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... [ Continue Reading ]
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... [ Continue Reading ]
AND OVER THESE THREE PRESIDENTS,.... To whom the hundred and twenty princes were accountable for their conduct, and to whom the people might apply for redress of grievances, if oppressed; perhaps the whole empire was divided into three greater parts, and each part had forty provinces in it, and over... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THIS DANIEL WAS PREFERRED ABOVE THE PRESIDENTS AND PRINCES,.... Not only above the princes, but the presidents, being the first of them, as before: or, "he was victorious above them" y; he got more credit and applause than they did, being more exact, diligent, and laborious, faithful, and consc... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE PRESIDENTS AND PRINCES SOUGHT TO FIND OCCASION AGAINST DANIEL CONCERNING THE KINGDOM,.... Concerning the management of the affairs of the kingdom, he being prime minister of state; the presidents and princes joined together in this inquiry; the princes, because Daniel was so strict and exac... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID THESE MEN,.... To one another: WE SHALL NOT FIND ANY OCCASION AGAINST THIS DANIEL; whom they speak of with great disdain and contempt, calling him this Daniel, this fellow, though in the highest post in the kingdom: EXCEPT WE FIND IT AGAINST HIM CONCERNING THE LAW OF HIS GOD; about his r... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THESE PRESIDENTS AND PRINCES ASSEMBLED TOGETHER TO THE KING,.... Having consulted the matter, and agreed upon and formed a scheme among themselves, and drawn up a bill or decree in form, ready to be signed by the king, whom they hoped to persuade to it; and for that end they got together, and w... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL THE PRESIDENTS OF THE KINGDOM, THE GOVERNORS, AND THE PRINCES, THE COUNSELLORS, AND THE CAPTAINS,.... There were but three presidents, and Daniel was one of them, so that these "all" were but "two"; they made the most of it they could; and very probably not all and everyone of the other officers... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW, O KING, ESTABLISH THE DECREE, AND SIGN THE WRITING,.... For they had not only agreed upon it among themselves what to propose, as to the substance of it; but they had drawn it up in writing, ready to be signed, which they urge to have done immediately: THAT IT BE NOT CHANGED, ACCORDING TO THE... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEREFORE KING DARIUS SIGNED THE WRITING AND THE DECREE. Moved to it by the number and importunity of his principal men; and chiefly through affectation of deity, which this law gave him; and that he might have an opportunity of ingratiating himself into his new subjects by his munificence and liber... [ Continue Reading ]
NOW WHEN DANIEL KNEW THAT THE WRITING WAS SIGNED,.... This he knew, either by the relation of others, or by the public proclamation of it through the city; however, he did not know of it till it was signed, or otherwise he might have prevented it by applying to the king, in whom he had great interes... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THESE MEN ASSEMBLED,.... Gathered together, and went in a body to Daniel's house; knowing his times of prayer, and where, and in what manner, he used to pray, to see if they could find him at it as aforetime; that so they might have to accuse him with it. Saadiah says, they found a girl, and as... [ Continue Reading ]
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 sa... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN ANSWERED THEY, AND SPAKE BEFORE THE KING,.... Having obtained what they desired, a ratification of the decree, they open the whole affair to him they came about: THAT DANIEL, WHICH IS OF THE CHILDREN OF THE CAPTIVITY OF JUDAH, REGARDETH NOT THEE, O KING: they call him "that Daniel"; by way of... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING, WHEN HE HEARD THESE WORDS, WAS SORE DISPLEASED WITH HIMSELF,.... Or "at it" e; or "with him"; with Daniel, not so much for what he had done, but that he had not done it with more caution, or more privately, that it might not have been known: or rather, as we render it, "with himself",... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THESE MEN ASSEMBLED TO THE KING,.... Who had left him for a while to consider of the case; or they departed to consult among themselves about the king's proposals to them; or went home to their own houses to dinner, and returned in a body; they came in a tumultuous way, as the word signifies; s... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING COMMANDED,.... Being overawed by his princes and fearing they would conspire against him, and stir up the people to rebel; and consulting his own credit lest he should be thought fickle and inconstant; he ordered the decree to be put in execution against Daniel, and delivered his favou... [ Continue Reading ]
AND A STONE WAS BROUGHT, AND LAID UPON THE MOUTH OF THE DEN,.... Not a heap of stones, but a single one, a very large one, sufficient to stop up the mouth of the den, that nothing might enter in at it, or be cast into it: this stone was brought by proper persons, and a sufficient number of them, acc... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING WENT TO HIS PALACE,.... After he had accompanied Daniel to the den, and he was cast into it, the stone was laid to the mouth of it, and that sealed; this was after sunset, for he had laboured till then to serve him, Daniel 6:14, perhaps it was late at night: AND PASSED THE NIGHT FASTI... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN THE KING AROSE VERY EARLY IN THE MORNING,.... Or, "in the morning with light" i as soon as ever light appeared, or the day broke: the word for morning is doubled, and one of the letters in it is larger than usual; and all which denote not only his very great earliness in rising, but his earnest... [ Continue Reading ]
AND WHEN HE CAME TO THE DEN, HE CRIED WITH A LAMENTABLE VOICE UNTO DANIEL,.... Expressing grief and sorrow his heart was full of; it was rather like howling than speaking; thus he cried before he saw Daniel, or heard him speak: WHEN HE WAS NEAR TO THE DEN k, as it may be rendered; and he was betwee... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN SAID DANIEL UNTO THE KING,.... Whose voice he knew, though the tone of it was so much altered: O KING, LIVE FOR EVER; he does not reproach him for delivering him into the hands of his enemies, and suffering him to be cast into that place, which he might have prevented, had he had more resoluti... [ Continue Reading ]
MY GOD HATH SENT HIS ANGEL,.... Daniel takes up the king's expression, and confirms it; he asserts God to be his God, of which he had given him a proof in sending his angel to him that night; either one of the ministering spirits about him, or the Angel of the covenant, the same with him, said to be... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN WAS THE KING EXCEEDING GLAD FOR HIM,.... For Daniel, because of his safety, because he was alive, and in health, and unhurt; and the speech he made was very acceptable to him, agreeable to his sentiments, and which he was satisfied was just and true: or "with", or "for himself" l; being now eas... [ Continue Reading ]
AND THE KING COMMANDED, AND THEY BROUGHT THOSE MEN WHICH HAD ACCUSED DANIEL,.... Not all the hundred and twenty princes, and the two presidents; but the chief of them, who were most busy in getting the decree signed; watched Daniel's house, and what he did there; brought the charge against him to th... [ Continue Reading ]
THEN KING DARIUS,.... Being thoroughly convinced of the miracle, and of the powerful interposition of divine Providence in it, and of the omnipotence of God, and of his concern in the government of the world; that all might be acquainted with the same, WROTE UNTO ALL PEOPLE, NATIONS, AND LANGUAGES,... [ Continue Reading ]
I MAKE A DECREE, THAT IN EVERY DOMINION OF MY KINGDOM,.... In every province of his large empire; this explains who are meant by all people, nations, c. before mentioned namely, such as were within his dominions; for to no other could his decree reach: this decree is very different from that he had... [ Continue Reading ]
HE DELIVERETH AND RESCUETH..... As he did the three companions of Daniel from the fiery furnace, and now Daniel himself from the lions' den: AND HE WORKETH SIGNS AND WONDERS IN HEAVEN AND IN EARTH; which are out of the common course of nature, and not according to the laws of it; such as hindering... [ Continue Reading ]
SO THIS DANIEL PROSPERED IN THE REIGN OF DARIUS,.... This Daniel, of whom so much has been said all the preceding Chapter s, and who had been so lately and so wonderfully delivered from the lions' den, the same flourished throughout the reign of Darius the Mede; continued a favourite with the king;... [ Continue Reading ]