New Living Translation
Daniel 6:7
7We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions.
Daniel 6:7 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)All 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.
- New International Version (NIV)The royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers and governors have all agreed that the king should issue an edict and enforce the decree that anyone who prays to any god or human being during the next thirty days, except to you, Your Majesty, shall be thrown into the lions’ den.
- English Standard Version (ESV)All the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors are agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce an injunction, that whoever makes petition to any god or man for thirty days, except to you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
- New King James Version (NKJV)All the governors of the kingdom, the administrators and satraps, the counselors and advisors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute and to make a firm decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions.
Context of Daniel 6:7
5So they concluded, “Our only chance of finding grounds for accusing Daniel will be in connection with the rules of his religion.” 6So the administrators and high officers went to the king and said, “Long live King Darius! We are all in agreement—we administrators, officials, high officers, advisers, and governors—that the king should make a law that will be strictly enforced. Give orders that for the next thirty days any person who prays to anyone, divine or human—except to you, Your Majesty—will be thrown into the den of lions. 8And now, Your Majesty, issue and sign this law so it cannot be changed, an official law of the Medes and Persians that cannot be revoked.” 9So King Darius signed the law.
Read all of Daniel 6Daniel 6:7 word by word
אִתְיָעַ֜טוּ כֹּ֣ל׀ סָרְכֵ֣י מַלְכוּתָ֗א סִגְנַיָּ֤א וַֽאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּא֙ הַדָּֽבְרַיָּ֣א וּפַחֲוָתָ֔א לְקַיָּמָ֤ה קְיָם֙ מַלְכָּ֔א וּלְתַקָּפָ֖ה אֱסָ֑ר דִּ֣י כָל־דִּֽי־יִבְעֵ֣ה בָ֠עוּ מִן־כָּל־אֱלָ֨הּ וֶֽאֱנָ֜שׁ עַד־יוֹמִ֣ין תְּלָתִ֗ין לָהֵן֙ מִנָּ֣ךְ מַלְכָּ֔א יִתְרְמֵ֕א לְגֹ֖ב אַרְיָוָתָֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Allכֹּלkôl · allH3606
- the presidentsסָרֵךְsârêk · chiefH5632
- of the kingdomמַלְכוּmalkû · kingdomH4437
- the governorsסְגַןsegan · prefectH5460
- and the princesאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנִין'ăchashdarpan · satrapH324
- the counsellorsהַדָּבָרhaddâbâr · counselorH1907
- and the captainsפֶּחָהpechâh · governorH6347
- have consulted togetherיְעַטye‛aţ · to counselH3272
- to establishקוּםqûm · to stand: establishH6966
- a royalמֶ֫לֶךְmelek · kingH4430
- statuteקְיָםqeyâm · statuteH7010
- and to make a firmתְּקֵףteqêph · to grow strongH8631
- decreeאֱסָר'ĕsâr · injunctionH633
- that whosoever shall askבְּעָאbe‛â' be‛âh · to askH1156
- a petitionבָּעוּbâ‛û · petitionH1159
- ofמִן־min · fromH4481
- Godאֱלָהּ'ĕlâhh · godH426
- or manאֱנָשׁ'ĕnâsh 'ĕnash · manH606
- forעַד‛ad · tillH5705
- thirtyתְּלָתִיןtelâthîyn · thirtyH8533
- daysיוֹםyôm · dayH3118
- saveלָהֵןlâhên · exceptH3861
- he shall be castרְמָאremâh · to castH7412
- into the denגֹּבgôb · denH1358
- of lionsאַרְיֵה'aryêh · lionH744
Cross-references for Daniel 6:7
- Daniel 6:2The king also chose Daniel and two others as administrators to supervise the high officers and protect the king’s interests.
- Daniel 3:2Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up.
- Psalms 2:2The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.
- Psalms 59:3They have set an ambush for me. Fierce enemies are out there waiting, Lord, though I have not sinned or offended them.
- Psalms 62:4They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude
- Psalms 83:1O God, do not be silent! Do not be deaf. Do not be quiet, O God.
- Psalms 94:20Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side— leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
- Micah 6:5Don’t you remember, my people, how King Balak of Moab tried to have you cursed and how Balaam son of Beor blessed you instead? And remember your journey from Acacia Grove to Gilgal, when I, the Lord, did everything I could to teach you about my faithfulness.”
- Matthew 12:14Then the Pharisees called a meeting to plot how to kill Jesus.
- Matthew 26:4plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him.
- Mark 15:1Very early in the morning the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.
- John 12:10Then the leading priests decided to kill Lazarus, too,
- Acts 4:5The next day the council of all the rulers and elders and teachers of religious law met in Jerusalem.
- Daniel 3:6Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
- Psalms 10:9Like lions crouched in hiding, they wait to pounce on the helpless. Like hunters they capture the helpless and drag them away in nets.
- Nahum 2:12The lion tore up meat for his cubs and strangled prey for his mate. He filled his den with prey, his caverns with his plunder.
Commentaries on Daniel 6:7
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 7Whosoever shall ask a petition - What pretense could they urge for so silly an ordinance? Probably to flatter the ambition of the king, they pretend to make him a god for thirty days; so that the whole empire should make prayer and supplication to him, and pay him Divine honors! This was the bait; but their real object was to destroy Daniel.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 7All the presidents of the kingdom, the governor - Several functionaries are enumerated here who are not in the previous verses, as having entered into the conspiracy. It is possible, indeed, that all these different classes of officers had been consulted, and had concurred in asking the enactment of the proposed law; but it is much more probable that the leaders merely represented or affirmed what is here said in order to be more certain of the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 6-10Verses 6-10 To forbid prayer for thirty days, is, for so long, to rob God of all the tribute he has from man, and to rob man of all the comfort he has in God. Does not every man's heart direct him, when in want or distress, to call upon God? We could not live a day without God; and can men live thirty days without prayer? Yet it is to be feared that those who, without any decree forbidding them, present no hearty, serious petitions to God for more than…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 7the king should establish an ordinance: The request seemed to appeal to truth and justice, but it actually targeted the king’s pride with hidden motives (Daniel 6:4–5). We already know that Daniel would not disobey God's law to follow a human command (compare Daniel 1:5–8; 3:4–12).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 77. The Persian king was regarded as representative of the chief god, Ormuzd; the seven princes near him represented the seven Amshaspands before the throne of Ormuzd; hence Mordecai (Es 3:4) refused such homage to Haman, the king's prime minister, as inconsistent with what is due to God alone. A weak despot, like Darius, much under the control of his princes, might easily be persuaded that such a decree would test the obedience of the Chaldeans just…Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 6:7
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Daniel 6
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New Living Translation — © 1996, 2004, 2015 Tyndale House Foundation
Commentaries