The Meaning of Daniel 6:17 Explained

Daniel 6:17

KJV: And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

YLT: And a stone hath been brought and placed at the mouth of the den, and the king hath sealed it with his signet, and with the signet of his great men, that the purpose be not changed concerning Daniel.

Darby: And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his nobles, that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel.

ASV: And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that nothing might be changed concerning Daniel.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And a  stone  was brought,  and laid  upon  the mouth  of the den;  and the king  sealed  it with his own signet,  and with the signet  of his lords;  that the purpose  might not  be changed  concerning Daniel. 

What does Daniel 6:17 Mean?

Verse Meaning

The lions" den appears to have been a large pit in the ground with an opening above that a large stone sealed, probably to keep people from stumbling into it. Such pits were commonly used as cisterns to store water or as prisons. [1] Daniel had to be lifted up out of it ( Daniel 6:23), and others when thrown into it fell down toward its bottom ( Daniel 6:24). It may also have had a side entrance or drain since if it did not, rain could have filled the den and drowned the lions. Keil summarized a description of a fairly modern lions" den in Morocco written by Hst. [2] However, statements in the text cast the type of lions" den pictured in this description into question. The king and his nobles sealed the stone that covered the opening to make sure no one would release Daniel (cf. the sealing of Jesus" tomb).

Context Summary

Daniel 6:16-28 - "persecuted For Righteousness' Sake"
The plot was an atrocious one, but it hurt its perpetrators more than the victim of their vindictive hatred, Daniel 6:24. They dug a pit into which they fell themselves. They thought to flatter the king, and secure Daniel's fall; but their stratagems were like the mines laid at the mouth of a harbor, which are more perilous to those who set them than to others. Still God sends His angels to shut the lions' mouths, that they may not hurt His people, strongly conscious of uprightness before God and man. It is not necessary to suppose that Daniel saw the angel any more than we behold the horses and chariots in the mountains around us. Dare to believe that the ministering angels, though unseen, engirdle you and intercept the blows and plots of your adversaries. Walk before God in righteousness and peace, and be sure that you are immortal till your work is done. That a heathen king should publish such a proclamation is a glimpse into the divine wisdom that can make His mighty power known by the strangest circumstances. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 6

1  Daniel is made chief of the presidents
4  They, conspiring against him, obtain an idolatrous decree
10  Daniel, accused of the breach thereof, is cast into the lion's den
18  Daniel is saved;
24  his adversaries devoured;
25  and God magnified by a decree

What do the individual words in Daniel 6:17 mean?

And was brought stone a and laid on the mouth of den the and sealed it king the with his own signet ring and with the signets of his lords that not might be changed the purpose concerning Daniel
וְהֵיתָ֙יִת֙ אֶ֣בֶן חֲדָ֔ה וְשֻׂמַ֖ת עַל־ פֻּ֣ם גֻּבָּ֑א וְחַתְמַ֨הּ מַלְכָּ֜א בְּעִזְקְתֵ֗הּ וּבְעִזְקָת֙ רַבְרְבָנ֔וֹהִי דִּ֛י לָא־ תִשְׁנֵ֥א צְב֖וּ בְּדָנִיֵּֽאל

וְהֵיתָ֙יִת֙  And  was  brought 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hofal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֲתָה  
Sense: to come, arrive.
אֶ֣בֶן  stone 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶבֶן  
Sense: stone.
וְשֻׂמַ֖ת  and  laid 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive perfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שִׂים  
Sense: to set, make, appoint.
פֻּ֣ם  the  mouth 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: פֻּם  
Sense: mouth.
גֻּבָּ֑א  of  den  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: גֹּב  
Sense: pit, den (of lions).
וְחַתְמַ֨הּ  and  sealed  it 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: חֲתַם  
Sense: (P’al) seal.
מַלְכָּ֜א  king  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
בְּעִזְקְתֵ֗הּ  with  his  own  signet  ring 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עִזְקָה  
Sense: signet-ring.
וּבְעִזְקָת֙  and  with  the  signets 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: עִזְקָה  
Sense: signet-ring.
רַבְרְבָנ֔וֹהִי  of  his  lords 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רַבְרְבָנִין  
Sense: lord, noble.
דִּ֛י  that 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: דִּי  
Sense: who, which, that mark of genitive.
תִשְׁנֵ֥א  might  be  changed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שְׁנָה  
Sense: to change, be altered, be changed.
צְב֖וּ  the  purpose 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: צְבוּ  
Sense: thing, anything, matter.
בְּדָנִיֵּֽאל  concerning  Daniel 
Parse: Preposition-b, Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: דָּנִיֵּאל  
Sense: the 4th of the greater prophets, taken as hostage in the first deportation to Babylon, because of the gift of God of the interpretation of dreams, he became the 2nd in command of the Babylon empire and lasted through the end of the Babylonian empire and into the Persian empire. His prophecies are the key to the understanding of end time events. Noted for his purity and holiness by contemporary prophet, Ezekiel.

What are the major concepts related to Daniel 6:17?

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