Daniel Chapter 6 Verse 24

24 And the king commanded, and those men who had accused Daniel were brought and cast into the den of lions—they, their children, and their wives; and before they reached the bottom of the den the lions overpowered them and broke all their bones in pieces.

Without any trial or hearing, Darius has Daniel’s accusers and their families paraded past Daniel and thrown into the pit. They were killed before they reached the bottom of the pit. (These lions seem to have been in a foul mood for some reason. Perhaps because they had been forced to just stare at their dinner all night…)

And Daniel’s reaction? He did not object. God has said that he will judge – and we should not get in the way when he does!

What was their crime?

They had lied to the king.

They had tried to deprive the king of his most trusted advsior.

While Darius’ actions may seem arbitrary and unjust to us, we must keep in mind that ancient despots did not generally follow the law of Moses!

Deuteronomy 24:16 "The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, nor shall the children be put to death for the fathers; every man shall be put to death for his own sin.

Indeed, even the Jews did not always follow the law of Moses.

2 Kings 10:11 tells us that Jehu killed everyone in the house of Ahab in Jezreel.

Why were their families killed as well? Probably to minimize the chance of revenge. Darius wanted a secure prime minister.