Daniel 6:20 (WEB)

Passage

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?”

Nearby Context

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?”

Daniel 6:21 Then Daniel said to the king, “O king, live forever!

Daniel 6:22 My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions’ mouths, and they have not hurt me; because as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, I have done no harm.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "came", "near", "daniel", "cried", "troubled", "voice", "king", and "spoke". 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 Daniel said to 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.