It pleases Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel is one — and Daniel is distinguished above them all, 'because a surpassing spirit was in him.' Finding no fault in him except 'in the matter of the law of his God,' the presidents obtain the interdict: whoever makes petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of the king, shall be cast into the den of lions. Daniel, knowing the writing is signed, kneels three times a day in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem, 'as he did formerly.' The king labors till sundown to deliver him, seals the den with his own signet, passes the night fasting — and at dawn: 'My God has sent His angel, and has shut the lions' mouths, and they have not hurt me.' The accusers go to the den in his place, and Darius writes to all peoples: 'He is the living God, and stedfast for ever... He delivers and rescues.'
Tap any Hebrew word to reveal its root, value, and meanings.
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.
verse value 3718
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 40 letters. Verse gematria: 3718 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "received" (קַבֵּ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·Darius" (וְדָרְיָ֙וֶשׁ֙, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·Darius" (וְדָרְיָ֙וֶשׁ֙), "the·Mede" (מָֽדָאָ֔ה), "received" (קַבֵּ֖ל). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·kingdom" (root מלכו, 53x in Daniel); "years" (root שנה, 38x in Daniel); "received" (root קבל, 27x in Daniel). First appearance of the root דריוש ("and·Darius") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·kingdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words.
Rashi
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two Why does he count his years? To tell you that on the day that Nebuchadnezzar entered the Heichal in the days of Jehoiachin, his adversary, Darius, was born (Seder Olam ch. 28). From the exile of Jeconiah until now were sixty-two years, and the master said: They were exiled in the days of Jehoiachin in the seventh year counting from the conquest of Jehoiakim, which is eight years after the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign. There remained to Nebuchadnezzar’s reign thirty-seven years, for he reigned forty-five years, and twenty-three of Evil-merodach’s, as our Sages stated in Tractate Megillah (11b), and the two years of Belshazzar that passed, totaling sixty-two.
Ibn Ezra
And Darius — know that this Darius the Mede is not Darius the Persian, in whose second regnal year the Temple was built. Now, according to the view of the ancients — as I shall explain — it would follow that Daniel erred in his reckoning. For they said: in the seventh year [of Ahasuerus] Esther was taken, and Darius [her son] was born in the eighth year of Ahasuerus, and his [Ahasuerus’s] whole reign was thirteen years; so he [Darius] became king at about six years of age, since it was in the second year of his reign that the Temple was built. Now, it is written that Jehoash was seven years old when he began to reign, and close to that number was Josiah the king. But behold, it is written of this [other] Darius — the one in our verse — that he was sixty-two years old when he became king over the Chaldeans. And it is known that Cyrus seized Babylon, as is written in the book of Isaiah; and it is recorded that Cyrus was king of Babylon, and after him Ahasuerus reigned, and after Ahasuerus — in the view of our Sages — Darius the Persian reigned, who was the son of Esther. Therefore, even though it is written, ‘in the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes’, this is not the same Ahasuerus who took Esther, but a different one; rather, this was the father of Darius the Elder — who was the first of the kings of Media and Persia to reign over the Chaldeans, when Babylon was captured and the kingdom of the Chaldeans came to an end, just before the death of Belshazzar. There is no need to elaborate further, for the matter is clear and beyond doubt; and in the chronicles of the kings of Persia it is recorded that this Darius the Elder was the father-in-law of Cyrus, and that the two of them together captured Babylon, for Cyrus was king of Persia and this Darius was king of Media — as it is written, ‘behold, I stir up against them the Medes’. And Cyrus set his father-in-law over the kingdom of the Chaldeans, for it was Cyrus who made him king, since Cyrus said, ‘all the kingdoms of the earth has God given into my hand’ — and indeed the two of them reigned at the same time. Therefore, when the Chaldeans fell, Israel went up from Babylon with Zerubbabel, as Cyrus — who was the senior king — had commanded; and so it is written, ‘and they were servants to him and to his sons, until the kingdom of Persia arose’. And the meaning of ‘in the first year of Cyrus’ is [the first year] of his reign over Babylon, where Israel then was — for he had already been king before that; only with respect to Babylon is he called ‘Cyrus, king of Babylon’.
Metzudat David
And Darius the Mede — Darius, king of Media, took the kingdom of the Chaldeans, being sixty-two years old.
Malbim
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom — the fact that he received the kingdom from their hand indicates that they made him king willingly, after their own king had died. And as for the statement that he was about sixty-two years old, our sages explained that this comes to teach that he was born on the very day Nebuchadnezzar entered the Temple, in the days of Jehoiakim; and it also means that, since he was old and advanced in years, he was unable to govern this great kingdom by himself — therefore, in order to ease the burden of administration upon him:
Ibn Yahya
And Darius the Mede received that kingdom, being sixty-two years old.
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;
verse value 4022
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 58 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "satraps" (לַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֖א, 10 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·he·set·up" (וַהֲקִים֙), "over·the·kingdom" (עַל־מַלְכוּתָ֔א), "hundred" (מְאָ֣ה). The root מלכו appears 2 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "should·be" (root הוה, 55x in Daniel); "over·the·kingdom" (root מלכו, 53x in Daniel). First appearance of the root מאה ("hundred") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·twenty', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words. Full calculation: שְׁפַר֙ [pleased] (580) + קֳדָ֣ם [before] (144) + דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁ [Darius] (520) + וַהֲקִים֙ [and·he·set·up] (161) + עַל־מַלְכוּתָ֔א [over·the·kingdom] (597) + לַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֖א [satraps] (684) + מְאָ֣ה [hundred] (46) + וְעֶשְׂרִ֑ין [and·twenty] (636) + דִּ֥י [who] (14) + לֶהֱוֺ֖ן [should·be] (91) + בְּכׇל־מַלְכוּתָֽא [in·all·the·kingdom] (549) = 4022.
Ibn Ezra
Throughout the whole kingdom — the meaning is: the kingdom of the Chaldeans.
Metzudat David
It pleased — It seemed good to Darius, and he set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who would govern throughout the entire kingdom.
Malbim
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom A hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom — and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, so that these satraps would render account to them and the king would suffer no loss: he divided his kingdom into a hundred and twenty parts (for Ahasuerus, who reigned after him, ruled over a hundred and twenty-seven provinces, and perhaps the seven princes of Persia and Media [cf. Esther 1:14] were appointed over the remaining seven), and he set satraps over them. These were permanently stationed to oversee the affairs of the province on the king’s behalf, since the governors and officers themselves were chosen from among the people of the provinces, while the satraps were called “the king’s satraps,” because they represented him, to see to it that the officers of the provinces did nothing against the king’s laws. And over the satraps were three royal counselors, to take account from them and to receive from them a report of all their doings, so that through this the king would suffer no harm — this includes both that he would not be harmed politically, since the officials he placed in every province would look after his interest, and that he would not be harmed physically, through the strain of governing and the weight of its burden.
Ibn Yahya
Seventh section: 'It pleased Darius' etc. — it seemed good to Darius to set a hundred and twenty officers over the kingdom, for he divided his kingdom into these portions and appointed one officer over each portion.
and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account to them, and that the king should have no damage.
verse value 3170
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 78 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "satraps" (אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֣א, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: these, to·them. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·above" (וְעֵ֤לָּא), "chiefs" (סָרְכִ֣ין), "one·of·them" (חַֽד־מִנְּה֑וֹן). The root הוה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "who" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel). First appearance of the root סרך ("chiefs") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'one·of·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
And over them [as translated,] and over them. that these satraps should give them counsel that these satraps should give counsel to the three viziers. and the king should not suffer any injury And the king should not suffer any loss in any royal matter that is incumbent upon them to perform.
Ibn Ezra
And over them ... presidents — these were higher in rank than the satraps. Damage — the word is used as in the phrase ‘to the damage of the king.’
Metzudat David
And over them — And above them he set three presidents, one of whom was Daniel. That — That those hundred and twenty satraps would give counsel to the three chief presidents, so that the king would suffer no damage or loss in the affairs of the kingdom. That is, he multiplied officers and governors, so that they would counsel wisely and protect the king from harm.
Metzudat Zion
Presidents — the name of a [type of] high office.
Ibn Yahya
And over all of them he appointed three presidents, of whom Daniel was one, so that these officers would give an account of all the matters and details of the kingdom to these presidents, and the king would not be burdened by the effort of knowing every detail; rather, he would learn the general matters through these three, and whatever difficult matter arose he himself would judge and decree his will upon it.
Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the presidents and the satraps, because a surpassing spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm.
verse value 5018
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 80 letters. Verse gematria: 5018 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "because" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·satraps" (וַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֑א, 10 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "distinguishing·himself" (מִתְנַצַּ֔ח), "above·the·chiefs" (עַל־סָרְכַיָּ֖א), "surpassing" (יַתִּירָא֙). 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "because" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·the·satraps', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 9 words.
Rashi
this Daniel [as translated,] this Daniel. surpassed [as translated,] surpassed. and the king contemplated The king was thinking in his heart to set him up over all of them.
Ibn Ezra
Then ... distinguished himself — the word (‘mitnatzach’) is like ‘menatzeach’ (the leader/director, as in the Psalms superscriptions). Thought — means reckoned, as in ‘ashtonotav’ (‘his thoughts,’ Psalms 146:4). And likewise the number ‘ashtei asar’ (eleven) [shares this same root], as I explained in my Book of the Number.
Metzudat David
Then — Then this Daniel excelled and rose above his colleagues, and above the hundred and twenty satraps who were under them, in every matter. Because — Because there was in him an extraordinary, abundant spirit of wisdom, and he understood every matter in its truth. The king — And the king planned to set him as ruler over the whole kingdom, seeing the greatness of his understanding.
Metzudat Zion
Thought — a term denoting thinking, as in 'his thoughts perish' (Psalms 146).
Malbim
Then this Daniel distinguished himself above the presidents and the satraps, because A surpassing spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm — Daniel demonstrated to everyone a governance far superior to theirs, through his abundance of wisdom; and the king saw that it was better to place the whole administration in the hand of a single wise man like him, for, “for the transgression of a land, many are its princes, but through a man of understanding and knowledge, [the state] endures” (cf. Proverbs 28:2).
Ibn Yahya
Then Daniel would triumph and prevail over the lords who were his colleagues, and over the officers subordinate to him. This was not on account of any pride in him, as though he intended to humiliate them; rather, because a surpassing divine spirit was in him beyond what was in them, he succeeded in all his deeds more than they did, and so he came to be honored above them. This is why the king considered setting him alone over the entire kingdom, just as Pharaoh had done for Joseph.
Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom; but they could find no occasion nor fault; forasmuch as he was faithful, neither was there any error or fault found in him.
verse value 6562
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 115 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לָ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·satraps" (וַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֗א, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 729: and·fault, and·fault. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "seeking" (בָעַ֧יִן), "from·side·of" (מִצַּ֣ד), "and·any·occasion" (וְכׇל־עִלָּ֨ה). The root שכח appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "upon·him" (root על, 64x in Daniel). First appearance of the root עלה ("occasion") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·kingdom', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 12 words.
Rashi
sought to find a pretext They were seeking a pretext to find about Daniel in matters of the kingdom so that they could inform on him.
Metzudat David
Then — Then all those officers sought to find some occasion against Daniel in the affairs of the kingdom. But no — But they could not find in him any occasion or fault whatsoever. Forasmuch as — Because he was faithful, and no error or fault of any kind was found against him.
Metzudat Zion
Occasion — [i.e.,] a pretext; and our Sages state, 'they found a pretext' (Ketubot 20). Error — [i.e.,] a mistake, as in 'for the error' (2 Samuel 6).
Malbim
The Questions: (5) Why does it say twice — first, “but they could find no occasion nor fault,” and then again, “neither was there any error or fault found in him”? Is not “[no] error or fault was found in him” the same thing already stated? Then the presidents and the satraps sought to find occasion against Daniel as touching the kingdom — the presidents and the satraps envied him, and sought to find a pretext against Daniel with respect to the kingdom’s affairs, so as to show that he had done something improper in his governance — such as taking bribes, practicing deceit, and the like. but they could find no occasion nor fault [in the affairs of the kingdom], forasmuch as he was faithful — accordingly, no genuine wrongdoing was found in him, nor could they even contrive a false charge, since he was already established as trustworthy, and people would not have believed false accusations against him — thus no error and no fault was found in him with respect to the kingdom. And they also searched for some sin in him personally, apart from the affairs of governing the kingdom — but no sin or transgression was found in him there either. So they said that they could find a pretext against him only through the law of his God.
Ibn Yahya
And therefore the lords and officers, out of envy, sought to find some fault with Daniel in his conduct of the kingdom's affairs, so as to inform against him to the king — claiming that he did not succeed in all his ways, and that he was just like them, who sometimes did well and sometimes did ill.
Then these men said: ‘We shall not find any occasion against this Daniel, except we find it against him in the matter of the law of his God.’
verse value 2437
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·Daniel" (לְדָנִיֵּ֥אל, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "shall·find" (נְהַשְׁכַּ֛ח), "any·occasion" (כׇּל־עִלָּ֑ה), "we·find" (הַשְׁכַּ֥חְנָֽא). The root שכח appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "to·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'any·occasion', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 5 words.
Rashi
No pretext can be found They said among themselves, “No pretext can be found about this Daniel.” but we shall find [a pretext] against him but we shall find a pretext against him through the law of his God if we ask the king to issue some decree to cause him to transgress His law, and he will not fulfill the king’s command; and this is the pretext.
Ibn Ezra
Then ... the matter of the law — [the word ‘dat’] means custom, and so too in the language of Ishmael.
Metzudat David
Then — Then these men said: We see that no occasion whatsoever can be found against this Daniel, except we find it against him in a matter that depends on the law of his God — for in order to uphold the law of his God, he will pay no heed to a royal decree that annuls it.
Ibn Yahya
And since they could find no fault with him in his conduct of the kingdom, they agreed instead to seek grounds against him in the law of his God, so as to make him transgress his religion — reckoning that he could not escape one of two outcomes: either he would transgress the law of his God, and on account of that sin he would no longer succeed; or he would transgress the law of the king, and for the punishment of that sin he would be put to death.
Then these presidents and satraps came tumultuously to the king, and said thus to him: ‘King Darius, live for ever!
verse value 3083
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "to·him" (לֵ֔הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·satraps" (וַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּא֙, 10 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "these" (אִלֵּ֔ן). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). First appearance of the root רגש ("came·tumultuously") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: אֱ֠דַ֠יִן [then] (65) + סָרְכַיָּ֤א [chiefs] (291) + וַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּא֙ [and·satraps] (660) + אִלֵּ֔ן [these] (81) + הַרְגִּ֖שׁוּ [came·tumultuously] (514) + עַל־מַלְכָּ֑א [to·the·king] (191) + וְכֵן֙ [and·thus] (76) + אָמְרִ֣ין [said] (301) + לֵ֔הּ [to·him] (35) + דָּרְיָ֥וֶשׁ [Darius] (520) + מַלְכָּ֖א [king] (91) + לְעָלְמִ֥ין [forever] (230) + חֱיִֽי [live] (28) = 3083.
Rashi
assembled Aram. הַרְגִּישׁוּ, they approached the king.
Ibn Ezra
Came tumultuously — means gathered together, as in ‘we walked together in the throng’ (Psalms 55:15) and ‘why are the nations in an uproar’ (Psalms 2:1).
Metzudat David
Then — Then those officers assembled before the king and said to him: King Darius, live forever! It is proper etiquette to bless the king at the very start of one’s words.
Malbim
The questions: (8–9) How could the king have accepted from them such a foolish thing — to decree that no man may pray to his god? Is he in place of God? Does not the king himself pray to God? And also, why should they not, in that case, seek anything from a fellow man — and how would this give strength to his kingdom? Is there any counsel more foolish than this? Then these officials took note and came suddenly before the king, and told him that all the ministers of the provinces had agreed to establish a decree: that whoever should present a request, within thirty days, to any god or man other than the king, should be cast into the fiery furnace. For during the first thirty days that the king was in Babylon, envoys had come to him from all the peoples and provinces, and had said that they had agreed to this in order to strengthen his kingdom in the eyes of all the nations — that during these thirty days, every man would bring his request to the king himself. For among the requests that a person might have of a fellow man, the king stood ready to fulfill the request of every petitioner, since he is one who delights in kindness, and his hand is wide open to fulfill the request of every man; and likewise, every prayer and every supplication that people would offer to Hashem, they should bring to the king instead, for his hand is like the hand of God to fulfill every wish. And during these days of grace, at the beginning of his reign, he would fulfill all the wishes of men, so that there would be no need to request anything from anyone else — and whoever requested something from anyone else would, in effect, be denying the king's goodness and kindness, or denying his ability, as though the king were unwilling, or as though his hand were too short to do good and to fulfill the request of every petitioner; such a person insults the king, and shall be cast into the lions' den. And this is the meaning of, 'that the king should establish the interdict' — that is, that by this they would strengthen the kingdom, giving it permanence, since by this the hearts of all the peoples would be inclined toward him, for they had persuaded him that it was for the king's good and for the strengthening of his kingdom. They therefore agreed 'to confirm a firm interdict' against the transgressor, that his sentence should be as one who rebels against the king. And they asked for two things: (1) that the king agree to the matter — and this is the meaning of, 'now, O king, establish the interdict'; (2) that he write it and seal it with the king's ring, so that it would be according to the law of the Medes and Persians, that what has been written in the king's name and sealed with the king's ring cannot be revoked.
All the presidents of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the ministers and the governors, have consulted together that the king should establish a statute, and make a strong interdict, that whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of you, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.
verse value 7590
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 126 letters. The shortest word is "all" (כֹּ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·satraps" (וַֽאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּא֙, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, king. 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "consulted·together" (אִתְיָעַ֜טוּ), "chiefs·of" (סָרְכֵ֣י), "the·ministers" (הַדָּֽבְרַיָּ֣א). The root כל appears 2 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "of·any·god" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אסר ("interdict") in Daniel. First appearance of the root גב ("into·den·of") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'interdict', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 13 words.
Rashi
have taken counsel [as translated,] have taken counsel. to preserve the king’s law to preserve the king’s law with power because you have recently ascended the throne. [Moreover], you are from another country and are in need of support. make any request [as translated,] make any request. except from you, O King [as translated,] except from you, O King. into a pit of lions into the pit where the king’s lions were [kept].
Ibn Ezra
And make a strong interdict — the word ‘esar’ (interdict) is used as in the Hebrew ‘every bond that she has bound upon her soul’ (Numbers 30:5). The den — means the pit.
Metzudat David
Have consulted together — All the officers took counsel together to establish a royal statute — that is, to firmly set and confirm the kingship in his hand with great strength. And make strong — And to reinforce the statute of the decree with a firm bond, that it never be altered. That — That whoever shall ask a petition of any god or man, from today until thirty days have passed, except of you the king — his sentence shall be to be thrown into the lions’ den. This is so that everyone will know that no one besides you has any power, and that everything comes from you; and this is a fitting means of strengthening the kingship.
Ibn Yahya
This was their scheme: the lords and officers gathered before the king and told him how all the presidents of the kingdom had taken counsel together to make a vow in the king's honor and to establish a strong interdict, that whoever should ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, except of the king alone, would be cast into the den of lions. And they represented to him that they were doing this for the king's own good, so that everyone would stand in fear before him for at least a month's time, and that impression would remain with them from that period of homage for all the days of their lives.
Now, O king, establish the interdict, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not.’
verse value 4201
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 52 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·change" (לְהַשְׁנָיָ֛ה, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "establish" (תְּקִ֥ים), "the·interdict" (אֱסָרָ֖א), "and·sign" (וְתִרְשֻׁ֣ם). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·writing', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 7 words. Full calculation: כְּעַ֣ן [now] (140) + מַלְכָּ֔א [king] (91) + תְּקִ֥ים [establish] (550) + אֱסָרָ֖א [the·interdict] (262) + וְתִרְשֻׁ֣ם [and·sign] (946) + כְּתָבָ֑א [the·writing] (423) + דִּ֣י [that] (14) + לָ֧א [not] (31) + לְהַשְׁנָיָ֛ה [to·change] (400) + כְּדָת־מָדַ֥י [like·law·of·Medes] (478) + וּפָרַ֖ס [and·Persians] (346) + דִּי־לָ֥א [which·not] (45) + תֶעְדֵּֽא [alters] (475) = 4201.
Rashi
you shall issue a decree lit. you shall put up this decree. that will not be amended that will not be amended, like the law of Media and Persia. which will not be repealed which will not pass.
Ibn Ezra
Which alters not — a statute that shall not be transgressed.
Metzudat David
Now — Now, you the king, confirm the decree, and sign the document with your own hand. That it not be — That it not be altered from now on, in keeping with the law of the Medes and Persians, which is never revoked — meaning that nothing the king has decreed in writing may be changed.
Ibn Yahya
Now let the king establish the interdict and set it down in writing, so that this law may not be changed, and let it have the force of the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.
Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the interdict.
verse value 2083
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 29 letters. The shortest word is "this" (דְּנָ֑ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "all·opposite" (כׇּל־קֳבֵ֖ל, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "signed" (רְשַׁ֥ם), "and·the·interdict" (וֶאֱסָרָֽא). 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "this" (root דנה, 31x in Daniel); "all·opposite" (root קבל, 27x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 5 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־קֳבֵ֖ל [all·opposite] (182) + דְּנָ֑ה [this] (59) + מַלְכָּא֙ [king] (91) + דָּֽרְיָ֔וֶשׁ [Darius] (520) + רְשַׁ֥ם [signed] (540) + כְּתָבָ֖א [the·writing] (423) + וֶאֱסָרָֽא [and·the·interdict] (268) = 2083.
Metzudat David
Wherefore — Because this matter served to strengthen the kingship, the king therefore signed the document and the decree with his own hand.
Ibn Yahya
And because of this, King Darius signed the writing and the interdict.
And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house—now his windows were open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem—and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did formerly.
verse value 6608
Insights
Verse structure: 28 words, 124 letters. Notable word values: "that·was" (דִּֽי־הֲוָ֣א) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "entered" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "upon·his·knees" (עַל־בִּרְכ֗וֹהִי, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 59: in·the·day, this. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "that·was·signed" (דִּֽי־רְשִׁ֤ים), "and·windows" (וְכַוִּ֨ין), "open" (פְּתִיחָ֥ן). The root ברך appears 2 times in this verse. 27 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "when" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "his·God" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel). First appearance of the root פתח ("open") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Jerusalem', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 15 words.
Rashi
when he knew and when he found out. where there were open windows in his upper chamber Aram. בְּעִלִּיתֵהּ, in his upper story. opposite Jerusalem toward the side of the Temple, and although it was in ruins, he did as Solomon said (I Kings 8:48): “and pray to You toward their land.” and three times the evening prayer, the morning prayer and the afternoon prayer. kneeled on his knees [as translated,] kneeled on his knees. as he had done prior to this just as all that he had done before this.
Ibn Ezra
Windows — means windows, and so too in the language of Ishmael. Toward Jerusalem — as it is written, ‘and they pray to You by way of their land’ (I Kings 8:48). Three times a day — these are the three daily prayers instituted by our early sages. He kneeled upon his knees — [the Aramaic ‘berikh’] shares the root of the Hebrew ‘berekh’ (knee), as in a construction like ‘vayikhra al birkav’ (he bent down upon his knees). And prayed — means praying, and so too in the language of Ishmael.
Metzudat David
And when he knew — When Daniel knew that the king had signed the document with his own hand. He went — He entered his house, into a hidden, private place; and in his upper chamber he had windows open toward Jerusalem, so as to direct his prayer toward it, as it says, ‘and they pray to You by way of their land … the city that You have chosen’ (1 Kings 8). And... Times — And three times a day he would kneel on his knees, pray, and give thanks before his God, because he had done so even before this; thus the righteous man held fast to his way.
Malbim
The questions: (11–12) Why did Daniel give himself over to death for the sake of prayer, seeing that it is written [of the commandments], "that a man shall live by them" (Leviticus 18:5)? By strict law one is obligated to give up his life only for idolatry, forbidden relations, and murder [not for prayer] — especially since he could have prayed silently, so that no one would notice him, for "the Merciful One desires the heart"; or, at the very least, in a closed, darkened room, since windows are not indispensable for prayer. Yet from the wording of the verse it is clear that he took no precaution whatsoever — did he not know that his life was at stake? And as for what is said, "just as he had done before" — was there not, at that time, but a hair's breadth between him and death? And when Daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house — now his windows were open in his upper chamber toward Jerusalem — And he kneeled upon his knees three times A day, And prayed, And gave thanks before his God, as he did formerly — he explains that even though Daniel knew of this decree, he did not give up his prayers three times a day, nor did he hide himself to pray in another house where people would not know where he was, or in some concealed place within his own house. Rather, he went into his house and went up to the upper chamber, whose windows were open toward the south, which faces Jerusalem, and he prayed while kneeling, in such a way that all his neighbors could see, through the open windows, that he was kneeling on his knees and praying. Now why did he act this way? Was he not exempt from giving up his life for a positive commandment — especially according to the view of Ramban, that [the fixed daily obligation of] prayer is only rabbinic — and the king, moreover, had never intended to make anyone transgress his own religion? Why, then, did he place himself in this danger? [Malbim] explains [the phrase] "as he did formerly": that the king's law was not meant to make anyone transgress his religion, nor to prevent any man from performing the duty that Hashem had commanded him. The purpose of the decree was only that whoever wished to make some new, personal request should bring it to the king, and the king would fulfill it — so that there would be no need to petition god or man. But this did not include regular, ongoing prayer, in which one is not asking for anything new, but rather giving thanks to Hashem, praising Him, and praying about matters that concern everyone in general — such as for life, for forgiveness of sin, and the like — since that has nothing at all to do with the king; this was never part of the decree, given the very purpose for which it had been issued, namely, to proclaim that the king stood ready to fulfill the request of every petitioner. This is the meaning of the verse once it becomes known to all that Daniel prayed such a prayer every day, three times, continually, as a matter of his own religious practice — and that for this he had nothing to fear from the king, since the king had never intended, in this decree, to abolish a commandment or to make anyone transgress the commandment of his God. Moreover, the decree itself is worded, "that he should not petition a petition" — meaning, that he should not make a request — whereas of Daniel it is written that he was "praying and giving thanks." And there is a great difference between praying and petitioning: prayer, in this sense, can be directed only to God, and one never finds anywhere a person pouring out his soul to a fellow human being the way he does to Hashem alone. This, therefore, was never included in the decree at all — and it was on this that Daniel relied, and so he was not afraid.
Ibn Yahya
And even though Daniel knew that the writing had been signed, this did not stop him from praying to his God. He went to his house, where he had a chamber with windows open facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he would kneel on his knees and pray and give thanks before his God, just as he had done before.
Then these men came tumultuously, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God.
verse value 2132
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 45 letters. Verse gematria: 2132 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "these" (אִלֵּךְ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·found" (וְהַשְׁכַּ֖חוּ, 6 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·found" (וְהַשְׁכַּ֖חוּ), "petitioning" (בָּעֵ֥ה), "and·supplicating" (וּמִתְחַנַּ֖ן). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "his·God" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Daniel', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: אֱ֠דַ֠יִן [then] (65) + גֻּבְרַיָּ֤א [the·men] (216) + אִלֵּךְ֙ [these] (51) + הַרְגִּ֔שׁוּ [came·tumultuously] (514) + וְהַשְׁכַּ֖חוּ [and·found] (345) + לְדָנִיֵּ֑אל [Daniel] (125) + בָּעֵ֥ה [petitioning] (77) + וּמִתְחַנַּ֖ן [and·supplicating] (554) + קֳדָ֥ם [before] (144) + אֱלָהֵֽהּ [his·God] (41) = 2132.
Rashi
searched Aram. הַרְגִישּׁוּ, tapped and searched.
Metzudat David
Then — Then these men assembled at Daniel’s house and found him making petition and pleading before his God.
Metzudat Zion
Came tumultuously — a term denoting a gathering; for when a large crowd assembles, a sound of tumult and commotion is heard; likewise, 'why are the nations in an uproar' (Psalms 2:1).
Malbim
Then these men came tumultuously, and found Daniel making petition and supplication before his God — he changes the wording here to say that they found him "petitioning," for their intention was to inform against him, [claiming] that he had made some specific, personal request in his prayer, and had thereby transgressed the king's command.
Ibn Yahya
Then these men gathered together and found Daniel praying and pleading before his God.
Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king’s interdict: ‘Have you not signed an interdict, that every man who shall make petition to any god or man within thirty days, save of you, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions?’ The king answered and said: ‘The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not.’
verse value 8718
Insights
Verse structure: 31 words, 140 letters. Notable word values: "have·not" (הֲלָ֧א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "before·the·king" (קֳדָם־מַלְכָּא֮, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, king, the·king. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "concerning·interdict·of" (עַל־אֱסָ֣ר), "who·shall·ask" (דִּֽי־יִבְעֵא֩), "to·den·of" (לְג֖וֹב). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 25 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·spoke" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·lions', dividing the verse into phrases of 22 and 9 words.
Rashi
concerning the king’s decree concerning the infraction of the king’s decree, about which they had come to inform. the thing is true [as translated,] the thing is true.
Ibn Ezra
Then ... the den of lions — this was a pit full of lions, into which they would throw the lions’ prey, and anyone who was condemned to death.
Metzudat David
Then – Then they came near to the king and spoke before him about the interdict that had been made for the king's sake, and this is what they said: 'Have you not, in your own handwriting, signed an interdict that any man who shall petition any god or man within thirty days, except you, O king, shall have this sentence: that he be cast into the den of lions?' The king answered – The king answered and said: The matter is true, and it stands firm, in accordance with the custom of Media and Persia, which never passes away — meaning: therefore so it must be, since I have signed it, it cannot be reversed, in keeping with the fixed custom.
Malbim
The questions: (13) As for what is said concerning "the king's interdict" — "have you not signed an interdict?" — what did they mean to accomplish with this question? Was the decree not already recorded among the laws of Persia and Media? They ought simply to have said that Daniel was liable to death, since he had transgressed the decree. Then they came near, and spoke before the king concerning the king's interdict — that is, since they knew that Daniel could be defended, as explained above, and they were afraid that once the king understood their real intention, he would offer a different interpretation of this decree in order to acquit Daniel, they therefore approached him as though merely raising a question about the king's interdict — that is, as though they genuinely had a question about it: "Have you not signed an interdict, that every man who shall make petition..." They were asking whether it was a blanket prohibition upon every single person and every kind of prayer — for they themselves had already concluded that it was indeed a general decree covering every person and every kind of request. And this is why [the verse continues], "The king answered and said: The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which alters not" — and he agreed with what they said.
Ibn Yahya
Then they approached and spoke before the king concerning the king's interdict: 'Have you not signed an interdict, that any man who asks anything of any god or man other than yourself within thirty days shall be cast into the den of lions?' The king answered: 'The matter is true, and according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which does not pass away.'
Then they answered and said before the king: ‘That Daniel, who is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regards not you, O king, nor the interdict that you have signed, but makes his petition three times a day.’
verse value 5255
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 100 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·upon·the·interdict" (וְעַל־אֱסָרָ֖א, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, king. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "not·set" (לָא־שָׂ֨ם), "and·upon·the·interdict" (וְעַל־אֱסָרָ֖א), "his·petition" (בָּעוּתֵֽהּ). The root די appears 4 times in this verse. 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'you·signed', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 5 words.
Rashi
did not pay heed to you, O king He did not pay heed or counsel to care about your decrees. he offers up his prayer Aram. בָּעֵא בָּעוּתֵה, he prays his prayer.
Metzudat David
Then – Then they answered and said before the king that Daniel, who is of the exiled children of Judah, has paid no regard nor taken counsel to have regard for you, O king, or for the interdict you have signed — meaning, he pays no heed to the standing of your kingship or to your decrees. Three times a day – Three times each day he makes his petition to his God.
Malbim
Then they answered and said before the king: 'That Daniel... regards not you, O king, nor the interdict...' — then they found their opening to inform against Daniel: that he paid no heed to obey the king or his interdict.
Ibn Yahya
Then they answered and said to him that Daniel, even though he is one of the exiles of Judah — for which reason he ought to be all the more submissive — pays no regard to you, the king, nor to the writing you have signed, and three times a day he makes his well-known petition to his God.
Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
verse value 5535
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 76 letters. The shortest word is "set" (שָׂ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·deliver·him" (לְשֵׁיזָבוּתֵ֑הּ, 8 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·displeased" (בְּאֵ֣שׁ), "heart" (בָּ֖ל), "to·deliver·him" (לְשֵׁיזָבוּתֵ֑הּ). The root על appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "when" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel). First appearance of the root מעל ("going·down·of") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·deliver·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 6 words.
Rashi
when...heard the thing [as translated,] when he heard the thing. he became very displeased It was very bad in his eyes because he loved Daniel, and his death would be painful to him. and he gave Daniel a reprieve to save him He gave Daniel a reprieve to push off the matter to save him, and he said to them, “I don’t believe you.” a reprieve Aram. בָּל. I do not know of any word like it, but its context shows its meaning. and until sunset and until sunset he tried to save him, but when the time of his prayer arrived, he prayed his prayer, and the king had no longer had a pretext to save him.
Ibn Ezra
Was sore displeased — means it was evil in his eyes. Set his heart — [the word] ‘bal’ means ‘his heart’ [mind], as also in the language of Ishmael, where ‘bal’ means heart — [he set his heart] to deliver him, until the sun went down. Labored — this word has no parallel elsewhere [in Scripture], and its meaning is like: he schemed with all his ability and sought any pretext [to save him].
Metzudat David
Then – Then, when the king heard this matter, it greatly displeased him. Set his heart – He set his mind on Daniel, intending to pay a ransom in money as the redemption of his life, to save him from death; or he would plead on Daniel's behalf using any argument he could find for not harming him at all — and until sunset he kept striving to save him.
Metzudat Zion
Heart — the Aramaic 'bal' is related to 'belo' in the phrase 'tribute, toll, and duty' (Ezra 4), meaning a tax, a head-tax; or else it is of the sense of negation ('not'), as in 'he has not learned righteousness' (Isaiah 26). Labored — a term denoting striving and effort; and our Sages state, 'strive to be a man' (Avot 2).
Malbim
The questions: (15) In what way did the king intend to save him? Did he not know that a decree written in the king's name cannot be revoked? Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him — that is, the king reconsidered his decree and declared that it did not apply to Daniel, since Daniel was praying his set prayer three times a day as a matter of his religious observance, not making some new request about a private matter, and one may not override a religious observance; the general, ongoing obligation of prayer, which is not a specific request, is not included in the decree. [The word bel is like beli and bilti, a term of negation.] He said that Daniel was not included in the decree and that it did not apply to him, and with this he strove until the sun went down, to save him.
Ibn Yahya
Then the king, when he heard this matter, was very displeased on Daniel's account, for he loved him. He set his heart on delivering him, and until the sun went down he strove to save him.
Then these men came tumultuously to the king, and said to the king: ‘Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no interdict nor statute which the king establishes may be changed.’
verse value 3662
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 83 letters. The shortest word is "know" (דַּ֤ע, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·any·interdict" (דִּֽי־כׇל־אֱסָ֥ר, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "know" (דַּ֤ע), "that·law" (דִּֽי־דָת֙), "that·any·interdict" (דִּֽי־כׇל־אֱסָ֥ר). The root מלך appears 4 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 13 words.
Rashi
that the king establishes What the king decrees and ratifies, no man can alter.
Metzudat David
Then – Then all these men gathered together against the king — for originally only some of them had come to inform against Daniel — but when they saw that the king wished to save him, all of them gathered together and said to the king: 'Know, O king, that it is a fixed custom of Media and Persia that any interdict or binding decree which the king ratifies by inscribing his name upon it can never again be changed.'
Malbim
Then these men came tumultuously to the king, and said to the king: ‘Know, O king, that it is A law of the Medes and Persians, that no interdict nor statute which the king establishes may be changed’ — meaning, that no change may be made to it, but it must be observed according to its plain sense, with no interpretations introduced to alter its meaning by claiming that it does not apply to a particular person or matter. And with this they prevailed over the king.
Ibn Yahya
Then these men gathered against the king and said to him: 'Know that there is a law of the Medes and Persians, that any interdict and statute which the king establishes cannot be revoked.'
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spoke and said to Daniel: ‘Your God whom you serve continually, He will deliver you.’
verse value 4627
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 91 letters. Notable word values: "to·the·den" (לְגֻבָּ֖א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "will·deliver·you" (יְשֵׁיזְבִנָּֽךְ, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 125: Daniel, spoke, to·Daniel. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·cast" (וּרְמ֕וֹ), "will·deliver·you" (יְשֵׁיזְבִנָּֽךְ). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "of" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "commanded" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·lions', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 12 words.
Metzudat David
Then – Then the king ordered that Daniel be brought and cast into the den of lions. The king spoke – The king raised his voice and said to Daniel: 'Your God, whom you serve at all times — He will deliver you.'
Malbim
Your God — the king maintained that he was not liable to death under the strict law, because he was only praying his regular, fixed prayer, which was not included in the prohibition, and that the others were merely perverting the judgment against him. He therefore said that it was precisely because you serve him continually, and you are in the right in your case, that He will deliver you.
Ibn Yahya
So the king was forced to permit Daniel to be cast into the den of lions, and he said to him: 'Your God, whom you serve continually — and even now, at a time like this, you have staked your very life in order to serve Him — He will deliver you.'
And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.
verse value 5058
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. Verse gematria: 5058 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֛י, 2 letters) and the longest is "his·lords" (רַבְרְבָנ֔וֹהִי, 8 letters). 9 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·was·brought" (וְהֵיתָ֙יִת֙), "and·was·laid" (וְשֻׂמַ֖ת), "upon·mouth·of" (עַל־פֻּ֣ם). The root עזקה appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "concerning·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel). First appearance of the root חתם ("and·sealed·it") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·den', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 9 words.
Rashi
And a stone was brought lit. and one stone was brought. Throughout the entire land of Babylon there are no stones but bricks, as it is written: (Gen 11:3): “Let us make bricks.” We learn that there are no stones in Babylon, but for the occasion, angels brought it [a stone] from the land of Israel. If God stipulated with the Creation on the sea that it should split for the Children of Israel, and on the fire that it cool off for Hananiah and his colleagues, and on the lions that they should not hurt Daniel, He did not stipulate about casting stones or weapons that they should not hurt any man. So the king said, “From the lions I cannot take him away. I shall be careful with him that no man hurt him, and if the miracle comes, let it come.” This does not appear in some editions. and placed on the mouth of the pit [as translated,] and placed on the mouth of the pit. with his signet ring with his signet ring so that no one could move it from its place and cast stones upon him to kill him. that his will about Daniel not be altered so that his will should not be changed; i.e., so that they should not harm him against his [the king’s] will.
Ibn Ezra
With his own signet — means with his ring. And some say that the Hebrew ‘vaya’azkehu’ (‘and he fenced it,’ Isaiah 5:2) is related [to this same root].
Metzudat David
And a stone was brought – A single stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den. And the king sealed it – So that no one could move the stone from its place, it was sealed on top with the seal of the king's own signet and with the seals of his lords' signets, so that nothing regarding Daniel could be altered. For the king wished for him to live, and feared that his wish might be reversed and Daniel be killed by the throwing of stones or the like; while the lords wished for his death, and feared that the king might reverse their wish, by bringing him up out of the den or protecting him from the lions through some stratagem.
Malbim
And a stone was brought, And laid upon the mouth of the den; And the king sealed it with his own signet, And with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel — meaning, so that his enemies could not kill him with stones, or mock and taunt him with cruel, wounding words; and it was likewise sealed with their signets so that no one could later claim that a great deal of meat had been given to the lions [to fill them]. In this way they left Daniel undisturbed.
Ibn Yahya
A stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the pit, and the king sealed it with his own signet and with the signets of all his nobles, so that no decision might be changed regarding Daniel — for they were concerned lest the king, or one of his officers, have a change of heart and take him out from there, in case he had not died quite so quickly.
Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were diversions brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
verse value 2878
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 53 letters. The shortest word is "went" (אֲזַ֨ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·his·palace" (לְהֵֽיכְלֵהּ֙, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "to·his·palace" (לְהֵֽיכְלֵהּ֙), "fasting" (טְוָ֔ת), "and·diversions" (וְדַחֲוָ֖ן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "upon·him" (root על, 64x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'before·him', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֱ֠דַ֠יִן [then] (65) + אֲזַ֨ל [went] (38) + מַלְכָּ֤א [the·king] (91) + לְהֵֽיכְלֵהּ֙ [to·his·palace] (100) + וּבָ֣ת [and·lodged] (408) + טְוָ֔ת [fasting] (415) + וְדַחֲוָ֖ן [and·diversions] (74) + לָא־הַנְעֵ֣ל [not·brought·in] (186) + קׇֽדָמ֑וֹהִי [before·him] (165) + וְשִׁנְתֵּ֖הּ [and·his·sleep] (761) + נַדַּ֥ת [fled] (454) + עֲלֽוֹהִי [upon·him] (121) = 2878.
Rashi
and retired while fasting [as translated,] and retired while fasting. table Aram. וְּדַּחֲוָן, and a table, in the Mishnah (Tosefta Kelim, B.M. 5:1). So did Dunash explain (p. 58). They did not bring before him a table upon which to eat. and his sleep wandered from him [as translated,] his sleep wandered.
Ibn Ezra
And passed the night — means lodged. Fasting — means fasted, and so too in the language of Ishmael. Diversions — means music and songs.
Metzudat David
Then – Then, after they had sealed the den, the king went to his palace and spent the night without eating; no instruments of merriment or music were brought before him, and his sleep fled from him.
Metzudat Zion
Passed the night fasting — he lodged without an evening meal; and likewise our Sages state, 'and he went to bed fasting [u-vat tavat], for he had not made Havdalah' (Pesachim 107), meaning: he did not eat at night because he had not recited Havdalah. Diversions — the word is a transposition of the letters of 'chedvon' (gladness), and it means the entertainment of musical instruments.
Malbim
Then — the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting [i.e., he lodged there in a fast]; and diversions — meaning, a table for eating (some explain it as entertainment, others as his concubines) — were not brought before him, and his sleep fled from him.
Ibn Yahya
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; musical instruments, as was customary for kings, were not brought before him, and sleep fled from him. Diversions – this word derives from the term for joy (chedvah), for melody gladdens the soul.
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.
verse value 2399
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 48 letters. Notable word values: "to·the·den" (לְגֻבָּ֥א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "went" (אֲזַֽל, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·haste" (וּ֨בְהִתְבְּהָלָ֔ה, 8 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "in·the·dawn" (בִּשְׁפַּרְפָּרָ֖א), "in·the·brightness" (בְּנׇגְהָ֑א), "and·in·haste" (וּ֨בְהִתְבְּהָלָ֔ה). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel); "arose" (root קום, 36x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·the·brightness', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words. Full calculation: בֵּאדַ֣יִן [then] (67) + מַלְכָּ֔א [the·king] (91) + בִּשְׁפַּרְפָּרָ֖א [in·the·dawn] (863) + יְק֣וּם [arose] (156) + בְּנׇגְהָ֑א [in·the·brightness] (61) + וּ֨בְהִתְבְּהָלָ֔ה [and·in·haste] (455) + לְגֻבָּ֥א [to·the·den] (36) + דִֽי־אַרְיָוָתָ֖א [of·the·lions] (632) + אֲזַֽל [went] (38) = 2399.
Rashi
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.
Ibn Ezra
Very early in the morning — means at the break of dawn.
Metzudat David
Then – Then the king rose from his bed at dawn, as day was breaking, and went in haste to the den of lions.
Metzudat Zion
Very early in the morning — Targum Jonathan likewise [renders] 'the dawn' with this word. At first light — from the language of brightness and radiance ['nogah'].
Malbim
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions — that is, he arose at daybreak, when it had just begun to grow a little light [see what we wrote on Isaiah 9:1, concerning “a light has shined upon them”], and went in haste to the den of lions to find out what had become of Daniel.
Ibn Yahya
Then the king rose early, at the first light of dawn, and went in haste to the den of lions.
And when he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a pained voice; the king spoke and said to Daniel: ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?’
verse value 5125
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 103 letters. Notable word values: "to·the·den" (לְגֻבָּ֔א) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "whom" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·deliver·you" (לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָ֖ךְ, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 125: to·Daniel, spoke, to·Daniel. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·when·he·came·near" (וּכְמִקְרְבֵ֣הּ), "in·voice" (בְּקָ֥ל), "pained" (עֲצִ֖יב). The root דניאל appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "whom" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'cried', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 17 words.
Ibn Ezra
With a pained [voice] — from the root of ‘itzavon’ (sorrow, pain). Continually — means always.
Metzudat David
And when he came near – And when he drew near to the den, he cried out to Daniel in an anguished voice; he raised his voice and said to him: 'Daniel, servant of the living God.' Your God – The God whom you serve at all times — was He able to deliver you from the lions?
Malbim
And when he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with A pained voice — and Daniel did not answer him, because he did not recognize the voice, which was full of anguish. the king spoke And said to Daniel: ‘O Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?’ — meaning, since He is a living God, He knows His servants, and since you serve Him continually, He surely wanted to save you; what remained in question was only His ability — whether He is able to save you.
Ibn Yahya
As he drew near to the pit, he cried out to Daniel in a bitter voice, saying: 'Daniel, servant of the living God — was your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?'
Then Daniel said to the king: ‘O king, live for ever!
verse value 810
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 31 letters. Verse gematria: 810 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "spoke" (מַלִּ֑ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "with·the·king" (עִם־מַלְכָּ֖א, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "with·the·king" (עִם־מַלְכָּ֖א), "spoke" (מַלִּ֑ל). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "with·the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). First appearance of the root מלל ("spoke") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'spoke', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: אֱדַ֙יִן֙ [then] (65) + דָּנִיֵּ֔אל [Daniel] (95) + עִם־מַלְכָּ֖א [with·the·king] (201) + מַלִּ֑ל [spoke] (100) + מַלְכָּ֖א [the·king] (91) + לְעָלְמִ֥ין [for·ever] (230) + חֱיִֽי [live] (28) = 810.
Metzudat David
Then – Then Daniel spoke with the king and said to him: 'O king, live forever.'
Malbim
Then Daniel spoke to the king: ‘O king, live forever! MY God has sent His angel, and shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me’ — because I was found innocent before Him: the merit I had before Him was the prayer I had prayed, for in doing so I did not transgress the king's command, since the decree was never meant to abolish a commandment of Hashem. Hence it says, ‘and also before You, O king, have I done no harm’ — I did nothing wrong, for I did not transgress your words in this matter. That is to say: had I transgressed the king's command, I would have had no merit before Hashem, who commanded that both Hashem and the king be feared. And it also means that the very merit that stood for me before Hashem was itself the angel who saved me from the lions, as it is written, ‘If there be for him an angel, an intercessor, to vouch for his uprightness’ — which speaks of the merits, which are like angels that redeem a person from going down to the pit.
My God has sent His angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before Him innocency was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt.’
verse value 4271
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "mouth·of" (פֻּ֥ם, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·lions" (אַרְיָוָתָ֖א, 6 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·shut" (וּֽסְגַ֛ר), "mouth·of" (פֻּ֥ם), "hurt·me" (חַבְּל֑וּנִי). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אף ("and·also") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'hurt·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 13 words.
Rashi
I have done no harm No unseemly or false act have I committed.
Ibn Ezra
Hurt — means harm, damage.
Metzudat David
My God has sent His angel – My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they did not harm me, because merit was found in me before Him, and He did not withhold my reward. And also before you – And also before you, O king, I have done no wrong — as if to say: in the matter of prayer, this should not be counted as rebellion, for both I and you are obligated to honor Him.
Ibn Yahya
Then Daniel related to the king, saying: 'My God sent His angel and shut the mouths of the lions, and they have not harmed me, for merit was found in me before Him; and also before you, O king, I have done no wrong.'
Then the king was exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he had trusted in his God.
verse value 2714
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 82 letters. The shortest word is "in·him" (בֵּ֔הּ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·Daniel" (וּלְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 96: from·the·den, from·the·den, and·all·harm. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·glad" (טְאֵ֣ב), "to·bring·up" (לְהַנְסָקָ֣ה), "and·was·brought·up" (וְהֻסַּ֨ק). The root דניאל appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "because" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "commanded" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'from·the·den', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 9 words.
Rashi
it pleased...exceedingly It was very good in his eyes. and...Daniel and he ordered that Daniel be lifted up out of the pit. because he believed in his God [as translated,] because he believed in his God.
Ibn Ezra
Taken up — the word (‘vehusak’) is like [the Hebrew] ‘im esak shamayim’ (‘if I ascend to heaven,’ Psalms 139:8).
Metzudat David
Then – Then the king was exceedingly glad, and he ordered that Daniel be brought up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up – Daniel was brought up out of the den, and not the slightest injury or wound was found on him, because he had trusted in his God and had not given up his prayer.
Malbim
Then the king was exceeding glad [at this answer and this rescue], and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. SO Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him — and Scripture explains that this was because he had merit through his trust, in that he had trusted in Hashem; and it was in the merit of that trust that this miracle was performed for him.
Ibn Yahya
Then the king rejoiced greatly and commanded that Daniel be raised up out of the den of lions. He was raised up out of the pit, and no harm whatsoever was found on him, because he had trusted in his God.
And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and they had not come to the bottom of the den, when the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces.
verse value 5609
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 119 letters. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·all·their·bones" (וְכׇל־גַּרְמֵיה֖וֹן, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 618: the·lions, the·lions. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "who·ate" (דִּֽי־אֲכַ֤לוּ), "his·pieces" (קַרְצ֙וֹהִי֙), "and·to·den·of" (וּלְג֤וֹב). The root גב appears 2 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "of" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·commanded" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·wives', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 9 words.
Rashi
who had informed on Daniel [as translated,] who had informed on Daniel. and they did not reach the bottom of the pit They did not reach the bottom of the pit before the lions overwhelmed them and crushed their bones to powder.
Ibn Ezra
And they had not come to the bottom of the den — means they had not reached the bottom of the pit. Their bones — means their bones, as in ‘chamor garem’ (‘a bony donkey,’ Genesis 49:14).
Metzudat David
And they brought – And they brought those men who had informed against Daniel, and they were cast into the den of lions — they, their children, and their wives. And they had not come to the bottom – They had not yet reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them, while they were still in the air, and devoured them, crushing even their bones to fine dust.
Malbim
The questions: (25) Why did he order these men to be cast into the den of lions? After all, they had not come with a false accusation, and Daniel was, strictly speaking, liable to death by law; and even if he was rescued by a miracle, that does not mean they became liable to death. Did not Nebuchadnezzar refrain from ordering that the men who had informed against Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah be cast into the furnace, even though they too had been rescued by a miracle? And the king commanded — and the informers were cast into the den, and the lions crushed their bones; and this shows that the lions were very hungry, and yet, all this time, they had not touched Daniel: this magnifies the miracle.
Ibn Yahya
And the king commanded that those men who had informed against Daniel be brought there, and they were cast into the pit — they, their children, and their wives — and before they had even reached the bottom of the pit, the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones, for the lions were both hungry and thirsty.
Then king Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth: ‘Peace be multiplied to you.
verse value 3427
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "wrote" (כְּ֠תַ֠ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·all·the·peoples" (לְֽכׇל־עַֽמְמַיָּ֞א, 8 letters). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel); "to·all·the·peoples" (root כל, 41x in Daniel).
Rashi
Then King Darius...that lived in all the land, May your peace increase! [as translated,] that lived in all the land, May your peace increase!
Metzudat David
Then – Then Darius wrote to all the nations of the world — that is, he wrote to all the peoples, etc., who dwell throughout the earth: 'May your peace be multiplied.'
Ibn Yahya
Then Darius wrote to all the peoples, nations, and languages, and so on.
I make a decree, that in all the dominion of my kingdom men tremble and fear before the God of Daniel; For He is the living God, And stedfast for ever, And His kingdom that which shall not be destroyed, And His dominion shall be even to the end;
verse value 5023
Insights
Verse structure: 23 words, 113 letters. Notable word values: "for·He" (דִּי־ה֣וּא) = 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·all·dominion·of" (בְּכׇל־שׇׁלְטָ֣ן, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "in·all·dominion·of" (בְּכׇל־שׇׁלְטָ֣ן), "of·Daniel" (דִּי־דָֽנִיֵּ֑אל). The root קדם appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "of·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "that·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'of·Daniel', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 10 words.
Metzudat David
I make a decree – A decree has gone forth from before me, that throughout the entire dominion of my kingdom, men shall tremble and stand in fear before the God of Daniel; for He is the living God, enduring forever, and His kingdom is a kingdom that shall not be destroyed, and His dominion is to the end of all the days of eternity.
Malbim
I make a decree — he issued an order that all should fear the God of Daniel, for all these idols have no life in them, since they are merely natural forces devoid of life and intellect, whereas He is the living God, enduring forever. The natural forces to which the idolaters attributed divinity — such as fire, which the Persians worshiped in those days — are overpowered by other, opposing forces: water extinguishes fire; and such forces do not last forever, for every natural force comes to an end. But His kingdom cannot be destroyed by any opposing force, and His dominion is even to the end — that is, it is eternal.
Ibn Yahya
By my decree, throughout all the dominion of my kingdom let men tremble and stand in fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God, enduring forever; His kingdom shall not be destroyed, and His dominion continues to the end of the world.
He delivers and rescues, And He works signs and wonders In heaven and in earth; Who has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.’
verse value 3392
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 56 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·wonders" (וְתִמְהִ֔ין, 6 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "delivers" (מְשֵׁיזִ֣ב), "and·rescues" (וּמַצִּ֔ל), "signs" (אָתִ֣ין). The root יזב appears 2 times in this verse. 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "and·works" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·in·the·earth', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 5 words. Full calculation: מְשֵׁיזִ֣ב [delivers] (359) + וּמַצִּ֔ל [and·rescues] (166) + וְעָבֵד֙ [and·works] (82) + אָתִ֣ין [signs] (461) + וְתִמְהִ֔ין [and·wonders] (511) + בִּשְׁמַיָּ֖א [in·the·heavens] (353) + וּבְאַרְעָ֑א [and·in·the·earth] (280) + דִּ֚י [who] (14) + שֵׁיזִ֣ב [has·delivered] (319) + לְדָֽנִיֵּ֔אל [Daniel] (125) + מִן־יַ֖ד [from·hand·of] (104) + אַרְיָוָתָֽא [the·lions] (618) = 3392.
Metzudat David
He delivers and rescues – He is a rescuer and a savior, and He performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth — He who delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.
Malbim
He delivers and rescues — and He also performs signs, wonders, and marvels that are above nature, as is evident from the miracle by which He saved Daniel, which was of a wondrous character.
Ibn Yahya
He redeems and delivers, and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth — He it was who delivered Daniel from the den of lions.
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
verse value 3038
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 45 letters. The shortest word is "this" (דְּנָ֔ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·in·reign·of" (וּבְמַלְכ֖וּת, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·in·reign·of" (וּבְמַלְכ֖וּת), "Cyrus" (כּ֥וֹרֶשׁ), "Persian" (פָּרְסָאָֽה). The root מלכו appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "in·reign·of" (root מלכו, 53x in Daniel); "this" (root דנה, 31x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Darius', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 4 words.
Rashi
and in the kingdom of Cyrus who reigned after Darius, for Darius reigned only one year, and he was slain in battle, as it is written in the book of Joseph ben Gurion, and they crowned Cyrus his son- in-law in the midst of the battle.
Ibn Ezra
So this Daniel prospered [in the reign of Darius and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian] — this indicates that he did not live much longer after this, for he was by now elderly. And Sheshbazzar is Zerubbabel, not Daniel — by two proofs. [The first:] Scripture says of Zerubbabel, ‘governor of Judah’ (Haggai 1:1), and ‘Sheshbazzar’ was his name, for ‘governor’ was also his title (cf. Ezra 5:14). And there is another proof, greater and stronger than this: that Zechariah said, ‘The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this House’ (Zechariah 4:9); and so it is written in the Book of Ezra, where it says, ‘Then this Sheshbazzar came and laid the foundations of the House of God which is in Jerusalem’ (Ezra 5:16).
Metzudat David
So this Daniel – This Daniel succeeded and exercised great authority in the days of Darius's reign, and at the beginning of the reign of Cyrus the Persian; but afterward he withdrew himself from service to the king and appointed Zerubbabel in his place, as was stated above.
Malbim
So this Daniel prospered ... and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian — and above (Daniel 1:21) it was stated, and Daniel continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus. Abarbanel explained, following what is stated in Yosippon, that after Daniel was cast into the den of lions, he asked leave to retire from the king's service and go to Shushan, and leave was granted him; Zerubbabel then entered the king's palace in his place. Meanwhile Darius died and Cyrus reigned in his stead, and Daniel remained there until the exiles went up to Jerusalem. He also wrote that the letter Darius sent to all the peoples was a preparation for his own wish and for the vow that he and Cyrus had made, to send the exiles forth freely, as willing volunteers, to build the House of Hashem; and it was for this reason that he proclaimed the greatness of His deeds and wonders, so that people would fear Hashem, the God of Israel.
Ibn Yahya
Because of this, Daniel prospered even more than before in the reign of Darius, and afterward in the reign of Cyrus the Persian, who was Darius's son-in-law and inherited the kingdom after him.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Malbim
Ibn Yahya