Daniel 6:1

Daniel is Thrown into a Lions’ Den

6:1 It seemed like a good idea to Darius ¹  to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps ²  who would be in charge of the entire kingdom.

Daniel 6:6

6:6 So these supervisors and satraps came by collusion ³  to the king and said ⁴  to him, “O King Darius, live forever!

Daniel 3:2-3

3:2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, ⁵  and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he ⁶  had erected. 3:3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. ⁷ 

Daniel 3:27

3:27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically ⁸  unharmed by the fire. ⁹  The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!

Daniel 6:2-4

6:2 Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable ¹⁰  to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage. 6:3 Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 6:4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find ¹¹  some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. ¹²  But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence, ¹³  because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption. ¹⁴ 

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 ¹⁵  to any god or human other than you, O king, should be thrown into a den of lions.

[6:1]  ¹ tn Aram “It was pleasing before Darius.”

[6:1]  ² tn This is a technical term for an official placed in charge of a region of the empire (cf. KJV, NLT “prince[s]”; NCV, TEV “governors”). These satraps were answerable to a supervisor, who in turn answered to Darius.

[6:6]  ³ tn The Aramaic verb רְגַשׁ (rÿgash) occurs three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12, 16). Its meaning is widely disputed by commentators, and the versions vary considerably in how they render the word. The suggestion that it means “to come thronging” (BDB 1112 s.v.; cf. NAB) seems inappropriate, since it is unlikely that subordinates would enter a royal court in such a reckless fashion. The ancient versions struggled with the word and are not in agreement in their understanding of its meaning. In this chapter the word apparently means to act in agreement with other parties in the pursuit of a duplicitous goal, namely the entrapment of Daniel. Cf. NIV, NCV “went as a group”; NRSV “conspired and came to the king.”

[6:6]  ⁴ tn Aram “thus they were saying.”

[3:2]  ⁵ sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.

[3:2]  ⁶ tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:3]  ⁷ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”

[3:27]  ⁹ tn Aram “in their bodies.”

[3:27]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”

[6:2]  ¹¹ tn Aram “giving an account.”

[6:4]  ¹³ tn Aram “looking to find.”

[6:4]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “from the side of the kingdom.”

[6:4]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “pretext and corruption.”

[6:4]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “no negligence or corruption was found in him.” The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the phrase “and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”

[6:7]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “prays a prayer.”