Daniel 6.15 [6.16]-The Conspirators Remind Darius of the Irrevocablity of Medo-Persian Law
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday March 13, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 6:15 (6:16)-The Conspirators Remind Darius of the Irrevocability of Medo-Persian Law
Lesson # 186
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 6:15.
Daniel 6:1 Now, Darius the Mede received the kingdom at sixty-two years of age. 2 It was considered a good idea by Darius to establish one hundred twenty satraps over the kingdom in order that they would be in authority over the entire kingdom. 3 Also, out from, over them, three supervisors, of whom Daniel was one of them in order that these satraps would exist in the state of having to give an account to them so that the king would never be able to suffer loss. 4 Then this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the supervisors as well as satraps because an extraordinary spirit was in him. Consequently, the king intended to establish him over the entire kingdom 5 as a result, the supervisors as well as the satraps were repeatedly attempting to cause a pretext to be found against Daniel with regards to governmental affairs. However, repeatedly they were totally unable to cause any pretext in the form of corruption to be found because he was trustworthy. Indeed, no negligence in the form of corruption was found against him. 6 Therefore, these men concluded, “We will never be able to cause a pretext to be found against this Daniel unless we cause it be found in connection with the law originating from his God.” 7 Consequently, these supervisors as well as the satraps conspired together to the detriment of the king and said the following to the king, “King Darius, live forever! 8 Each and every one of the supervisors over the kingdom, namely the senior officials well as the satraps, that is the royal officials, in other words the governors are in agreement that the king should issue an edict. Specifically, an interdict, which should be enforced in order that whoever makes a request from any god or human being during a thirty day period except from you, O king, must be unceremoniously deposited into a lion’s den. 9 Now, please O king establish an interdict. Specifically, please sign the document into law in order that it can never be changed according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.” 10 Because of this, King Darius signed the document into law, that is, the interdict. 11 Now when Daniel was aware that the document was signed into law, he entered his home, which had windows in its upper room swung open toward Jerusalem. Then he worshipped on his knees three times during the day. Indeed, as was his custom, he prayed while giving thanks in the presence of his God just as he had been doing previously. 12 Then these men conspired together, namely, they found Daniel making request, specifically, making an earnest and urgent prayer request in the presence of his God. 13 Consequently they came into the king’s presence and posed a question with regards to the interdict issued by the king, “Did you not sign an interdict, namely that, any person who makes a request from any god or human being during a thirty day period except from you, O king, must be unceremoniously deposited into a lion’s den?” The king replied and said, “Absolutely, the decree is according to Medo-Persian law, which can never be revoked.” 14 Thus they replied in the presence of the king and said that, “Daniel, who is one of the deported people from Judah, has absolutely no respect for your command, O king, that is, for your interdict, which you signed into law. Instead, three times during the course of the day, he regularly makes his request.” 15 Consequently when the king heard the charge against him he was extremely upset. Thus, with regards to Daniel, he was determined to deliver him. Indeed, until sunset, he repeatedly made every effort to rescue him. (My translation)
Daniel 6:15 Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king, “Recognize, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that no injunction or statute which the king establishes may be changed.” (NASB95)
“Then these men came by agreement to the king and said to the king” presents to the reader the next event that took place after Darius made every attempt to save Daniel.
“Came by agreement” is the third person masculine plural hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) active perfect form of the verb reḡǎš (רְגַשׁ) (reg-ash´), which means “to conspire together” indicating that Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps came by secret agreement or cooperation for a deceitful purpose.
“Recognize” is the second person masculine singular peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active imperative form of the verb yeḏǎʿ (יְדַע) (yed-ah´), which means “to remember” indicating that the conspirators are reminding Darius that the interdict which Daniel disobeyed was irrevocable according to Medo-Persian law.
The imperative mood of the verb is an imperative of request indicating that the conspirators are requesting that Darius remember that the law Daniel broke and required the death penalty was irrevocable according to Medo-Persian law.
“Injunction or statute” is composed of the masculine singular form of the noun ʾěsār (אֱסָר) (es-awr´), “injunction” which is followed by the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), “or” and then we have the masculine singular form of the noun qeyām (קְיָם) (keh-yawm´), “statute.”
The noun ʾěsār refers to the written law which was published throughout the Babylonian kingdom prohibiting anyone from praying to their god or any man during a thirty day period with the exception of Darius, and required the death penalty for those who did not obey this law.
The noun qeyām means “an edict” referring to a proclamation issued having the force of law which is intended to be permanent.
The conjunction wa is emphatic meaning that the word is introducing the noun qeyām, which is advancing upon and intensifying upon the noun ʾěsār indicating that each and every interdict, “specifically,” an edict is irrevocable according to Medo-Persian law.
Since, the noun ʾěsār refers to a legally binding prohibition and the noun qeyām refers to a proclamation issued having the force of law which is intended to be permanent, the advancement and intensification from the former to the latter is that the law which Daniel broke which required the death penalty was permanent.
The noun ʾěsār and qeyām are modified by the noun kōl, which denotes totality but is used in a distributive sense meaning “each and every” and emphasizes that there were no exceptions in the sense that each and every law of the Medo-Persians was irrevocable.
“Establishes” is the third person masculine singular hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) active imperfect 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.
“No…may be changed” is composed of the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), “no” 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´), “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 lā(ʾ), which means that the word is marking a prohibition, which is emphatic.
Therefore, these two words denote that the conspirators are reminding Darius that each and every law he does issue can never be changed according to Medo-Persian law.
Daniel 6:15 (6:16) Then these men conspired together to the detriment of the king and said to the king, “Please remember, O king, that with regards to Medo-Persian law, each and every interdict, specifically, edict, which the king does issue is irrevocable.” (My translation)
After the conspirators charged Daniel with disobeying the law, which Darius recently signed into law, the king frantically made every effort to save Daniel from the death penalty.
Throughout that day, the king pursued every legal avenue possible in order to find a loophole which would enable him to rescue Daniel.
The execution was to take place the very day in which the charges were made against Daniel.
As the day was coming to an end and the execution was to take place, the conspirators approach the king and politely remind him that each and every Medo-Persian law is irrevocable, thus, Daniel’s fate was sealed.
They were in effect telling the king that you must execute Daniel immediately.
The fact that Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps introduced to Darius the idea of the law which condemned Daniel to death and then reminded the king of the irrevocability of this law made clear to Darius that these men did not share the same view of Daniel as he did.
It revealed to the king that Daniel’s fellow supervisors and satraps conspired together against him.
Darius was now certain that they had manipulated him into signing into law the interdict prohibiting any one from praying to their god for a month.
It was now clear to the king that they were in a rush to execute Daniel.
He then could see that they were jealous and envious of Daniel because he was intending to place Daniel in authority over all of them.
This foolish action on the part of the conspirators would work against them since Darius would execute them when Daniel’s God shut the mouths of the lions.
The conspirators’ ill-advised action of reminding Darius of the irrevocability of Medo-Persian law, which he was well aware of infuriated the king even more.
They were not only expressing their contempt for Daniel but mocking the king as well since in effect they were saying to him “you are powerless to save Daniel and we know it. You’ve been made a fool of.”
The king now knew they certainly didn’t have his best interests in mind and could never be trusted and were traitors and deserved death, not Daniel.
The actions of the conspirators also would make clear to Darius that he was absolutely right in choosing Daniel to be in authority over everyone in the kingdom.
The impatience of the conspirators to have Darius give the order to execute Daniel blinded them to the fact that they were exposing their conspiracy to the king.
They were so determined to have Daniel executed that they exposed themselves in full view of Darius as conspiring against Daniel and manipulating the king to sign into law an edict, which Daniel disobeyed.
Amazingly, the conspirators underestimated the fact that Darius valued Daniel so greatly.
They were seeking the death penalty for a man the king greatly valued, admired and respected.
The king’s intention of placing Daniel in authority over the entire kingdom was the result of the king being so impressed with Daniel’s abilities, talents and character.
By coming out into the open and demonstrating their hostility toward Daniel in the presence of Darius, was absolutely foolish.
Their arrogance and hostility toward Daniel blinded them to the fact that the king could retaliate against them at any time.
They should have never approached the king again.
By doing so, they wrote their own death sentence for the king was sure to retaliate and give Daniel justice whether Daniel’s God saved him or not.