Daniel Chapter 6

At a Glance

  • Daniel 6 unfolds in the imperial setting of the Medes and Persians, where power is centralized in a vast administrative machine.
  • Historical & Literary Context.
  • Daniel 6 sits in the second half of the Book of Daniel, a blend of court narrative and apocalyptic visions.
  • - Integrity under pressure: Daniel’s consistent devotion and honesty stand in stark contrast to a corrupt system, earning him respect and envy.
  • - Faithfulness in exile: Daniel remains true to his worship practices even when outward signs of religiosity are politically dangerous.

Chapter Overview

Daniel 6 unfolds in the imperial setting of the Medes and Persians, where power is centralized in a vast administrative machine. The chapter opens with Darius appointing 120 satraps and three presidents, with Daniel distinguished as the foremost due to “an excellent spirit” in him. The other administrators, jealous of Daniel’s rising prestige and fearful of his integrity, seek a formal trap: they propose a royal decree forbidding petition to any god or man for thirty days except to the king. The trap hinges on Daniel’s religious fidelity—verse 5 notes that they sought “to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful.” Once the decree is signed, Daniel’s customary devotion to God remains unchanged. He prays three times a day with windows open toward Jerusalem, a posture signaling trust, repentance, and appeal to heaven. The conspirators report him to King Darius, who is bound by the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be revoked. Daniel is thrown into the den of lions, but God preserves him; morning arrives, and Daniel is found unharmed. The king issues a decree honoring Daniel’s God, and the accusers, along with their families, are cast into the lions’ den, meeting a grim fate. The chapter closes with a public acknowledgment that the living God delivers and that He triumphs over human schemes. The narrative thus blends political intrigue, personal integrity, and divine deliverance, underscoring that fidelity to God persists even under risk to life and position.

Historical & Literary Context

Daniel 6 sits in the second half of the Book of Daniel, a blend of court narrative and apocalyptic visions. It is set under the Persian empire (Darius the Mede in this chapter, though many identify him with Darius I of Persia) in the late 6th to early 5th centuries BCE. The genre is a hybrid: historical-legendary narrative that emphasizes wisdom, righteousness, and divine sovereignty within a hostile political world. The immediate literary purpose is to illustrate God’s protection of faithful dependence on Him in exile, and to present Daniel as a model of integrity who rises in a pagan court without compromising fidelity to YHWH. The recurring motif—cities, courts, decrees, lions—frames a narrative arc that contrasts human schemes with divine deliverance. This chapter also functions as a literary counterbalance to Daniel 3 (the fiery furnace) and Daniel 7 (the visions), offering a concrete, down-to-earth demonstration of faithfulness in a regime that tests loyalty through law and fear.

Key Themes

- Integrity under pressure: Daniel’s consistent devotion and honesty stand in stark contrast to a corrupt system, earning him respect and envy.

- Faithfulness in exile: Daniel remains true to his worship practices even when outward signs of religiosity are politically dangerous.

- God’s sovereignty over empires: The lions’ den is a dramatic stage for God to vindicate His servant and reveal the emptiness of human decrees that oppose Him.

- The danger of political expediency: The plot exposes how leaders may be manipulated by those who flatter them, and how power structures can threaten righteousness.

- Divine rescue and witness: Daniel’s deliverance becomes a public testimony to Yahweh’s power, inviting others to recognize the God who saves.

Modern Application

Daniel 6 speaks into contemporary life in several actionable ways:

- Workplace integrity: In environments where integrity may be at odds with policy or pressure, Daniel’s refusal to compromise invites Christians to stand firm in daily practices—honesty, diligence, and consistency in prayerful dependence on God.

- Courage to resist timidity: When social or legal norms threaten religious expression, this chapter encourages measured boldness—performing one’s duties without hiding one’s faith.

- Distinguishing politics and faith: The story invites discernment about political maneuvering and the role of a believer within civil authority, urging believers to seek wisdom that honors God while engaging responsibly in public life.

- Prayer as sustenance: Daniel’s steadfast prayer life models resilience; modern readers can cultivate regular, disciplined prayer even when access is restricted or monitored.

- God as deliverer: The narrative reassures that God’s power remains operative in hostile contexts, providing hope against fear and assuring that moral courage matters to God.

- Daniel 3 (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace) for the motif of faithful worship and divine deliverance.

- Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 27:4-5 for trustful prayer and deliverance in danger.

- Esther 4-7 (rising dependence on providence in a Persian court) for living faithfully within a monarchy.

- Romans 12:17-21 and 1 Peter 2:13-17 for ethical engagement within secular authority.

Recommended Personas (Who could illuminate this chapter)

- Daniel (the central figure) for intimate insight into faithful service in a hostile realm.

- Jesus (as the archetype of obedience under pressure and theodicy in suffering) for parallels to being faithful in an ordered, hostile culture.

- Paul (wisdom in moderating worldly power and maintaining integrity) to connect personal conviction with public witness.

Chapter Text

1

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

2

And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.

3

Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.

4

Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.

5

Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.

6

Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.

7

All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

8

Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

9

Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

10

Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.

11

Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

12

Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

13

Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

14

Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.

15

Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

16

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

17

And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

18

Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.

19

Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

20

And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

21

Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

22

My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

23

Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.

24

And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

25

Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.

26

I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.

27

He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

28

So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

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