Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him.
Parallel translations
- KJV Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
- BSB Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him.
- NKJV Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.
- NASB Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting, and no entertainment was brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.
- NLT Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn’t sleep at all that night.
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 king passes the night fasting and sleepless, refusing all entertainment. His anguish shows his genuine concern for Daniel.
Overview
Darius spends a wretched, sleepless night, unable to be comforted by the usual diversions. His distress contrasts with the peace Daniel enjoys in the den under God's protection. The verse quietly underscores that the one trusting God rests while the one who wronged him is troubled.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Esth 6:1On that night, the king couldn’t sleep. He commanded the book of records of the chronicles to be brought, and they were read to the king.
- Dan 2:1In the second year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar dreamed dreams; and his spirit was troubled, and his sleep went from him.
- 2 Sam 12:16–17David therefore begged God for the child; and David fasted, and went in, and lay all night on the ground.
- Ps 77:4You hold my eyelids open. I am so troubled that I can’t speak.
- Job 21:12They sing to the tambourine and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the pipe.
- 1 Kgs 21:27When Ahab heard those words, he tore his clothes, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth, and went softly.
- Jonah 3:3–9So Jonah arose, and went to Nineveh, according to Yahweh’s word. Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey across.
- Isa 24:8–9The mirth of tambourines ceases. The sound of those who rejoice ends. The joy of the harp ceases.
- Eccl 2:8I also gathered silver and gold for myself, and the treasure of kings and of the provinces. I got myself male and female singers, and the delights of the sons of men — musical instruments, and that of all sorts.
- Rev 18:22The voice of harpists, minstrels, flute players, and trumpeters will be heard no more at all in you. No craftsman, of whatever craft, will be found any more at all in you. The sound of a mill will be heard no more at all in you.
- 2 Sam 19:24Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king; and he had neither groomed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day he came home in peace.
- Ps 137:2On the willows in that land, we hung up our harps.
- Amos 6:4–6Who lie on beds of ivory, and stretch themselves on their couches, and eat the lambs out of the flock, and the calves out of the middle of the stall;
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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 6:18 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
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