Daniel 6:12
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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. | So they approached the king and asked about his royal decree: “Did you not sign a decree that for thirty days any man who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions?” The king replied, “According to the law of the Medes and Persians the order stands, and it cannot be repealed.” | Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king’s interdict: Hast thou not signed an interdict, that every man that shall make petition unto any god or man within thirty days, save unto 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. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel's enemies have caught him praying to his God. Before they name him, they have King Darius confirm out loud that his decree stands and cannot be changed. That locks the king into his own law before he knows who it will strike. Daniel 6:11Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:8
SpeakingThe presidents and princes who plotted against Daniel ask the question. King Darius gives the answer. Daniel 6:4Daniel 6:6Daniel 6:12
ToKing Darius, before whom the accusers speak. Daniel 6:12
Also involvedDaniel, a captive from Judah who held high office. He is named as the lawbreaker in the next verse. Daniel 6:2Daniel 6:3Daniel 6:13
The accusers remind the king that he signed a decree. It said anyone who asked a petition of any god or man except the king for thirty days would be thrown to the lions. The king agrees that the decree is firm under the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not change. Daniel 6:7Daniel 6:9Daniel 6:12
At the royal court of Darius, in the kingdom that had taken over Babylon. Daniel served there under Persian rule. Daniel 6:6Daniel overview
The eventsIn the reign of Darius, after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians. This was within the thirty days of the decree. Daniel 6:1Daniel 6:28Daniel overviewDaniel 6:7
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereThe accusers get the king to state that the decree is binding before they reveal it is aimed at Daniel. That way he cannot back out. Later the king tries to save Daniel, and they hold him to that same unchangeable law. Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:15
In the whole of ScriptureThe law of the Medes and Persians could not be altered, yet it could not stop God from shutting the lions' mouths. The chapter ends with Darius confessing that God's kingdom shall not be destroyed. That fits the book's message that the most High rules over the kingdoms of men. Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:26Daniel overviewEsther 1:19
For readersEnemies of the faithful often turn rulers and laws against them. Chaldeans did this to Daniel's friends, and accusers did it to Paul and Silas. Daniel's answer was to keep praying as before and to trust his God. Daniel 3:8Daniel 3:12Acts 16:19Acts 24:2Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:23
- decreeאֱסָר
The word means an interdict or 'decree of restriction.' It shows the order was a ban, a prohibition on asking anyone but the king. Strong's H0633Daniel 6:7
- alterethעֲדָה
The verb means to pass on or pass away. The law 'altereth not' because it will not pass away or be removed, and the accusers press this point again. Strong's H5709Daniel 6:8Daniel 6:15
- lawדָּת
This word can mean a king's decree or the law of God. The chapter sets the two side by side: the accusers planned to catch Daniel 'concerning the law of his God' by means of the king's law. Strong's H1882Daniel 6:5Daniel 6:12
- trueיַצִּיב
The word means certain, sure, reliable. The king affirms that the matter is fixed beyond doubt, which seals his own trap. Strong's H3330Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:14
Takeaway
A king's law that 'altereth not' bound even the king, but it could not bind God. God delivered Daniel, whose kingdom 'shall not be destroyed.' Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:26
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
Behind this verse
- Laws that could not be changed
- A law sealed by a Persian king could not be revoked, even by the king himself. The same rule appears in Esther. Daniel 6:8Daniel 6:15Esther 1:19Esther 8:8
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Aramaic words
This passage was written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, which the Jews of the exile also spoke. It uses the same alphabet as Hebrew.
| English | Aramaic | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in then | בֵּ֠אדַיִן | BE-da-yin | H0116 | thenאֱדַ֫יִן (e.da.yin) then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time Aramaic of az (אָז "then" H0227A) |
| they approached | קְרִ֨יבוּ | ke-RI-vu | H7127 | to approachקְרֵב (qe.rev) 1) to approach, come near 1a) (P'al) to approach 1b) (Pael) to offer, draw near 1c) (Aphel) to be summoned |
| and [were] saying | וְאָמְרִ֥ין | ve-'a-me-RIN | H0560 | to sayאֲמַר (a.mar) (P'al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate Aramaic of a.mar (אָמַר "to say" H0559) |
| before | קֳדָם־ | ko-dom- | H6925 | beforeקֳדָם (qo.dam) 1) before, in front of 1a) before 1b) from before |
| king the | מַלְכָּא֮ | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| concerning | עַל־ | 'al- | H5922 | sinceעַל (al) 1) upon, over, on account of, above, to, against 1a) upon, over, on account of, regarding, concerning, on behalf of 1b) over (with verbs of ruling) 1c) above, beyond (in comparison) 1d) to, against (of direction) |
| [the] prohibition of | אֱסָ֣ר | 'e-SAR | H0633 | injunctionאֱסָר (e.sar) interdict, decree, decree of restriction Aramaic of e.sar (אִסָּר "injunction" H0632) |
| king the | מַלְכָּא֒ | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| ¿ not | הֲלָ֧א | ha-LA' | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| a prohibition | אֱסָ֣ר | 'e-SAR | H0633 | injunctionאֱסָר (e.sar) interdict, decree, decree of restriction Aramaic of e.sar (אִסָּר "injunction" H0632) |
| did you sign | רְשַׁ֗מְתָּ | re-SHAM-ta | H7560 | to signרְשַׁם (re.sham) 1) to inscribe, sign 1a) (P'al) to inscribe, sign 1b) (P'al) 1b1) to be inscribed, be written 1b2) to be signed |
| that | דִּ֣י | di | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| every | כָל־ | khol- | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| person | אֱנָ֡שׁ | 'e-NASH | H0606 | manאֱנָשׁ (e.nash) 1) man, human being 2) mankind (collective) Aramaic of e.nosh (אֱנוֹשׁ "human" H0582) |
| who | דִּֽי־ | di- | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| he will ask | יִבְעֵה֩ | yiv-'EH | H1156 | to askבְּעָא (be.a) 1) to ask, seek, request, desire, pray, make petition 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to ask, request 1a2) to seek (for favour) |
| from | מִן־ | min- | H4481 | fromמִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons) |
| any | כָּל־ | kol- | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| god | אֱלָ֨הּ | 'e-LAH | H0426 | godאֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel) |
| and person | וֶֽאֱנָ֜שׁ | ve-'e-NASH | H0606 | manאֱנָשׁ (e.nash) 1) man, human being 2) mankind (collective) Aramaic of e.nosh (אֱנוֹשׁ "human" H0582) |
| until | עַד־ | 'ad- | H5705 | tillעַד (ad) prep 1) even to, until, up to, during conj 2) until, up to the time that, ere that |
| days | יוֹמִ֣ין | yo-MIN | H3118 | dayיוֹם (yom) 1) day 2) day always refers to a twenty-four hour period when the word is modified by a definite or cardinal number |
| thirty | תְּלָתִ֗ין | te-la-TIN | H8533 | thirtyתְּלָתִין (te.la.tin) thirty Aramaic of she.lo.shim (שְׁלֹשִׁים "thirty" H7970) |
| except | לָהֵן֙ | la-HEN | H3861 | exceptלָהֵן (la.hen) 1) therefore 2) except, but 2a) except (with negative) 2b) however, but |
| from you | מִנָּ֣ךְ | mi-NAKH | H4481 | fromמִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons) |
| king O | מַלְכָּ֔א | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| he will be thrown | יִתְרְמֵ֕א | yit-re-ME' | H7412 | to castרְמָא (re.mah) 1) to cast, throw 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to cast 1a2) to throw 1a2a) of tribute (fig) 1b) (Peil) 1b1) to be cast 1b2) to be placed, be set 1c) (Ithp'el) to be cast |
| to [the] den of | לְג֖וֹב | le-GOV | H1358 | denגֹּב (gov) pit, den (of lions) |
| lions the | אַרְיָותָ֑א | 'ar-yo-TA' | H0744 | lionאַרְיֵה (ar.yeh) lion Aramaic of ar.yeh (אַרְיֵה "lion" H0738B) |
| [was] replying | עָנֵ֨ה | 'a-NEH | H6032 | to answerעֲנָה (a.nah) 1) to answer, respond 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to answer, make reply 1a2) to respond |
| king the | מַלְכָּ֜א | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| and saying | וְאָמַ֗ר | ve-'a-MAR | H0560 | to sayאֲמַר (a.mar) (P'al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate Aramaic of a.mar (אָמַר "to say" H0559) |
| [is] certain | יַצִּיבָ֧א | ya-tzi-VA' | H3330 | certainיַצִּיב (yats.tsiv) n 1) the truth adv 2) surely, reliably, truly adj 3) reliable, true, certain, sure |
| word the | מִלְּתָ֛א | mi-le-TA' | H4406 | wordמִלָּה (mil.lah) 1) word, thing 1a) word, utterance, command 1b) thing, affair, matter |
| according to [the] law of | כְּדָת־ | ke-dot- | H1882 | lawדָּת (dat) 1) decree, law 1a) a decree (of the king) 1b) law 1c) law (of God) |
| [the] Medes | מָדַ֥י | ma-DAI | H4076G | Medeמָדַי (ma.day) also called Mede frequently Aramaic of me.dan (מְדָן "Medan" H4091) § Medes = "middle land" 1) the territory inhabited by the Medes 2a) located northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, and west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iram |
| and [the] Persians | וּפָרַ֖ס | u-fa-RAS | H6540 | Persiaפָּרַס (pa.ras) Aramaic of pa.ras (פָּרַס "Persia" H6539) § Persia = "pure" or "splendid" the empire Persia; encompassed the territory from India on the east to Egypt and Thrace on the west, and included, besides portions of Europe and Africa, the whole of western Asia between the Black Sea, the Caucasus, the Caspian and the Jaxartes on the north, the Arabian desert, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean on the south 1a) Persia proper was bounded on the west by Susiana or Elam, on the north by Media, on the south by the Persian Gulf and on the east by Carmania Persian, of Persia "pure" or "splendid" |
| which | דִּי־ | di- | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| not | לָ֥א | la' | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| it will pass away | תֶעְדֵּֽא׃ | te'-DE' | H5709 | to pass on/over/awayעֲדָה (a.dah) 1) to pass on, pass away 1a)(P'al) 1a1) to pass on, pass over 1a2) to pass away 1b) (Aphel) to take away, remove, depose |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.