“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?”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 6:20 Mean?
Daniel 6:20 captures one of the most emotionally charged moments in the Old Testament: King Darius, who was manipulated into condemning Daniel to the lion's den, arrives at dawn and cries out "with a lamentable voice" (qal atsiv — a voice of grief, anguish, pain). The most powerful man in the Persian Empire is weeping at a hole in the ground, hoping against hope that a miracle happened overnight.
The question Darius asks is theologically precise despite his paganism: "O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?" Three elements: Daniel's identity (servant of the living God), Daniel's consistency (whom thou servest continually — tedira, without interruption), and the question of God's power (is He able — yakil). Darius doesn't ask whether God wanted to save Daniel. He asks whether God could. The king has been taught by Daniel's life that Daniel's God is real and living — but can even a living God overrule a den of lions and a law of the Medes and Persians?
The answer in verse 22 — "My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths" — confirms what Darius hoped. But the question itself reveals something: Daniel's daily faithfulness (tedira — continually, without break) had already testified to the king. Before the miracle in the den, Daniel's consistent devotion had earned the king's respect. The miracle confirmed what Daniel's life had already demonstrated. The lion's den was the test. The daily prayer toward Jerusalem (verse 10) was the preparation.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Darius asks 'is thy God able?' What situation in your life is currently testing whether God is able — not whether He exists, but whether He can actually deliver?
- 2.Daniel served God 'continually' — tedira, without interruption. How consistent is your devotion? Would someone watching your daily life expect God to show up for you in a crisis?
- 3.Darius didn't sleep, didn't eat, spent the night in anguish. Have you ever been the person agonizing over someone you love who's in a 'den'? What was that night like?
- 4.The daily prayer toward Jerusalem was the preparation for the lion's den. What daily practice in your life is building the foundation for a crisis you don't know is coming?
Devotional
The king who condemned Daniel is the one running to the den at dawn. Darius didn't sleep that night (verse 18). He refused food, entertainment, rest. The most powerful man in the empire spent the darkness agonizing over a servant he couldn't save. And at first light, he stumbles to the den and cries out — not with royal composure but with a grieving voice: Daniel, is your God able?
The question "is thy God able" is the question every crisis ultimately asks. Not does God exist. Not is God good. Is He able? When you're in the den — when the lions are real, when the law has been signed, when the stone has been rolled over the mouth and there's nothing anyone can do — the question narrows to one word: able. Can He? Is the God you've served every single day, without interruption, without compromise, without skipping a prayer — is He strong enough for this?
Darius knew Daniel served God "continually" — tedira, without break. The king had watched Daniel's consistency long before the den. The three-times-daily prayer toward Jerusalem. The refusal to compromise. The unwavering devotion that didn't adjust to political pressure. That consistency is why Darius even asked the question. If Daniel had been a casual believer — if his devotion had been intermittent, convenient, dependent on circumstances — Darius wouldn't have expected a miracle. But a man who serves continually is a man whose God might just show up. The lion's den is the crisis. The daily prayer is the foundation. And the foundation is what gives the question its weight: is your God — the one you've served every single day — able?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Then said Daniel unto the king,.... Whose voice he knew, though the tone of it was so much altered:
O king, live for…
He cried with a lamentable voice - A voice full of anxious solicitude. Literally, “a voice of grief.” Such a cry would…
He cried with a lamentable voice - His heart, full of grief, affected his speech.
Servant of the living God - The king…
Here is, I. The melancholy night which the king had, upon Daniel's account, Dan 6:18. He had said, indeed, that God…
when he came as he drew near.
with a lamentable voice or, with a pained voice. The same expression (with an…
Cross References
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