Daniel 6:2

Translation
King James Version
And over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage.
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KJV (with Strong's)
And over H5924 these H4481 three H8532 presidents H5632; of whom H4481 Daniel H1841 was first H2298: that H459 the princes H324 might H1934 give H3052 accounts H2941 unto them, and the king H4430 should have H1934 no H3809 damage H5142.
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Complete Jewish Bible
with three chiefs over them, of whom Dani'el was one, so that these viceroys could be responsible to them and so that the king's interests would be safeguarded.
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Berean Standard Bible
and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.
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American Standard Version
and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account unto them, and that the king should have no damage.
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World English Bible Messianic
and over them three presidents, of whom Daniel was one; that these satraps might give account to them, and that the king should have no damage.
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Geneva Bible (1599)
And ouer these, three rulers (of whome Daniel was one) that the gouernours might giue accompts vnto them, and the King should haue no domage.
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Young's Literal Translation
and higher than they three presidents, of whom Daniel is first, that these satraps may give to them an account, and the king have no loss.
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See also
Esther 7:4Ezra 4:22Daniel 2:48Daniel 2:49Daniel 5:29Daniel 5:16Luke 19:13
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Daniel in Babylon
Daniel in Babylon View full PDF

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In the KJVVerse 21,908 of 31,102

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SUMMARY

Daniel 6:2 describes the administrative structure established by King Darius the Mede following his conquest of Babylon, detailing the appointment of one hundred and twenty satraps over the kingdom and the oversight of three presidents, with Daniel holding the preeminent position among them. This hierarchical system was meticulously designed to ensure efficient governance, maintain strict accountability among the provincial rulers, and ultimately prevent any financial or administrative detriment to the royal treasury.

CONTEXT

  • Literary Context: This verse immediately follows the establishment of Darius's reign over the newly conquered Chaldean kingdom, marking a significant transition from Babylonian to Medo-Persian rule. Daniel 6:1 sets the stage by introducing Darius's decision to organize his vast empire into provinces, each governed by a satrap. The administrative structure detailed in Daniel 6:2 is crucial as it directly leads to the central conflict of the chapter: Daniel's exceptional performance and the jealousy it incites among the other officials. The subsequent verses, particularly Daniel 6:3, elaborate on Daniel's "excellent spirit" that distinguished him and led the king to consider setting him over the entire realm, thereby creating the catalyst for the conspiracy against him.
  • Historical & Cultural Context: Following the swift fall of Babylon to the Medo-Persian Empire in 539 BC, under the leadership of King Darius (a figure often identified with Cyrus the Great or a high-ranking general under him, though scholarly debate persists), the new regime inherited a vast and ethnically diverse empire. Effective governance of such an expansive territory was paramount for stability and revenue. The administrative system described in Daniel 6:1-2 reflects typical Persian imperial organization, which involved dividing the empire into satrapies (provinces) ruled by satraps. These satraps were responsible for collecting taxes, maintaining order, and enforcing royal decrees. The appointment of higher officials, like the "presidents" mentioned here, to supervise these satraps was a common and necessary practice to prevent rebellion, corruption, and financial loss to the central authority, mirroring the administrative pragmatism seen in other ancient empires. Daniel's elevation, despite his status as a Jewish exile, speaks volumes about his recognized competence and divine favor, reminiscent of Joseph's rise to power in Egypt.
  • Key Themes: Daniel 6:2 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the Book of Daniel. Firstly, it powerfully underscores Divine Sovereignty and Providence, demonstrating how God elevates His faithful servants to positions of immense influence even within pagan empires, ensuring His purposes are advanced. Daniel's promotion is not merely a political maneuver but a testament to God's strategic placement. Secondly, it highlights the theme of Integrity and Excellence in Leadership. Daniel's character and administrative prowess, which are further emphasized in Daniel 6:3, are the explicit reasons for his distinction. This sets up a stark contrast with the corrupt and jealous officials who seek his downfall. Thirdly, the verse introduces the theme of Accountability in Governance, as the system is explicitly designed to ensure the "princes might give accounts" and prevent "damage" to the king, thereby emphasizing the critical importance of ethical and responsible administration within any governing structure.

EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS

Key Word Analysis

  • presidents (Aramaic, çârêk', H5632): This term refers to high-ranking officials or chief officers. In this context, they are the primary administrators directly overseeing the satraps, indicating a position of significant authority and responsibility within the Medo-Persian bureaucracy, serving as a critical layer of oversight.
  • first (Aramaic, chad', H2298): As an ordinal, this word signifies "one" or "first." Applied to Daniel, it means he was the chief or foremost among the three presidents, indicating his supreme authority in this triumvirate and implying his direct access to and highest trust from the king.
  • accounts (Aramaic, ṭaʻam', H2941): Properly meaning "a taste," this word extends to a "judicial sentence" or "matter." Here, it refers to the financial and administrative reports or reckonings that the provincial governors (princes) were required to submit, ensuring transparency, preventing embezzlement, and allowing for proper oversight of the kingdom's resources.
  • damage (Aramaic, nᵉzaq', H5142): This term denotes loss, injury, or detriment, specifically financial or material harm. The king's concern was to prevent any fiscal or administrative loss to the royal treasury, underscoring the practical and economic motivation behind the new administrative structure and the need for stringent oversight.

Verse Breakdown

  • "And over these three presidents;": This phrase introduces the highest tier of the new provincial administration established by King Darius. By appointing three high-ranking officials above the numerous satraps, the king demonstrated a strong desire for centralized control, efficient management, and robust oversight of his vast empire.
  • "of whom Daniel was first:": This clause immediately highlights Daniel's unique and preeminent position within this new hierarchy. Despite being a foreign exile, Daniel was not merely one of the three presidents but held the chief position, signifying his exceptional trust, proven competence, and perhaps divine favor in the eyes of King Darius, setting him apart from all other officials.
  • "that the princes might give accounts unto them,": This explains the primary function of the presidents within the administrative system. The "princes" (satraps or provincial governors) were mandated to report directly to these three presidents. This system was meticulously designed to create a crucial layer of accountability, ensuring that the vast network of provincial administrators was properly managed, monitored, and held responsible for their actions.
  • "and the king should have no damage.": This final clause reveals the ultimate purpose and pragmatic motivation behind this entire administrative reform. The entire structure, from the satraps to the presidents, was intended to safeguard the king's interests, particularly preventing financial loss, corruption, or mismanagement that could weaken the empire's resources, stability, or overall power.

Literary Devices

The verse employs Metonymy by using "the king" to represent not merely the person of Darius, but more broadly the royal treasury, the stability of the kingdom, and the overall interests of the Medo-Persian Empire. This emphasizes the financial and administrative well-being that the new system was designed to protect. There is also a clear element of Foreshadowing, as Daniel's unparalleled position and the king's explicit reliance on his integrity immediately set the stage for the jealousy and conspiracy that will inevitably unfold in the subsequent verses. This administrative elevation thus directly leads to the dramatic test of Daniel's faith in the lion's den. Furthermore, the administrative structure itself can be seen as Symbolism of order, control, and the king's desire for efficient, incorruptible governance within his newly acquired and vast empire.

THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS

Daniel 6:2 powerfully illustrates God's sovereign hand in human affairs, even within secular political structures. Daniel's elevation to the chief administrative role in the Medo-Persian Empire, following the fall of Babylon, is not a mere coincidence but a profound testament to God's providence. It demonstrates that God can position His faithful servants in places of significant influence to bear witness to His truth and uphold righteousness, even when surrounded by pagan systems. This divine orchestration ensures that His purposes are advanced, and His people are protected, even amidst political transitions and potential adversity. Daniel's integrity and wisdom, which are the basis for his promotion, reflect a character shaped by unwavering devotion to God, proving that faithfulness to God can lead to favor and elevation in unexpected places, fulfilling God's design for His people to be salt and light in the world.

REFLECTION AND APPLICATION

Daniel 6:2 serves as a profound reminder that God is actively involved in the affairs of nations and can raise up individuals of character and integrity to positions of influence, even in seemingly secular environments. For believers today, this verse challenges us to cultivate an "excellent spirit" as Daniel did, marked by diligence, wisdom, and unwavering integrity in our own spheres of influence, whether in the workplace, community, or family. Our commitment to excellence and ethical conduct, rooted in our faith, can serve as a powerful testimony to God's transforming power and the reality of His presence in our lives. Furthermore, it underscores the importance of accountability and good governance in any organization or society, reminding us that systems designed to prevent corruption and ensure justice are vital for human flourishing and the common good. As followers of Christ, we are called to be salt and light, demonstrating righteousness and seeking the welfare of the cities and nations where God has placed us, just as Daniel served faithfully and with distinction in both the Babylonian and Persian empires.

Questions for Reflection

  • In what areas of your life are you called to demonstrate an "excellent spirit" like Daniel's, even when it might lead to scrutiny or opposition?
  • How can you contribute to greater accountability and integrity in your workplace, community, or any organization you are a part of?
  • What does Daniel's elevation in a pagan kingdom teach you about God's sovereignty and His ability to use unexpected people in unexpected places for His purposes?

FAQ

Why was Daniel, a Jewish exile, given such a high position by a foreign king?

Answer: Daniel's elevation was primarily due to his exceptional wisdom, integrity, and administrative competence, which were recognized by King Darius. The text later specifies that "an excellent spirit was in him" (Daniel 6:3), distinguishing him from other officials. This recognition of his superior abilities, combined with God's divine favor and providence, allowed him to rise to such a prominent role despite his foreign origin and religious beliefs, much like Joseph in Egypt (Genesis 41:39-40).

What was the purpose of appointing three presidents over the satraps?

Answer: The primary purpose of this administrative structure was to ensure efficient governance and prevent corruption or financial loss to the king. By appointing three presidents to oversee the one hundred and twenty satraps, King Darius created a system of checks and balances. The presidents were responsible for receiving "accounts" (reports and financial reckonings) from the provincial governors, thereby ensuring that the king "should have no damage" (Daniel 6:2). This system aimed to maximize revenue and stability across the vast Medo-Persian Empire, ensuring the king's interests were protected and the kingdom's resources were managed effectively.

CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT

Daniel's preeminent position as the chief president, distinguished by an "excellent spirit" and unwavering integrity, serves as a profound Old Testament type pointing to the ultimate and perfect leadership of Jesus Christ. Just as Daniel was elevated to administer a vast kingdom and ensure its well-being, Christ is the Head of all creation and the Church, appointed by God to rule over all things, holding all authority in heaven and on earth (Ephesians 1:20-22 and Matthew 28:18). Daniel's role in preventing "damage" to the king's treasury foreshadows Christ's redemptive work, where He, as the perfect Lamb of God, took away the sin of the world, preventing eternal "damage" to humanity and reconciling us to God through His atoning sacrifice (John 1:29 and 2 Corinthians 5:21). Daniel's faithfulness, even unto death, and his ultimate miraculous deliverance from the lion's den, powerfully prefigure Christ's perfect obedience, His sacrificial death, and His glorious resurrection, through which He triumphed over sin, death, and the grave, securing eternal life for all who believe (Romans 6:9-10 and Hebrews 2:14-15). Thus, Daniel's exemplary leadership and divine protection in Daniel 6:2 are but a shadow of the supreme authority, perfect integrity, and ultimate salvation found in Christ, the true King and Deliverer over all creation.

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Commentary on Daniel 6 verses 1–5

We are told concerning Daniel,

I. What a great man he was. When Darius, upon his accession to the crown of Babylon by conquest, new-modelled the government, he made Daniel prime-minister of state, set him at the helm, and made him first commissioner both of the treasury and of the great seal. Darius's dominion was very large; all he got by his conquests and acquests was that he had so many more countries to take care of; no more can be expected from himself than what one man can do, and therefore others must be employed under him. He set over the kingdom 120 princes (Dan 6:1), and appointed them their districts, in which they were to administer justice, preserve the public peace, and levy the king's revenue. Note, Inferior magistrates are ministers of God to us for good as well as the sovereign; and therefore we must submit ourselves both to the king as supreme and to the governors that are constituted and commissioned by him, Pe1 2:13, Pe1 2:14. Over these princes there was a triumvirate, or three presidents, who were to take and state the public accounts, to receive appeals from the princes, or complaints against them in case of mal-administration, that the king should have no damage (Dan 6:2), that he should not sustain loss in his revenue and that the power he delegated to the princes might not be abused to the oppression of the subject, for by that the king (whether he thinks so or no) receives real damage, both as it alienates the affections of his people from him and as it provokes the displeasure of his God against him. Of these three Daniel was chief, because he was found to go beyond them all in all manner of princely qualifications. He was preferred above the presidents and princes (Dan 6:3), and so wonderfully well pleased the king was with his management that he thought to set him over the whole realm, and let him place and displace at his pleasure. Now, 1. We must take notice of it to the praise of Darius that he would prefer a man thus purely for his personal merit, and his fitness for business; and those sovereigns that would be well served must go by that rule. Daniel had been a great man in the kingdom that was conquered, and for that reason, one would think, should have been looked upon as an enemy, and as such imprisoned or banished. He was a native of a foreign kingdom, and a ruined one, and upon that account might have been despised as a stranger and captive. But, Darius, it seems, was very quick-sighted in judging of men's capacities, and was soon aware that this Daniel had something extraordinary in him, and therefore, though no doubt he had creatures of his own, not a few, that expected preferment in this newly-conquered kingdom, and were gaping for it, and those that had been long his confidants would depend upon it that they should be now his presidents, yet so well did he consult the public welfare that, finding Daniel to excel them all in prudence and virtue, and probably having heard of his being divinely inspired, he made him his right hand. 2. We must take notice of it, to the glory of God, that, though Daniel was now very old (it was above seventy years since he was brought a captive to Babylon), yet he was as able as ever for business both in body and mind, and that he who had continued faithful to his religion through all the temptations of the foregoing reigns in a new government was as much respected as ever. He kept in by being an oak, not by being a willow, by a constancy in virtue, not by a pliableness to vice. Such honesty is the best policy, for it secures a reputation; and those who thus honour God he will honour.

II. What a good man he was: An excellent spirit was in him, Dan 6:3. And he was faithful to every trust, dealt fairly between the sovereign and the subject, and took care that neither should be wronged, so that there was no error, or fault, to be found in him, Dan 6:4. He was not only not chargeable with any treachery or dishonesty, but not even with any mistake or indiscretion. He never made any blunder, nor had any occasion to plead inadvertency or forgetfulness for his excuse. This is recorded for an example to all that are in places of public trust to approve themselves both careful and conscientious, that they may be free, not only from fault, but from error, not only from crime, but from mistake.

III. What ill-will was borne him, both for his greatness and for his goodness. The presidents and princes envied him because he was advanced above them, and probably hated him because he had a watchful eye upon them and took care they should not wrong the government to enrich themselves. See here, 1. The cause of envy, and that is every thing that is good. Solomon complains of it as a vexation that for every right work a man is envied of his neighbour (Ecc 4:4), that the better a man is the worse he is thought of by his rivals. Daniel is envied because he has a more excellent spirit than his neighbours. 2. The effect of envy, and that is every thing that is bad. Those that envied Daniel sought no less than his ruin. His disgrace would not serve them; it was his death that they desired. Wrath is cruel, and anger is outrageous, but who can stand before envy? Pro 27:4. Daniel's enemies set spies upon him, to observe him in the management of his place; they sought to find occasion against him, something on which to ground an accusation concerning the kingdom, some instance of neglect or partiality, some hasty word spoken, some person borne hard upon, or some necessary business overlooked. And if they could but have found the mote, the mole-hill, of a mistake, it would have been soon improved to the beam, to the mountain, of an unpardonable misdemeanour. But they could find no occasion against him; they owned that they could not. Daniel always acted honestly, and now the more warily, and stood the more upon his guard, because of his observers, Psa 27:11. Note, We have all need to walk circumspectly, because we have many eyes upon us, and some that watch for our halting. Those especially have need to carry their cup even that have it full. They concluded, at length, that they should not find any occasion against him except concerning the law of his God Dan 6:5. It seems then that Daniel kept up the profession of his religion, and held it fast without wavering or shrinking, and yet that was no bar to his preferment; there was no law that required him to be of the king's religion, or incapacitated him to bear office in the state unless he were. It was all one to the king what God he prayed to, so long as he did the business of his place faithfully and well. He was at the king's service usque ad aras - as far as the altars; but there he left him. In this matter therefore his enemies hoped to ensnare him. Quaerendum est crimen laesae religionis ubi majestatis deficit - When treason could not be charged upon him he was accused of impiety. Grotius. Note, It is an excellent thing, and much for the glory of God, when those who profess religion conduct themselves so inoffensively in their whole conversation that their most watchful spiteful enemies may find no occasion of blaming them, save only in the matters of their God, in which they walk according to their consciences. It is observable that, when Daniel's enemies could find no occasion against him concerning the kingdom, they had so much sense of justice left that they did not suborn witnesses against him to accuse him of crimes he was innocent of, and to swear treason upon him, wherein they shame many that were called Jews and are called Christians.

Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers verses 1–5. Public domain.
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Theodoret of CyrusAD 458
COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:1-2
Normally, in fact, those entrusted with kingship or any other rule confide least in the people closest to their predecessors; but Daniel enjoyed the same trust from all, receiving equal privileges and being entrusted with the same governance—hence, of course, his becoming one of the three supervisors under Darius. Now, by “supervisors” I think there is reference to what are now called viceroys, and by “satraps” to the governors of the nations, Daniel being one of the supervisors.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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