Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 6:7

"All the presidents of the kingdom, the deputies and the satraps, the counsellors and the governors, have consulted together to establish a royal statute, and to make a strong interdict, that whosoever shall ask a petition of any god or man for thirty days, save of thee, O king, he shall be cast into the den of lions." — Daniel 6:7 (ASV)

All the presidents.— Observe the order in which the State officers are mentioned—civil rulers, legal advisers, military governors—and compare the Note on Daniel 3:2. The spokesman represents all these officers as having come to a fixed determination after due deliberation. This was false, as it is plain from Daniel 6:24 that not all were involved in the conspiracy.

The object of the decree was political, as well as hostile towards Daniel. By consenting to the proposed plan, Darius would acknowledge the Babylonian system of theology, according to which the king was “the living manifestation of all the gods.” At the same time, his subjects would have an opportunity to offer him religious homage.

Probably this prevented the king from perceiving any plot against Daniel. We see from this history the antiquity of espionage in political matters.