Then the king commanded
Being overawed by his princes and fearing they would conspire
against him, and stir up the people to rebel; and consulting his
own credit lest he should be thought fickle and inconstant; he
ordered the decree to be put in execution against Daniel, and
delivered his favourite into their hands: and they brought
Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions;
not the princes but proper officers employed by them: according
to the additions to this book of Daniel, there were seven lions
in this den, in the Apocrypha: ``And in the den there were seven
lions, and they had given them every day two carcases, and two
sheep: which then were not given to them, to the intent they
might devour Daniel.'' (Bel 1:32) but, according to Joseph ben
Gorion F7, there were ten, who used to devour
ten sheep, and as many human bodies every day; but this day they
had no food, and ate nothing, that they might be more greedy, and
devour Daniel the sooner: now the king spake and said unto
Daniel;
being brought into his presence, in his palace, before he was
cast into the den; or at the mouth of the den whither the king
accompanied him: thy God whom thou servest continually, he
will deliver thee;
he calls the Lord Daniel's God, not his own, as he was not, he
served other gods; yet he suggests that Daniel was right in
serving him continually, in praying to him daily, the very thing
for which he was cast to the lions; and expresses his confidence
that his God he served would deliver him from being devoured by
them; which he might conclude, from, the innocency, integrity,
and faithfulness of Daniel, and from his being such a peculiar
favourite of God as to be indulged with the knowledge of future
things; and perhaps he might have heard of the deliverance of his
three companions from the fiery furnace: though the words may be
rendered, as they are by some, as a wish or prayer, "may thy God
&c. deliver thee" F8; I cannot, I pray he would; it is my
hearty desire that so it might be.