Daniel 3:24

God Delivers His Servants

3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, “Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and threw ¹  into ²  the fire?” They replied to the king, “For sure, O king.”

Daniel 6:16

6:16 So the king gave the order, ³  and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den ⁴  of lions. The king consoled ⁵  Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!”

Daniel 6:24

6:24 The king gave another order, ⁶  and those men who had maliciously accused ⁷  Daniel were brought and thrown ⁸  into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. ⁹  They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

Daniel 7:9

7:9 “While I was watching,

thrones were set up,

and the Ancient of Days ¹⁰  took his seat.

His attire was white like snow;

the hair of his head was like lamb’s ¹¹  wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire

and its wheels were all aflame. ¹² 

Daniel 6:7

6:7 To all the supervisors of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, counselors, and governors it seemed like a good idea for a royal edict to be issued and an interdict to be enforced. For the next thirty days anyone who prays ¹³  to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions.

Daniel 3:15

3:15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the statue that I had made. If you don’t pay homage to it, you will immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is that god who can rescue you from my power?” ¹⁴ 

Daniel 6:12

6:12 So they approached the king and said to him, ¹⁵  “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct, ¹⁶  according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”

¹ tn Aram “we threw…bound.”

² tn Aram “into the midst of.”

³ tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.

⁴ sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.

⁵ tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”

⁵ tn Aram “said.”

⁶ tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.

⁷ tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.

⁸ tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.

⁷ tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers. Cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God.”

⁸ tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.

⁹ tn Aram “a flaming fire.”

⁹ tn Aram “prays a prayer.”

¹¹ tn Aram “hand.” So also in v. 17.

¹³ tc The MT also has “about the edict of the king,” but this phrase is absent in the LXX and the Syriac. The present translation deletes the expression.

¹⁴ tn Aram “the word is true.”