Daniel 6:12-22

12 And they nighed and spake to the king of the commandment, (and said,) King, whether thou ordainedest not, that each man that asked any (asking) of gods and of men, till to thirty days, no but (of) thee, thou king, he should be sent into the pit of lions? To which men the king answered, and said, The word is sooth, by the decree of Medes and Persians, which it is not leaveful to break. (And they came and spoke to the king about his command, or his order, and said, O king, did thou not ordain, that for thirty days, anyone who asked anything of gods or of men, except of thee, O king, that that person should be sent into the lions? pit? To whom the king answered, and said, The word is true, by the decree of the Medes and Persians, which it is not lawful to break.)
13 Then they answered, and said before the king, Daniel, of the sons of (the) captivity of Judah, reckoned not of thy law, and of the commandment which thou ordainedest, but three times by the day he prayeth in his beseeching. (Then they answered, and said to the king, Daniel, of the sons of the captivity of Judah, hath not reckoned of thy law, and of the command, or the order, which thou hast ordained, but three times each day he prayeth in his beseeching to his God.)
14 And when the king had heard this word, he was sorry enough, and he setted the heart for Daniel, for to deliver him (and he set his heart, to try to save Daniel); and till to the going down of the sun he travailed for to deliver him.
15 But those men understood the king, and said to him, Know thou, king, that it is the law of Medes and of Persians, that it is not leaveful that any decree be changed, which the king ordaineth. (But those men understood what the king was trying to do, and said to him, O king, thou knowest, that it is the law of the Medes and Persians, that it is not lawful that any decree be changed which the king hath ordained.)
16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and sent him into the pit of lions. And the king said to Daniel, Thy God, whom thou worshippest ever[more], he shall deliver thee. (Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and sent him down into the lions? pit. And the king said to Daniel, Thy God, whom thou worshippest forevermore, he shall rescue thee.)
17 And one stone was brought, and was put on the mouth of the pit, which the king asealed with his ring, and with the ring(s) of his best men, lest anything were done against Daniel.
18 Then the king went into his house, and slept without supper, and meats were not brought before him; furthermore and sleep went away from him. (Then the king went back to his palace, and went to bed without any supper, yea, no food was brought before him; but all sleep went away from him.)
19 Then the king rose in the first (of the) morrowtide, and went hastily to the pit of lions; (Then the king rose early in the morning, and went hastily to the lions? pit;)
20 and he nighed to the pit, and cried on Daniel with [a] weeping voice, and spake to him, Daniel, the servant of God living, guessest thou, whether thy God, whom thou servest ever[more], might deliver thee from the lions? (and he came near to the pit, and called down to Daniel with a weeping voice, and spoke to him, and said, Daniel, the servant of the living God, knowest thou now/tellest thou me, whether thy God, whom thou servest forevermore, hath saved thee from the lions?)
21 And Daniel answered the king, and said, King, live thou without end. (And Daniel answered the king, and said, O king, may thou live forever!)
22 My God sent his angel, and closed together the mouths of (the) lions, and they harmed not me, for rightfulness is found in me before him; but also, thou king, I did no trespass before thee. (My God sent his angel, and closed up the lions? mouths, and they did not harm me, for rightfulness, or innocence, is found in me before him; and also, O king, I did no trespass against thee.)

Daniel 6:12-22 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.

Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.