse notes that Daniel continued to enjoy success during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus. That is, Daniel continued to enjoy success during the reign of Darius, even the reign of Cyrus, since Darius was apparently a title for Cyrus. Cyrus’ first full year as king of Babylon was 538 B.C., and this is when Daniel’s career in government service ended (Dan 1:21). This was the same year that Cyrus issued his decree permitting the Jews to return to their homeland. Daniel received the revelations of chapters 10-12 in the third year of Cyrus’ reign (Dan 10:1), but he was no longer in government service then.