Daniel 6:16 (ASV)

Passage

Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. [Now] the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

Nearby Context

Daniel 6:14 Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to rescue him.

Daniel 6:15 Then these men assembled together unto the king, and said unto the king, Know, O king, that it is a law of the Medes and Persians, that no interdict nor statute which the king establisheth may be changed.

Daniel 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. [Now] the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.

Daniel 6:17 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.

Daniel 6:18 Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting; neither were instruments of music brought before him: and his sleep fled from him.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "commanded", "brought", "daniel", "cast", "lions", and "spake". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "commanded", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Then these men assembled together unto the..." into verse 17's "And a stone was brought and laid...", so "king" and "commanded" belong inside that flow. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "king" and "commanded" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.