Daniel 6:2

Three presidents. This administrative body is not mentioned in non-Biblical sources. There is a complete lack of contemporary documentary evidence as to the organization of the Persian Empire prior to the reign of Darius I.

Daniel was first. Literally, “Daniel was one”. The word here translated “first” is rendered “one” in (chs. 2:9; 4:19; 7:5, 16). The aged prophet soon distinguished himself by conscientious service.

No damage. The reason for the elaborate organization of civil service in Persia is here pictured in vivid colors. On precautions taken by the imperial system to guard against loss of revenue and other damage, compare Ezra 4:13-16.

Excellent spirit. This was not the first time that royal observers had noticed a unique “spirit” in Daniel. Nebuchadnezzar had testified to Daniel’s possession of “the spirit of the holy gods” (ch. 4:8). The queen mother repeated the expression in her interview with Belshazzar on his last fate fill night (ch. 5:11). On the same occasion she called attention to the “excellent spirit” that had been observed in Daniel (ch. 5:12). This spirit had no doubt manifested itself, not only in the solving of “hard sentences” (ch. 5:12), but also in scrupulous integrity, unwavering faithfulness, loyalty to duty, and integrity in words and acts — qualities rarely seen in civil servants of that age. A brief acquaintance with this elderly statesman, a survivor of the golden age of imperial Babylonia, was sufficient to convince Darius that Daniel would be a wise choice as chief administrator of the new empire and counselor of the crown.