Then these men assembled, and found Daniel praying and making supplication before his God.

DANIEL 6:11KJV
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Daniel 6:11 (KJV)

What does Daniel 6:11 mean?

Daniel 6:11 describes how a group of men gathered together and caught Daniel in the act of praying and asking for help from his God. This verse shows that Daniel continued his regular prayers despite knowing it could get him in trouble under the new law.

The setting is in Babylon, where Daniel, a Jewish exile, has become a high official. King Darius’s advisors have just convinced the king to sign a law forbidding prayer to anyone except the king for thirty days. These men are deliberately spying on Daniel, hoping to find him breaking this law so they can accuse him. The verse highlights Daniel’s faithfulness and the determination of his enemies to trap him.

The Aramaic behind Daniel 6:11

  • "assembled" (רְגַשׁ, regash): This word suggests a sense of crowding together or acting in a group, emphasizing that these men were united and intentional in their actions against Daniel.
  • "praying" (בָּעָה, ba'a) and "supplication" (חֲנַן, chanan): The verse uses two different words for prayer, one for general praying and another for earnest pleading or seeking favor. This shows Daniel was not just performing a ritual but was sincerely seeking help and mercy from God.
  • "before his God" (קֳדָם אֱלָהֵהּ, qodam elāhēh): The phrase stresses that Daniel’s prayers were directed specifically to his own God, not to any Babylonian deity or to the king, underscoring his loyalty.

Why Daniel 6:11 matters

  • Daniel 6:11 clears up any idea that Daniel was trying to hide his faith; instead, he continued his usual practice even when it became dangerous.
  • The verse highlights the lengths Daniel’s opponents went to in order to trap him, showing this was a targeted effort rather than a chance discovery.
  • This moment connects directly to the rest of the chapter, setting up the reason Daniel is thrown into the lions’ den and showing the conflict between faithfulness to God and obedience to human laws.

Where else these words appear

“supplication” Hebrew H2604 · used in 2 verses

  • Daniel 4:27 Wherefore, O king, let my counsel be acceptable unto thee, and break off thy sins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor; if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity.

“assembled” Hebrew H7284 · used in 3 verses

  • Daniel 6:6 Then these presidents and princes assembled together to the king, and said thus unto him, King Darius, live for ever.
  • Daniel 6:15 Then these men assembled unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that the law of the Medes and Persians is, That no decree nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

“praying” Hebrew H1156 · used in 12 verses

  • Daniel 2:13 And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
  • Daniel 2:23 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king's matter.
  • Daniel 6:7 All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions.

“these” Hebrew H479 · used in 13 verses

  • Ezra 4:21 Give ye now commandment to cause these men to cease, and that this city be not builded, until another commandment shall be given from me.
  • Daniel 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
  • Daniel 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.