Daniel in the lions' den DAN 6:16

Daniel, an elderly and highly respected official in the Persian administration, kept praying toward Jerusalem three times a day even after Darius signed a decree making that illegal. His rivals reported him, and the king, though reluctant, had him thrown into the den of lions. After a sleepless night, Darius found Daniel alive, who explained that the lions' mouths had been kept shut.

Daniel's political rivals could not find any corruption or failure in his work, so they turned his faithfulness to his own God into the one weapon they had against him. They knew he prayed openly toward Jerusalem three times a day and used that fixed habit to manipulate Darius into signing an irrevocable decree.

The text does not describe Daniel taking any special action; he simply continued his usual practice of prayer and was protected. The deliverance is credited to God shutting the lions' mouths, not to any courage or intervention on Daniel's part.

Most Christians read this account as a historical event showing God's faithfulness to his people during the exile and as an example of integrity under pressure. Others approach it more typologically, seeing in it a theme of deliverance and vindication; there is also some uncertainty about precisely identifying 'Darius the Mede' within known Persian history, though traditions generally agree on the central message of faithfulness and divine protection.