{
  "schema_version": "simple_bible_commentary_page_v1",
  "generated_at": "2026-05-22T11:56:48.879222+00:00",
  "custom_id": "DAN_006",
  "testament": "OT",
  "book": "Daniel",
  "passage_ref": "Daniel 6:1-28",
  "title": "Daniel in the Lions’ Den",
  "canonical_url": "/commentary/old-testament-simple/daniel/dan_006/",
  "json_path": "/data/commentary/old-testament-simple/daniel/DAN_006.json",
  "simple_summary": "Daniel’s enemies could find no real fault in him, so they used his prayer to God against him. God shut the lions’ mouths, rescued Daniel, and showed that human power is limited and God’s kingdom stands forever.",
  "simple_explanation": "Daniel was faithful in his work and in his worship. Because they could not find wrongdoing in his life, his enemies made a law that would punish anyone who prayed to any god except the king. Daniel did not stop praying. He kept his regular habit of praying to God three times a day.\n\nWhen Daniel was put into the lions’ den, the king could not save him. But God could. God sent his angel and closed the lions’ mouths. Daniel came out unharmed because he trusted in his God.\n\nThe men who had plotted against Daniel were judged, and King Darius then honored the God of Daniel. The king said that God is living, eternal, and able to rescue. The chapter shows that earthly rulers may make proud claims, but they cannot overrule the living God.",
  "important_truths": [
    "Daniel was blameless in his service and faithful in prayer.",
    "The officials used a law about prayer to trap Daniel.",
    "Daniel continued to pray to God even when it became dangerous.",
    "God rescued Daniel by shutting the lions’ mouths.",
    "The story shows that God is living, sovereign, and able to deliver.",
    "Human power and human laws are limited before God.",
    "The passage ends with a public witness to God’s eternal kingdom."
  ],
  "warnings_promises_commands": [
    "Do not turn Daniel’s rescue into a promise that every faithful person will escape suffering.",
    "Do not treat the king’s punishment of the accusers as a model for believers.",
    "Keep steady prayer and faithful obedience to God even when it costs something.",
    "Trust God for rescue, but remember that his rescue may not look the same in every case."
  ],
  "gods_plan_connection": "This story belongs to Israel’s exile, when God’s people lived under foreign rule. Daniel’s prayer toward Jerusalem shows covenant faithfulness in that setting. The chapter reveals that God has not given up his people, and it prepares the way for the book’s later vision of God’s lasting kingdom over all nations.",
  "simple_application": "Believers should learn from Daniel to keep praying, keep obeying God, and keep a clean conscience. Faithfulness may bring trouble from others, but God still sees, God still rules, and God is able to save.",
  "net_bible_attribution": "Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.",
  "source_status": {
    "stage3_status": "not_started",
    "normalized_final_release_status": "",
    "final_release_status": "not_started",
    "stage3_final_release_status": "not_started",
    "operator_review_status": "not_started"
  }
}