Darius

Darius the Mede is mentioned in Daniel 5:31 and 6:1 as the ruler who took over Babylon after Belshazzar's fall and the city's conquest. He appointed Daniel as one of three presidents over the kingdom and, trapped by courtiers into an edict forbidding prayer to any god but himself, was compelled to throw Daniel into the lions' den when Daniel continued praying to God (Daniel 6:1–24). After Daniel's miraculous survival, Darius issued a decree commanding reverence for 'the God of Daniel.' The historical identification of Darius the Mede with known Persian or Median rulers is debated among scholars; the most common modern proposals identify him with Cyrus's general Gubaru or understand the figure as literary rather than strictly historical. Darius I the Great of Persia confirmed Cyrus's temple-rebuilding edict (Ezra 5:6–6:12).