Daniel 6.8 [6.9]-Daniel's Fellow Supervisors and Satraps Urge Darius to Sign into Law the Interdict to Make It Irrevocable According to the Law of the Medes and Persians
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday February 26, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 6:8 (6:9)-Daniel’s Fellow Supervisors and Satraps Urge Darius to Sign into Law the Interdict to Make It Irrevocable According to the Law of the Medes and Persians
Lesson # 179
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 6:8.
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 attempting to cause a pretext to be found against Daniel with regards to governmental affairs. However, 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.” (My translation)
Daniel 6:8 “Now, O king, establish the injunction and sign the document so that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked.” (NASB95)
“Establish” is the second person masculine singular hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) active jussive form of the verb qûm (קוּם) (koom), which means “to issue” a binding decree and expresses the act of publishing officially a binding decree throughout the Babylonian kingdom.
Here the word refers to Darius the Mede “establishing” an interdict which would be directed at everyone in the Babylonian kingdom.
The jussive conjugation expresses the strong desire and request of Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps that Darius established this interdict immediately as an irrevocable law.
“The injunction” is the masculine singular noun ʾěsār (אֱסָר) (es-awr´), which means “an interdict, an injunction” referring to a law with sanctions, a legally binding prohibition, either written or spoken.
This interdict would be in written form as a law prohibiting anyone in the Babylonian kingdom from praying to their god or any man during a thirty day period.
“And sign the document” is an epexegetical clause meaning that it is introducing another request Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps made of Darius, which explains in greater detail what they mean by this request and explains specifically in detail what they want the king to do.
“Sign” is the second person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active imperfect form of the verb rešǎm (רְשַׁם) (resh-am´), which means “to sign into law.”
It refers to Darius performing the action of signing into law the interdict prohibiting anyone in the kingdom from praying to their god and any man for thirty days and failure to comply would result in the death penalty.
The jussive conjugation expresses the strong desire and request of Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps that Darius sign into law this interdict, which would be irrevocable.
“The document” is the masculine singular noun keṯāḇ (כְּתָב) (keth-awb´), which means “the document” referring to the interdict which would prohibit anyone in the Babylonian kingdom from praying to their god and any man for thirty days under the penalty of death.
“So that it may not be changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which may not be revoked” presents the purpose of Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps requesting that Darius sign the interdict into law.
“It may not be changed” is composed of the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), “not” which is followed by the preposition lĕ (לְ) (leh) which is prefixed to the hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) infinitive construct form of the verb šenā(h) (שְׁנָה) (shen-aw´), “be changed.”
The verb šenā(h) means “to change” and its subject is the interdict prohibiting anyone in the Babylonian kingdom from praying to their god or any king for thirty days and requiring the death penalty for non-compliance.
The word is emphatically negated by the marker of emphatic negation or prohibition lĕ, which means that the word is marking a prohibition, which is emphatic.
Therefore, these two words denote that the conspirators are requesting that Darius sign the interdict into law, which would prohibit anyone in the kingdom from praying to their god and any man for thirty days and requiring the death penalty for non-compliance.
The preposition lĕ is prefixed to the infinitive construct form of this verb and is an infinitive construct of purpose indicating the purpose for which the conspirators want Darius to sign the interdict into law.
“May not be revoked” is composed of the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), “not” which is negating the meaning of the second person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active imperfect form of the verb ʿǎḏā(h) (עֲדָה) (ad-aw´), “may be revoked.”
The verb ʿǎḏā(h) means “to repeal, to revoke” and refers to the repealing of the authority and power of the law prohibiting anyone in the Babylonian kingdom from praying to their god or any king for thirty days with the requirement of the death penalty for non-compliance.
The word is emphatically negated by the marker of emphatic negation or prohibition lĕ, which means that the word is marking a prohibition, which is emphatic.
Therefore, these two words denote that the conspirators are requesting that Darius sign the interdict into law in order that it can never be changed according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.
The imperfect conjugation of the verb is a potential imperfect expressing the inability of Medo-Persian law being revoked.
Daniel 6:8 (6:9) “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.” (My translation)
The conspirators urge Darius to immediately sign into law the interdict which would prohibit anyone in the Babylonian kingdom from making a request of their god or any king and requiring the death penalty for non-compliance.
They tell the king that their purpose for urging him to immediately sing this interdict into law was so that it can never be changed according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.
The real purpose was so that there could be no human way possible Daniel could not be executed by the king when he refused to obey the edict.
Under Medo-Persian law, Darius would be bound by the authority of the royal edict (cf. Daniel 6:12, 15; cf. Esther 1:19; 8:8).
This actually made his power less than it was under an absolute dictator like Nebuchadnezzar who enacted laws or rescinded laws whenever he wanted to do.
So Medo-Persian law would make this interdict immutable thus condemning Daniel to certain death.
It seems absurd that Darius would agree to such a thing but we must remember that it appealed to the king’s vanity and arrogance in recognizing in him divine powers and ascribing worship to him.
The proposal was designed to deify Darius.
Worshipping Darius as a god would not be unusual in the sixty century B.C. since the Pharaohs of Egypt were worshipped as such from times immemorial.
The Caesars of Rome, the Herods, the Seleucids and Ptolemies were called gods and worshipped as such.
Undoubtedly, Darius didn’t notice the conspicuous absence of Daniel because his great pride and arrogance blinded him to this fact and in fact, the king never consults Daniel and Daniel was going to be placed by him in authority over these individuals who were making this proposal.
Some argue that the king would have no reason to suspect the other supervisors and satraps plotting Daniel’s death but in the ancient world conspiracies like these among the satraps was not uncommon.
It was no uncommon for dignitaries such as these to plot against one another if there was jealousy and rivalry.
So it was either a case of sheer stupidity on Darius’ part to not ask about Daniel’s whereabouts or ask Daniel his opinion on the matter or the king was simply inexperienced with regards to court intrigue.
So the flattering proposal caused him to be manipulated by the conspirators to sign the interdict into law, thus making it irrevocable.
Therefore, we see that a law was enacted for the sole purpose of putting Daniel to death.
Satan was the unseen person behind this law and was his attempt to destroy the Jewish people while in exile in Babylon.
By killing Daniel, this would leave the Jewish exiles in Babylon vulnerable to attack and persecution since God was using Daniel as an intermediary for the Jewish exiles before the Babylonian kings.