Daniel 6:1

CHAPTER VI

Darius the Median, who succeeded Belshazzar in the kingdom of

Babylon, having heard of Daniel's extraordinary wisdom and

understanding, constitutes him the chief of the three

presidents who were over the whole empire, and purposed also

to make him prime minister or viceroy, 1-3.

This great partiality of the king towards a stranger of Jewish

extraction, and who had been carried captive into Chaldea,

raised up a great many enemies to Daniel; and a scheme was even

contrived by the presidents and princes to ruin him, 4-15;

which succeeded so far that he was cast into a den of lions,

but was miraculously delivered, 16-23.

Darius, who was greatly displeased with himself for having been

entrapped by the governors of the provinces to the prejudice of

his faithful minister, is pleased and astonished at this

deliverance; punished Daniel's enemies with the same kind of

death which they had designed for the prophet; and made a

decree that, throughout his dominions, the God of Daniel should

be had in the greatest veneration, 24-38.

NOTES ON CHAP. VI

Verse Daniel 6:1. A hundred and twenty princes] A chief or satrap over every province which belonged to the Medo-Persian empire. Afterwards we find it enlarged to one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, by the victories of Cambyses and Darius Hystaspes. See Esther 1:1. Josephus reckons three hundred and sixty satrapies or lordships; but this is most probably an exaggeration or mistake.