Daniel 6:24

24. This awful punishment upon those who had with their tongues “eaten the pieces” of Daniel (see note Daniel 3:8) is not inconsistent with some of the actions of some despots; yet the fact that it can be mentioned by the author without a note of disapproval may show his own feelings toward the persecutors of his religion. The Old Testament is not the New Testament, and our Lord’s teaching of love for enemies is not so universally practiced yet in the Christian Church that we can afford to cast any stones at an ancient Hebrew who triumphs because of the downfall of those who have persecuted him and his people. The destruction of the innocent families of these guilty men is in accordance with the Babylonian and Persian custom. (See also Daniel 3:29.) The old Greek text states that only two men and their families were thus executed.