Daniel 6:19
New International Version
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.

New Living Translation
Very early the next morning, the king got up and hurried out to the lions’ den.

English Standard Version
Then, at break of day, the king arose and went in haste to the den of lions.

Berean Standard Bible
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.

King James Bible
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

New King James Version
Then the king arose very early in the morning and went in haste to the den of lions.

New American Standard Bible
Then the king got up at dawn, at the break of day, and went in a hurry to the lions’ den.

NASB 1995
Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den.

NASB 1977
Then the king arose with the dawn, at the break of day, and went in haste to the lions’ den.

Legacy Standard Bible
Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and hurriedly went to the lions’ den.

Amplified Bible
Then the king arose at dawn, at the break of day, and hurried to the den of lions.

Christian Standard Bible
At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
At the first light of dawn the king got up and hurried to the lions’ den.

American Standard Version
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

Contemporary English Version
At daybreak the king got up and ran to the pit.

English Revised Version
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
At dawn, as soon as it was light, the king got up and quickly went to the lions' den.

Good News Translation
At dawn the king got up and hurried to the pit.

International Standard Version
The king got up at dawn and went quickly to the lions' pit.

Majority Standard Bible
At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.

NET Bible
In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions' den.

New Heart English Bible
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.

World English Bible
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Then the king rises in the early morning, at the light, and he has gone in haste to the den of lions;

Young's Literal Translation
Then doth the king rise in the early morning, at the light, and in haste to the den of lions he hath gone;

Smith's Literal Translation
At that time the king will rise in the dawn in the morning, and in haste he departed to the lion's den.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Then the king rising very early in the morning, went in haste to the lions' den:

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then the king, getting himself up at first light, went quickly to the den of lions.

New American Bible
the king rose very early the next morning and hastened to the lions’ den.

New Revised Standard Version
Then, at break of day, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Then the king arose in the morning early and went in haste to the den of lions.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Then the King arose hastily at dawn and he went quickly to the pit of lions
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and came in hast to the den of lions.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Daniel in the Lions' Den
18Then the king went to his palace and spent the night fasting. No entertainment was brought before him, and sleep fled from him. 19 At the first light of dawn, the king got up and hurried to the den of lions. 20When he reached the den, he cried out in a voice of anguish, “O Daniel, servant of the living God, has your God, whom you serve continually, been able to deliver you from the lions?”…

Cross References
Matthew 27:62-66
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate. / “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ / So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.” ...

Matthew 28:1-6
After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. / Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it. / His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. ...

Mark 16:1-6
When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could go and anoint the body of Jesus. / Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they went to the tomb. / They were asking one another, “Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the tomb?” ...

Luke 24:1-3
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared. / They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, / but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

John 20:1-3
Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance. / So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb,” she said, “and we do not know where they have put Him!” / Then Peter and the other disciple set out for the tomb.

Acts 12:5-11
So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was fervently praying to God for him. / On the night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, with sentries standing guard at the entrance to the prison. / Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And the chains fell off his wrists. ...

Genesis 22:3
So Abraham got up early the next morning, saddled his donkey, and took along two of his servants and his son Isaac. He split the wood for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had designated.

1 Samuel 17:16
For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening to take his stand.

1 Kings 18:36-39
At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command. / Answer me, O LORD! Answer me, so that this people will know that You, the LORD, are God, and that You have turned their hearts back again.” / Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the dust, and it licked up the water in the trench. ...

2 Kings 19:35-36
And that very night the angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 men in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies! / So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

Psalm 30:5
For His anger is fleeting, but His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may stay the night, but joy comes in the morning.

Psalm 46:5
God is within her; she will not be moved. God will help her when morning dawns.

Psalm 57:1-3
For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul into the cave. Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy, for in You my soul takes refuge. In the shadow of Your wings I will take shelter until the danger has passed. / I cry out to God Most High, to God who fulfills His purpose for me. / He reaches down from heaven and saves me; He rebukes those who trample me. Selah God sends forth His loving devotion and His truth.

Psalm 91:11-13
For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. / They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. / You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent.

Isaiah 26:9
My soul longs for You in the night; indeed, my spirit seeks You at dawn. For when Your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness.


Treasury of Scripture

Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste to the den of lions.

Matthew 28:1
In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.

Mark 16:2
And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

2 Corinthians 2:13
I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

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Break Dawn Den Early First Haste Hole Hurried Lions Morning Quickly
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Break Dawn Den Early First Haste Hole Hurried Lions Morning Quickly
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.














At the first light of dawn
This phrase signifies the very beginning of a new day, symbolizing hope and renewal. In the Hebrew context, dawn often represents a time of divine intervention and new beginnings. The king's actions at dawn reflect his urgency and concern for Daniel, indicating that he had spent a restless night. Theologically, dawn can be seen as a metaphor for God's faithfulness and the promise of deliverance, as seen in Lamentations 3:22-23, where God's mercies are "new every morning."

the king
The king in this context is Darius, ruler of the Medo-Persian Empire. Historically, Darius is portrayed as a ruler who respected Daniel and was distressed by the consequences of his own decree. His actions demonstrate the tension between human authority and divine sovereignty. From a conservative Christian perspective, the king's role highlights the limitations of earthly power and the ultimate authority of God over the affairs of men.

got up
This action indicates a sense of urgency and determination. The king's rising at dawn suggests that he was deeply troubled and anxious to know Daniel's fate. In a broader scriptural context, rising up often signifies readiness to act or respond to God's call, as seen in various biblical narratives where individuals rise to fulfill divine purposes.

and hurried
The king's haste underscores his deep concern and the urgency of the situation. This urgency reflects the king's hope against hope that Daniel's God had delivered him. In the biblical narrative, such urgency often accompanies moments of significant divine intervention or revelation, emphasizing the immediacy of God's action in human affairs.

to the den of lions
The lion's den is a place of trial and testing, symbolizing the challenges and dangers faced by the faithful. In the historical and archaeological context, lions were symbols of power and danger in the ancient Near East. The den represents a place where God's power is demonstrated over the natural world. For Christians, the lion's den is a powerful metaphor for the trials believers face and the assurance of God's protection and deliverance, as echoed in 1 Peter 5:8-9, where believers are called to resist the devil, who prowls like a roaring lion.

Verses 19, 20. - Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Darnel O Daniel servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? "Very early" is really "the glimmer of day;" (shapharpara). The word used occurs in the Targums. It may, however, be doubted whether the word here is not the Syriac shapbra. The writing here presents so many peculiarities that suspicion is forced upon the reader. The first פ is small, and the second is large. There is the further difficulty that nogah is nearly equivalent to shaphra. One might suspect a doublet, as Behrmann maintains, here, did not the versions indicate something like this as the meaning of this clause. A lamentable voice (atzeeb) seems to mean "sad" or "grieved." The version of the Septuagint shows traces of addition, "And King Darius rose early in the morning, and took with him the satraps, and went and stood at the mouth of the den of lions. Then the king called to Daniel with a loud voice, with weeping, saying, O Daniel, if thou art alive, and thy God whom thou servest continually, hath he saved thee from the lions? and have they not harmed thee?" It is possible the addition of "the satraps" may have been due to shapharpara being read ahashdarpnayya. Certainly if the purpose of the double scaling was what it is assigned to be in the first verse, then the satraps would accompany him; only the suggestion is such a natural one that it might readily slip into the text. Ver. 20 (21) in the LXX. has traces of expansion. The omission of yekeel and the change of sheezab to the finite preterite is possible enough, and may indicate that in the original text the word rendered "able" was not found. Theodotion renders ver. 19 (20) in accordance with the Massoretic reading, but, in ver. 20 (21) instead of "lamentable voice," has "strong voice," a reading that seems somewhat confirmed by the LXX. Further, he translates the interrogative ha as if it were the Hebrew kee, "if." The Peshitta, though agreeing in the nineteenth verse with the Massoretic, has some minor differences in the following verse - "high voice" instead of "lamentable voice," and "faithfully" instead of "continually." The Vulgate singularly inserts in ver. 20 putasne? "dost thou think?" That Darius should thus hasten in the semi-darkness of the first glimmer of dawn to the lions' den to see whether Daniel were yet alive, was but natural. As the sealing of the lions' den suggested the sealing of the holy sepulchre, so the hastening of Darius to the den in the earliest dawn suggests the action of the women who got up "a great while before day." When Darius calls Daniel the "servant of the living God," there is no necessary confession of faith in him on the part of the king. It is for him simply an act of politeness to a Deity who, if this were neglected, might resent. It is to be noted that this attribute "living" is omitted in the Septuagint.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
At the first light
בְּנָגְהָ֑א (bə·nā·ḡə·hā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 5053: Brightness, daylight

of dawn,
בִּשְׁפַּרְפָּרָ֖א (biš·par·pā·rā)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 8238: The dawn

the king
מַלְכָּ֔א (mal·kā)
Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 4430: A king

got up
יְק֣וּם (yə·qūm)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 6966: To arise, stand

and hurried
וּבְהִ֨תְבְּהָלָ֔ה (ū·ḇə·hiṯ·bə·hā·lāh)
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Verb - Hitpael - Infinitive construct
Strong's 927: To terrify, hasten

to the den
לְגֻבָּ֥א (lə·ḡub·bā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 1358: A pit, den

of
דִֽי־ (ḏî-)
Pronoun - relative
Strong's 1768: Who, which, that, because

lions.
אַרְיָוָתָ֖א (’ar·yā·wā·ṯā)
Noun - masculine plural determinate
Strong's 744: A lion


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OT Prophets: Daniel 6:19 Then the king arose very early (Dan. Da Dn)
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