Daniel 6:23
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 23 | Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. | The king was overjoyed and gave orders to lift Daniel out of the den, and when Daniel was lifted out of the den, no wounds whatsoever were found on him, because he had trusted in his God. | Then was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedAfter a night in the lions' den, Daniel tells King Darius that God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths. The glad king has him lifted out, and he has no wound at all. The verse gives the reason: he believed in his God. Daniel 6:20Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23
SpeakingThe narrator of Daniel tells this part in the third person, as in all of chapters 1-6. Daniel overview
ToThe book was written for God's people in exile and after it. Daniel overview
Also involvedDaniel, a captive of Judah serving as a top official, and King Darius. Daniel's rivals had led Darius to sign a decree aimed at Daniel's prayers, and the king was then displeased with himself. Daniel 6:3Daniel 6:5Daniel 6:7Daniel 6:8Daniel 6:9Daniel 6:13Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:23
Darius had laboured to save Daniel and spent a sleepless night fasting. At dawn he found Daniel alive and ordered him brought up. No hurt was found on him, matching Daniel's own words that the lions had not hurt him. Next the accusers were thrown in and destroyed, and Darius decreed that all should fear the living God of Daniel. Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:18Daniel 6:19Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23Daniel 6:24Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27
At the den of lions in Darius's realm, where Daniel served in the royal court after Babylon's fall. Darius went from the den to his palace for the night and hurried back to the den early in the morning. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:18Daniel 6:19
The eventsIn the reign of Darius, after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians, and before Daniel's service continued into the reign of Cyrus. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:1Daniel 6:28
WrittenTraditional view: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse shows that God kept his servant safe and names Daniel's trust in God as the reason. Daniel had kept praying to God openly even after the decree was signed. Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23
In the whole of ScriptureThe rescue shows the book's theme that the most High rules over the kingdoms of men. It led even a foreign king to confess that God's kingdom shall not be destroyed. It echoes the rescue of Daniel's three friends from the furnace, who also had no hurt because they trusted in God. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:26Daniel 3:25Daniel 3:27Daniel 3:28
For readersScripture often links God's help to trusting him. Psalm 37:40 says the LORD shall deliver them "because they trust in him", and 1 Chronicles 5:20 says the same of men helped in battle. Daniel is a pattern of staying faithful to God while living under a foreign ruler, trusting God with the outcome. Psalms 37:401 Chronicles 5:20Daniel overviewDaniel 6:10
- believedאֲמַן
The word means to believe in or to trust, coming from a root meaning to confirm or support. It names reliance on God, the same trust shown by the three friends who "trusted in him" in Daniel 3:28. Strong's H0540Daniel 3:28
- hurtחֲבָל
The word means hurt, damage or injury. It ties back to Daniel's claim in 6:22 that the lions "have not hurt me", so the finding when he was taken up confirms Daniel's words. Strong's H2257Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23
Takeaway
Daniel came out of the lions' den with no wound because he trusted his God, who shut the lions' mouths. Like his friends in the furnace, he shows that God delivers those who trust in him. Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23Daniel 3:28Psalms 37:40
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 | בֵּאדַ֣יִן | be-DA-yin | H0116 | thenאֱדַ֫יִן (e.da.yin) then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time Aramaic of az (אָז "then" H0227A) |
| king the | מַלְכָּ֗א | mal-KA' | H4430 | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king |
| exceedingly | שַׂגִּיא֙ | sa-GI' | H7690 | greatlyשַׂגִּיא (sag.gi) adj 1) great, much 1a) great 1b) much, many adv 2) exceedingly |
| it was good | טְאֵ֣ב | te-'EV | H2868 | be goodטְאֵב (te.ev) (P'al) to be glad, be good Aramaic of ya.tav (יָטַב "be good" H3190) |
| to him | עֲל֔וֹהִי | a-LO-hi | 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) |
| and obj. Daniel | וּלְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל | u-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) |
| he said | אֲמַ֖ר | '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 take up | לְהַנְסָקָ֣ה | le-han-sa-KAH | H5559 | to ascendסְלֵק (se.liq) 1) to ascend, come up 1a) (P'al) to come up 1b) (P'il) to come up |
| 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) |
| den the | גֻּבָּ֑א | gu-BA' | H1358 | denגֹּב (gov) pit, den (of lions) |
| and he was taken up | וְהֻסַּ֨ק | ve-hu-SAK | H5559 | to ascendסְלֵק (se.liq) 1) to ascend, come up 1a) (P'al) to come up 1b) (P'il) to come up |
| Daniel | דָּנִיֵּ֜אל | 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) |
| 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) |
| den the | גֻּבָּ֗א | gu-BA' | H1358 | denגֹּב (gov) pit, den (of lions) |
| and any | וְכָל־ | ve-khol | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| hurt | חֲבָל֙ | cha-VAL | H2257 | harmחֲבָל (cha.val) hurt, damage, injury |
| not | לָא־ | la'- | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| it was found | הִשְׁתְּכַ֣ח | hish-te-KHACH | H7912 | to findשְׁכַח (she.khach) 1) to find 1a) (Aphel) to find 1b) (Ithp'al) to be found |
| that | דִּ֖י | 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 had trusted | הֵימִ֥ן | hei-MIN | H0540 | to trustאֲמַן (a.man) 1) to confirm, support 1a) (Aphel) 1a1) to believe in 1a2) to trust 1a3) trustworthy (pass participle) Aramaic of a.man (אָמַן "be faithful" H0539) |
| in God his | בֵּאלָהֵֽהּ׃ | be-la-HEH | H0426 | godאֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.