Daniel 6:17
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel. | A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the rings of his nobles, so that nothing concerning Daniel could be changed. | And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has just been thrown into the lions' den under a decree the king could not undo. A stone is laid over the den's mouth, and King Darius seals it with his own signet ring and his lords' rings. The seals make sure nothing about Daniel's sentence can be changed. Daniel 6:15Daniel 6:16Daniel 6:17
SpeakingThe narrator tells the story. Chapters 1-6 speak of Daniel in the third person, while chapters 7-12 are in Daniel's own voice. Daniel overview
ToThe book is written for God's people in exile and after it. Daniel overview
Also involvedDaniel is the one shut in the den. King Darius seals it with his own signet and the signet of his lords. Daniel 6:16Daniel 6:17
A stone covers the mouth of the den, and two sets of seals are pressed on it, the king's and his lords'. The verse gives the reason: "that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel." No one could quietly alter what had been decided. Daniel 6:17Strong's H2857Strong's H5824Strong's H7261
The event takes place at the den of lions in Darius's kingdom. From there the king went to his palace for the night and came back to the den early in the morning. The chapter does not name the city; the book was written from Babylon, where Daniel served Babylonian and then Persian kings. Daniel 6:18Daniel 6:19Daniel overview
The eventsThis happens in the reign of Darius, after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians. It is the evening after the king laboured until sundown to save Daniel. Daniel 6:1Daniel 6:14Daniel overview
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 sealing echoes the plotters' demand that the decree "be not changed" (6:8, 6:15). It closes every human way out. Daniel's rescue in the morning could only be God's doing. Daniel 6:8Daniel 6:15Daniel 6:17Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23
In the whole of ScriptureThe king's unchangeable law could not stop the living God. "He delivereth and rescueth" (6:27), and his kingdom "shall not be destroyed" (6:26). This fits the book's theme that the most High rules over the kingdoms of men. Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27Daniel overview
For readersA sealed stone also closed Jesus' tomb, where the authorities "made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch" (Matthew 27:66). Rulers likewise put Peter and Paul under guard in prison (Acts 12:4; 16:23-24). Daniel's story shows that such human precautions could not keep God from delivering his servant (Daniel 6:22). Matthew 27:60Matthew 27:66Acts 12:4Acts 16:23Acts 16:24Daniel 6:22
- sealedחֲתַם
The word means to seal. With the signet rings it marks the den as officially closed, much as the stone on Jesus' tomb was sealed. Strong's H2857Strong's H5824Matthew 27:66
- changedשְׁנָא
The word means to change or be altered. It ties the seal to the repeated claim that the law of the Medes and Persians "altereth not" (6:8, 6:12, 6:15). Strong's H8133Daniel 6:8Daniel 6:12Daniel 6:15
- lordsרַבְרְבָן
The word means lords or nobles. Their seals joined the king's, so the closing of the den carried the authority of both the king and his nobles. Strong's H7261Daniel 6:17
Takeaway
Human authority made Daniel's fate final with a stone, the king's seal and the nobles' seals. God still delivered him. What people seal shut cannot hold back "the living God" (6:20, 6:26). Daniel 6:17Daniel 6:20Daniel 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
- 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and it was brought | וְהֵיתָ֙יִת֙ | ve-hei-TA-yit | 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) |
| a stone | אֶ֣בֶן | 'E-ven | H0069 | stoneאֶ֫בֶן (e.ven) 1) stone 1a) a (the) stone 1b) stone, material of idols and buildings |
| one | חֲדָ֔ה | cha-DAH | H2298 | oneחַד (chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one 1b) a (indefinite article) |
| and it was set | וְשֻׂמַ֖ת | ve-su-MAT | 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 |
| over | 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] mouth of | פֻּ֣ם | pum | H6433 | mouthפֻּם (pum) mouth Aramaic of peh (פֶּה ": lip" H6310) |
| den the | גֻּבָּ֑א | gu-BA' | H1358 | denגֹּב (gov) pit, den (of lions) |
| and he sealed it | וְחַתְמַ֨הּ | ve-chat-MAH | H2857 | to sealחֲתַם (cha.tam) (P'al) seal. Aramaic of cha.tam (חָתַם "to seal" H2856) |
| king the | מַלְכָּ֜א | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| with signet-ring his | בְּעִזְקְתֵ֗הּ | be-'iz-ke-TEH | H5824 | signet ringעִזְקָה (iz.qah) signet-ring |
| and with [the] signet-rings of | וּבְעִזְקָת֙ | u-ve-'iz-KAT | H5824 | signet ringעִזְקָה (iz.qah) signet-ring |
| nobles his | רַבְרְבָנ֔וֹהִי | rav-re-va-NO-hi | H7261 | nobleרַבְרְבָן (rav.re.van) lord, noble Aramaic of rav (רַב "chief" H7227B) |
| that | דִּ֛י | 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 | לָא־ | la'- | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| it will change | תִשְׁנֵ֥א | tish-NE' | H8133 | to changeשְׁנָא (she.na) 1) to change, be altered, be changed 1a) (P'al) to change, be changed 1b) (Pael) to change, transform, frustrate 1b1) different (participle) 1c) (Ithpael) to be changed 1d) (Aphel) to change, alter |
| anything | צְב֖וּ | tze-VU | H6640 | thingצְבוּ (tse.vu) 1) thing, anything, matter 1a) apparently thing desired 1b) as a matter of determination |
| with Daniel | בְּדָנִיֵּֽאל׃ | be-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) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.