Verse 1 of Chapter 6 connects back to v. 31 of Chapter 5 (the last verse of Chapter 5) to put the events of Chapter 6 into the historical perspective. The Medeo-Persian Empire has conquered Babylon, fulfilling the Daniel’s prophetic interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in Chapter 2 (where Daniel explained the golden head of the statute represented the current political reality where Babylon was the preeminent world power, but a kingdom would come and take its place, represented by the neck and shoulders of the statue made of silver, which proved to be the empire of Cyrus the Great).
Biblical critics will point to the concept that Daniel identifies the King of Persia in these immediate verses as “Darius the Mede,” when it was Cyrus who was the king at this time. The use of the Aramaic language here helps explain this, as the word used for “king” here does not necessarily mean the ultimate authority but could apply to an official given authority over a portion of the kingdom, like a governor of a state as opposed to the President. Here, the person Daniel identifies could be a person identified in extra-biblical sources as “Gubaru,” the official Cyrus appointed to be the governor and overseer of the area of the empire that had been Babylon. Other scholars opine that “Darius the Mede” could have been a “throne name” for Cyrus (a “throne name” is a custom where a ruler will adopt a different name upon taking power, to identify with a particular political or philosophical concept or vision. This was very common in the ancient world, e.g. most of the Roman Emperors adopted “Caesar” as part of their names upon taking power. Even in modern history, British monarchs have often taken a different name upon ascending the throne to show a continuity of the family line — Queen Victoria’s successor’s first name was Albert, after his father, but his throne name was Edward, to show a connection to the dynastic line. Since the Middle Ages, there has not been a Pope who has not taken a different name then his birth name). The throne name concept also bears out when considering that Daniel identifies Darius as being 62 years old in 5:31, which was Cyrus’s age at this time, and the fact that Cyrus’s mother was of Median birth.
Also, Daniel, in a way, corrects himself at the end of Chapter 6. My NIV bible translates 6:28 as “So Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and the reign of Cyrus the Persian.” But this verse could also be translated as “Darius, that is, the reign of Cyrus.” (9:1) Later, in chapters 9 and 10, Daniel frames his visions as taking place in the first year of “Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made a ruler over the Babylonian kingdom.” By identifying Darius as being “made a ruler” over Babylon, it makes sense that the king Daniel identifies in Chapter 6 is NOT Cyrus, but another high-ranking official appointed by Cyrus to govern Babylon. Then in Chapter 10, verse 1, his vision takes place “in the third year of Cyrus, King of Persia,” which is clearer from a non-biblical historical perspective. Either way, we can rest assured that the historical reality of Daniel’s experiences is authentically portrayed here.
Chapter 6 also opens with another fulfillment of the Chapter 2 prophetic dream interpretation.
Verse 1-3 states, “It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, with three administrators over them, one of whom was Daniel. The satraps were made accountable to them so that the king might not suffer loss.” The NET translation renders “the king might not suffer loss” as “the king’s interests might not incur damage.” The readers of Daniel can begin to see gradual evolution of the nature of the governments of each successive empire represented by the statue in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The rulers of Persia establish a more organized government, where the absolute rule of the King is delegated. The nation is divided into three provinces, each overseen by a governor. Each province is divided into administrative districts overseen by a “satrap.”
According to the archeological records, the “satrapy” system was fairly efficient. It appears that eventually Cyrus added a fourth governor to his government, and divided the empire into four states, centered around the prominent city that had ruled that area prior to being subjugated. The first “state” and main capital city was in modern-day Iran and was where Cyrus was based. But the capital cities of Media, Assyria, and Babylon became the centers of the other three regions.
Then each region would be subdivided, with a “satrap” appointed as a local ruler over each subdivision. Because of the immense size of Cyrus’s empire, he needed to depend on all these local rulers to maintain his authority. However, they also would have a tremendous sense of autonomy. This meant an individual satrap could, in a sense, do whatever he wished. But v.3 notes the satraps were accountable to the governors, so “the king’s interests might not incur damage.” Therefore, a satrap needed to make sure that the King’s laws were obeyed, and the King’s taxes were collected. There seemed to be a lot of creativity and leeway built into the system. As long as the governors (and therefore the king) were satisfied, it did not matter how these things were accomplished.
As the Persian Empire’s rule solidified, these satraps came to realize that they could only accomplish these goals if the local population was at least marginally content. Therefore, the tendency was to allow the locals to keep their local customs, observe their own religious practices, and have a voice in the decisions made at the local level. Cyrus himself set the tone, as he often spared the lives of the leaders of the nations he subjugated and keeping them in the public eye, while showing some degree of mercy regarding a nation’s cultural practices. Peaceful, happy people tend to be easier to manage, and therefore more likely to obey the laws coming in from the federal system and to pay their taxes.
I would argue that Cyrus’s system is an infantile precursor to later democratic models. In fact, the word translated in v. 2 as “administrator” literally means “chief overseer” in Aramaic and is translated as “president” in many of the Persian and Chaldean traditions. This is the only place in the entire Bible where a word could be translated as “president.”
As we see here in Chapter 6, Persia was still prone to authoritarianism. But even the checks and balances put in place here allowed for more stability. If the governor was loyal to the king, no individual satrap, or even group of satraps, could operate on their own authority in a manner that would upset the balance of power. A satrap who abused his authority was more likely to be called out for it by the governor, who would then report it to the king. As the system became more and more stabilized, the empire was internally at peace, and the economy could grow. The average “peasant” living in the Medeo-Persian Empire might not have had it great, but it seems that, in general, life under this system would be better than under the Babylonian one. Particularly for people like Daniel. Babylon had sought to erase every bit of Jewish identity in the people deported from Jerusalem. As opposed to Cyrus’s sense of tolerance, which led to the return of the Jewish exiles as told in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah.
The events of Chapter 6 seem to run parallel to the events of Chapter 3. Back in Chapter 3, we had the king holding Daniel’s three friends in violation of a law requiring the worship of the king’s idol without question, under penalty of death. The violation of the law by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (and perhaps the origin of the law), was brought to the king’s attention by a group of royal officials who arguably were jealous of the success of the Hebrew immigrants.
Chapter 6 explains that Daniel’s service as one of the governors was so exemplary, that the King was considering placing Daniel over the whole kingdom. (v. 3). The rest of the “administrators and satraps” tried to find a way to file charges against Daniel for corruption or negligence, but nothing would “stick.” But these other men, corrupt themselves, knew if they could find a way to expose Daniel’s devotion to God in a way that would offend the king, they could be rid of him.
This group of administrators came up with what could only be characterized by Veggie Tales as “an evil scheme.” They convinced the king to adopt a law to condemn to death anyone caught praying to anyone or anything other than the king. The form of execution was being fed to lions.
There is very little in the extra-biblical historical record to indicate that the Persian kings identified themselves as Gods. But if Darius here is also Cyrus the Great, he has just pulled off a seemingly impossible military concept – going to war with and completely subjugating the three most powerful nation states in the region in just a decade. The administrators limit the effect of the law for 30 days. Perhaps the king, flattered by the attention, was arrogant enough to accept being reverenced as a deity for a short time. It couldn’t hurt, right?
And the administrators slipped by the concept that the king should put the decree in writing, in accordance with the “law of the Medes and Persians,” which would make the law irrevocable. This also was the case with the law issued by a later Persian king in Esther, Chapter 1. There is very little historical material on this concept either, except for the notion that a Persian ruler would only put a law into writing, making it permanent, for something he really meant to do – it was designed as a check against making frivolous commands permanent. The administrators had assured him that all his officials agreed with him on this.(v.7) The King was convinced. What could go wrong?
Well, the king’s top official had not agreed, and had not been consulted. When Daniel was caught doing what he did three times a day – praying to God – the jealous administrators and satraps brought him before the king and demanded the irrevocable decree be enforced. While the king had no desire to execute his most talented and loyal official, he had no choice.
Like his 3 friends in the fiery furnace, Daniel is unharmed by the lions. The earns Daniel a reprieve.
But the laws of the Medes and the Persians have an additional dimension to the laws of Babylon – those who unjustly accuse someone of a crime must suffer the punishment themselves, along with their wives and children. (Just another example of the evolving governmental principles I’ve been talking about). Darius/Cyrus issues a new proclamation, declaring that Daniel’s God is to be honored. Chapter 6 closes, with Daniel experience “prosperity” during the reign of Darius/Cyrus, all at the tender age of 90 years.
And the final score is Daniel and his friends 5; astrologers/administrators 0.
Next, we’ll finish the book of Daniel, chapters 7 through 12, and (hopefully) tie it all together in a more organized fashion.
