Daniel 6:15-25

15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no 1injunction or ordinance that the king establishes can be changed."
16 Then the king commanded, and Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. The king declared[a] to Daniel, "May 2your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!"
17 3And a stone was brought and laid on the mouth of the den, 4and the king sealed it 5with his own signet and with the signet of his 6lords, that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
18 Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; 7no diversions were brought to him, and 8sleep fled from him.
19 Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.
20 As he came near to the den where Daniel was, he cried out in a tone of anguish. The king declared to Daniel, "O Daniel, servant of 9the living God, 10has your God, whom you serve continually, 11been able to deliver you from the lions?"
21 Then Daniel said to the king, 12"O king, live forever!
22 My God 13sent his angel 14and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me, because I was found blameless 15before him; 16and also before you, O king, I have done no harm."
23 Then the king was exceedingly glad, and commanded that Daniel be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and 17no kind of harm was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
24 And the king commanded, and 18those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions--they, their children, and their wives. And before they reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.
25 Then King Darius wrote to all 19the peoples, nations, and languages 20that dwell in all the earth: 21"Peace be multiplied to you.

Daniel 6:15-25 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 6

This chapter gives an account of Daniel's being cast into the den of lions, and the causes of it, and the steps leading to it; and also of his wonderful deliverance out of it, and what followed upon that. It first relates how Daniel was made by Darius first president of the princes of the kingdom, which drew their envy upon him, Da 6:1-4, and that these princes finding they could get no occasion against him, but in religion, proposed to the king to make a law forbidding prayer to any god for thirty days, which they got established, Da 6:5-9, and Daniel breaking this law, is accused by them to the king; and the penalty, casting into the den of lions, is insisted on to be executed, Da 6:10-13, which the king laboured to prevent, but in vain; and Daniel is cast to the lions, to the great grief of the king, Da 6:14-18, who visited the den the next morning, and to his great joy found Daniel alive, Da 6:19-23, upon which, by the law of retaliation, his accusers, their wives, and children, were cast into it, Da 6:24, and an edict was published by the king, commanding all in his dominions to fear and reverence the God of Daniel, Da 6:25-28.

Cross References 21

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Aramaic answered and said; also verse 20
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.