Daniel 6:18 (WEB)

Passage

Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting. No musical instruments were brought before him; and his sleep fled from him.

Nearby Context

Daniel 6:16 Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Your God whom you serve continually, he will deliver you.”

Daniel 6:17 A stone was brought, and laid on 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. No musical instruments were 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 to the den of lions.

Daniel 6:20 When he came near to the den to Daniel, he cried with a troubled voice. The king spoke and said to Daniel, “Daniel, servant of the living God, is your God, whom you serve continually, able to deliver you from the lions?”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "king", "went", "palace", "passed", "night", "fasting", "musical", and "instruments". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "king" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "A stone was brought and laid on..." into verse 19's "Then the king arose very early in...", so "king" and "went" 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 "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.