Daniel 6:1
in Daniel 6Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and 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;
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This verse in Daniel 6
Commentary
11 notes on this verseVerse 1. "It pleased Darius to appoint over his kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, that they might be throughout his whole kingdom; and over them there were three princes, of which Daniel was one." Josephus, of whom we made mention above, in writing an account of this passage, put it this way: Now Darius, who destroyed the empire of the Babylonians in cooperation with his relative, Cyrus, - for they carried on the war as allies - was sixty-two years of age at the time he captured Babylon.
This site's exposition
an hundred and twenty princes
on Daniel 6:1-3
Darius sets an hundred and twenty princes over the kingdom with three presidents above them, Daniel first among the three, and the bench reads the structure as ordinary imperial administration rather than anything unusual for a conquering power organizing a new territory. Daniel is preferred above the presidents and princes because an excellent spirit was in him, the same phrase the queen used of him to Belshazzar in the previous chapter, and the king's plan to set him over the whole kingdom is what triggers everything that follows. Gill notes Daniel's advanced age at this point, likely past eighty, makes the promotion and the envy it provokes all the more remarkable.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
Daniel received the Holy Spirit and therefore prophesied. So, too, the king promoted him because he had the grace of the Spirit. For the king spoke in this regard, "I have heard of you that the Spirit of the holy God is in you." And farther on it is written, "Then Daniel became distinguished above all the other presidents and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him." And the spirit of Moses also was shared by those who were to be judges.
And so Darius, who was called Ahasuerus, received the kingdom and "appointed one-hundred-twenty satraps and appointed three governors over them, whom Daniel was one of, for the satraps to give account that the king may not be overburdened. And Daniel was over them because a spirit abounded in him, and the king appointed him over his whole kingdom." [Daniel 5:31-6:3] For Darius the Mede, after hearing the things concerning him, both the wisdom which he acquired and his faith and piety from childhood, he appointed him to be first of all his friends and to rule all his kingdom, as Pharaoh did, having granted to Joseph second honor of the throne of his kingdom and assigning all the chiefs of the Egyptians to be obedient to him.
The Medieval Church1 voice
We need to take notice that previously the Babylonians, that is, their princes, had used trickery in their jealousy of Daniel to destroy Daniel and his companions and had persuaded Nebuchadnezzar to build the golden statue and to order that it alone be worshiped by …
The Reformation1 voice
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — verbatim-scripture
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes,.... This is the same Darius mentioned in the latter part of the preceding chapter; who, as soon as he took the kingdom of Babylon, divided it into a hundred and twenty provinces, as Jacchiades observes; as was the manner of the Medes and Persians.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
), 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, 1 Pet. ii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom - Evidently over the kingdom of Babylon, now united to that of Media and Persia. As this was now subject to him, and tributary to him, it would be natural to appoint persons over it in whom he could confide, for the administration of justice, for the collection of revenue, etc. Others however, suppose that this relates to the whole kingdom of Persia, but as the reference here is mainly to what was the kingdom of Babylon, it is rather to be presumed that this is what is particularly alluded to.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
Darius--GROTEFEND has read it in the cuneiform inscriptions at Persepolis, as Darheush, that is, "Lord-King," a name applied to many of the Medo-Persian kings in common. Three of that name occur: Darius Hystaspes, 521 B.C., in whose reign the decree was carried into effect for rebuilding the temple (Ezr 4:5;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A hundred and twenty princes - A chief or satrap over every province which belonged to the Medo-Persian empire. Afterwards we find it enlarged to one hundred and twenty-seven provinces, by the victories of Cambyses and Darius Hystaspes. See Est 1:1. Josephus reckons three hundred and sixty satrapies or lordships; but this is most probably an exaggeration or mistake.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
And Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two Why does he count his years? To tell you that on the day that Nebuchadnezzar entered the Heichal in the days of Jehoiachin, his adversary, Darius, was born (Seder Olam ch. 28).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 2 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| שְׁפַר֙ | shefar | it seemed good | H8232 → | 3 times |
| קֳדָ֣ם | kodam | before | H6925 → | 42 times |
| דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁ | dareyavesh | Darius | H1868 → | 15 times |
| וַהֲקִים֙ | vahakim | and he appointed | H6966 → | 35 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | over | H5922 → | 104 times |
| מַלְכוּתָ֔א | malkhuta' | kingdom the | H4437 → | 57 times |
| לַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֖א | laachashdarpenaiya' | <obj.> satraps the | H324 → | 9 times |
| מְאָ֣ה | meah | one hundred | H3969 → | |
| וְעֶשְׂרִ֑ין | veesrin | and twenty | H6243 → | |
| דִּ֥י | di | who | H1768 → | 345 times |
| לֶהֱוֹ֖ן | lehevon | they will be | H1934 → | 71 times |
| בְּכָל־ | bekhol | over all | H3606 → | 82 times |
| מַלְכוּתָֽא׃ | malkhuta' | kingdom the | H4437 → | 57 times |
שְׁפַר֙it seemed good
shefarH8232 →3 times
קֳדָ֣םbefore
kodamH6925 →42 times
דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁDarius
dareyaveshH1868 →15 times
וַהֲקִים֙and he appointed
vahakimH6966 →35 times
עַל־over
ʾal-H5922 →104 times
מַלְכוּתָ֔אkingdom the
malkhuta'H4437 →57 times
לַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֖א<obj.> satraps the
laachashdarpenaiya'H324 →9 times
מְאָ֣הone hundred
meahH3969 →
וְעֶשְׂרִ֑יןand twenty
veesrinH6243 →
דִּ֥יwho
diH1768 →345 times
לֶהֱוֹ֖ןthey will be
lehevonH1934 →71 times
בְּכָל־over all
bekholH3606 →82 times
מַלְכוּתָֽא׃kingdom the
malkhuta'H4437 →57 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
6 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Peter 2:14or to governors as those sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right.
it leads to
- Romans 13:3–4
For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval.
- Romans 13:3–4
Through
Esther 1:1This is what happened in the days of Xerxes, who reigned over 127 provinces from India to Cush.
it leads to
- Daniel 9:1
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans—
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Ezra 4:6
At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes, an accusation was lodged against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
- Esther 8:9
At once the royal scribes were summoned, and on the twenty-third day of the third month (the month of Sivan), they recorded all of Mordecai’s orders to the Jews and to the satraps, governors,…
- Esther 9:30
And Mordecai sent letters with words of peace and truth to all the Jews in the 127 provinces of the kingdom of Xerxes,
- Isaiah 37:9
Now Sennacherib had been warned about Tirhakah king of Cush: “He has set out to fight against you.” On hearing this, Sennacherib sent messengers to Hezekiah, saying,
- Daniel 9:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Daniel
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, On the Holy Spirit 3.6.43; Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 3.19.1-2; Ishodad of Merv, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 6:4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER SIX; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.