Daniel 6:1

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; DARIUS. Grotefend has read it in the cuneiform inscriptions at Persepolis, as Darheush, i:e., Lord-king-a name applied to many of the Medo-Persian kings in common. Three of the name occur; Darius Hystaspis, B.C. 521, in whose reign the decree, originally issued by Cyrus, was carried into effect for rebuilding the temple (; ); Darius Codomanus, 336 BC, whom Alexander overcame, called "the Persian" () - an expression used after the rule of Macedon was set up (a striking undesigne...

As to the translation, some translate the last clause of the second verse, “That the king should not have any trouble;” but since נזק, _nezek, _signifies “to suffer loss,” I willingly adopt this sense; because the king did not escape trouble, through a desire for ease, as he might have done, being an old man, but he willingly managed his own affairs, and committed the care of them to three men, lest anything should be lost through passing through too many hands. For experience shews us how confusion is caused by a multitude. If there had been only there an hundred and twenty governors of provinces, many inconveniences must have happened, and much loss would have occurred; hence the king placed three prefects over these hundred and twenty. Here again we may perceive how God cared for his Prophet, not so much for any private reason or through private respect, as by his aid the wretched cap...

1-5 We notice to the glory of God, that though Daniel was now very old, yet he was able for business, and had continued faithful to his religion. It is for the glory of God, when those who profess religion, conduct themselves so that their most watchful enemies may find no occasion for blaming them, save only in the matters of their God, in which they walk according to their consciences....

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;...

IT PLEASED DARIUS TO SET OVER THE KINGDOM - Evidently over the kingdom of Babylon, now united to that of Media and Persia. As this was now subject to him, and tributary to him, it would be natural to appoint persons over it in whom he could confide, for the administration of justice, for the collection of revenue, etc. Others however, suppose that this relates to the whole kingdom of Persia, but as the reference here is mainly to what was the kingdom of Babylon, it is rather to be presumed that this is what is particularly alluded to. Besides, it is hardly probable that he would have exalted Daniel, a Jew, and a resident in Babylon, to so important a post as that of the premiership over the whole empire, though from his position and standing in Babylon there is no improbability in supposing that he might have occupied, under the reign of Darius, a place similar to what he had occupied un...

EXPOSITION DANIEL 6:1 DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. DANIEL 6:1 IT PLEASED DARIUS TO SET OVER THE KINGDOM AN HUNDRED AND TWENTY PRINCES. WHICH SHOULD BE OVER THE WHOLE KINGDOM; AND OVER THESE THREE PRESIDENTS; OF WHOM DANIEL WAS FIRST: THAT THE PRINCES MIGHT GIVE ACCOUNTS UNTO THEM, AND THE KING SHOULD HAVE NO DAMAGE. THEN THIS DANIEL WAS PREFERRED ABOVE THE PRESIDENTS AND PRINCES, BECAUSE AN EXCELLENT SPIRIT WAS IN HIM; AND THE KING THOUGHT TO SET HIM OVER THE WHOLE REALM. The variations from the Massoretic text in the Septuagint are, in regard to the verses before us, very considerable. It assumes the last verse of the preceding chapter, and begins,

IT PLEASED DARIUS TO SET OVER THE KINGDOM AN HUNDRED AND TWENTY PRINCES,.... This is the same Darius mentioned in the latter part of the preceding chapter; who, as soon as he took the kingdom of Babylon, divided it into a hundred and twenty provinces, as Jacchiades observes; as was the manner of the Medes and Persians. So Darius the son of Hystaspes divided the kingdom of Persia into twenty provinces, and set governors over each, according to Herodotus r; to these hundred and twenty provinces seven more were afterwards added, through the victories of Cyrus and Cambyses, and Darius Itystaspes, Esther 1:1. Josephus s, through forgetfulness, makes these princes and provinces three hundred and sixty: WHICH SHOULD BE OVER THE WHOLE KINGDOM; or, "in the whole kingdom" t; in the several parts of it, and take care of all things relative to the civil government of it, both for the honou

Daniel 6:1. _It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom; And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm._ Kings are never satisfied. The empire of Darius was always growing, and a chapter or two farther on we find that he had a hundred and twenty-seven provinces. There is no end to the greediness of man, and what does he get by it after all? One pair of hands can only do one man's work; he only gains more toils, and he has now to distribute the cares of his State among others. Then how good it is for any man when he is guided to a right, honest, and hearty helper! Such

CHAPTER 6 UNDER DARIUS THE MEDE AND DANIEL IN THE LION'S DEN _ 1. The decree of Darius (Daniel 6:1)_ 2. Daniel's faith and steadfastness (Daniel 6:10) 3. Daniel cast into the lion's den and the deliverance (Daniel 6:16) 4. The Decree of Darius (Daniel 6:25) Daniel 6:1. From the opening of this chapter we learn that Daniel also held a very high position in the beginning of the second monarchy, which had conquered Babylonia. He was preferred above all the other presidents and princes. This created jealousy. They devised a very

DANIEL 6. DANIEL IN THE DEN OF LIONS. After giving an account of the reorganisation of the empire by Darius after the fall of Babylon, this chapter describes a conspiracy formed against Daniel by the princes, which resulted in his being thrown into a den of lions for refusing to obey a decree which forbade prayer to God. Daniel is found alive and unhurt the next morning. His accusers are thrown to the lions and instantly devoured. Darius then issues a decree commanding the whole world to honour the God of Daniel. The purpose of the chapter is obviously to strengthen the Jews in their resistance to the demands of Antiochus Epiphanes. 1. DANIEL 5:31 *. SATRAPS: we have no outside evidence in support of this statement. According to Herodotus the Persian Empire was first divided into twenty satrapies by Darius Hystaspis (522- 485 B.C.)....