Daniel 6:12

Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not. THEN THEY CAME NEAR, AND SPAKE BEFORE THE KING ... HAST THOU NOT SIGNED A DECREE? They preface their attack by alleging the king's edict, so as to get him again to confirm it unalterably, before they mention Daniel's name. Not to break a wicked promise is not firmness, but guilty obstinacy: so Herod, though "sorry, nevertheless for his oath's sake, and them which sat with him at meat, commanded" John's head to be given to Herodias (;...

Now the king’s nobles approach the king as conquerors, but they do so cunningly; for they do not openly say anything about Daniel, whom they knew to be a favorite with the king; but they repeat their previous assertion concerning the impossibility of changing the edict, since the law of the Medes and Persians is inviolable and cannot be rendered void. Again, therefore, as far as they possibly can, they sanction that edict, lest the king should afterwards be free, or dare to retract what he had once commanded. We must mark the cunning with which they indirectly circumvent the king, and entangle him, by preventing the change of a single word; _They come, _therefore,_and discourse concerning the royal edict. _They do not mention the name of Daniel, but dwell upon the royal decree, so as to bind the king more firmly. It follows — _The king answered, The discourse is true _We here see how kin...

11-17 It is no new thing for what is done faithfully, in conscience toward God, to be misrepresented as done obstinately, and in contempt of the civil powers. Through want of due thought, we often do that which afterwards, like Darius, we see cause a thousand times to wish undone again. Daniel, that venerable man, is brought as the vilest of malefactors, and is thrown into the den of lions, to be devoured, only for worshipping his God. No doubt the placing the stone was ordered by the providence of God, that the miracle of Daniel's deliverance might appear more plain; and the king sealed it with his own signet, probably lest Daniel's enemies should kill him. Let us commit our lives and souls unto God, in well-doing. We cannot place full confidence even in men whom we faithfully serve; but believers may, in all cases, be sure of the Divine favour and consolation....

Verse Daniel 6:12. _SHALL BE CAST INTO THE DEN OF LIONS_] Either this was the royal _menagerie_, like that place in the _Tower_ of London, where wild beasts are kept for the king's pleasure, and the public amusement; or they were kept for the purpose of devouring certain criminals, which the laws might consign to that kind of death. This is most likely, from the case before us....

THEN THEY CAME NEAR - That is, they came near to the king. They had detected Daniel, as they expected and desired to do, in a palpable violation of the law, and they lost no time in apprising the king of it, and in reminding him of the law which he had established. Informers are not apt to lose time. THE KING ANSWERED AND SAID, THE THING IS TRUE ... - It is undeniable, whatever may be the consequences. There is no reason to suppose that he as yet had any suspicion of their design in asking this question. It is not improbable that he apprehended there had been some violation of the law, but it does not appear that his suspicions rested on Daniel....

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,

THEN THEY CAME NEAR,.... They went immediately from Daniel's house to the king's palace, and into the king's presence; which they could do, either by virtue of their offices, or being admitted by the proper officer in waiting: AND SPAKE BEFORE THE KING CONCERNING THE KING'S DECREE; at first they said nothing about Daniel, but about the decree, to get it recognized, and afresh ratified and confirmed; lest, under some pretence or another, the king should change it: HAST THOU NOT SIGNED A DECREE, THAT EVERY MAN THAT SHALL ASK A PETITION OF ANY GOD OR MAN WITHIN THIRTY DAYS, SAVE OF THEE, O KING, SHALL BE CAST INTO THE DEN OF LIONS? they do not say peremptorily that he had signed such a decree, but put the question to him, that they might have it affirmed by himself: THE KING ANSWERED AND SAID, THE THING IS TRUE, ACCORDING TO THE LAW OF THE MEDES AND PERSIANS, WHICH ALTERETH NOT; it is tr...

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.)....