Daniel in the Lions Den
During the reign of King Darius in Babylon, Daniel was an important administrator in the Kingdom. Because he was such an honest, hardworking, pious, and trustworthy worker, the King liked him very much. However, other political officials were jealous of Daniel’s position and the King’s liking for him so they tried to think of a way to get him removed from his status. Since Daniel was such an outstanding man and worker, they could not think of anything that they could blame him for. Finally, they had the idea to propose to King Darius that anyone who worships someone other than the King should be thrown in the Lion’s Den. The King agreed, but Daniel, pious as he was, continued to pray to God.
The plotting officials caught him and took him to the King who tried to save him but was convinced by the other officials that he could not revoke the decree. So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, where he stayed all night. Meanwhile, the King could not eat or sleep because he felt so guilty about throwing his friend to the lions. In the morning the King marched to the lion’s den where he miraculously found Daniel, alive and untouched. Daniel said,
"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." (Daniel 6:22, NIV)
The King rejoiced, and since Daniel’s God had protected him from the lions, King Darius decreed that everyone in the pagan Kingdom must now worship Daniel’s God.
Themes:
The story of Daniel in the lion’s den can be used to express a couple of different themes. One theme is Daniel’s purity of character. Literary works may allude to Daniel’s blamelessness and unyielding ethics. Another theme in Daniel in the Lion’s Den is faithfulness to God or faith in one’s beliefs in general. Daniel never wavered in his reverence to God even when the decree forbade him to worship his God and when he left in the lion’s den to be killed. God rewarded his faithfulness by saving him from the lions.
Allusions in Literature:
Works Cited:
"Biblical Story of Daniel in the Lion' s Den." House and Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.houseandhome.org/biblical-story-of-daniel-in-the-lions-den>.
Chaignot, Mary Jane. "Daniel and Susanna - Bible Overview." BibleWise. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.biblewise.com/archives/2008/october/overview/overview_daniel.htm>.
Chaignot, Mary Jane. "Daniel and Susanna - Bible Overview." BibleWise. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.biblewise.com/archives/2008/october/overview/overview_daniel.htm>.
"Daniel and the Lions." DLTK. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.dltk-bible.com/cv/daniel_and_the_lions.htm>.
Jeffrey, David L. N.p.: Eerdmans, 1992. Google Books. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://books.google.com/books?id=7R0IGTSvIVIC>.
Luxon, Thomas H. "A Second Daniel: The Jew and the "True Jew" in The Merchant of Venice." Early Modern Literary Stories. Dartmouth College, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/04-3/luxoshak.html>.
"Paragraph Development and Transitions Between and Within Paragraphs." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.unc.edu/~eag5961/paragraphdevelandtransitionsdouglass270WF05.htm>.
"The Poisonwood Bible Summary and Analysis." Grader Saver. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.gradesaver.com/the-poisonwood-bible/study-guide/section4/>.
Shakespeare, William. Comp. Jeremy Hylton. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Shakespeare.mit.edu. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://shakespeare.mit.edu/merchant/merchant.4.1.html>.
The plotting officials caught him and took him to the King who tried to save him but was convinced by the other officials that he could not revoke the decree. So Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, where he stayed all night. Meanwhile, the King could not eat or sleep because he felt so guilty about throwing his friend to the lions. In the morning the King marched to the lion’s den where he miraculously found Daniel, alive and untouched. Daniel said,
"My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king." (Daniel 6:22, NIV)
The King rejoiced, and since Daniel’s God had protected him from the lions, King Darius decreed that everyone in the pagan Kingdom must now worship Daniel’s God.
Themes:
The story of Daniel in the lion’s den can be used to express a couple of different themes. One theme is Daniel’s purity of character. Literary works may allude to Daniel’s blamelessness and unyielding ethics. Another theme in Daniel in the Lion’s Den is faithfulness to God or faith in one’s beliefs in general. Daniel never wavered in his reverence to God even when the decree forbade him to worship his God and when he left in the lion’s den to be killed. God rewarded his faithfulness by saving him from the lions.
Allusions in Literature:
- In the autobiography Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, An American Slave, nineteenth century social reformer Frederick Douglass alludes to Daniel in the Lion’s Den. On arriving in New York after escaping slavery he states that he felt like “one who had escaped from a den of hungry lions.” As an African American, Douglass was persecuted by slavery as Daniel was persecuted by Darius’ decree. The allusion to Daniel implies that through his faith and perseverance Douglass escaped persecution.
- Daniel is also alluded to in Shakespeare’s play The Merchant of Venice when Shylock expresses his approval at Portia’s judgment in his favor saying “A Daniel come to judgement! yea, a Daniel! / O wise young judge, how I do honour thee.” In this line Shakespeare is referring to an earlier part in Daniel’s story having to do with a trial over a woman named to Susanna who was accused of adultery. Daniel, with his ethics and wit questioned the two accusers separately and discovered discrepancies in their responses, proving they were lying. Shakespeare’s allusion to Daniel in Shylock’s line shows that Shylock believes that Portia is honest and fair with his judgement like Daniel was.
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver loosely alludes to Daniel in the Lion’s Den. In the book, Adah, the daughter of American missionaries in Africa, has a near-death experience when she realizes that a lion is following her in the jungle. Like Daniel, she is faced with a difficult situation over which she has no control. Kingsolver uses the allusion to contrast her own point which is that when human vs. nature, nature prevails, whereas Daniel’s story emphasizes that faith in God prevails. Adah escapes the lion but she finds out later that a village boy was killed in her place.
Works Cited:
"Biblical Story of Daniel in the Lion' s Den." House and Home. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.houseandhome.org/biblical-story-of-daniel-in-the-lions-den>.
Chaignot, Mary Jane. "Daniel and Susanna - Bible Overview." BibleWise. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.biblewise.com/archives/2008/october/overview/overview_daniel.htm>.
Chaignot, Mary Jane. "Daniel and Susanna - Bible Overview." BibleWise. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.biblewise.com/archives/2008/october/overview/overview_daniel.htm>.
"Daniel and the Lions." DLTK. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Feb. 2013. <http://www.dltk-bible.com/cv/daniel_and_the_lions.htm>.
Jeffrey, David L. N.p.: Eerdmans, 1992. Google Books. Web. 11 Feb. 2013. <http://books.google.com/books?id=7R0IGTSvIVIC>.
Luxon, Thomas H. "A Second Daniel: The Jew and the "True Jew" in The Merchant of Venice." Early Modern Literary Stories. Dartmouth College, n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://extra.shu.ac.uk/emls/04-3/luxoshak.html>.
"Paragraph Development and Transitions Between and Within Paragraphs." N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013. <http://www.unc.edu/~eag5961/paragraphdevelandtransitionsdouglass270WF05.htm>.
"The Poisonwood Bible Summary and Analysis." Grader Saver. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://www.gradesaver.com/the-poisonwood-bible/study-guide/section4/>.
Shakespeare, William. Comp. Jeremy Hylton. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Shakespeare.mit.edu. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. <http://shakespeare.mit.edu/merchant/merchant.4.1.html>.