Daniel 6

Daniel · Chapter 6

Daniel 6:25

1It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;2And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.3Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.4Then the presidents and princes sought to find occasion against Daniel concerning the kingdom; but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.5Then said these men, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God.6Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.7All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.8Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.9Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.10Now when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime.11Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.12Then 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.13Then 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.14Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.15Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.16Then 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.17And 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.18Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.19Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.20And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?21Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.22My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.23Then 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.24And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.25Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.26I make a decree, That in every dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, and his dominion shall be even unto the end.27He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.28So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
25Then king Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; Peace be multiplied unto you.Then King Darius wrote to the people of every nation and language throughout the land: “May your prosperity abound.Then king Darius wrote unto all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: Peace be multiplied unto you.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

After God shut the lions' mouths and Daniel came out unhurt, King Darius sent a letter to every people in his realm. This verse is the letter's opening greeting, "Peace be multiplied unto you." The decree that follows orders all his dominion to fear the God of Daniel, the living God. Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:23Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27

SpeakingKing Darius writes. He set princes and presidents over his kingdom, was led into signing the decree against prayer, and then labored all day to save Daniel. The chapter names his reign alongside that of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel 6:1Daniel 6:7Daniel 6:9Daniel 6:14Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:28

To"All people, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth": every people group under his rule, whatever language they spoke. Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:26

Also involvedDaniel, whose rescue is the reason for the letter. The God of Daniel is the one whom all the realm is told to fear. Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27

This is a royal greeting that opens an official decree. Nebuchadnezzar opened a letter to all peoples with the same words. Kings in Esther likewise sent writings "unto every people after their language," and a king in Ezra opened a letter with "Peace." Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:26Daniel 4:1Esther 3:12Esther 8:9Ezra 4:17

The story takes place at the royal court in the former Babylonian kingdom, where Daniel served under Babylonian and then Persian kings. The letter went out to every dominion of the kingdom. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:1Daniel 6:26

BABYLONIAMEDIABabylon 1SusaUlai

The eventsThe events fall in the reign of Darius, after Babylon fell to the Medes and Persians in one night. Daniel went on to prosper into the reign of Cyrus the Persian. Daniel overviewDaniel 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 hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel overview

HereThe greeting opens a public confession by a pagan king. He declares that Daniel's God is living and steadfast forever, that his kingdom shall not be destroyed, and that he delivers and rescues. Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27

In the whole of ScriptureThe book's purpose is to show that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men" and that God's kingdom "shall never be destroyed." Darius's decree repeats that very truth. Cyrus later also named the LORD God of heaven in a written proclamation. Daniel overviewDaniel 6:26Ezra 1:1Ezra 1:2

For readersDaniel kept praying as before, God rescued him, and a world ruler then proclaimed God's name to all nations. The same greeting, "peace be multiplied," later opens Peter's letters to believers. Daniel 6:10Daniel 6:22Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:261 Peter 1:22 Peter 1:2

  • peaceשְׁלָם
    Aramaic · she.lam · H8001

    The word means welfare, prosperity, peace and well-being. So the king is wishing his subjects well-being in general. Strong's H8001

  • be multipliedשְׂגָא
    Aramaic · se.ga · H7680

    The verb means "to grow great." The wish is that this well-being would increase. The same wish, "be multiplied," opens the greetings in 1 and 2 Peter. Strong's H76801 Peter 1:22 Peter 1:2

  • languagesלִשָּׁן
    Aramaic · lish.shan · H3961

    The word means tongue or language, and it can stand for a people. The letter is aimed at every language group in the realm, as in the royal writings of Esther. Strong's H3961Esther 8:9

Takeaway

Darius's greeting opens a decree that tells all his realm that Daniel's God lives, rescues and reigns forever. It shows God using one faithful man to make his name known to the nations. Daniel 6:25Daniel 6:26Daniel 6:27Daniel overview

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
  1. 612 BC
    WarNineveh 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)

  2. 605 BC
    WarBattle 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)

  3. 597 BC
    WarJerusalem 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)

  4. 586 BC
    WarJerusalem 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

  5. c. 575 BC
    BuildingBabylon 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

  6. 562 BC
    RulersNebuchadnezzar dies

    His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34

  7. c. 553-543 BC
    RulersNabonidus 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

  8. 550 BC
    WarCyrus 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

  9. October 539 BC
    WarBabylon 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

  10. 538 BC
    God'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

  11. c. 536 BC
    God'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

  12. 334-331 BC
    WarAlexander 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

  13. 323-301 BC
    WarAlexander'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

  14. 167 BC
    WarAntiochus 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.

EnglishAramaicSay itStrong'sMeaning
in thenבֵּאדַ֜יִןbe-DA-yinH0116
then

אֱדַ֫יִן (e.da.yin) then, afterwards, thereupon, from that time Aramaic of az (אָז "then" H0227A)

Dariusדָּרְיָ֣וֶשׁda-re-YA-veshH1868H
Darius

דָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁ (dar.ya.vesh) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezr.4.5 Aramaic of dar.ya.vesh (דָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁ "Darius" H1867H) § Darius = "lord" 1) Darius the Mede, the son of Ahasuerus, king of the Chaldeans, who succeeded to the Babylonian kingdom on the death of Belshazzar; probably the same as "Astyages" the last king of the Medes (538 BC) (same as dar.ya.vesh (דָּֽרְיָ֫וֶשׁ "Darius" H1867) (1)) 2) Darius, the son of Hystaspes, the founder of the Perso-Arian dynasty (521 BC) (same as (2)) 3) Darius II or Darius III …

king theמַלְכָּ֗אmal-KA'H4430
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) king Aramaic of me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4428) § 1) king

he wroteכְּ֠תַבKE-tavH3790
to write

כְּתַב (ke.tav) 1) to write 1a) (P'al) to write, to be written

to allלְֽכָל־le-kholH3606
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none

peoples theעַֽמְמַיָּ֞א'a-mai-YA'H5972
people

עַם (am) people Aramaic of am (עַם ": people" H5971A)

nations theאֻמַיָּ֧א'u-mai-YA'H0524
people

אֻמָּה (um.mah) people, tribe, nation Aramaic of um.mah (אֻמָּה "people" H0523)

and languages theוְלִשָּׁנַיָּ֛אve-li-sha-nai-YA'H3961
tongue

לִשָּׁן (lish.shan) 1) tongue, language 1a) tongue, language 1b) people (fig.)

whichדִּֽי־di-H1768
that

דִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because

[were] dwellingדָיְרִ֥יןda-'a-rinH1753
to dwell

דּוּר (dur) (P'al) to dwell Aramaic of dur (דּוּר "to dwell" H1752)

in allבְּכָל־be-kholH3606
all

כֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none

earth theאַרְעָ֖א'ar-'A'H0772I
earth: soil

אֲרַע (a.ra) : soil earth, world, ground Aramaic of e.rets (אֶ֫רֶץ ": soil" H0776H)

peace yourשְׁלָמְכ֥וֹןshe-la-me-KHONH8001
peace

שְׁלָם (she.lam) welfare, prosperity, peace, well-being Aramaic of sha.lom (שָׁלוֹם ": peace" H7965)

may it increaseיִשְׂגֵּֽא׃yis-GE'H7680
to grow great

שְׂגָא (se.ga) (P'al) to grow great Aramaic of sa.ga (שָׂגָא "to grow great" H7679)

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.