Daniel 6:1
New International Version
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,

New Living Translation
Darius the Mede decided to divide the kingdom into 120 provinces, and he appointed a high officer to rule over each province.

English Standard Version
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom 120 satraps, to be throughout the whole kingdom;

Berean Standard Bible
Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,

King James Bible
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

New King James Version
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps, to be over the whole kingdom;

New American Standard Bible
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, to be in charge of the whole kingdom,

NASB 1995
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom,

NASB 1977
It seemed good to Darius to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they should be in charge of the whole kingdom,

Legacy Standard Bible
It seemed good to Darius that he set 120 satraps over the kingdom, that they would be in charge of the whole kingdom,

Amplified Bible
It seemed good to Darius [who became king after Belshazzar] to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge throughout the kingdom,

Christian Standard Bible
Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Darius decided to appoint 120 satraps over the kingdom, stationed throughout the realm,

American Standard Version
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And it was pleasing before Darius and he raised up in his kingdom a hundred and twenty Generals of the armies, that they would be over all his kingdom

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And it pleased Darius, and he set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, to be in all his kingdom;

Contemporary English Version
Darius divided his kingdom into 120 states and placed a governor in charge of each one.

Douay-Rheims Bible
It seemed good to Darius, and he appointed over the kingdom a hundred and twenty governors to be over his whole kingdom.

English Revised Version
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty satraps, which should be throughout the whole kingdom;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Darius decided it would be good to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom.

Good News Translation
Darius decided to appoint a hundred and twenty governors to hold office throughout his empire.

International Standard Version
It pleased Darius to appoint 120 regional authorities over the kingdom throughout the realm,

JPS Tanakh 1917
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

Literal Standard Version
It has been good before Darius, and he has established over the kingdom satraps—one hundred and twenty—that they may be throughout the whole kingdom,

Majority Standard Bible
Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom,

New American Bible
Darius decided to appoint over his entire kingdom one hundred and twenty satraps.

NET Bible
It seemed like a good idea to Darius to appoint over the kingdom 120 satraps who would be in charge of the entire kingdom.

New Revised Standard Version
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty satraps, stationed throughout the whole kingdom,

New Heart English Bible
It pleased Darayavush to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty satraps, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

Webster's Bible Translation
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom a hundred and twenty princes, who should be over the whole kingdom;

World English Bible
It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom one hundred twenty local governors, who should be throughout the whole kingdom;

Young's Literal Translation
It hath been good before Darius, and he hath established over the kingdom satraps -- a hundred and twenty -- that they may be throughout the whole kingdom,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Plot Against Daniel
1Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps to rule throughout the kingdom, 2and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.…

Cross References
Daniel 3:2
Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces to attend the dedication of the statue he had set up.

Daniel 5:31
and Darius the Mede received the kingdom at the age of sixty-two.

Daniel 6:2
and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.


Treasury of Scripture

It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes, which should be over the whole kingdom;

Darius.

Daniel 5:31
And Darius the Median took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old.

1 Peter 2:14
Or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers, and for the praise of them that do well.

an.

Exodus 18:21,22
Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens: …

Esther 1:1
Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus, (this is Ahasuerus which reigned, from India even unto Ethiopia, over an hundred and seven and twenty provinces:)

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Appoint Captains Charge Darius Good Hundred Kingdom Pleased Princes Rule Satraps Seemed Throughout Twenty Whole
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Appoint Captains Charge Darius Good Hundred Kingdom Pleased Princes Rule Satraps Seemed Throughout Twenty Whole
Daniel 6
1. Daniel is made chief of the presidents.
4. They, conspiring against him, obtain an idolatrous decree.
10. Daniel, accused of the breach thereof, is cast into the lion's den.
18. Daniel is saved;
24. his adversaries devoured;
25. and God magnified by a decree.














VI.

(1) Princes.--See Excursus A. The LXX. make the number 127, so as to agree with Esther 1:1.

Verses 1-28. - DANIEL IN THE LIONS' DEN. Verses 1-3. - It pleased Darius to set over the kingdom an hundred and twenty princes. which should be over the whole kingdom; and over these three presidents; of whom Daniel was first: that the princes might give accounts unto them, and the king should have no damage. Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm. The variations from the Massoretic text in the Septuagint are, in regard to the verses before us, very considerable. It assumes the last verse of the preceding chapter, and begins, "And he set up a hundred and twenty and seven satraps over all his kingdom. And over them he set three men as presidents (ἡγουμένους), and Daniel was one of the three men [and had authority over all men in the kingdom. And Daniel was clothed in purple, and was great and honourable (ἔνδοξος) before Darius the king, because he was honourable (ἔνδοξος) and understanding and prudent, and there was an holy spirit in him, and he prospered in the affairs of the kingdom which he did]. Then the king thought (ἐβουλεύσατο) to place Daniel over all his kingdom [(and the two men who stood with him and the hundred and twenty-seven satraps) when the king thought to place Daniel over his whole kingdom]." The passages within brackets, we think, are additions to amplify the description, and to connect it with the honor given Daniel by Belshazzar. The bracketed parts are easily separable from the rest, and then what remains forms a continuous narrative. Theodotion differs, though slightly, from the Massoretic text, Darius "set (κατεστήσεν) Daniel over the kingdom" - did not merely take counsel to do it. The Peshitta agrees also very closely with the Massoretic, only the word for "princes" is not, as in the Massoretic text, ahashdarpnayya, but rabu heel. This is the common rendering in the Peshitta of this word, and points to the Massoretic term being an adaptation. the use of the word "satrap" here has led to the idea that this is derived from the hundred and twenty-seven provinces (Esther 1:1). This identification is supported certainly by the LXX., which gives a hundred and twenty-seven as the number of the satraps set up by Darius. Josephus, it may be noted ('Ant.,' 10:11.4), mentions the satrapies as three hundred and sixty - a reading that seems scarcely to be drawn by any conceivable mistake from the Massoretie text, nor any tradition of the actual number of satrapis under the Persian rule. The probability is that there has been some early corruption of the number. On the supposition that Darius is Gobryas, these satraps would really be governors of cities and small districts in the populous province of Babylon. We have in the inscriptions of the Assyrian monarchs who intervened in the affairs of Babylon and Chaldea, notices of a large number of small kingships: each of these would require a special governor. In harmony with this, we are informed by Mr. Pinches that Gobryas appointed subordinate governors in the territory of Babylon. The phrase which states this occurs in the Annals of Nabunahid (col. 3. line 20), "And Gobryas his governor appointed governors in Babylon." Delitzsch ('Beitrage zur Assyriologie,' 2. p. 256) points out that the sign of the plural after the second occurrence of the word "governor" proves that we cannot translate as if "Cyrus" were the nominative to the sentence, and "Gobryas," who was governor of Gutium or Guti, was object. From the fact that the text of Daniel was not protected by being regularly read in the synagogues, as was the Law, the Prophets, the Megilloth, the Psalms, and some other books, it was more at the mercy of scribes. The change of "Gobryas" into "Darius" led easily to other modifications. Probably medeena, "province," was the word in the original text, but it was modified to malcoutha, "kingdom," and "governors" of cities became "satraps" over provinces. After having appointed these subordinate governors, that a board of three should be set over them was a necessary arrangement. The name given to them, sarekeen, is asserted by some to be of Persian origin. On the other hand, the fact that the first syllable is sar, the Assyrian for "king," one is tempted to think of a Semitic etymology. The Authorized is wrong in making Daniel "first" of these presidents; all that is asserted is that Daniel was one of these presidents. That the king should have no damage applies most probably to the revenue. The country, in the East, is divided off into small districts for the purpose of tax-collecting, and in the division of the Persian Empire into twenty satrapies, this was greatly the object. The repetition of the word "king" here might imply that Darius was not the king whose loss of revenue was to be guarded against; but we weald not be held as pressing this. Although Daniel was not, on the creation of this board, made chief of it, he soon acquired an influence over Darius which gave him, in effect, such a position. We arc to understand that these officials were mainly Babylonians. We learn now that the capture of Babylonia by Cyrus was not accomplished by a skilful diverting of the waters of the Euphrates, so that the Persian troops were enabled to wade in by the bed of the stream, nor to the fact that in the revelry of a feast the river-gates were left open, and the sentinels were careless; but to the fact that the whole official class were at enmity with the court, and so treachery opened the gates to Gobryas, the governor of Gutium, the name given to Mesopotamia as a Persian province, and when morning broke one day, the sixteenth of Tammuz, the inhabitants of Babylon saw the shields of Gutium guarding the citadel and the temple Esakkil. This being the case. naturally the official class of the former monarchy would be largely drawn upon to supply the needs of the new government; naturally the native Babylonians would think that the preference in all matters of office ought to be given to them; that, above all, the principal place should not be given to a Jew by Cyrus, or by any one under him, since Cyrus professed to be moved by reverence for the national gods of Babylon in his war against Nabunahid. And the king thought to set him over the whole realm. This really means over the province of Babylon, malcoutha being written instead of medeena. His object was not to make Daniel satrap instead of himself, but to make him his "vizier." His knowledge of the business of the province would of necessity be very thorough, dating, as it did, from the days of Nebuchadnezzar. He, as no other, would be acquainted with the various religious beliefs of the different captive communities in Babylonia. Himself belonging to one of these communities, his interest would be excited by all in similar circumstances. His age, the dignity he had enjoyed in the courts of Nebuchadnezzar and Nabunahid, along with his zeal and ability, naturally explain the desire of Darius (Gobryas) to make him his vizier.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Now it
שְׁפַר֙ (šə·p̄ar)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 8232: To be fair or seemly

pleased
קֳדָ֣ם (qo·ḏām)
Preposition
Strong's 6925: Before

Darius
דָּרְיָ֔וֶשׁ (dā·rə·yā·weš)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1868: Darius -- two person kings

to appoint
וַהֲקִים֙ (wa·hă·qîm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6966: To arise, stand

120
מְאָ֣ה (mə·’āh)
Number - feminine singular
Strong's 3969: A hundred

satraps
לַאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֖א (la·’ă·ḥaš·dar·pə·nay·yā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural determinate
Strong's 324: A satrap, governor, of a, main province

to rule
לֶהֱוֺ֖ן (le·hĕ·wōn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1934: To become, come to pass, be

throughout
בְּכָל־ (bə·ḵāl)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3606: The whole, all, any, every

the kingdom,
מַלְכוּתָֽא׃ (mal·ḵū·ṯā)
Noun - feminine singular determinate
Strong's 4437: Royalty, reign, kingdom


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OT Prophets: Daniel 6:1 It pleased Darius to set over (Dan. Da Dn)
Daniel 5:31
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