Darius the Great
Summary
The Persian king who confirmed Cyrus's decree and allowed the Jerusalem Temple to be completed in his sixth year. He also cast Daniel into the lions' den when pressured by jealous officials, and publicly praised the God of Daniel after Daniel's miraculous deliverance.
- The record places Darius the Great in Return from Exile.
- 6 moments stand in order on this page, each with its verse.
On this page
Start here
I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
Daniel 6:26→- 6 key events in order
Darius the Great
- Role
- King of Persia
- Era
- Return from Exile
- Dates
- 522–486 BC
- Tribe
- Persia
- Father
- Hystaspes
The life in order
from the events the row records, with the first and last verse that names the person among the passages this page stands on
1What the record holds, in its own order
- Reorganized the Persian EmpireDaniel 6:1Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
- Daniel thrown into the lions' denDaniel 6:16-23So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
- Darius's anxious night and Daniel's deliveranceDaniel 6:19-23At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.
- Decree praising Daniel's GodDaniel 6:26-27I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
- Confirmed Cyrus's Temple decreeEzra 6:1-12Thus King Darius ordered a search of the archives stored in the treasury of Babylon.
- Temple completed in his 6th yearEzra 6:15And this temple was completed on the third day of the month of Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.
Biography
Darius I (the Great) consolidated the Persian Empire after the brief reign of Cambyses II and the usurper Gaumata. He reorganized the empire into twenty satrapies, built Persepolis, and conducted campaigns against Scythia and Greece (defeated at Marathon in 490 BC). In Scripture he is most prominent in two contexts.
First, in Daniel 6: his officials, jealous of Daniel, manipulated Darius into signing a law forbidding prayer to any god or man except the king for thirty days. When Daniel continued praying three times daily, he was thrown into the lions' den.
Darius spent a sleepless night fasting, rushed to the den at dawn, called out anxiously to Daniel, and when Daniel answered he was overjoyed — publishing a decree that all people should tremble before the God of Daniel, "for he is the living God."
Second, in Ezra 5-6: when the returned exiles were challenged in rebuilding the Temple, the matter was referred to Darius who searched the archives, found Cyrus's original decree, confirmed and extended it, and ordered the Temple's completion to be funded from the royal treasury — completed in 516 BC.
I hereby decree that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: For He is the living God, and He endures forever; His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.
What they got right, and what they got wrong
Strengths
Administrative genius, just governance, restored justice when Daniel was falsely accused, confirmed the Temple decree
Weaknesses
Was manipulated by jealous officials, signed a law against prayer without adequately investigating it
Lessons
When we remain faithful to God in seemingly hopeless circumstances, we create opportunities for God to demonstrate His reality to those in power. Daniel's faithfulness in the lions' den produced a royal proclamation praising God throughout the Persian Empire.
Spiritual significance
Darius is a model of a secular ruler moved by divine witness to acknowledge the one true God. He did not become a worshipper of YHWH, but God's power through Daniel moved him to issue one of the most sweeping confessions of divine sovereignty by any foreign king in Scripture.
Keep studying
On this page
Keep this page