Daniel 6:16

6:16 So the king gave the order, ¹  and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den ²  of lions. The king consoled ³  Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!”

Daniel 6:24

6:24 The king gave another order, ⁴  and those men who had maliciously accused ⁵  Daniel were brought and thrown ⁶  into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. ⁷  They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

¹ tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.

² sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.

³ tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”

⁴ tn Aram “said.”

⁵ 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.

⁶ tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.

⁷ tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.