Daniel 6:18 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
Daniel 6:18 kjv
Then the king went to his palace, and passed the night fasting: neither were instruments of musick brought before him: and his sleep went from him.
Daniel 6:18 nkjv
Now the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; and no musicians were brought before him. Also his sleep went from him.
Daniel 6:18 niv
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night without eating and without any entertainment being brought to him. And he could not sleep.
Daniel 6:18 esv
Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought to him, and sleep fled from him.
Daniel 6:18 nlt
Then the king returned to his palace and spent the night fasting. He refused his usual entertainment and couldn't sleep at all that night.
Daniel 6 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Fasting & Seeking God in Distress | ||
| 2 Sam 12:16-17 | David therefore pleaded with God for the child... and lay all night upon the ground. | David's desperate prayer and fasting for his child. |
| Jon 3:5-7 | The people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast... by decree of the king and his nobles. | Widespread fasting in response to impending judgment. |
| Est 4:16 | "Go, gather all the Jews who are present in Susa, and fast for me... I too and my young women will fast." | Esther's call for national fasting for divine intervention. |
| Ezra 8:23 | So we fasted and implored our God for this, and he listened to our entreaty. | Ezra's fasting before a dangerous journey. |
| Joel 2:12 | "Yet even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning." | Call for repentance accompanied by fasting. |
| Psa 35:13 | ...I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed... | Psalmist's personal fasting in distress. |
| Deut 9:18 | "Then I lay prostrate before the LORD as before, forty days and forty nights. I neither ate bread nor drank water." | Moses' forty-day fast of intercession. |
| Sleeplessness Due to Distress & Worry | ||
| Est 6:1 | On that night Ahasuerus could not sleep. And he gave orders to bring the book of memorable deeds. | A king's sleepless night leads to an important discovery. |
| Gen 31:40 | By day the heat consumed me, and the cold by night, and sleep fled from my eyes. | Jacob's arduous toil preventing sleep. |
| Psa 6:6 | I am weary with my moaning; every night I flood my bed with tears... | Psalmist's sleeplessness due to grief. |
| Psa 77:4 | You held my eyelids open; I was troubled and could not speak. | God preventing sleep during distress. |
| Job 7:3-4 | ...months of emptiness are allotted to me, and nights of misery are appointed to me. When I lie down I say, 'When shall I arise... and the night be gone?' | Sleeplessness and longing for dawn amidst suffering. |
| God's Deliverance & Care for His Servants | ||
| Psa 34:19 | Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. | God's ultimate deliverance of the righteous. |
| Psa 91:1-7 | He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High... will be covered by his pinions. | Assurance of divine protection for those trusting God. |
| Heb 11:33-34 | who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice... stopped the mouths of lions. | Daniel implicitly referenced for his faith and lion's den experience. |
| 2 Cor 1:8-10 | ...we were utterly burdened beyond our strength... so that we despaired of life itself... but God who raises the dead. | Trust in God's power to deliver from dire circumstances. |
| Rulers Acknowledging God | ||
| Dan 3:28-29 | Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach... who sent his angel...!" | Nebuchadnezzar's recognition of God's power. |
| Dan 4:34-37 | ...I blessed the Most High, and praised and honored him who lives forever... whose dominion is an everlasting dominion. | Nebuchadnezzar's later humble confession and praise of God. |
| Dan 6:26-27 | "I make a decree, that in all my royal dominion people are to tremble... before the God of Daniel, for he is the living God." | Darius's subsequent decree acknowledging Daniel's God. |
| Ezra 1:1-3 | ...the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia... to build him a house at Jerusalem. | Cyrus's decree recognizing the God of Israel. |
| 1 Ki 21:27 | And when Ahab heard those words... he fasted and lay in sackcloth and went about dejectedly. | A pagan king showing distress and a form of penitence. |
Daniel 6 verses
Daniel 6 18 meaning
King Darius, filled with profound anguish over Daniel's fate in the lion's den, returned to his palace and endured a night of fasting. He rejected all customary royal diversions and pleasures, and his distress was so intense that sleep eluded him entirely. This verse underscores the king's deep emotional turmoil and his personal investment in Daniel's life and the impending outcome.
Daniel 6 18 Context
Daniel 6 narrates a plot by envious Persian officials against Daniel, leading King Darius to reluctantly sentence him to the lion's den. This decree was an unchangeable law of the Medes and Persians, forcing Darius into a predicament. Despite being a pagan ruler, Darius held Daniel in high regard and knew of his integrity and faith in God. He expressed hope that Daniel's God would deliver him (Dan 6:16). Verse 18 immediately follows Daniel's placement in the den and seals the entrance, shifting focus to the king's profound distress. Darius's actions are extraordinary for a king, showing his genuine anguish and moral dilemma, far from indifference.
Daniel 6 18 Word analysis
וּמַלְכָּא (umalkā') - "Then the king":
- Aramaic term מֶלְכָּא (malkā') denotes a monarch or sovereign ruler.
- This specifies Darius, emphasizing his high status, yet he is overcome with human emotion, subverting the typical image of an impervious ruler.
אֲזַל לְהֵיכְלֵהּ (azal ləhêḵəlêh) - "went to his palace":
- אֲזַל (azal) means "went" or "proceeded."
- לְהֵיכְלֵהּ (ləhêḵəlêh) refers to his royal residence. This usually signifies a place of luxury and power, but for Darius, it becomes a place of isolation and anguish.
וּבָת טְוָת צָיֵם (uvāt ṭəvāt ṣāyēm) - "and spent the night fasting":
- וּבָת (uvāt) means "and he spent the night" or "lodged."
- טְוָת צָיֵם (ṭəvāt ṣāyēm) indicates "in a state of fasting" or "fasted." The Aramaic root צום (ṣwm) directly relates to the Hebrew for fasting.
- Fasting signifies a deliberate act of abstaining from food and drink, usually motivated by grief, penitence, or fervent prayer/petition to a deity. Here, it conveys Darius's deep sorrow and possible plea, if not to Daniel's God directly, then at least to the divine realm for an unexpected intervention.
וְדַחֲוָן לָא הֵיעָל קָדָמוֹהִי (vədaḥawān lā hê`al qādāmôhî) - "and no diversions were brought before him":
- דַּחֲוָן (daḥawān) plural noun meaning "diversions," "entertainments," or "pleasures." This could include music, dancers, concubines, or other luxurious indulgences customary for royalty. Some traditions imply "food" in the sense of feasting, complementing the fasting.
- לָא הֵיעָל קָדָמוֹהִי (lā hê`al qādāmôhî) literally "not was brought before him." The passive verb emphasizes the deliberate absence of these pleasures, highlighting Darius's profound focus and grief, a rejection of typical royal indulgence.
וְשִׁנְתֵּהּ נַדְּדַת מִנֵּהּ (vəshinəttēh naddədaṯ minnēh) - "and sleep fled from him":
- שִׁנְתֵּהּ (shinəttēh) is his "sleep."
- נַדְּדַת מִנֵּהּ (naddədaṯ minnēh) means "fled/departed from him." This idiom perfectly conveys the inability to sleep, a common physical manifestation of deep anxiety, worry, or extreme emotional distress. It graphically illustrates the king's troubled state.
Group analysis: "spent the night fasting; no diversions were brought before him":
- These two clauses describe active measures taken by Darius to manifest his sorrow. He chooses to fast and refuses royal entertainments. This is a dramatic reversal of the expectations for a pagan king. It suggests a personal, almost religious, response to a crisis, an unusual display of respect and anguish for an innocent man of faith.
Group analysis: "and sleep fled from him":
- This phrase emphasizes the involuntary and pervasive nature of his distress. Beyond his deliberate actions (fasting, rejecting entertainment), his body also responds to the profound internal turmoil. It reinforces the depth of his suffering and inability to find peace until Daniel's fate is known.
Daniel 6 18 Bonus section
The Aramaic phrase וְדַחֲוָן לָא הֵיעָל קָדָמוֹהִי is key to understanding the king's self-deprivation. The noun דַּחְוָן (daḥwān), often translated as "diversions" or "entertainments," broadly encompasses things that delight or stimulate pleasure. This includes music, feasting (distinct from the act of 'fasting'), and perhaps even female companions. The comprehensive rejection of these elements signifies Darius's full immersion in his distress, forsaking all worldly comforts. This act goes beyond simple fasting, demonstrating a complete repudiation of the opulent royal lifestyle in favor of mournful anticipation. This unusual display for a non-Israelite king also serves to elevate Daniel's character and God's prominence, showing even a powerful world leader can be brought to anguish by God's plan and the plight of His servant.
Daniel 6 18 Commentary
Daniel 6:18 portrays King Darius's utter desolation following Daniel's unjust condemnation. His fasting, rejection of diversions, and sleeplessness are clear markers of profound grief, guilt, and helplessness. For a king, such public and personal self-denial was extraordinary, indicating a significant emotional connection to Daniel and perhaps an implicit recognition of the power of Daniel's God. Unlike typical pagan rulers who might remain detached or cruel, Darius shows a rare human empathy and a genuine hope, however dim, for Daniel's deliverance. This moment of kingly suffering heightens the narrative's tension, underscoring the miraculous intervention that is about to unfold.