5:30 That very night, Belshazzar, the Chaldean king, was killed,
6:1 and Darius the Mede received the kingdom, being about sixty-two years old.
As noted, the scholars debate precise dating for these events; however, Rashi sees no issues with the biblical presentation, as he demonstrates here. What is known historically from other sources sometimes challenges his certainty. Likewise, the sometimes controversial historian Josephus' account of Daniel is slightly different, but well worth considering as I do here. But again, there is substantive agreement among all serious researchers and historians despite the incidentals.
Rashi:
"Why does he [Daniel] count his [Nebuchadnezzar's] years? It is 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). From the exile of Jeconiah until now were sixty-two years. The master said: They were exiled in the days of Jehoiachin in the seventh year, counting from the conquest of Jehoiakim, which was eight years after the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. There remained to Nebuchadnezzar's reign thirty-seven years, for he reigned forty-five years, and twenty-three of Evil-Merodach's, as our Sages stated in Tractate Megillah (11b), and the two years of Belshazzar that passed, totaling sixty-two.
Biblical history is the most accurate known. Secular historians usually come around to its accuracy sooner or later. In some cases, questions remain about the details. Daniel says that Darius ruled Babylon between the reign of King Belshazzar and Cyrus the Great. Other than Josephus, who draws his history primarily from our Scripture, Secular history makes no known reference to him being king. Seeking to remedy this, some assume "Darius" is another name for Cyrus.
In contrast, others identify Darius not as a kingly figure but as Gobryas, the general who first entered Babylon after it fell to the Persians in 539 BCE. However, chapter Daniel five mentions Darius being present at the great feast when the "handwriting on the wall" appeared, so I suspect the secular historians need to do more research.
Daniel's account of Darius ruling Babylon between the reign of King Belshazzar and Cyrus the Great—who conquered the Medes circa 550 BCE—is a fascinating historical puzzle. Secular history does not mention Darius as a king. Some historians speculate that 'Darius' was a pseudonym for Persian leaders, especially for Cyrus, as 'the last Darius,' a view that contradicts biblical records. According to Daniel 9:1, King Ahasuerus (not the one from the Book of Esther who executed the evil Haman) was the 'father of Darius the Mede,' who is said to have become king over Babylonia upon the death of Belshazzar. The intriguing question remains: who was this enigmatic figure? The Talmud says in Esther Rabbah 8:
"Esther's young women and her chamberlains came and told her, and the queen was greatly shocked" (Esther 4:4).
The Rabbis from there say: She menstruated. The Rabbis from here say: She miscarried her baby, and once she miscarried, she never gave birth again. Rabbi Yudan, son of Rabbi Simon, said: With an absorbent cloth, she would engage in relations. Rabbi Yudan, son of Rabbi Simon, clarified: The last Darius was the son of Esther, making his lineage unique and complex ; he was pure from his mother's side and impure from his father's side.
The name 'Darius' has sparked debate among historians. Some argue that it was a title, not a proper name, leading to a misinterpretation of the phrase 'the last Darius,' which some mistakenly assume means that Darius the Great was Cyrus the Great and 'the last Darius.'
Despite the absence of extrabiblical evidence, Darius stands as a figure of historical significance. He is believed to be the son of Persian King Ahasuerus (Xerxes I) and the influential Rhodogune (or Irdabama), the most prominent and wealthiest businesswoman mentioned in the records of the Achaemenid Empire at Persepolis. This assertion, put forth by Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones in 2013 and confirmed in his recently discovered Persepolis texts, underscores the potential impact of Darius's mother on his life and reign. However, other reputable sources present a different narrative, suggesting that Darius's mother was Atossa, a daughter of Cyrus the Great. This alternative theory gains credence due to the close political ties between the two families, where politically arranged marriages were a common practice. < br> < br>
Darius was born c. 550 BCE and died in October of 486 BCE. He fathered and was succeeded to the throne by his son, King Xerxes I (circa 519 BCE - 465), a well-established Persian king who ruled from 486 - 465 BCE.
We accept the biblical narrative as accurate and consistent.
6:2 It pleased Darius to appoint over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps [or governors] to be in charge of the whole kingdom;
6:3 over them were three ministers [called viziers], one of them was Daniel, to whom these satraps reported, in order that the king not be angered.
6:4 This man Daniel surpassed the other ministers and satraps by virtue of his extraordinary spirit, and the king considered setting him over the whole kingdom.
6:5 The ministers and satraps looked for some fault in Daniel's conduct in matters of state, but they could find neither fault nor corruption, inasmuch as he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was to be found in him.
"There is nothing new under the sun," Shlomo HaMelech said in Ecclesiastes 1:9. Jealosy and antisemitism impelled these petty bureaucrats to seek to destroy Daniel's impeccable reputation because, as it is said, 'No good deed ever goes unpunished.' But they could find nothing wrong with him.
6:6 Those men then said, "We are not going to find any fault with this Daniel, unless we find something against him in connection with the laws of his God."
6:7 Then these ministers and satraps came thronging in to the king and said to him, "O King Darius, live forever!
6:8 All the ministers of the kingdom, the prefects, satraps, companions, and governors are in agreement that a royal ban should be issued under sanction of an oath that whoever shall address a petition to any god or man, besides you, O king, during the next thirty days shall be thrown into a lions' den.
6:9 So issue the ban, O king, and put it in writing so that it be unalterable as a law of the Medes and Persians that may not be abrogated."
6:10 Thereupon King Darius put the ban in writing.
Peer pressure based on trumped-up false accusations led King Darius to pass a decree against his most trusted advisors. History often repeats itself!
6:11 When Daniel learned that it had been put in writing, he went to his house, in whose upper chamber he had had windows made facing Jerusalem, and three times a day he knelt down, prayed, and made confession to his God, as he had always done.
When Jews pray, we prefer to face the Holy Mount, the site of the past and future Temples—as Shlomo said: "and pray to You toward their land" (I Kings 8:48).
6:12 Then those men came thronging in and found Daniel petitioning his God in supplication.
6:13 They then approached the king and reminded him of the royal ban: "Did you not put in writing a ban that whoever addresses a petition to any god or man besides you, O king, during the next thirty days, shall be thrown into a lions' den?" The king said in reply, "The order stands firm, as a law of the Medes and Persians that may not be abrogated."
6:14 Thereupon they said to the king, "Daniel, one of the exiles of Judah, pays no heed to you, O king, or to the ban that you put in writing; three times a day he offers his petitions [to his God]."
6:15 Upon hearing that, the king was very disturbed, and he set his heart upon saving Daniel, and until the sun set made every effort to rescue him.
King Darius honored Daniel and his God and did not foresee this happening in his kingdom. He knew what Haman had attempted, but Darius believed such things could not happen in his kingdom! Americans used to think the same about the United States, but now we know better. The Midrash says Darius urged Daniel to leave the kingdom for the thirty days of the ban, but Daniel refused. Like many German Jews during the Shoah, Daniel considered himself a loyal and faithful citizen of his country. It was inconceivable that he might be condemned to death for worshipping HaShem, especially given what HaShem had done through him and Nebuchadnezzar. Besides, Darius was favorable towards the Jews. One day, American Jews may find themselves thinking the same! No place is safe for us during the Olam Hazeh, not even Israel. The Suffering Servants always suffer.
6:16 Then those men came thronging in to the king and said to the king, "Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians that any ban that the king issues under sanction of oath is unalterable."
6:17 By the king's order, Daniel was then brought and thrown into the lions' den. The king spoke to Daniel and said, "Your God, whom you serve so regularly, will deliver you."
6:18 A rock was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; the king sealed it with his signet and with the signet of his nobles, so that nothing might be altered concerning Daniel.
Some editions add: The king said, "From the lions, I cannot take him away. I shall be careful with him that no man hurt him, and if the miracle comes, let it come." King Darius had been caught in an unanticipated political power play, yet he knew that Daniel's God had the power to rescue him should He choose. He hoped and prayed that He would.
6:19 The king then went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and his sleep fled from him.
6:20 Then, at the first light of dawn, the king arose and rushed to the lions' den.
6:21 As he approached the den, he cried to Daniel in a mournful voice; the king said to Daniel, "Daniel, servant of the living God, was the God whom you served so regularly able to deliver you from the lions?"
6:22 Daniel then talked with the king, "O king, live forever!
6:23 My God sent His angel, who shut the mouths of the lions so that they did not injure me, inasmuch as I was found innocent by Him, nor have I, O king, done you any injury."
6:24 The king was very glad, and ordered Daniel to be brought up out of the den. Daniel was brought up out of the den, and no injury was found on him, for he had trusted in his God.
6:25 Then, by order of the king, those men who had slandered Daniel were brought and, together with their children and wives, were thrown into the lions' den. They had hardly reached the bottom of the den when the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.
6:26 Then King Darius wrote to all peoples and nations of every language that inhabit the earth, "May your well-being abound!
6:27 I have hereby given an order that throughout my royal domain men must tremble in fear before the God of Daniel, for He is the living God who endures forever; His kingdom is indestructible, and His dominion is to the end of time;
6:28 He delivers and saves, and performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth, for He delivered Daniel from the power of the lions."
6:29 Thus Daniel prospered during the reign of Darius and during the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
This royal exaltation of God is why some assume that King Darius may have been Cyrus the Great, whom HaShem Himself calls His 'Mashiach' (His Messiah or Anointed One):
כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהֹוָה֮ לִמְשִׁיחוֹ֮ לְכ֣וֹרֶשׁ אֲשֶׁר־הֶחֱזַ֣קְתִּי בִֽימִינ֗וֹ לְרַד־לְפָנָיו֙ גּוֹיִ֔ם וּמׇתְנֵ֥י מְלָכִ֖ים אֲפַתֵּ֑חַ לִפְתֹּ֤חַ לְפָנָיו֙ דְּלָתַ֔יִם וּשְׁעָרִ֖ים לֹ֥א יִסָּגֵֽרוּ׃
Thus said GOD to Cyrus, the anointed one—
Having grasped his right hand,
Treading down nations before him,
Ungirding the loins of kings,
Opening doors before him
And letting no gate stay shut:
Despite this, as stated, Darius is presented as the king of the Medes, a completely different person, and I see no reason to question this.
Continue to Chapter Seven
* © This series is by John of AllFaith, © April 12, 1997 (last updated June 17,2024)
AllFaith.com
LearnEmunah.com
BeitEmunah.com
Got Questions or Comments?
Let us know
