Lexical Summary tlathiyn: Thirty Original Word: תְּלָתִין Strong's Exhaustive Concordance thirty (Aramaic) mult. Of tlath; ten times three -- thirty. see HEBREW tlath Brown-Driver-Briggs תְּלָתִין noun indeclinable thirty; — ׳יוֺמִין ת Daniel 6:8; Daniel 6:13. Topical Lexicon Numerical meaning The term denotes the cardinal number thirty. Within Scripture the number often marks the threshold of recognized maturity (Genesis 41:46; Numbers 4:3; 2 Samuel 5:4; Luke 3:23) or completes a defined interval of testing and transition (Numbers 20:29; Deuteronomy 34:8). In Daniel the same duration becomes the pivot for a legal snare aimed at silencing prayer. Occurrences in Daniel Daniel 6:7 and Daniel 6:12 contain the only appearances of the Aramaic form. The conspirators propose, and later cite, an irrevocable statute: “All the royal administrators, prefects, satraps, advisers, and governors have agreed that the king should establish an ordinance and enforce a decree that for thirty days anyone who petitions any god or man except you, O king, will be thrown into the den of lions.” (Daniel 6:7) Their reiteration in verse 12 underscores the deliberate design of the timeframe. Historical background The scene unfolds under Darius the Mede, shortly after Babylon’s fall (Daniel 5:30-31). Persian and Median law allowed limited-duration decrees, binding even on the monarch (Daniel 6:12, 15). Thirty days was long enough to expose Daniel’s daily devotion yet short enough to sound reasonable to the king and populace. The figure therefore reveals calculated malice cloaked in administrative normalcy. Thematic significance 1. Test of allegiance: The fixed thirty-day window forced a choice between obedience to God’s continual command to pray (Psalm 55:17) and obedience to human authority. Thirty-day decrees in the Ancient Near East Extra-biblical Persian documents attest to festival edicts or ration allotments lasting one month, indicating that thirty-day enactments were administratively familiar. Such precedent lent plausibility to the plot without arousing royal suspicion. Connection with wider biblical patterns • Moses and the nation mourned thirty days (Deuteronomy 34:8), marking communal reflection after leadership transition—paralleling the empire’s recent change of rule. Ministry application Believers may encounter time-bound pressures to conform—corporate policies, civic ordinances, or cultural moments. Daniel’s steadfastness across thirty days encourages: Christological reflection Daniel’s unjust sentence, sealed stone, and miraculous deliverance foreshadow Christ’s own burial and resurrection (Matthew 27:66; Mark 16:4-6). The thirty-day decree becomes one facet of the prophetic tapestry that points to the ultimate vindication of the Righteous One. Summary Tĕlâthîn marks a thirty-day interval engineered for evil yet used by God to display His supremacy, preserve His servant, and prefigure greater redemption. The number therefore carries a dual voice—administrative expedience in human scheming and divinely appointed duration for proving faith. Forms and Transliterations תְּלָתִ֗ין תלתין tə·lā·ṯîn telaTin təlāṯînLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 6:7 HEB: עַד־ יוֹמִ֣ין תְּלָתִ֗ין לָהֵן֙ מִנָּ֣ךְ NAS: you, O king, for thirty days, KJV: or man for thirty days, save INT: for days thirty save of thee Daniel 6:12 2 Occurrences |
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