The Meaning of Daniel 6:20 Explained

Daniel 6:20

KJV: And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

YLT: and at his coming near to the den, to Daniel, with a grieved voice, he crieth. The king hath answered and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, thy God, whom thou art serving continually, is He able to deliver thee from the lions?'

Darby: And when he came near unto the den, he cried with a mournful voice unto Daniel: the king spoke and said unto Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God whom thou servest continually been able to save thee from the lions?

ASV: And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when he came  to the den,  he cried  with a lamentable  voice  unto Daniel:  [and] the king  spake  and said  to Daniel,  O Daniel,  servant  of the living  God,  is thy God,  whom thou servest  continually,  able  to deliver  thee from  the lions? 

What does Daniel 6:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Daniel 6:16-28 - "persecuted For Righteousness' Sake"
The plot was an atrocious one, but it hurt its perpetrators more than the victim of their vindictive hatred, Daniel 6:24. They dug a pit into which they fell themselves. They thought to flatter the king, and secure Daniel's fall; but their stratagems were like the mines laid at the mouth of a harbor, which are more perilous to those who set them than to others. Still God sends His angels to shut the lions' mouths, that they may not hurt His people, strongly conscious of uprightness before God and man. It is not necessary to suppose that Daniel saw the angel any more than we behold the horses and chariots in the mountains around us. Dare to believe that the ministering angels, though unseen, engirdle you and intercept the blows and plots of your adversaries. Walk before God in righteousness and peace, and be sure that you are immortal till your work is done. That a heathen king should publish such a proclamation is a glimpse into the divine wisdom that can make His mighty power known by the strangest circumstances. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 6

1  Daniel is made chief of the presidents
4  They, conspiring against him, obtain an idolatrous decree
10  Daniel, accused of the breach thereof, is cast into the lion's den
18  Daniel is saved;
24  his adversaries devoured;
25  and God magnified by a decree

What do the individual words in Daniel 6:20 mean?

And when he came to den the to Daniel with a voice lamenting he cried out spoke king the and saying to Daniel Daniel servant of God the living your God whom you you serve to continually has been able to deliver you from lions the
וּכְמִקְרְבֵ֣הּ לְגֻבָּ֔א לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל בְּקָ֥ל עֲצִ֖יב זְעִ֑ק עָנֵ֨ה מַלְכָּ֜א וְאָמַ֣ר לְדָנִיֵּ֗אל דָּֽנִיֵּאל֙ עֲבֵד֙ אֱלָהָ֣א חַיָּ֔א אֱלָהָ֗ךְ דִּ֣י [אנתה] (אַ֤נְתְּ) פָּֽלַֽח־ לֵהּ֙ בִּתְדִירָ֔א הַיְכִ֥ל לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָ֖ךְ מִן־ ؟ אַרְיָוָתָֽא

וּכְמִקְרְבֵ֣הּ  And  when  he  came 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קְרֵב  
Sense: to approach, come near.
לְגֻבָּ֔א  to  den  the 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: גֹּב  
Sense: pit, den (of lions).
לְדָ֣נִיֵּ֔אל  to  Daniel 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּנִיֵּאל  
Sense: the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon, because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel.
בְּקָ֥ל  with  a  voice 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: קָל  
Sense: voice, sound.
עֲצִ֖יב  lamenting 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עֲצִיב  
Sense: to pain, grieve.
זְעִ֑ק  he  cried  out 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: זְעִק  
Sense: (P’al) to cry, cry out, call.
עָנֵ֨ה  spoke 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: עֲנָה  
Sense: to answer, respond.
מַלְכָּ֜א  king  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
וְאָמַ֣ר  and  saying 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אֲמַר  
Sense: (P’al) to say, to speak, to command, to tell, to relate.
לְדָנִיֵּ֗אל  to  Daniel 
Parse: Preposition-l, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּנִיֵּאל  
Sense: the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon, because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel.
דָּֽנִיֵּאל֙  Daniel 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּנִיֵּאל  
Sense: the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon, because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel.
עֲבֵד֙  servant 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: עֲבֵד  
Sense: servant, slave.
אֱלָהָ֣א  of  God  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: אֱלָהּ  
Sense: god, God.
חַיָּ֔א  living 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular determinate
Root: חַי  
Sense: alive, living, life.
אֱלָהָ֗ךְ  your  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱלָהּ  
Sense: god, God.
דִּ֣י  whom 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
פָּֽלַֽח־  serve 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: פְּלַח  
Sense: to serve, worship, revere, minister for, pay reverence to.
בִּתְדִירָ֔א  continually 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular determinate
Root: תְּדִיר  
Sense: continuance, continuity, perpetuity.
הַיְכִ֥ל  has  been  able 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יְכִל  
Sense: to be able.
לְשֵׁיזָבוּתָ֖ךְ  to  deliver  you 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Hifil, Infinitive construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁיזִב  
Sense: (Peel or Peil) to deliver.
؟ אַרְיָוָתָֽא  lions  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural determinate
Root: אַרְיֵה  
Sense: lion.