Daniel 6:14
ESV
Then the king, when he heard these words, was much distressed and set his mind to deliver Daniel. And he labored till the sun went down to rescue him.
NIV
When the king heard this, he was greatly distressed; he was determined to rescue Daniel and made every effort until sundown to save him.
NASB
Then, as soon as the king heard this statement, he was deeply distressed, and set his mind on rescuing Daniel; and until sunset he kept exerting himself to save him.
CSB
As soon as the king heard this, he was very displeased; he set his mind on rescuing Daniel and made every effort until sundown to deliver him.
NLT
Hearing this, the king was deeply troubled, and he tried to think of a way to save Daniel. He spent the rest of the day looking for a way to get Daniel out of this predicament.
KJV
Then the king, when he heard these words, was sore displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him: and he laboured till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
NKJV
And the king, when he heard these words, was greatly displeased with himself, and set his heart on Daniel to deliver him; and he labored till the going down of the sun to deliver him.
What does Daniel 6:14 mean?
Darius, the king (Daniel 5:31) had a high regard for Daniel (Daniel 6:1–3). Yet he agreed to sign an unchangeable law prohibiting prayers other than those directed towards himself. He did not realize it was a jealous trap (Daniel 6:4–9). Daniel, as expected, refused to compromise his faith, and willingly violated the new law (Daniel 6:10–13). In that culture, the king was considered the same as the law, and the law could not be wrong. Therefore, certain royal decrees could not be overturned, even by the king who made them (Esther 8:8; Daniel 6:15).The pagan king is just as trapped as Daniel, though he desperately seeks a way to prevent tragedy. He knew Daniel was trustworthy and honorable. This verse implies that Daniel's sentence cannot be delayed—it must be carried out that same day. Tossing the ugly situation around his mind until evening showed how the king tried to delay the inevitable. In this way, Darius foreshadows the New Testament figure of Pilate. Both men held an innocent person's fate in their hands (John 19:6), and both tried to avoid carrying out the death sentence (John 19:12). And both men failed to avoid sentencing an innocent man (John 19:16; Daniel 6:16).
Daniel 6:10–18 relates what Daniel did when he learned about Darius's law outlawing prayer to the Lord. This passage also shows Darius's reaction when he learned Daniel had violated the law, and that he had been trapped by legalism and his own ego. Daniel demonstrates his loyal, faithful character (Acts 5:29) and fearless devotion to God (Daniel 1:8, 17, 20). He maintains this even as he is convicted—correctly—of violating the law and is sealed into a pen with lions.
Babylon's new ruler organizes his territory under 120 satraps and three governors. He intends to make Daniel the most powerful of these, but jealous rivals develop a plot. Knowing Daniel's only "weakness" is loyalty to God, they trick the king into passing an irrevocable law banning prayer. Daniel knows about the law but chooses obedience to God rather than to men. Darius is anguished yet he dutifully follows the law. When Daniel miraculously survives a night in a den full of lions, Darius is elated. He condemns the conspirators to death, and the same lions tear them apart. Darius then proclaims honor on behalf of Daniel's God.
