AlthoughPeter Paul Rubens'depiction shows Daniel as a young man (top), Daniel would have been over eighty years old at the time of this incident,[1] makingBriton Rivière's picture (bottom) more accurate.
Daniel in the lions' den (chapter 6 of theBook of Daniel) tells of how the biblicalDaniel is saved from lions by theGod of Israel "because I was found blameless before him" (Daniel 6:22).[2] It parallels and complements chapter 3, the story ofShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: each begins with the jealousy of non-Jews towards successful Jews and an imperial edict requiring them to compromise their religion, and concludes with divine deliverance and a king who confesses the greatness of the God of the Jews and issues an edict of royal protection.[3] The tales making up chapters 1–6 of Daniel date no earlier than theHellenistic period (3rd to 2nd century BC)[4] and were probably originally independent, but were collected in the mid-2nd century BC and expanded shortly afterwards with the visions of the later chapters to produce the modern book.[5]
In Daniel 6,Daniel is raised to high office by his royal masterDarius the Mede. Daniel's jealous rivals trick Darius into issuing a decree that for thirty days no prayers should be addressed to any god or man but Darius himself; anyone who disobeys this edict is to be thrown to the lions. Pious Daniel continues to pray daily to the God of Israel; and the king, although deeply distressed, must condemn Daniel to death, for the edicts of the Medes and Persians cannot be altered. Hoping for Daniel's deliverance, Darius has him cast into the pit. At daybreak the king hurries to the place and cries out anxiously, asking if God had saved his friend. Daniel replies that his God had sent an angel to close the jaws of the lions, "because I was found blameless before him". The king commands that those who had conspired against Daniel be thrown to the lions in his placewith their wives and children, and that the whole world should tremble and fear before the God of Daniel.[6]
It is generally accepted that theBook of Daniel originated as a collection offolktales among theBabylonian captivity, the Jewish community living inBabylon andMesopotamia, in thePersian andHellenistic periods (5th to 2nd centuries BC).[7] Chapters 4–6, which includes the tale of Daniel in the lions' den, may belong to the earliest stage, as these differ quite markedly in the oldest texts.[8] Although the entire book is traditionally ascribed to Daniel the seer, the tales of chapters 1–6, including the story of the lion's den, are the voice of an anonymous narrator (except for chapter 4 which is in the form of a letter from kingNebuchadnezzar).[9] It is possible that the name of Daniel was chosen for the hero because of his reputation as a wise seer in Hebrew tradition.[10]
Chapters 2–7 are inAramaic, and are in the clear form of achiasm (a poetic structure in which the main point or message of a passage is placed in the centre and framed by further repetitions on either side):[11]
A. (2:4b-49) – A dream of four kingdoms replaced by a fifth
B. (3:1–30) – Daniel's three friends in the fiery furnace
C. (4:1–37) – Daniel interprets a dream for Nebuchadnezzar
C'. (5:1–31) – Daniel interprets the handwriting on the wall forBelshazzar
B'. (6:1–28) – Daniel in the lions' den
A'. (7:1–28) – A vision of four world kingdoms replaced by a fifth
The story of Daniel in the lions' den in chapter 6 is paired with the story ofShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the "fiery furnace" in Daniel 3. The parallels include the jealousy of non-Jews, an imperial edict requiring Jews to compromise their religion on pain of death, and divine deliverance. Each story climaxes with the king confessing the greatness of the God of the Jews and issuing an edict of royal protection. In each case life is preserved through divine presence in the fire or the pit.[3]
The structure of Daniel 6 itself is also in the form of a chiasm:[12]
A. Introduction: Daniel’s success (vv.1–3)
B. Darius’s edict and Daniel’s response (vv.4–10)
C. Daniel’s opponents plot his death (vv.11–15)
D. Darius hopes for Daniel’s deliverance (vv.16–18)
D'. Darius witnesses Daniel’s deliverance (vv.19–23)
According toJosippon, "the beasts in the den received Daniel as faithful dogs might receive their returning master, wagging their tails and licking him". TheMidrash Tehillim says that "the mouth of the den was closed with a huge stone, which had rolled of itself from Palestine to Babylon for that purpose" and that "upon this stone sat an angel in the shape of a lion, so that Daniel's enemies might not harass him."[13]
Although Daniel is sometimes depicted as a young man in illustrations of the incident,James Montgomery Boice points out that he would have been over eighty years old at the time.[1]
In February 1927, the Norfolk Jubilee Quartette recorded "Daniel in the Lions' Den" on the Paramount label. The song bears close melodic and lyrical resemblance to "Now is the Needed Time," recorded (without reference to Daniel and the lions) in the 1950s byLightnin' Hopkins.
On February 10, 1959, in Cincinnati, the Stanley Brothers recorded "Daniel Prayed", a bluegrass retelling of the story. Originally issued on King LP 645, the song has also been recorded by many bluegrass country and gospel artists and groups such as Doc Watson, Boone Creek, The Isaacs, Ricky Skaggs. The Cathedrals and The Gospel Plow Boys.
The 1964 Broadway MusicalFiddler on the Roof byJerry Bock andSheldon Harnick includes a song called "Miracle of Miracles", in which Motel, the tailor, sings "Wonder of wonders; miracle of miracles; God took a Daniel once again, turned him around and, miracle of miracles, walked him through the lion's den."
In 1966, the trio of Frederick McQueen, George McKenzie, and Shelton Swain released their own original song about the story, called "God Locked the Lion's Jaw," on the albumThe Real Bahamas (In Music And Song).
The 1982 song "Daniel" byRaffi on hisRise and Shine album.
The 1982 song "Lion's Den" byBruce Springsteen, first released on the 1998 albumTracks, alludes to the story.
Patty Loveless recorded the song "Daniel Prayed" featuringRicky Skaggs for her 2001 albumMountain Soul album.
The 2011 song "Us Against the World" byColdplay includes the line 'My drunken hazard Daniel in a lion's den', as a reference to being in a bad place.
The 2013 albumBad Blood byBastille includes a track called "Daniel in the Den".
The 2016 albumArts & Leisure by Walter Martin (formerly ofThe Walkmen) includes a track called "Daniel in the Lion's Den".[14]
Prog metal bandDream Theater recorded the track "Paralysed" on their 2019 albumDistance Over Time which includes the line 'The victim, the martyr... like Daniel in the Lion's Den, time and time again'.
