The Den of Lions
Exile & ReturnMeaning: “The pit of lions”
Faithful prayer that fears God more than kings.
The lions’ pit into which Daniel was cast for praying to God — and from which God’s angel delivered him.
What It Was
When a royal decree forbade prayer to anyone but the king, Daniel still prayed three times a day toward Jerusalem. He was cast into the den of lions, but God “sent his angel, and… shut the lions’ mouths” (Daniel 6:22), and at dawn he was found unharmed.
Biblical Significance & Symbolism
Daniel’s open-window prayer models obedience that will not bend, trusting God with the outcome. His deliverance led even a pagan king to confess the living God (Daniel 6:26), and the New Testament lists those who “stopped the mouths of lions” by faith (Hebrews 11:33).
Timeline
Daniel is delivered from the den of lions
Scripture References
5 versesDaniel5 verses
Daniel 6:7
All the presidents of the kingdom, the governors, and the princes, the counsellors, and the captains, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a firm decree, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any God or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions. decree: or, interdict
Daniel 6:12
Then they came near, and spake before the king concerning the king's decree; Hast thou not signed a decree, that every man that shall ask a petition of any God or man within thirty days, save of thee, O king, shall be cast into the den of lions? The king answered and said, The thing is true, according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which altereth not.
Daniel 6:16
Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee.
Daniel 6:19
Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions.
Daniel 6:24
And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.
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Frequently asked about The Den of Lions
What was The Den of Lions in the Bible?
The lions’ pit into which Daniel was cast for praying to God — and from which God’s angel delivered him.
What does The Den of Lions symbolize?
Faithful prayer that fears God more than kings.
What does the name The Den of Lions mean?
The name The Den of Lions means “The pit of lions”.
Where was The Den of Lions kept?
The Den of Lions was kept at Babylon (under Darius).
Where is The Den of Lions first mentioned in the Bible?
The Den of Lions is first mentioned in Daniel 6:7.
How often is The Den of Lions mentioned in the Bible?
The Den of Lions is mentioned in 5 verses across 1 book: Daniel.
Why was Daniel thrown into the lions’ den?
For continuing to pray to God despite a decree forbidding it; God shut the lions’ mouths and he was unharmed (Daniel 6).
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