Daniel 6:20 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
Daniel 6:20
And 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?
to approach (causatively · conjunction + preposition + verb, qal infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine singular
den
לְגֻבָּ֔אle.gu.Ba'
H1358
a pit (for wild animals) (as cut out) · preposition + noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
cried
זְעִ֑קze.'Ik
H2200
to make an outcry · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
lamentable
עֲצִ֖יב'a.Tziv
H6088
to afflict · adjective, both genders singular absolute
voice
בְּקָ֥לbe.Kal
H7032
a voice or sound · preposition + noun, common both genders singular absolute
Daniel
לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אלle.Da.ni.Yel
H1841
Danijel · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
king
מַלְכָּ֜אmal.Ka'
H4430
a king · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
spake
עָנֵ֨ה'a.Neh
H6032
properly · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
said
וְאָמַ֣רve.'a.Mar
H560
to say (used with great latitude) · conjunction + verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
Daniel
לְדָנִיֵּ֗אלle.da.ni.Yel
H1841
Danijel · preposition + proper noun, a man's name
Daniel
דָּֽנִיֵּאל֙da.ni.yeL
H1841
Danijel · proper noun, a man's name
servant
עֲבֵד֙'a.Ved
H5649
a servant · noun, common both genders singular construct
living
חַיָּ֔אchai.Ya'
H2417
alive · adjective, both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
God
אֱלָהָ֣א'e.la.Ha'
H426
God · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
God
אֱלָהָ֗ךְ'e.la.Hakh
H426
God · noun, common both genders singular construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
servest
פָּֽלַֽחpa.lach-
H6399
to serve or worship · verb, qal active participle, masculine singular absolute
continually
בִּתְדִירָ֔אbit.di.Ra'
H8411
permanence · preposition + noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
able
הַיְכִ֥לhay.Khil
H3202
to be able · interrogative particle + verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
deliver
לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָ֖ךְle.shei.za.vu.Takh
H7804
to leave · preposition + verb, infinitive construct + pronominal suffix, 2nd person masculine singular
from
מִןmin-
H4481
properly · preposition
lions
אַרְיָוָתָֽא'ar.ya.va.Ta'
H744
a lion · noun, common feminine singular determined + particle of affirmation
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
1 Chronicles 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
Daniel 6:27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
Daniel 6:16 Then 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…
2 Timothy 4:16-18 At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge.
Daniel 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Daniel 6:18-24
Here is, I. The melancholy night which the king had, upon Daniel's account, Dan 6:18. He had said, indeed, that God would deliver him out of the danger, but at the same time he could not forgive himself for throwing him into the danger; and justly might God deprive him of a friend whom he had himself used so barbarously. He went to his palace, vexed at himself for what he had done, and calling himself unwise and unjust for not adhering to the law of God and nature with a non obstante - a negative to the law of the Medes and Persians. He ate no supper, but passed the night fasting; his heart was already full of grief and fear. He forbade the music; nothing is more unpleasing that songs sung t…
living God--having life Himself, and able to preserve thy life; contrasted with the lifeless idols. Darius borrowed the phrase from Daniel; God extorting from an idolater a confession of the truth.
thou servest continually--in times of persecution, as well as in times of peace.
is thy God . . . able--the language of doubt, yet hope.
Adam Clarke on Daniel 6:20
He cried with a lamentable voice - His heart, full of grief, affected his speech.
Servant of the living God - The king was convinced that, unless his God saved him, his destruction was inevitable.
John Gill on Daniel 6:20
And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel,.... Expressing grief and sorrow his heart was full of; it was rather like howling than speaking; thus he cried before he saw Daniel, or heard him speak:
when he was near to the den (k), as it may be rendered; and he was between hope and fear about Daniel's safety; when within sight of the den, and hearing of Daniel, should he be alive to speak: but when he came nearer and saw him, then
the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God; art thou alive? this is a plain case, that the God whom thou servest is the living God, since he has saved thee; and that thou art a true and faithful servant of…
The Church Fathers
Each of these phrases shows the religious spirit of the king, who complimented Daniel on his piety: first, he calls him not his own servant but God's; next, he calls Daniel's God "living;" then, in praise of his piety, "whom you serve with constancy," that is, you were not prevented from worship under pressure of the law. The question "Was he able to rescue you from the lions' mouth?" means, "Was it his will to render you impervious against the lions?" After all, he would not have referred to God as powerless after calling him "living."
Verse 20. "And approaching the pit, he called out to Daniel with a tear-choked voice and addressed him." By his tears he showed his inner emotion, and forgetting his royal dignity, the conqueror ran to his captive, the master to his servant. "'O Daniel, servant of the living God...'" He calls Him the living God in order to distinguish Him from the gods of the Gentiles, who are but effigies of the dead. "'Dost thou deem that thy God, whom thou ever servest, has been able to deliver thee from the lions?'" It was not that he had any doubts about the power of the God of whom he had previously affirmed, "Thy God, whom thou ever servest, will Himself deliver thee." But he phrased the sentence doubtfully in order that when Daniel made his appearance unharmed, the king's anger at the princes might seem the more justified, in proportion to the incredibility of the event.
Take heed, O man, because even at that time God rescued whom he wished to still live, so that the magnificent work of God may be shown and it may be preached in all the world until now. But whom he wishes to testify, he, having crowned them, takes them. For he rescued the three boys, so that the boast of Nebuchadnezzar may be shown as being nothing, wishing to demonstrate this, that "what is impossible for men is possible for God." [Luke 18:27] For since Nebuchadnezzar was arrogant and said, "And who is the god who is able to rescue you from the furnace of fire?" [Daniel 3:15] God demonstrated to him that he is able to rescue his slaves whenever he wills. For also similarly it happened to Daniel, for after Darius said, "Is God whom you perpetually serve, able to rescue you from the mouths of the lions?" [Daniel 6:20] Daniel answered and said, "God sent his angel and he stopped the mouths of the lions and they did not hurt me." [Daniel 6:22] For also all the governors and satraps contrived a pretext, so that they handed Daniel over to the beasts in order to kill him. But God, seeing their machinations and the sincerity of the blessed Daniel, rescued him from the mouths of the lions, so that he rescues whom he wills but takes whom he wills.
Dictionary and topics
Daniel — God is my judge, or judge of God. (1.) David’s second son, “born unto him in Hebron, of Abigail the Carmelitess” (1 Chr. 3:1). He is called also Chileab (2 Sam. 3:3). (2.) One of the four great…
Darius — The holder or supporter, the name of several Persian kings. (1.) Darius the Mede (Dan. 11:1), “the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes” (9:1). On the death of Belshazzar the Chaldean he…
Medes, Media — (middle land). Media lay northwest of Persia proper, south and southwest of the Caspian Sea, east of Armenia and Assyria, west and northwest of the great salt desert of Iran. Its greatest length was…
Media — Heb. Madai, which is rendered in the Authorized Version (1) “Madai,” Gen. 10:2; (2) “Medes,” 2 Kings 17:6; 18:11; (3) “Media,” Esther 1:3; 10:2; Isa. 21:2; Dan. 8:20; (4) “Mede,” only in Dan. 11:1.…
Temptation — (1.) Trial; a being put to the test. Thus God “tempted [Gen. 22: 1; R.V., ‘did prove’] Abraham;” and afflictions are said to tempt, i.e., to try, men (James 1:2, 12; comp. Deut. 8:2), putting their…
Daniel · .Courage and fi — .Courage and fi
Indictments · .Daniel, on the charge of — .Daniel, on the charge of
Lion · Used for the torture of criminals — Used for the torture of criminals
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
Daniel 6:19-20
19. Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
19. Tunc rex in aurora, [307] surrexit cum illucesceret, et in festinatione, [308] ad speluncam leonum venit.
20. And 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?
20. Et cum appropinquasset ad foveam, ad Danielem in voce tristi, aut, lugubri, clamavit, loquutus est rex, et dixit Danieli, Daniel serve Dei viventis, Deus tuus quem tu colis ipsum jugiter, an potuit ad servandum te a leonibus? [309]
Here th…
Daniel's offence against the law; his accusation, condemnation, and miraculous deliverance from the den of lions; and the punishment of his accusers.
The satraps did not wait long for Daniel's expected disregard of the king's prohibition. It was Daniel's custom, on bended knees, three times a day to offer prayer to his God in the upper chamber of his house, the window thereof being open towards Jerusalem. He continued this custom even after the issuing of the edict; for a discontinuance of it on account of that law would have been a denying of the faith and a sinning against God. On this his enemies had reckoned. They secretly watched him, and immediately reported his disregard of the king's…
Was your God . . . able? There was no question about whether Daniel had served God faithfully, so if God didn’t rescue him it would have told the king that God was not able to do so. • living God: The king probably knew what Daniel’s God had done during the reigns of Nebuchadnezzar and Belshazzar. The expression living God is particularly used in the Bible to contrast the Lord with lifeless idols (see, e.g., Deut 5:26; Josh 3:10; Isa 37:17-18).
Rashi on Daniel 6:20
at dawn Aram. בִּשְׁפַרְפָרָה, at the rise of dawn, and there are many [examples of this] in Targum Jonathan.
arose to the light of morning He arose at the light of morning, not after three hours, like other kings.
and in haste went to the pit of the lions [as translated,] and in haste went to the pit of the lions.
