Daniel 6:20 (ASV)

Passage

And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

Nearby Context

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.

Daniel 6:19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

Daniel 6:20 And when he came near unto the den to Daniel, he cried with a lamentable voice; the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions?

Daniel 6:21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.

Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions` mouths, and they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "near", "daniel", "cried", "lamentable", "voice", "king", and "spake". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "came" and "near", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Then the king arose very early in..." into verse 21's "Then said Daniel unto the king O...", so "came" and "near" 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 "came" and "near" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.