God Shuts the Lions’ Mouths

At dawn the king calls to Daniel and asks whether the living God whom Daniel serves continually has been able to deliver him. Daniel answers that God sent his angel and “shut the lions’ mouths.” The miracle directly answers the accusation that loyalty to God made Daniel disloyal or doomed.

Hebrews 11:33 later celebrates people who “stopped the mouths of lions.” The writer does not name Daniel, but the verbal and narrative identification is exceptionally strong. This is a strong New Testament-to-Old Testament connection: Hebrews looks back to language and narrative strongly associated with Daniel’s deliverance.