So the decree went out that the wise men were to be executed, and men went to look for Daniel and his friends to execute them.
Parallel translations
- WEB So the decree went out, and the wise men were to be slain; and they sought Daniel and his companions to be slain.
- KJV And the decree went forth that the wise men should be slain; and they sought Daniel and his fellows to be slain.
- NKJV So the decree went out, and they began killing the wise men; and they sought Daniel and his companions, to kill them.
- NASB So the decree was issued that the wise men be killed; and they looked for Daniel and his friends, to kill them.
- NLT And because of the king’s decree, men were sent to find and kill Daniel and his friends.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The decree threatens Daniel and his friends too, though they were not present. The danger now touches God's faithful servants.
Overview
Because they belonged to the class of wise men, the four are included in the death sentence. The crisis draws Daniel directly into the story. What looks like doom becomes the setting for God to act through prayer and revelation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Dan 1:19–20And the king spoke with them, and among all the young men he found no one equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. So they entered the king’s service.
- Isa 10:1Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees,
- Esth 3:12–15On the thirteenth day of the first month, the royal scribes were summoned and the order was written exactly as Haman commanded the royal satraps, the governors of each province, and the officials of each people, in the script of each province and the language of every people. It was written in the name of King Xerxes and sealed with the royal signet ring.
- Dan 6:9–15Therefore King Darius signed the written decree.
- Prov 28:15–17Like a roaring lion or a charging bear is a wicked ruler over a helpless people.
- Ps 94:20Can a corrupt throne be Your ally—one devising mischief by decree?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 2:13 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.