Wherefore king Darius signed the writing and the decree.

DANIEL 6:9KJV
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Daniel 6:9 (KJV)

What does Daniel 6:9 mean?

Daniel 6:9 describes how King Darius officially signed a written law and decree, making it legally binding. This act set in motion the events that would soon challenge Daniel’s faith and loyalty.

The verse takes place in the Persian Empire, where officials convinced King Darius to sign a law that would trap Daniel. By signing the document, Darius made the decree unchangeable according to the laws of the Medes and Persians. This moment is crucial because it shows the king’s authority and the seriousness of the law, which directly affects Daniel’s situation in the following verses.

The Aramaic behind Daniel 6:9

  • "Wherefore" (כָּל־קְעֵן, kol-qe'en; H3606, H1836, H6903): This phrase signals a direct result or consequence, emphasizing that Darius’s action follows from what the officials requested.
  • "Signed" (רְשַׁם, r'sham; H7560): This word means to write or inscribe, often with the sense of making something official or permanent. Here, it highlights that the decree is now an unchangeable law.
  • "Writing" (כְּתָב, k'tav; H3792): This refers to the written document itself, underscoring that the law was not just spoken but formally recorded.
  • "Decree" (אֱסָר, esar; H633): This word means a binding law or prohibition, showing the seriousness and legal force of what Darius has enacted.

Why Daniel 6:9 matters

  • Daniel 6:9 clarifies that the law against praying to anyone but the king is now official and cannot be reversed, setting up the conflict that will test Daniel’s faith.
  • The verse underscores the power of written law in the Persian Empire, where even the king could not undo his own decree once it was signed.
  • Understanding this verse helps explain why Darius later feels trapped and unable to save Daniel, despite his personal wishes.

Where else these words appear

“decree” Hebrew H633 · used in 6 verses

  • 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.
  • Daniel 6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
  • Daniel 6:13 Then answered they and said before the king, That Daniel, which is of the children of the captivity of Judah, regardeth not thee, O king, nor the decree that thou hast signed, but maketh his petition three times a day.

“signed” Hebrew H7560 · used in 7 verses

  • Daniel 5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.
  • Daniel 6:8 Now, O king, establish the decree, and sign the writing, that it be not changed, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
  • Daniel 6:12 Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.

“writing” Hebrew H3792 · used in 12 verses

  • Ezra 6:18 And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
  • Daniel 5:8 Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof.
  • Daniel 5:24 Then was the part of the hand sent from him; and this writing was written.

“Darius” Hebrew H1868 · used in 15 verses

  • Ezra 4:24 Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius king of Persia.
  • Ezra 6:1 Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon.
  • Daniel 5:31 And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.