Passage
Then Daniel spoke unto the king, O king, live for ever!
Daniel 6:21 (DBY)
Nearby Context
Daniel 6:19 Then the king arose with the light at break of day, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
Daniel 6:20 And when he came near unto the den, he cried with a mournful voice unto Daniel: the king spoke and said unto Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, hath thy God whom thou servest continually been able to save thee from the lions?
Daniel 6:21 Then Daniel spoke unto the king, O king, live for ever!
Daniel 6:22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me; forasmuch as before him innocence was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Daniel 6:23 Thereupon was the king exceeding glad, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "daniel", "spoke", "king", "live", and "ever". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "daniel" and "spoke", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And when he came near unto the..." into verse 22's "My God hath sent his angel and...", so "daniel" and "spoke" 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 "daniel" and "spoke" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.