It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, to be in charge of the whole kingdom,
Parallel translations
- WEB It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;
- KJV It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
- BSB Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
- NKJV It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom;
- NLT Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.
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
Darius organizes the kingdom under 120 satraps. The new administration sets the stage for Daniel's rise and testing.
Overview
The chapter opens with the practical work of governing a vast empire through regional officials. This administrative framework provides the context in which Daniel's excellence and his enemies' jealousy will emerge. God continues to place His servant in positions of influence even under a foreign throne.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Exod 18:21–22Moreover you shall provide out of all the people able men which fear God: men of truth, hating unjust gain; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.
- Dan 5:31Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
- Esth 1:1Now in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even to Ethiopia, over one hundred twenty-seven provinces),
- 1 Pet 2:14or to governors, as sent by him for vengeance on evildoers and for praise to those who do well.
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 6:1 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.