And Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being a son of sixty-two years. It seemed fair before Darius, and he set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty governors to be over the whole kingdom. And over these, three overseers, of which Daniel was one of these, that the governors might give account to them, so that the king would suffer no loss (Daniel 5:31–6:3).

Following the transfer of Babylon to the Medes and Persians, Darius assumed the throne. The transition was largely peaceful, with minimal bloodshed in the cities. On the night the handwriting appeared on the wall to Belshazzar, he was killed, marking the end of the Babylonian empire (Daniel 5:30).

To ensure effective governance, Darius appointed one hundred and twenty governors across the kingdom, supervised by three overseers, one of whom was Daniel. Daniel distinguished himself in this role, prompting the king to consider appointing him over the entire kingdom (Daniel 6:3). This prospect displeased the other governors and overseers, who then sought grounds to accuse Daniel (Daniel 6:4). However, they found no fault in him, as he was consistently faithful in his responsibilities.

Upon examining Daniel, the overseers and governors determined that the only way to accuse him was through his adherence to the law of his God (Daniel 6:5). Consequently, they devised a plan for his removal, knowing he would not violate his religious obligations. They presented a proposal to the king, claiming unanimous agreement, to issue a royal decree that anyone who petitioned any god or human other than the king for thirty days would be cast into the lion’s den (Daniel 6:6–7). At their urging, Darius enacted the decree into irrevocable law (Daniel 6:8–9).

The overseers and governors knew Daniel prayed daily to his God. They therefore awaited an opportunity to use the new decree against him. Upon learning that the decree had been signed, Daniel went to his home, opened his window toward Jerusalem, and knelt three times that day as a reproach to the king’s decree, and gave thanks (Daniel 6:10).

It is important to note that in Daniel 6:10, many English translations use the word “pray.” However, the Aramaic term used here does not specifically denote prayer; verse 11 employs the term that directly relates to prayer. In verse 10, the word conveys the sense of censure or reproach and is rooted in a meaning associated with shadow or shade. Therefore, Daniel is depicted as bowing before Jehovah under the scrutiny or shadow of the king’s decree. He was fully aware that his actions could result in death, yet he chose to kneel before Jehovah and seek help, even while under the king’s examination.