Daniel in the lions' den

Daniel in the lions' den refers to a story in Chapter 6 of the Book of Daniel in the Bible. Daniel – a noble Jewish youth and Biblical prophet – continues to pray to the God of Israel instead of his royal master, Darius the Mede. As a result, he is sent into a den of lions to be eaten. However, an angel sent by God saves Daniel and he emerged miraculously unharmed the next day.[1]

Daniel in the lion's den, as painted by Briton Rivière (1892)

By analogy, Daniel's situation has become an English language idiom for a hostile environment.[2]

References
  1. Seow 2003, pp. 85–86.
  2. Hirsch 2002, pp. 6–7.
  • Seow, C.L. (2003). Daniel. Westminster John Knox Press. ISBN 9780664256753.
  • Hirsch, E.D (2002). The new dictionary of cultural literacy. Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 978-0-618-22647-4.
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