His enemies searched his work for a mistake and could not find one. So they decided the only way to catch Daniel was through the one thing he would not give up: his prayers to his God.
The trap worked exactly as planned. The king who signed it spent the whole day trying to undo it, then a sleepless night fasting in his palace. What he found there in the morning changed what he told the whole earth about the God of Daniel.
The Story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was first. 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.
The other presidents and princes went looking for a charge against him, but they could find none occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful. So they said, We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God. They came to the king together and asked him to make a firm decree: 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. They urged him to sign it according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not, and king Darius signed the writing and the decree.
Daniel knew the writing was signed. He went into his house, and with 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. Nothing about his habit changed. The men assembled, found him praying and making supplication before his God, and reported him to the king: That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree.
The king 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. But the men reminded him that no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed. So Daniel was brought and cast into the den of lions. Before the stone went over the opening, the king said to him, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. A stone was laid upon the mouth of the den, and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords.
Darius went to his palace and passed the night fasting. No instruments of musick were brought before him, and his sleep went from him. He arose very early in the morning, went in haste unto the den of lions, and cried with a lamentable voice: O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?
Daniel answered, O king, live for ever. My 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. The king was exceeding glad and had him taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
Then the king had the men which had accused Daniel cast into the den of lions, with their children and their wives, and the lions had the mastery of them before they reached the bottom. King Darius wrote unto all people, nations, and languages: men were to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel: for he is the living God, and stedfast for ever. So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Key Verses
“We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him concerning the law of his God” Daniel 6:5
“He kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” Daniel 6:10
“Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee” Daniel 6:16
“My God hath sent his angel” Daniel 6:22
“For he is the living God, and stedfast for ever” Daniel 6:26
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Daniel in the Lions’ Den Teaches Us
Daniel’s faithfulness was visible in ordinary things before it was tested in a crisis. His enemies could find none occasion nor fault in his work, and their only hope was the law of his God. When the decree was signed, he did not start praying to make a point; he simply kept praying, as he did aforetime.
The chapter shows the limits of human power. Darius ruled a kingdom of a hundred and twenty princes, yet he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver one man and could not. Even the king understood that if Daniel was going to be saved, it would be by the God whom thou servest continually.
God’s deliverance is the center of the story. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, Daniel said, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God. The result was a decree sent to all the earth declaring that he delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the story of Daniel in the lions’ den in the Bible?
It is in Daniel 6, during the reign of King Darius. The whole account, from the decree to Darius’s letter to all nations, fills the chapter (Daniel 6:1-28).
Why was Daniel thrown into the lions’ den?
Officials who could find no fault in him had King Darius sign a decree that anyone who asked a petition of any God or man for thirty days, except the king, would be cast into the den of lions (Daniel 6:5-9). Daniel kept praying to God three times a day, so he was reported and cast in (Daniel 6:10-16).
How did Daniel survive the lions?
Daniel told the king, My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me (Daniel 6:22). Verse 23 says no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
Which king put Daniel in the lions’ den?
King Darius signed the decree and, unable to change it, commanded that Daniel be cast into the den, though he labored all day to deliver him (Daniel 6:9, 14-16).
How many times a day did Daniel pray?
Three times a day. He kneeled with his windows open toward Jerusalem, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime (Daniel 6:10).
What happened to the men who accused Daniel?
The king had them cast into the den of lions with their children and their wives, and the lions had the mastery of them (Daniel 6:24).