Daniel 6.13 [6.14]-The Conspirators Report to Darius Daniel's Violation of the Interdict
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday March 7, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 6:13 (6:14)-The Conspirators Report to Darius Daniel’s Violation of the Interdict
Lesson # 184
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 6:13.
Daniel 6:1 Now, Darius the Mede received the kingdom at sixty-two years of age. 2 It was considered a good idea by Darius to establish one hundred twenty satraps over the kingdom in order that they would be in authority over the entire kingdom. 3 Also, out from, over them, three supervisors, of whom Daniel was one of them in order that these satraps would exist in the state of having to give an account to them so that the king would never be able to suffer loss. 4 Then this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the supervisors as well as satraps because an extraordinary spirit was in him. Consequently, the king intended to establish him over the entire kingdom 5 as a result, the supervisors as well as the satraps were repeatedly attempting to cause a pretext to be found against Daniel with regards to governmental affairs. However, repeatedly they were totally unable to cause any pretext in the form of corruption to be found because he was trustworthy. Indeed, no negligence in the form of corruption was found against him. 6 Therefore, these men concluded, “We will never be able to cause a pretext to be found against this Daniel unless we cause it be found in connection with the law originating from his God.” 7 Consequently, these supervisors as well as the satraps conspired together to the detriment of the king and said the following to the king, “King Darius, live forever! 8 Each and every one of the supervisors over the kingdom, namely the senior officials well as the satraps, that is the royal officials, in other words the governors are in agreement that the king should issue an edict. Specifically, an interdict, which should be enforced in order that whoever makes a request from any god or human being during a thirty day period except from you, O king, must be unceremoniously deposited into a lion’s den. 9 Now, please O king establish an interdict. Specifically, please sign the document into law in order that it can never be changed according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.” 10 Because of this, King Darius signed the document into law, that is, the interdict. 11 Now when Daniel was aware that the document was signed into law, he entered his home, which had windows in its upper room swung open toward Jerusalem. Then he worshipped on his knees three times during the day. Indeed, as was his custom, he prayed while giving thanks in the presence of his God just as he had been doing previously. 12 Then these men conspired together, namely, they found Daniel making request, specifically, making an earnest and urgent prayer request in the presence of his God. 13 Consequently they came into the king’s presence and posed a question with regards to the interdict issued by the king, “Did you not sign an interdict, namely that, any person who makes a request from any god or human being during a thirty day period except from you, O king, must be unceremoniously deposited into a lion’s den?” The king replied and said, “Absolutely, the decree is according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.” (My translation)
Daniel 6:13 Then they answered and spoke before the king, “Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the injunction which you signed, but keeps making his petition three times a day.” (NASB95)
“Then they answered and spoke before the king” presents to the reader the result of Darius affirming to Daniel’s fellow satraps and supervisors that he signed into law a decree.
Therefore, this indicates that the conspirators informed Darius that Daniel had broken the newly signed interdict as a direct consequence of hearing the king confirm that he indeed had signed it into law.
“Daniel, who is one of the exiles from Judah” indicates that Daniel was the object of xenophobia because he was a Jewish exile.
Xenophobia is an “unreasonable fear or hatred of foreigners or strangers.”
The conspirators who were Medes and Persians were racially prejudiced towards Daniel who was a Jewish exile since they considered themselves culturally and ethnically superior to the Jews because they were now a world-wide empire who like the Babylonians subjugated the Jews to themselves.
Thus, by identifying Daniel as a Jewish captive, they were insulting him in the presence of Darius.
Also, by identifying him as a Jewish exile, the conspirators are attempting to “demonize” Daniel as much as possible in order to make clear to the king that Daniel must be put to death.
It was not enough for them to inform the king that Daniel had broken the newly signed interdict but they wanted to paint him in an even worse light by identifying him as a Jewish exile.
The conspirators wanted the case against Daniel to be overwhelming against him so that Darius would be enraged against him.
This same tactic was used against Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as recorded in Daniel chapter three.
It worked against Daniel’s three friends but not against Daniel himself since Darius admired and respected him.
So much so that he spent all evening the night before Daniel’s execution attempting to find some loophole to deliver Daniel.
“Pays no attention to you” is composed of the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), “no” which is negating the meaning of the third person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active perfect form of the verb śîm (שִׂים) (soom), “pays attention” which is followed by the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al) and its object is the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix -ḵ (־ךְ), “you” and then we have the masculine singular form of the noun mě∙lěḵ (מֶלֶךְ) (meh´-lek), “O king” and this is followed by the masculine singular noun ṭeʿēm (טְעֵם) (teh-ame´), which is not translated.
This verb śîm means “to show regard for, to show respect” and is used with Daniel as its subject and Darius as its object and its meaning is emphatically negated by the negative particle lā(ʾ), which means “absolutely no” since it functions as a marker of emphatic negation.
Thus, these two words denote that the conspirators were accusing Daniel as “having absolutely no respect” for Darius.
The noun ṭeʿēm means “a command” and refers of course to the command Darius issued, which required the death penalty be administered to anyone who made a request from any god or human being with the exception of the king for a period of thirty days.
“Or to the injunction which you signed” explains or specifically defines for Darius what command Daniel had absolutely no respect for.
“But keeps making his petition three times a day” indicates that Daniel’s actions stand in direct contrast or opposition to the requirement of the interdict.
“Keeps making his petition” is composed of the masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb beʿā(h) (בְּעָה) (beh-aw´), “keeps making” and this is followed by the feminine singular noun bā·ʿû (בָּעוּ) (baw-oo´), “petition” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “his.”
The verb beʿā(h) means “to present” or “to make” and its object is the noun bā·ʿû, “request” and together they denote that three times a day Daniel made a habit of making his request from his God.
The participle form of the verb expresses repeated action indicating that the conspirators are informing Darius that Daniel not only prayed to his God but did so repeatedly.
“Three times a day” is referring not only to Daniel’s actions after the interdict was signed into law but also before the interdict was signed and is in the emphatic position of this adversative clause indicating that Daniel not only violated the requirement of the interdict but this violation took place repeatedly.
Daniel 6:13 (6:14) Thus they replied in the presence of the king and said that, “Daniel, who is one of the deported people from Judah, has absolutely no respect for your command, O king, that is, for your interdict, which you signed into law. Instead, three times during the course of the day, he regularly makes his request.” (My translation)
As a direct consequence of Darius affirming that he had in fact signed into law the interdict they suggested, the conspirators proceeded to inform the king that Daniel had not only violated this law but that three times during the course of the day, he regularly made his request from his God in prayer.
They not only are telling Darius that Daniel had broken the interdict but they are actually affirming with the king that Daniel did this prior to the decree.
Note, they said he did this regularly which means that they not only observed him praying three times during the day immediately after the decree was signed into law but they observed him prior to this decree.
They observed him regularly praying to his God, which gave them the idea of manipulating Darius to signed into law the interdict to administer the death penalty to anyone who makes a request from their god or any human being with the exception of the king for a period of thirty days.
The fact that the conspirators knew of Daniel’s habit of praying three times a day to his God indicates that Daniel never hid his relationship with God and that this relationship was public knowledge.
The conspirators’ plot pays a great compliment to Daniel because when they found his integrity impeccable with regards to his duties and responsibilities as a supervisor over the satraps, they sought to use his faithfulness and devotion to God against him.
Daniel 6:4 (6:5) reveals that Daniel is the object of jealousy and envy and is being persecuted because Darius intended to establish him in authority over the entire Babylonian kingdom because he was exceptional in his abilities and talents.
Jealousy is a mental attitude sin directed toward another, which is resentful, intolerant and suspicious of another’s success, possessions or relationships and is vigilant in maintaining or guarding something.
“Envy” is to feel resentful, spiteful, and unhappy because someone else possesses or has achieved, what one wishes oneself to possess, or to have achieved and desires to deprive another of what he has, whereas “jealousy” desires to have the same or the same sort of thing for itself.
Envy arises from jealousy and so therefore, to be envious means to act on one’s jealousy.
Christians are prohibited from committing the sins of jealousy and envy (Romans 13:13; 1 Peter 2:1-2).