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

Darius the Mede assumed authority over Babylon after its fall to the Medo-Persian forces in 539 B.C. His precise identification remains uncertain, though he may have governed Babylon under Cyrus the Great. Daniel presents him as a real ruler through whom God transferred dominion from Babylon to the Medes and Persians, fulfilling the interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream that another kingdom would arise after Babylon (Daniel 2:39).

Dan 11:1 And I, in the first year of Darius the Mede,…
Dan 9:1 In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes,…
Dan 6:1 Now it pleased Darius to appoint 120 satraps…

received the kingdom

Babylon did not fall beyond God’s control; He had announced its judgment through Isaiah and Jeremiah because of its pride, violence, and idolatry (Isaiah 13:17–22; Jeremiah 51:24–26). The kingdom was handed over in a single night, confirming that God removes kings and establishes kings according to His purpose (Daniel 2:21). Darius’s rule also prepares for Daniel’s continued witness before a new empire, showing that the Lord’s servant remained secure even when earthly governments changed.

Dan 4:17 This decision is the decree of the watchers,…
Dan 2:21 He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings…
Psa 75:7 but it is God who judges; He brings down…

at the age of sixty-two.

The recorded age places Darius among experienced rulers rather than impulsive young kings such as Belshazzar. His arrival underscores the contrast between Babylon’s reckless final ruler and the ordered administration soon established under Medo-Persian authority. God’s judgment upon Babylon and His preservation of Daniel unfolded in public history through identifiable rulers and nations.

Dan 9:26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off…
Psa 90:10 The length of our days is seventy years—or eighty…
Ecc 12:1 Remember your Creator in the days of your youth,…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Darius the Mede
A ruler who took over the kingdom after the fall of Babylon. His identity is debated among scholars, but he is often associated with the Medo-Persian Empire that succeeded Babylon.

2. The Kingdom
Refers to the Babylonian Empire, which fell to the Medes and Persians. This transition marks a significant shift in power as prophesied in earlier chapters of Daniel.

3. The Fall of Babylon
An event that fulfilled the prophecy of the writing on the wall (Daniel 5:25-28), where God judged the Babylonian king Belshazzar for his pride and sacrilege.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Nations
The transition of power from Babylon to the Medes and Persians demonstrates God's control over world events and kingdoms. Believers can trust that God is sovereign over the affairs of nations today.

Fulfillment of Prophecy
The fall of Babylon as prophesied in Daniel and other scriptures shows the reliability of God's Word. Christians are encouraged to study and trust biblical prophecies.

The Consequences of Pride
Belshazzar's downfall serves as a warning against pride and irreverence towards God. Believers should cultivate humility and reverence in their relationship with God.

God's Timing
Darius receiving the kingdom at the age of sixty-two reminds us that God's timing is perfect. We should be patient and trust in His timing for events in our lives.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the transition of power from Babylon to the Medes and Persians illustrate God's sovereignty, and how can this understanding impact our view of current world events?

2. In what ways does the fulfillment of prophecy in Daniel 5:31 encourage you to trust in the promises of God found in the Bible?

3. Reflect on the consequences of pride as seen in the fall of Babylon. How can you apply this lesson to your personal life and spiritual walk?

4. Consider the role of Darius the Mede in the context of God's plan. How does this encourage you to see your own role in God's larger account?

5. How can the concept of God's perfect timing, as seen in the events of Daniel 5:31, help you in waiting for God's answers to your prayers or guidance in your life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Daniel 2:36-45
The vision of the statue with different materials, representing successive kingdoms, including the Medo-Persian Empire, which Darius the Mede represents.

Isaiah 13:17-19
Prophecies concerning the fall of Babylon, where God uses the Medes as instruments of His judgment.

Jeremiah 51:11
Another prophecy about the Medes being stirred up against Babylon, highlighting God's sovereignty over nations.
Sermons
At the Bar of GodH.T. Robjohns Daniel 5:17-31
The Word of God VerifiedJ.D. Davies Daniel 5:30, 31
People
Babylonians, Belshazzar, Belteshazzar, Daniel, Darius, Micah, Nebuchadnezzar, Persians
Places
Babylon, Jerusalem
Topics
Age, Darius, Kingdom, Mede, Median, Received, Sixty, Sixty-two, Threescore
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Daniel 5:22-31

     5878   honour

Daniel 5:30-31

     4215   Babylon

Library
Mene, Tekel, Peres
'Then Daniel answered and said before the king, Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards to another: yet I will read the writing unto the king, and make known to him the interpretation. 18. O thou king, the most high God gave Nebuchadnezzar thy father a kingdom, and majesty, and glory, and honour: 19. And for the majesty that he gave him, all people, nations, and languages, trembled and feared before him: whom he would he slew; and whom he would he kept alive; and whom he would he set up; …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

The Scales of Judgment
There has never been a deed of persecution--there has never been a drop of martyr's blood shed yet, but shall be avenged, and every land guilty of it shall yet drink the cup of the wine of the wrath of God. And especially certain is there gathering an awful storm over the head of the empire of Rome--that spiritual despotism of the firstborn of hell. All the clouds of God's vengeance are gathering into one--the firmament is big with thunder, God's right arm is lifted up even now, and ere long the …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 5: 1859

"So Then they that are in the Flesh Cannot Please God. "
Rom. viii. 8.--"So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." It is a kind of happiness to men, to please them upon whom they depend, and upon whose favour their well-being hangs. It is the servant's happiness to please his master, the courtier's to please his prince; and so generally, whosoever they be that are joined in mutual relations, and depend one upon another; that which makes all pleasant, is this, to please one another. Now, certainly, all the dependencies of creatures one upon …
Hugh Binning—The Works of the Rev. Hugh Binning

Human Government.
Human governments a part of the moral government of God. In the discussion of this subject I will,-- I. Inquire into the ultimate end of God in creation. We have seen in former lectures, that God is a moral agent, the self-existent and supreme; and is therefore himself, as ruler of all, subject to, and observant of, moral law in all his conduct. That is, his own infinite intelligence must affirm that a certain course of willing is suitable, fit, and right in him. This idea, or affirmation, is law …
Charles Grandison Finney—Systematic Theology

Eastern Wise-Men, or Magi, visit Jesus, the New-Born King.
(Jerusalem and Bethlehem, b.c. 4.) ^A Matt. II. 1-12. ^a 1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem [It lies five miles south by west of Jerusalem, a little to the east of the road to Hebron. It occupies part of the summit and sides of a narrow limestone ridge which shoots out eastward from the central chains of the Judæan mountains, and breaks down abruptly into deep valleys on the north, south, and east. Its old name, Ephrath, meant "the fruitful." Bethlehem means "house of bread." Its modern …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Messiah Unpitied, and Without a Comforter
Reproach [Rebuke] hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. T he greatness of suffering cannot be certainly estimated by the single consideration of the immediate, apparent cause; the impression it actually makes upon the mind of the sufferer, must likewise be taken into the account. That which is a heavy trial to one person, may be much lighter to another, and, perhaps, no trial at all. And a state …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

Sovereignty of God in Administration
"The LORD hath prepared His Throne In the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over all" (Psa. 103:19). First, a word concerning the need for God to govern the material world. Suppose the opposite for a moment. For the sake of argument, let us say that God created the world, designed and fixed certain laws (which men term "the laws of Nature"), and that He then withdrew, leaving the world to its fortune and the out-working of these laws. In such a case, we should have a world over which there was no intelligent, …
Arthur W. Pink—The Sovereignty of God

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision A. Reasons for Retiring to Galilee. ^A Matt. IV. 12; ^B Mark I. 14; ^C Luke III. 19, 20; ^D John IV. 1-4. ^c 19 but Herod the tetrarch [son of Herod the Great, and tetrarch, or governor, of Galilee], being reproved by him [that is, by John the Baptist] for Herodias his brother's wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done [A full account of the sin of Herod and persecution of John will be found at Matt. xiv. 1-12 and Mark vi. 14-29. John had spoken the truth to Herod as fearlessly …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Eternity of God
The next attribute is, God is eternal.' Psa 90:0. From everlasting to everlasting thou art God.' The schoolmen distinguish between aevun et aeternum, to explain the notion of eternity. There is a threefold being. I. Such as had a beginning; and shall have an end; as all sensitive creatures, the beasts, fowls, fishes, which at death are destroyed and return to dust; their being ends with their life. 2. Such as had a beginning, but shall have no end, as angels and the souls of men, which are eternal …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

That Upon the Conquest and Slaughter of vitellius Vespasian Hastened his Journey to Rome; but Titus his Son Returned to Jerusalem.
1. And now, when Vespasian had given answers to the embassages, and had disposed of the places of power justly, [25] and according to every one's deserts, he came to Antioch, and consulting which way he had best take, he preferred to go for Rome, rather than to march to Alexandria, because he saw that Alexandria was sure to him already, but that the affairs at Rome were put into disorder by Vitellius; so he sent Mucianus to Italy, and committed a considerable army both of horsemen and footmen to …
Flavius Josephus—The Wars of the Jews or History of the Destruction of Jerusalem

Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners Or, a Brief Relation of the Exceeding Mercy of God in Christ, to his Poor Servant, John Bunyan
In this my relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul, it will not be amiss, if in the first place, I do in a few words give you a hint of my pedigree, and manner of bringing up; that thereby the goodness and bounty of God towards me, may be the more advanced and magnified before the sons of men. 2. For my descent then, it was, as is well known by many, of a low and inconsiderable generation; my father's house being of that rank that is meanest, and most despised of all the families in …
John Bunyan—Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners

There is a Blessedness in Reversion
Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matthew 5:3 Having done with the occasion, I come now to the sermon itself. Blessed are the poor in spirit'. Christ does not begin his Sermon on the Mount as the Law was delivered on the mount, with commands and threatenings, the trumpet sounding, the fire flaming, the earth quaking, and the hearts of the Israelites too for fear; but our Saviour (whose lips dropped as the honeycomb') begins with promises and blessings. So sweet and ravishing was the doctrine of this …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Life and Death of Mr. Badman,
Presented to the World in a Familiar Dialogue Between Mr. Wiseman and Mr. Attentive. By John Bunyan ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The life of Badman is a very interesting description, a true and lively portraiture, of the demoralized classes of the trading community in the reign of King Charles II; a subject which naturally led the author to use expressions familiar among such persons, but which are now either obsolete or considered as vulgar. In fact it is the only work proceeding from the prolific …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

The Harbinger
The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD , make straight in the desert a high-way for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain. And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. T he general style of the prophecies is poetical. The inimitable simplicity which characterizes every …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1

The Greater Prophets.
1. We have already seen (Chap. 15, Nos. 11 and 12) that from Moses to Samuel the appearances of prophets were infrequent; that with Samuel and the prophetical school established by him there began a new era, in which the prophets were recognized as a distinct order of men in the Theocracy; and that the age of written prophecy did not begin till about the reign of Uzziah, some three centuries after Samuel. The Jewish division of the latter prophets--prophets in the more restricted sense of the …
E. P. Barrows—Companion to the Bible

Meditations Before Dinner and Supper.
Meditate that hunger is like the sickness called a wolf; which, if thou dost not feed, will devour thee, and eat thee up; and that meat and drink are but as physic, or means which God hath ordained, to relieve and cure this natural infirmity and necessity of man. Use, therefore, to eat and to drink, rather to sustain and refresh the weakness of nature, than to satisfy the sensuality and delights of the flesh. Eat, therefore, to live, but live not to eat. There is no service so base, as for a man …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety

The Chorus of Angels
Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour and glory, and blessing! I t was a good report which the queen of Sheba heard, in her own land, of the wisdom and glory of Solomon. It lessened her attachment to home, and prompted her to undertake a long journey to visit this greater King, of whom she had heard so much. She went, and she was not disappointed. Great as the expectations were, which she had formed from the relation made her by others, …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 2

Daniel
Daniel is called a prophet in the New Testament (Matt. xxiv. 15). In the Hebrew Bible, however, the book called by his name appears not among the prophets, but among "the writings," between Esther and Ezra. The Greek version placed it between the major and the minor prophets, and this has determined its position in modern versions. The book is both like and unlike the prophetic books. It is like them in its passionate belief in the overruling Providence of God and in the sure consummation of His …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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