Daniel 5:25

5:25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, ¹  TEQEL, and PHARSIN. ² 

Daniel 6:10

6:10 When Daniel realized ³  that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows ⁴  in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. ⁵  Three ⁶  times daily he was ⁷  kneeling ⁸  and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously.

Daniel 6:13

6:13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives ⁹  from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.” ¹⁰ 

Daniel 6:16-17

6:16 So the king gave the order, ¹¹  and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den ¹²  of lions. The king consoled ¹³  Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!” 6:17 Then a stone was brought and placed over the opening ¹⁴  to the den. The king sealed ¹⁵  it with his signet ring and with those ¹⁶  of his nobles so that nothing could be changed with regard to Daniel.

Daniel 6:20

6:20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, ¹⁷  “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel 6:23-24

6:23 Then the king was delighted and gave an order to haul Daniel up from the den. So Daniel was hauled up out of the den. He had no injury of any kind, because he had trusted in his God. 6:24 The king gave another order, ¹⁸  and those men who had maliciously accused ¹⁹  Daniel were brought and thrown ²⁰  into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. ²¹  They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

[5:25]  ¹ tc The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the repetition of מְנֵא (mÿne’, cf. NAB).

[5:25]  ² tc The Aramaic word is plural. Theodotion has the singular (cf. NAB “PERES”).

[6:10]  ³ tn Aram “knew.”

[6:10]  ⁴ sn In later rabbinic thought this verse was sometimes cited as a proof text for the notion that one should pray only in a house with windows. See b. Berakhot 34b.

[6:10]  ⁵ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:10]  ⁶ sn This is apparently the only specific mention in the OT of prayer being regularly offered three times a day. The practice was probably not unique to Daniel, however.

[6:10]  ⁷ tc Read with several medieval Hebrew MSS and printed editions הֲוָה (havah) rather than the MT הוּא (hu’).

[6:10]  ⁸ tn Aram “kneeling on his knees” (so NASB).

[6:10]  sn No specific posture for offering prayers is prescribed in the OT. Kneeling, as here, and standing were both practiced.

[6:13]  ⁹ tn Aram “from the sons of the captivity [of].”

[6:13]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “prays his prayer.”

[6:16]  ¹¹ tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.

[6:16]  ¹² sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.

[6:16]  ¹³ tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”

[6:17]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “mouth.”

[6:17]  ¹⁵ sn The purpose of the den being sealed was to prevent unauthorized tampering with the opening of the den. Any disturbance of the seal would immediately alert the officials to improper activity of this sort.

[6:17]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “the signet rings.”

[6:20]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.

[6:24]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “said.”

[6:24]  ¹⁹ tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.

[6:24]  ²⁰ tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.

[6:24]  ²¹ tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.