Daniel 6:16
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. | So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!” | Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedKing Darius had been led into signing a decree that could not be changed, and Daniel kept praying to his God anyway. Unable to save him, the king ordered Daniel thrown to the lions, but he told Daniel that the God he served continually would deliver him. By morning God had shut the lions' mouths. Daniel 6:7Daniel 6:9Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:15Daniel 6:16Daniel 6:22
SpeakingKing Darius speaks these words. He ruled the kingdom and had set Daniel high over it. Daniel 6:1Daniel 6:2Daniel 6:3Daniel 6:16
ToDarius speaks to Daniel as Daniel is cast into the den. Daniel was a man of Judah taken captive to Babylon. Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:16Daniel overview
Also involvedThe presidents and princes who plotted against Daniel are also in view. They pressed the king until he gave the order. Daniel 6:4Daniel 6:5Daniel 6:15
The king commands, and Daniel is thrown into the lions' den. Yet Darius voices hope that Daniel's God will rescue him. The next morning he asks whether that God was "able to deliver thee from the lions," and Daniel says God sent his angel and shut their mouths. Daniel 6:16Daniel 6:20Daniel 6:22
The scene is the royal court and the lions' den in Darius's kingdom, where Daniel served after Babylon's fall. Daniel had prayed toward Jerusalem from his house there. Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:16Daniel overview
The eventsThis happened in the reign of Darius, after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in one night. Daniel went on to prosper under Darius and Cyrus. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:1Daniel 6:28
WrittenTraditional: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse shows a powerful king unable to undo his own law, yet looking to Daniel's God to do what he could not. Like David, who said he was "weak, though anointed king" against hard men, Darius was trapped by those around him. Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:15Daniel 6:162 Samuel 3:39
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel teaches that the most High rules over earthly kings. Here the decree that "altereth not" was carried out, yet God delivered Daniel from the lions, just as he sent his angel and delivered Daniel's friends who trusted him. Darius then decrees that all should fear the living God, whose kingdom shall not be destroyed. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:12Daniel 6:16Daniel 6:22Daniel 3:28Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27
For readersDaniel kept serving God openly even after the decree was signed, and God delivered him. Other Scripture also says the LORD delivers those who trust in him. The chapter ties Daniel's rescue to his innocence and his faith in God. Daniel 6:9Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23Psalms 37:40Isaiah 43:2
- servestפְּלַח
The word means to serve, worship, revere, or pay reverence to. Here it is glossed "paying reverence," so Darius is naming Daniel's worship, the very prayer the decree had forbidden. Strong's H6399Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:13
- continuallyתְּדִירָא
The word means continuance or constantly. It fits Daniel praying three times a day "as he did aforetime," and Darius repeats the phrase at the den the next morning. Strong's H8411Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:20
- deliverשֵׁיזִב
The word means to deliver. Here the lexicon glosses it "may he deliver you," which reads as the king's hope. That fits his question the next morning, when he asks whether God was "able to deliver" Daniel. Strong's H7804Daniel 6:20
Takeaway
A king who could not change his own law looked to Daniel's God to save him, and God did. Daniel's steady faithfulness was answered by God's power to deliver him from the lions. Daniel 6:15Daniel 6:16Daniel 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
Behind this verse
- Lions kept by kings
- The kings of Mesopotamia kept lions and hunted them as a show of royal power, as the Assyrian palace reliefs of Ashurbanipal's lion hunt show. Daniel 6:7Daniel 6:16Assyrian palace reliefs, Ashurbanipal's lion hunt
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 | בֵּאדַ֜יִן | be-DA-yin | H0116 | thenאֱדַ֫יִן (e.da.yin) then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time Aramaic of az (אָז "then" H0227A) |
| king the | מַלְכָּ֣א | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| he said | אֲמַ֗ר | '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) |
| and they brought | וְהַיְתִיו֙ | ve-hay-TIV | H0858 | to comeאֲתָה (a.tah) 1) to come, arrive 1a) (P'al) to come 1b) (Aphel) to bring 1c) (Hophal) to be brought 2) used in the NT in the phrase "maranatha" -"Lord come" Aramaic of a.tah (אָתָה "to come" H0857) |
| obj. Daniel | לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל | le-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) |
| and they threw [him] | וּרְמ֕וֹ | u-re-MO | 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 den the | לְגֻבָּ֖א | le-gu-BA' | H1358 | denגֹּב (gov) pit, den (of lions) |
| 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 |
| lions the | אַרְיָוָתָ֑א | 'ar-ya-va-TA' | H0744 | lionאַרְיֵה (ar.yeh) lion Aramaic of ar.yeh (אַרְיֵה "lion" H0738B) |
| [was] replying | עָנֵ֤ה | 'a-NEH | H6032 | to answerעֲנָה (a.nah) 1) to answer, respond 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to answer, make reply 1a2) to respond |
| king the | מַלְכָּא֙ | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| and [was] saying | וְאָמַ֣ר | 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) |
| to Daniel | לְדָנִיֵּ֔אל | le-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) |
| God your | אֱלָהָ֗ךְ | 'e-la-HAKH | H0426 | godאֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel) |
| whom | 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 | אַ֤נְתְּ | 'an-tah | H0607 | youאַנְתָּה (an.tah) you, thou (second pers. sing.) Aramaic of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A) |
| [are] paying reverence | פָּֽלַֽח־ | pa-lach- | H6399 | to serveפְּלַח (pe.lach) 1) to serve, worship, revere, minister for, pay reverence to 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to pay reverence to 1a2) to serve |
| in the continuance | בִּתְדִירָ֔א | bit-di-RA' | H8411 | continuanceתְּדִירָא (te.di.ra) 1) continuance, continuity, perpetuity 1a) constantly (as adverb) |
| he | ה֖וּא | hu' | H1932 | he/she/itהוּא (hu) 1) he, she, it 1a) (emphasising and resuming subject) 1b)(anticipating subj) 1c) as demons pron 1d) (relative) 1e) (affirming existence) |
| may he deliver you | יְשֵׁיזְבִנָּֽךְ׃ | ye-shei-ze-vi-NAKH | H7804 | to rescueשֵׁיזִב (she.zav) (Peel or Peil) to deliver Aramaic of shuv (שׁוּב ": return" H7725) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.