Daniel 6:16-28

Daniel in the Lions' Den

16 Then the king gave orders, and Daniel was brought in and ¹cast into the lions' den. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "²Your God whom you constantly serve will Himself deliver you."

17 A ³stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing * would be changed in regard to Daniel.

18 Then the king went off to his palace and spent the night ⁴fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his ⁵sleep fled from him.

19 Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions' den.

20 When he had come near the den to Daniel, he cried out with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, has ⁶your God, whom you constantly serve, been ⁷able to deliver you from the lions?"

21 Then Daniel spoke to the king, "⁸O king, live forever!

22 "My God ⁹sent His angel and ¹⁰shut the lions' mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch * * as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime."

23 Then the king was very pleased and gave orders for Daniel to be taken up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den and ¹¹no * injury whatever was found on him, because he had ¹²trusted in his God.

24 The king then gave orders, and they brought those men who had maliciously * accused * Daniel, and they ¹³cast them, their ¹⁴children and their wives into the lions' den; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before * the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

25 Then Darius the king wrote to all the ¹⁵peoples, nations and men of every language who were living in all the land: "¹⁶May your peace abound!

26 "I ¹⁷make a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom men are to fear and tremble before * the God of Daniel; For He is the ¹⁸living God and ¹⁹enduring forever, And ²⁰His kingdom is one which will not be destroyed, And His dominion will be forever.

27 "He delivers and rescues and performs ²¹signs and wonders In heaven and on earth, Who has also delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."

28 So this ²²Daniel enjoyed success in the reign of Darius and in the reign of ²³Cyrus the Persian.

Daniel 6:16-28 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

• 1. 2 Samuel 3:39; Jeremiah 38:5; Daniel 6:7
• 2. Job 5:19; Psalms 37:39, 40; Isaiah 41:10; Daniel 3:17, 28; Daniel 6:20; 2 Corinthians 1:10
• 3. Lamentations 3:53; Matthew 27:66
• 4. 2 Samuel 12:16, 17
• 5. Esther 6:1; Psalms 77:4; Daniel 2:1
• 6. Daniel 6:16, 27
• 7. Genesis 18:14; Numbers 11:23; Jeremiah 32:17; Daniel 3:17
• 8. Daniel 2:4; Daniel 6:6
• 9. Numbers 20:16; Isaiah 63:9; Daniel 3:28; Acts 12:11; Hebrews 1:14
• 10. Psalms 91:11-13; 2 Timothy 4:17; Hebrews 11:33
• 11. Daniel 3:25, 27
• 12. 1 Chronicles 5:20; 2 Chronicles 20:20; Psalms 118:8, 9; Isaiah 26:3; Daniel 3:17, 28
• 13. Deuteronomy 19:18, 19; Esther 7:10
• 14. Deuteronomy 24:16; 2 Kings 14:6; Esther 9:10
• 15. Ezra 1:1, 2; Esther 3:12; Esther 8:9; Daniel 4:1
• 16. Ezra 4:17; 1 Peter 1:2
• 17. Ezra 6:8-12; Ezra 7:13, 21; Daniel 3:29
• 18. Daniel 4:34; Daniel 6:20; Hosea 1:10; Romans 9:26
• 19. Psalms 93:1, 2; Malachi 3:6
• 20. Daniel 2:44; Daniel 4:3; Daniel 7:14, 27; Luke 1:33
• 21. Daniel 4:2, 3
• 22. Daniel 1:21
• 23. 2 Chronicles 36:22, 23; Daniel 10:1

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "May your God...Himself deliver you"
• [b]. Lit "with"
• [c]. Lit "innocence was found for me"
• [d]. Lit "before"
• [e]. Lit "eaten the pieces of Daniel"
• [f]. Lit "tongue"
• [g]. Or "welfare" or "prosperity"
• [h]. Lit "From me a decree is made"
• [i]. Lit "to the end"
• [j]. Lit "hand"