Daniel 6:13
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. | Then they told the king, “Daniel, one of the exiles from Judah, shows no regard for you, O king, or for the decree that you have signed. He still makes his petition three times a day.” | Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the interdict that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel's rivals report to King Darius that Daniel ignores the king and his decree and keeps praying three times a day. It is a charge they planned, because they could find no fault in Daniel except about the law of his God. The report is true about his prayer, but Daniel later says he had done the king no hurt. Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:4Daniel 6:5Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:22
SpeakingThe presidents and princes who sought an occasion against Daniel and could find none. They had pushed the king to sign the decree and then found Daniel praying. Daniel 6:4Daniel 6:6Daniel 6:7Daniel 6:11
ToKing Darius, who had signed the decree banning any petition except to himself for thirty days. Daniel 6:9Daniel 6:12
Also involvedDaniel, one of the three presidents over the kingdom and the man the king planned to set over the whole realm. Daniel 6:2Daniel 6:3
The accusers stress that Daniel is one of the exiles from Judah, then claim he does not regard the king or the decree, because he prays three times a day. Their charge matches what Daniel did, since he prayed with his windows open toward Jerusalem as before. But the words turn faithfulness to God into disloyalty to the king, much like the charge against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:10Daniel 3:12
In the court of King Darius, in the kingdom that had been Babylon. Daniel served there under Babylonian and then Persian kings. Daniel 6:1Daniel overview
The eventsThese events take place under Darius, after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians, and before the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel 6:1Daniel 6:28Daniel overview
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse shows the trap closing. The accusers use the king's unchangeable decree to have Daniel thrown to the lions, and the king is sore displeased with himself when he hears it. Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:15Daniel 6:16
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows God's people how to stay faithful under foreign rulers, and that God rules over kings. God shut the lions' mouths, and Darius then told all his kingdom to fear the living God, whose kingdom shall not be destroyed. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:22Daniel 6:26
For readersFaithfulness to God can be painted as disloyalty, as with the Jews in Esther and the believers accused of going against Caesar. Daniel kept praying yet did the king no harm, and the apostles likewise said, "We ought to obey God rather than men." Esther 3:8Acts 17:7Acts 5:29Daniel 6:22
- captivityגָּלוּ
The word means exile. The accusers label Daniel as one of the exiles from Judah, the same way the king described him in Daniel 5:13 and Arioch in Daniel 2:25. Strong's H1547Daniel 5:13Daniel 2:25
The verb means to set, make, or appoint. Here it is used with "not," so the charge is literally that Daniel has not set his regard on the king. Strong's H7761HStrong's H3809
- regard (discretion)טְעֵם
This word is glossed "discretion" here, with the basic sense of taste or report. Together with "set" it forms the charge that Daniel pays the king no heed. Strong's H2942Strong's H7761H
- petitionבָּעוּ
The word means petition or request, and it is used for prayer. It ties Daniel's prayer directly to the decree that banned any petition except to the king. Strong's H1159Strong's H1156Daniel 6:7
Takeaway
Daniel's enemies could only accuse him over his prayers, so they framed his faithfulness to God as defiance of the king. The chapter shows he was innocent before God and the king, and that God delivered him. Daniel 6:5Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:27
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
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 replied | עֲנ֣וֹ | a-NO | H6032 | to answerעֲנָה (a.nah) 1) to answer, respond 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to answer, make reply 1a2) to respond |
| and [were] saying | וְאָמְרִין֮ | 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 | קֳדָ֣ם | ko-DAM | H6925 | beforeקֳדָם (qo.dam) 1) before, in front of 1a) before 1b) from before |
| king the | מַלְכָּא֒ | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| 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 |
| Daniel | דָנִיֵּ֡אל | da-ni-YEL | H1841H | Danielדָּנִיֵּאל, דָּנִאֵל (da.niy.yel) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.8.2 § Daniel = "God is my judge" 1) the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon, because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel 1a) also, 'Belteshazzar' (H01095 or H01096) |
| who | דִּי֩ | 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 |
| [is] one of | 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) |
| [the] sons of | בְּנֵ֨י | be-NEI | H1247I | sonבַּר (bar) son Aramaic of ben (בֵּן ": child" H1121) |
| exile the | גָלוּתָ֜א | ga-lu-TA' | H1547 | captivityגָּלוּ (ga.lut) exile Aramaic of ga.lut (גָּלוּת "captivity" H1546) |
| of | 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 |
| Judah | יְה֗וּד | ye-HUD | H3061 | Judahיְהוּד (ye.hud) A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.35; son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812); brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); married to Bath-shua (H1323I) and Tamar (H8559); father of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209), Shelah (H7956), Perez (H6557) and Zerah (H2226I) Aramaic of ye.hu.dah (יְהוּדָה "Judah" H3063) Judah-the territory of the tribe of Judah |
| not | לָא־ | la'- | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| he has set | שָׂ֨ם | sam | H7761H | to set: makeשׂוּם (sum) 1) to set, make, appoint 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to make, make decree, setout (decree) 1a2) to make, appoint 1a3) to set, fix 1b) (Ithp'al) to be made, be set, be laid |
| to you | עֲלָ֤ךְ | a-la-yikh | 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) |
| king O | מַלְכָּא֙ | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| discretion | טְעֵ֔ם | te-'EM | H2942 | commandטְעֵם (te.em) 1) report, taste 1a) taste 1b) report |
| and to | וְעַל־ | ve-'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) |
| prohibition the | אֱסָרָ֖א | 'e-sa-RA' | H0633 | injunctionאֱסָר (e.sar) interdict, decree, decree of restriction Aramaic of e.sar (אִסָּר "injunction" H0632) |
| which | 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 |
| you signed | רְשַׁ֑מְתָּ | 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 |
| and times | וְזִמְנִ֤ין | ve-zim-NIN | H2166 | timeזְמַן (ze.man) a set time, time, season Aramaic of ze.man (זְמָ֑ן "time" H2165) |
| three | תְּלָתָה֙ | te-la-TAH | H8532 | threeתְּלָת (te.lat) 1) three 1a) three (cardinal number) 1b) third (ordinal number) |
| in day the | בְּיוֹמָ֔א | be-yo-MA' | 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 |
| [he is] asking | בָּעֵ֖א | ba-'E' | 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) |
| petition his | בָּעוּתֵֽהּ׃ | ba-'u-TEH | H1159 | petitionבָּעוּ (ba.u) 1) petition, request 2) prayer (always in Jewish liturgy) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.