I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold, there was a man clothed in linen, whose thighs were adorned with pure gold of Uphaz. His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches. His arms and his feet were like burnished bronze. The voice of his words was like the voice of a multitude.
I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men who were with me didn’t see the vision; but a great quaking fell on them, and they fled to hide themselves. So I was left alone, and saw this great vision. No strength remained in me; for my face grew deathly pale, and I retained no strength. Yet I heard the voice of his words. When I heard the voice of his words, then I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground.
Behold, a hand touched me, which set me on my knees and on the palms of my hands.
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv5, 7, 8, 9 As to the word Uphaz, some think it to…
As to the word Uphaz, some think it to be a pearl or precious stone, and they take the word כתם, kethem, which precedes it, for pure gold. Others take uphaz adjectivally, for pure gold. I do not suppose it to be an epithet, but I rather subscribe to the view of those who understand it as the proper name of a place, because this view is in accordance with the phraseology of the tenth chapter of Jeremiah. There is another opinion which is unsuitable. Uphaz is said to be derived from the noun Phaz, and is called “pure,” the letter Aleph being redundant. The above mentioned passage of Jeremiah is sufficient to prove my assertion, that it signifies a certain region; and so some have translated it by ophir. The word תרשש, tharsis, is thought to mean chrysolite: some think it denotes the color of the sea, and then, by a figure of speech, take it generally for any sea. It is also said to mean sky-colored.
Daniel now begins to relate the manner in which the vision was offered to him. He says, when he stood on the bank of the river a man appeared to him, different from the common order of men. He calls him a man, but shews him to be endued, or adorned with attributes which inspire full confidence in his celestial glory. We have elsewhere stated, how angels are called men, whenever God wished them to put on this outward form. The name of men is therefore used metaphorically whenever they assumed that form by God’s command, and now Daniel speaks after the accustomed manner. Meanwhile, some absurdly imagine angels to have been really men, since they assumed this appearance, and were clothed in a human body. We ought not to believe them to be really men, because they appeared under a human form. Christ, indeed, was really man, in consequence of his springing from the seed of Abraham, David, and Adam. But as regards angels, God clothes them for a single day or a short period in bodies, for a distinct purpose and a special use. Wherefore, I assert the gross error of those who suppose angels to become men, as often as they are corporeally visible in a human form. Still they may be called men, because Scripture accommodates itself to our senses, as we know sufficiently well. Daniel therefore says, he saw a man, and afterwards distinguishes him from the human race, and shews fixed and conspicuous marks inscribed upon him, which discover him to be an angel sent down from heaven, and not a mere earthly mortal. Some philosophize with subtlety on the word raised, as if Daniel so raised his eyes upwards as to be unconscious of all earthly objects; but this does not appear to me sufficiently certain. The Prophet wishes to impress the certainty of the vision; not only was his mind composed and collected, but he applied all his senses to the one object before him — the attainment of some consolation from God. The Prophet, therefore, denotes the earnestness of his desire, for when he looked round he found himself subject to many cares and anxieties. Again, with reference to the marks by which Daniel might infer the object of his vision to be neither earthly nor mortal, he first says, he was clothed in linen This kind of garment was common enough among the people of the East. Those regions are remarkably warm, and their inhabitants need not protect themselves against the cold, as we are necessarily compelled to do. They seldom wear woolen clothing. But on special occasions when they wish to use more splendid attire, they put on linen tunics, as we learn not only from many passages of Scripture, but also from profane writers. Hence I take this passage as if Daniel had said, the man appeared to him in splendid apparel. For בדים, bedim, is supposed not to mean common linen, but a more exquisite kind of fabric. This is one point.
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He next says, He was girt with pure gold; that is, with a golden belt. The Orientals were formerly accustomed to gird themselves with belts or girdles, as their garments were long and reached almost down to the feet. Hence it became necessary for those who wished to move expeditiously to gird themselves with belts. When the angel appeared with raiment of this kind, the difference between himself and other men was displayed to the Prophet. Some refer the linen garment to the priesthood of Christ, and treat the girdle as an emblem of rigor. But these are mere refinements, and seem to me destitute of all reality. I therefore am content with the simple opinion on which I have touched, namely, this form of clothing distinguished the angel from ordinary mortals. But this will appear clearer from the following verse. For Daniel says, His body was sky-colored, or like the precious stone called beryl, of a golden hue Without doubt, the Prophet beheld something different from a human form, for the purpose of his clearly ascertaining the vision not to be a man, but an angel in the form of man. I leave the allegory here, although it proceeds throughout the whole verse. I am aware of the plausible nature of allegories, but when we reverently weigh the teachings of the Holy Spirit, those speculations which at first sight pleased us exceedingly, vanish from our view. I am not captivated by these enticements myself, and I wish all my hearers to be persuaded of this, — nothing can be better than a sober treatment of Scripture. We ought never to fetch from a distance subtle explanations, for the true sense will, as I have previously expressed it, flow naturally from a passage when it is weighed with maturer deliberation. He says, His face was like the appearance of lightning This, again, assured the Prophet of his being an more than earthly mortal. His eyes would lead to the same conclusion; they were like lamps of fire; then his arms and feet were like polished or burnished brass; lastly, the voice of his words was the voice of a tumult, or noise, or multitude. The sum of the whole is this, — the angel, though clad in human form, possessed certain conspicuous marks by which God separated him from the common crowd of men. Thus Daniel clearly perceived the divine mission of the angel, and God wished to establish the confidence and certainty of those prophecies which will afterwards follow in the eleventh chapter. Let us proceed:
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv5, 8, 10 This was the Angel of God, which was sent…
This was the Angel of God, which was sent to assure Daniel in this prophecy that followeth.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv5–10 Dan 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and…
Dan 10:5 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins [were] girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
Ver. 5. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked,] viz., After my long fasting, praying, and meditating. So Moses and Elias, those great fasters, met together with our Saviour gloriously in the mount at his transfiguration. It is abstinence, not fulness, that makes a man capable of heavenly visions of divine glory.
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Behold a certain man.] Heb., One man; a singular man, a glorious person; Messias the prince, described here by his habit and parts as a judge, say some, or as a priest, say others. See Dan 12:6-7 Rev 1:13-15; Rev 10:5.
Clothed in linen.] To show his innocence and purity, as also his righteousnesses, imputed and imparted, wherewith he clotheth his saints, {Rev 19:8} that fine white linen and shining.
Whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz.] Or, Of Ophir; Peru, haply, or Malaca, or Sopbala. This golden girdle about his loins denoteth Christ’s strength and alacrity. {Psa 93:1 Luk 17:8}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv5–10 He beheld wistly and with a composed mind.
He beheld wistly and with a composed mind.
A certain man; which man some will have an angel, either Gabriel, who appeared to him before, or Michael, chief among the angels, Jude 9, archangel, who is mentioned after. Or rather, Christ, who was true man.
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1. He appeared to Daniel in royal and priestly robes, which was not proper for any angel.
2. He appeared in so great brightness and majesty, which made Daniel astonished, and laid him prostrate.
3. Compare this place with Dan 12:6,7, and you find him the same as here, revealing the secrets of times, and of God’s providence towards his church, which is Christ.
Clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: see Rev 1:13-17, where the Lord Jesus Christ is described as here in Daniel, and for the same end. Now he appeared thus before his incarnation, in the Old Testament, as a prelude of it, as the best expositors grant it. By this appearance the Lord Christ held out clearly his three offices of King, Priest, and Prophet. The girding of loins signifies his readiness to obey the commands and do the work of his Father; besides the ornament of the curious golden girdle.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Henry 1710 · Public Domain On v10 Much ado here is to bring Daniel to be…
Much ado here is to bring Daniel to be able to bear what Christ has to say to him. Still we have him in a fright, hardly and very slowly recovering himself; but he is still answered and supported with good words and comfortable words. Let us see how Daniel is by degrees brought to himself, and gather up the several passages that are to the same purport.
I. Daniel is in a great consternation and finds it very difficult to get clear of it. The hand that touched him set him at first upon his knees and the palms of his hands, Dan 10:10. Note, Strength and comfort commonly come by degrees to those that have been long cast down and disquieted; they are first helped up a little, and then more. After two days he will revive us, and then the third day he will raise us up. And we must not despise the day of small things, but be thankful for the beginnings of mercy. Afterwards he is helped up, but he stands trembling (Dan 10:11), for fear lest he fall again. Note, Before God gives strength and power unto his people he makes them sensible of their own weakness. I trembled in myself, that I might rest in the day of trouble, Hab 3:16. But when, afterwards, Daniel recovered so much strength in his limbs that he could stand steadily, yet he tells us (Dan 10:15) that he set his face towards the ground and became dumb; he was as a man astonished, who knew not what to say, struck dumb with admiration and fear, and was loth to enter into discourse with one so far above him; he kept silence, yea, even from good, till he had recollected himself a little. Well, at length he recovered, not only the use of his feet, but the use of his tongue; and, when he opened his mouth (Dan 10:16), that which he had to say was to excuse his having been so long silent, for really he durst not speak, he could not speak: "O my lord" (so, in great humility, this prophet calls the angel, though the angels, in great humility, called themselves fellow-servants to the prophets, Rev 22:9), "by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me; they break in upon me with violence; the sense of my sinful sorrowful state turns upon me when I see thy purity and brightness." Note, Man, who has lost his integrity, has reason to blush, and be ashamed of himself, when he sees or considers the glory of the blessed angels that keep their integrity. "My sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength to resist them or bear up a head against them." And again (Dan 10:17), like one half dead with the fright, he complains, "As for me, straightway there remained no strength in me to receive these displays of the divine glory and these discoveries of the divine will; nay, there is no breath left in me." Such a deliquium did he suffer that he could not draw one breath after another, but panted and languished, and was in a manner breathless. See how well it is for us that the treasure of divine revelation is put into earthen vessels, that God speaks to us by men like ourselves and not by angels. Whatever we may wish, in a peevish dislike of the method God takes in dealing with us, it is certain that if we were tried we should all be of Israel's mind at Mt. Sinai, when they said to Moses, Speak thou to us, and we will hear, but let not God speak to us lest we die, Exo 20:19. If Daniel could not bear it, how could we? Now this he insists upon as an excuse for his irreverent silence, which otherwise would have been blame-worthy: How can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? Dan 10:17. Note, Whenever we enter into communion with God it becomes us to have a due sense of the vast distance and disproportion that there are between us and the holy angels, and of the infinite distance, and no proportion at all, between us and the holy God, and to acknowledge that we cannot order our speech by reason of darkness. How shall we that are dust and ashes speak to the Lord of glory?
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II. The blessed angel that was employed by Christ to converse with him gave him all the encouragement and comfort that could be. It should seem, it was not he whose glory he saw in vision (Dan 10:5, Dan 10:6) that here touched him, and talked with him; that was Christ, but this seems to have been the angel Gabriel, whom Christ had once before ordered to instruct Daniel, Dan 8:16. That glorious appearance (as that of the God of glory to Abraham, Act 7:2) was to give authority and to gain attention to what the angel should say. Christ himself comforted John when he in a like case fell at his feet as dead (Rev 1:17); but here he did it by the angel, whom Daniel saw in a glory much inferior to that of the vision in the verses before; for he was like the similitude of the sons of men (Dan 10:16), one like the appearance of a man, Dan 10:18. When he only appeared, as he had done before (Dan 9:21), we do not find that Daniel was put into any disorder by it, as he was by this vision; and therefore he is here employed a third time with Daniel.
1. He lent him his hand to help him, touched him, and set him upon his hands and knees (Dan 10:10), else he would still have lain grovelling, touched his lips (Dan 10:16), else he would have been still dumb; again he touched him (Dan 10:18), and put strength into him, else he would still have been staggering and trembling. Note, The hand of God's power going along with the word of his grace is alone effectual to redress all our grievances, and to rectify whatever is amiss in us. One touch from heaven brings us to our knees, sets us on our feet, opens our lips, and strengthens us; for it is God that works on us, and works in us, both to will and to do that which is good.
2. He assured him of the great favour that God had for him: Thou art a man greatly beloved (Dan 10:11); and again (Dan 10:19), O man greatly beloved! Note, Nothing is more likely, nothing more effectual, to revive the drooping spirits of the saints than to be assured of God's love to them. Those are greatly beloved indeed whom God loves; and it is comfort enough to know it.
3. He silenced his fears, and encouraged his hopes, with good words and comfortable words. He said unto him, Fear not, Daniel (Dan 10:12); and again (Dan 10:19), O man greatly beloved! fear not; peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong. Never did any tender mother quiet her child, when any thing had grieved or frightened it, with more compassion and affection than the angel here quieted Daniel. Those that are beloved of God have no reason to be afraid of any evil; peace is to them; God himself speaks peace to them; and they ought, upon the warrant of that, to speak peace to themselves; and that peace, that joy of the Lord, will be their strength. Will God plead against us with his great power? will he take advantage against us of our being overcome by his terror? No, but he will put strength into us, Job 23:6. So he did into Daniel here, when, by reason of the lustre of the vision, no strength of his own remained in him; and he acknowledges it (Dan 10:19): When he had spoken to me I was strengthened. Note, God by his word puts life, and strength, and spirit into his people; for if he says, Be strong, power goes along with the word. And, now that Daniel has experienced the efficacy of God's strengthening word and grace, he is ready for any thing: "Now, Let my lord speak, and I can hear it, I can bear it, and am ready to do according to it, for thou hast strengthened me." Note, To those that (like Daniel here) have no might God increases strength, Isa 40:29. And we cannot keep up our communion with God but by strength derived from him; but, when he is pleased to put strength into us, we must make a good use of it, and say, Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears. Let God enable us to comply with his will, and them, whatever it is, we will stand complete in it. Da quod jubes, et jube quod vis - Give what thou commandest, and then command what thou wilt.
4. He assured him that his fastings and prayers had come up for a memorial before God, as the angel told Cornelius (Act 10:4): Fear not, Daniel, Dan 10:12. It is natural to fallen man to be afraid of an extraordinary messenger from heaven, as dreading to hear evil tidings thence; but Daniel need not fear, for he has by his three weeks' humiliation and supplication sent extraordinary messengers to heaven, which he may expect to return with an olive-branch of peace: "From the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand the word of God, which is to be the rule of thy prayers, and to chasten thyself before thy God, that thou mightest put an edge upon thy prayers, thy words were heard," as, before, at the beginning of thy supplication, Dan 9:23. Note, As the entrance of God's word is enlightening to the upright, so the entrance of their prayers is pleasing to God, Psa 119:130. From the first day that we begin to look towards God in a way of duty he is ready to meet us in a way of mercy. Thus ready is God to hear prayer. I said, I will confess, and thou forgavest. 5. He informed him that he was sent to him on purpose to bring him a prediction of the future state of the church, as a token of God's accepting his prayers for the church: "Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? If thou knewest on what errand I come, thou wouldst not be put into such a consternation by it." Note, If we rightly understood the meaning of God's dealings with us, and the methods of his providence and grace concerning us, we should be better reconciled to them. "I have come for thy words (Dan 10:12), to bring thee a gracious answer to thy prayers." Thus, when God's praying people call to him, he says, Here I am (Isa 58:9); what would you have with me? See the power of prayer, what glorious things it has, in its time, fetched from heaven, what strange discoveries! On what errand did this angel come to Daniel? He tells him (Dan 10:14): I have come to make thee understand what shall befal thy people in the latter days. Daniel was a curious inquisitive man, that had all his days been searching into secret things, and it would be a great gratification to him to be let into the knowledge of things to come. Daniel had always been concerned for the church; its interests lay much upon his heart, and it would be a particular satisfaction to him to know what its state should be, and he would know the better what to pray for as long as he lived. He was now lamenting the difficulties which his people met with in the present day; but, that he might not be offended in those, the angel must tell him what greater difficulties are yet before them; and, if they be wearied now that they only run with the footmen, how will they contend with horses? Note, It would abate our resentment of present troubles to consider that we know not but much greater are before us, which we are concerned to provide for. Daniel must be made to know what shall befal his people in the latter days of the church, after the cessation of prophecy, and when the time drew nigh for the Messiah to appear, for yet the vision is for many days; the principal things that this vision was intended to give the church the foresight of would come to pass in the days of Antiochus, nearly 300 years after this. Now that which the angel is entrusted to communicate to Daniel, and which Daniel is encouraged to expect from him, is not any curious speculations, moral prognostications, nor rational prospects of his own, though he is an angel, but what he has received from the Lord. It was the revelation of Jesus Christ that the angel gave to St. John to be delivered to the churches, Rev 1:1. So here (Dan 10:21): I will show thee what is written in the scriptures of truth, that is, what is fixed in the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. The decree of God is a thing written, it is a scripture which remains and cannot be altered. What I have written I have written. As there are scriptures for the revealed will of God, the letters-patent, which are published to the world, so there are scriptures for the secret will of God, the close rolls, which are sealed among his treasures, the book of his decrees. Both are scriptures of truth; nothing shall be added to nor taken from either of them. The secret things belong not to us, only now and then some few paragraphs have been copied out from the book of God's counsels, and delivered to the prophets for the use of the church, as here to Daniel; but they are the things revealed, even the words of this law, which belong to us and to our children; and we are concerned to study what is written in these scriptures of truth, for they are things which belong to our everlasting peace.
6. He gave him a general account of the adversaries of the church's cause, from whom it might be expected that troubles would arise, and of its patrons, under whose protection it might be assured of safety and victory at last. (1.) The kings of the earth are and will be its adversaries; for they set themselves against the Lord, and against his Anointed, Psa 2:2. The angel told Daniel that he was to have come to him with a gracious answer to his prayers, but that the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood him one and twenty days, just the three weeks that Daniel had been fasting and praying. Cambyses king of Persia had been very busy to embarrass the affairs of the Jews, and to do them all the mischief he could, and the angel had been all that time employed to counter-work him; so that he had been constrained to defer his visit to Daniel till now, for angels can be but in one place at a time. Or, as Dr. Lightfoot says, This new king of Persia, by hindering the temple, had hindered those good tidings which otherwise he should have brought him. The kings and kingdoms of the world were indeed sometimes helpful to the church, but more often they were injurious to it. "When I have gone forth from the kings of Persia, when their monarchy is brought down for their unkindness to the Jews, then the prince of Grecia shall come," Dan 10:20. The Grecian monarchy, though favourable to the Jews at first, as the Persian was, will yet come to be vexatious to them. Such is the state of the church-militant; when it has got clear of one enemy it has another to encounter: and such a hydra's head is that of the old serpent; when one storm has blown over it is not long before another rises. (2.) The God of heaven is, and will be, its protector, and, under him, the angels of heaven are its patrons and guardians. [1.] Here is the angel Gabriel busy in the service of the church, making his part good in defence of it twenty-one days, against the prince of Persia, and remaining there with the kings of Persia, as consul, or liege-ambassador, to take care of the affairs of the Jews in that court, and to do them service, Dan 10:13. And, though much was done against them by the kings of Persia (God permitting it), it is probably that much more mischief would have been done them, and they would have been quite ruined (witness Haman's plot) if God had not prevented it by the ministration of angels. Gabriel resolves, when he has despatched this errand to Daniel, that he will return to fight with the prince of Persia, will continue to oppose him, and will at length humble and bring down that proud monarchy (v. 20), though he knows that another as mischievous, even that of Grecia, will rise instead of it. [2.] Here is Michael our prince, the great protector of the church, and the patron of its just but injured cause: The first of the chief princes, Dan 10:13. Some understand it of a created angel, but an archangel of the highest order, Th1 4:16; Jde 1:9. Others think that Michael the archangel is no other than Christ himself, the angel of the covenant, and the Lord of the angels, he whom Daniel saw in vision, Dan 10:5. He came to help me (Dan 10:13); and there is none but he that holds with me in these things, Dan 10:21. Christ is the church's prince; angels are not, Heb 2:5. He presides in the affairs of the church and effectually provides for its good. He is said to hold with the angels, for it is he that makes them serviceable to the heirs of salvation; and, if he were not on the church's side, its case were bad. But, says David, and so says the church, The Lord takes my part with those that help me, Psa 118:7. The Lord is with those that uphold my soul, Psa 54:4.
Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv5–10 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked,.... Being…
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked,.... Being excited to it, by an object presented, of an unusual appearance, which engaged his attention, and caused him to look wistly at it:
and, behold a certain man clothed in linen; not Gabriel, but the Son of God, the Messiah; who, though not as yet incarnate, yet was so in the counsel and purpose of God; had agreed in covenant to be man, was promised and prophesied of as such; and now appeared in a human form, as he frequently did before his incarnation, as a pledge of it, and showing his readiness to assume human nature: he appears here "clothed in linen", in the habit of a priest; which office he sustains, and executes by the sacrifice of himself, and by his prevalent intercession; and may denote his purity and innocence, as well as direct us to his spotless righteousness he is the author of, which is like fine linen, clean and white, Rev 19:8,
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whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz; or of Fez, which is the best gold. Some take it to be the same with the gold of Ophir, often spoken of in Scripture; so the Targum on Jer 10:9, renders Uphaz by Ophir. Ptolemy (i) makes mention of a river called Phasis in the island of Taprobane or Zeilan, where Bochart (k) seems to think Ophir was, from whence the gold of that name came; and the same geographer (l) takes notice of a city and river of the same name in Colchis; perhaps the same with Pison, which encompassed Havilah, where was good gold, Gen 2:11, and both Strabo (m) and Pliny (n) say that much gold was found in that country, and taken out of rivers there; and was so plentiful, that even chambers were made of gold, Some think that this was an island in India called Paz or Topaz, and might with the Jews go by all three names, Paz, Topaz, and Uphaz (o); however, it is certain, that very fine gold, even the finest gold, is here designed: and the loins of this illustrious Person being girded with a girdle made of it, as it may be expressive of his royal dignity, so likewise of his readiness to do any service he was employed in, as man and Mediator; and especially the great work of man's redemption and salvation, for the sake of which he would really become man, as he has, as well as now he appeared as one; see Rev 1:13 where Christ is said to be "girt with a golden girdle"; and such an one was this; and which is to be understood, not of his girdle as a King, which is a girdle of faithfulness and righteousness, Isa 11:5, all his administrations of government being just and true; though such a girdle well suits him, and his character in the discharge of every office, as well as his kingly office; nor of his girdle as a Prophet, which is the girdle of truth, which all his faithful ministers are girt with, Eph 6:14, and he in a more eminent manner, who is full of grace and truth, and by whom both came, and who is truth itself; but of his girdle as a Priest; for as such is he here habited, and such a girdle the priests used to wear, even the girdle of the ephod, made of gold, blue, purple, and fine twined linen, Exo 28:8, and this is the girdle of love, which constrained Christ to become the surety and substitute of his people; to take upon him their nature, and their sins; to offer himself a sacrifice for them, and to be their advocate with the Father; and the form and matter of this girdle being round about him, and of gold, may denote the perfection, duration, and eternity of his love.
(i) Geograph. l. 7. c. 4. (k) Phaleg. l. 2. c. 27. col. 141. (l) Ptolem. Geograph. l. 5. c. 10. (m) Geograph. l. 11. p. 343. (n) Nat. Hist. l. 33. c. 3. (o) Hiller. Onomastic. Sacr. c. 8. p. 141.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On v5 A certain man - Very probably Christ, who appeared…
A certain man - Very probably Christ, who appeared to Daniel in royal and priestly robes, and in so great brightness and majesty.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 7, 9, 10 Verse 5. Clothed in linen] The description is intended…
Verse 5. Clothed in linen] The description is intended to point out the splendour of the garments.
Gold of Uphaz] The same as Ophir.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv5, 7, 10 Dan 10:5-6. I lifted up mine eyes — Being…
Dan 10:5-6. I lifted up mine eyes — Being by the river-side, in deep contemplation, I looked up, and saw a person appear before me, clothed in linen, &c. — “Who this certain person was we may be at no loss to determine, if we consider him as described in the attire of the high-priest, and compare the passage with Exo 28:29., and the description of the Son of man by St. John in the Rev 1:13. If, however, he were not the Son of God himself, he was probably an angel of the highest order.” — Wintle. Concerning the fine gold of Uphaz, see note on Jer 10:9. His body was like the beryl — That is, cerulean, or of a bluish-green colour; his face as the appearance of lightning — See Mat 28:3. By this was symbolically expressed his perspicacity, or quickness in discerning and knowing every thing; and his eyes as lamps of fire — To signify the comprehensiveness and piercing terribleness of his knowledge; his arms and feet like polished brass — Of a bright flaming colour: see Rev 1:15. As the arms and feet in men are the instruments of action, by them we are here to understand his actions, the purity of which is meant to be expressed by the shining brass; and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude — By which greatness or terribleness of his voice was signified his denouncing terrible judgments on kings and kingdoms.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv5–10 Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked ...…
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked ... - While he was engaged in devotion. What is here said would lead us to suppose that he had been occupied in deep thought and meditation, perhaps with his eyes fixed on the ground.
Behold, a certain man clothed in linen - One who had the form and appearance of a man.
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The subsequent disclosures showed that he was an angel, but when angels have appeared on earth they have commonly assumed the human form. The margin is, “one.” So also is the Hebrew “one man.” From Dan 12:6, it would seem that two other such beings appeared in the course of the vision, but either one only was manifest now to Daniel, or his attention was particularly directed to him. The name of this celestial messenger is not given, but all the circumstances of the case lead us to suppose that it was the same who had appeared to him on the banks of the Ulai Dan 8:16, and the same who had made the revelation of the seventy weeks, Dan 9:21, following. Linen was the common raiment of priests, because it was supposed to be more pure than wool, Exo 28:42; Lev 6:10; Lev 16:4, Lev 16:23; 1Sa 2:18. It was also worn by prophets, Jer 13:1, and is represented as the raiment of angels, Rev 15:6. The nature of the raiment would suggest the idea at once that this person thus appearing was one sustaining a saintly character.
Whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz - With a girdle made of fine gold; that is, probably, it was made of something in which fine gold was interwoven, so as to give it the appearance of pure gold. It was customary in the East, as it is now, to wear a girdle around the loins. See the notes at Mat 5:38-41. These girdles are often made of rich material, and are highly ornamented. Compare the notes at Rev 1:13. Nothing is known of Uphaz, unless, as Gesenius supposes, the word is a corruption of Ophir, made by a change of a single letter - ז (z) for ר (r). Ophir was celebrated for its gold, but its situation is unknown. See the notes at Job 22:24.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv5, 6, 10 Linen. Hebrew: baddim. --- Finest. Hebrew: uphaz, (Haydock) from…
Linen. Hebrew: baddim. --- Finest. Hebrew: uphaz, (Haydock) from Phasis or Ophir.
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv5–10 lifted up mine eyes--from the ground on which they…
lifted up mine eyes--from the ground on which they had been fixed in his mourning.
certain man--literally, "one man." An angel of the highest order; for in Dan 8:16 he commands Gabriel to make Daniel to understand the vision, and in Dan 12:6 one of the two angels inquires of him how long it would be till the end predicted.
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linen--the raiment of priests, being the symbol of sanctity, as more pure than wool (Exo 28:42); also of prophets (Jer 13:1); and of angels (Rev 15:6).
girded with . . . gold--that is, with a girdle interwoven with gold (Rev 1:13).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv5, 7, 8, 9, 10 5, 6. This angelic man (doubtless Gabriel, Dan_9:21), clothed…
5, 6. This angelic man (doubtless Gabriel, Dan_9:21), clothed in the pure white linen robes of Jehovah’s priest (Lev_6:10; compare Eze_9:2), is very like the man Ezekiel saw on Jehovah’s throne (Eze_1:4; Eze_1:24; Eze_1:26), and very like the transfigured Christ afterward seen by the apostle John (Rev_1:13-15); but all those who live near to God grow to look like him (compare Rev_19:10-11). His girdle was of the gold of Uphaz, or, with the change of one consonant, Ophir. (Compare Psa_45:9.) Beryl is almost universally supposed to be chrysolite. (See note Eze_1:16.)
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv5–10 5. lift up mine eyes] in the vision: cf.…
5. lift up mine eyes] in the vision: cf. Dan_8:3.
and saw] Daniel (Dan_10:4) was on the side of the river; and it appears from Dan_12:6-7, that the figure which he beheld was directly above the river itself, and consequently (Dan_10:16) ‘in front of’ him. The description of the shining being which follows, contains many reminiscences of Ezekiel 1, 9.
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a certain man] a man: the Hebrew idiom, as 1Ki_22:9, &c.
clothed in linen] The expression is suggested probably by Eze_9:2-3; Eze_9:11; Eze_10:2; Eze_10:6-7. (White) linen garments were worn (on certain occasions) by priests or others performing sacred offices (Lev_6:10; Lev_16:4; 1Sa_2:18; 1Sa_22:18; 2Sa_6:14). Here, as in Ezek., the linen vesture indicates a celestial visitant: cf. Mar_16:5, Rev_15:6 (R.V. marg.).
whose loins, &c.] A girdle richly ornamented with gold was about his loins.
fine gold] Heb. kéthem, a choice, poetical word (e.g. Job_28:19; Job_31:24), the one generally used in the expression ‘gold of Ophir’ (Job_28:16; Psa_45:9; Isa_13:12).
Uphaz] only besides in Jer_10:9, ‘gold (zâhâb) from Uphaz.’ No place Uphaz is, however, known; hence the reading in Jer. is probably corrupt, and we should read there ‘from Ophir’ (with Targ., Pesh., MSS. of LXX., and many moderns). Either the author of Daniel borrowed the expression from Jer_10:9, after the text there had been corrupted; or we may suppose that Uphaz (אופז) here is simply a scribal error for Ophir (אופר): comp. the last note.
5–9. The dazzling being seen by Daniel in his vision, and the effects of the spectacle upon him. For a vision following a fast, cf. Apoc. of Baruch Dan_10:7, ix. 2, vii. 5, x. 5, 6, xxi. 1, xliii. 3, xlvii. 2; 2Es_5:13; 2Es_5:20; 2Es_6:31; 2Es_6:35; 2Es_9:24; 2Es_9:26; 2Es_12:51 : also Act_10:10.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv5–10 (5) A certain man.—The appearance of this person is…
(5) A certain man.—The appearance of this person is minutely described, while that of the angels is not mentioned. The dress especially recalls to our minds the clothing of the high priest. (See Exo_39:27-29, and comp. Rev_1:13.) The person himself is carefully distinguished from Michael (Dan_10:21), and as we may infer from Daniel’s silence (comp. Dan_9:21), he is distinct from Gabriel also. He is the same man who stood before Daniel (Dan_8:15), and must be regarded as “the Angel of God” (Exo_32:34), or “God’s Presence” (Exo_33:14), or “God’s Name;” in fact, the One who was the Logos.
Uphaz.—A place only mentioned in this passage and Jer_10:9. The locality of it is unknown. The additions of the LXX. should be noted.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv5, 7, 8, 9, 10 Vers. 5, 6. Then I lifted up mine eyes,…
Vers. 5, 6. Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphas: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. The version given by the Septuagint exhibits traces of confluence, "And it was apparently reading yhiYiw (vayyehee) on the four and twentieth day of the first month, I was upon the bank of the great river Tigris, and I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold a man clothed in fine linen (bussina), and girt about the loins with fine linen (bussinw), and from his middle there was light, and his month was as the sea, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and feet as gleaming brass, and the voice (fwnh) of his speech as the voice of a multitude." It would seem that the translator had that might be due to blunder, or may be a case of doublet a phenomenon so frequent. The difficult word Uphaz, which only occurs elsewhere in Jer_10:9, is omitted; "from his middle there was light" is probably an effort to render this clause, which the translator seems to have read mithoq "or. Possibly the mysterious clause, "and his mouth was like the sea," may be another attempt to render these unaccustomed words. Theodotion merely transliterates into baddi and vyvirt into qarsiv, and regards Uphaz as a garment, which, in the case before us, was golden (crusiw). In the Syriac of the Peshitta, the translator escapes the difficulty of bad, deem by rendering it "glory." The next clause is also paraphrastic, "the girdle of his loins (back) was of splendid magnificence:" this last is his rendering of Uphaz. The next verse does not call for remark. Jerome, in the Vulgate, renders tarsheesh as chrysolithus an interpretation very generally followed now. In the Massoretic text, the use of the numeral "one," almost as our indefinite article, has to be noted. Baddeem is the plural of a word used mainly for the material of which the garments of the priests were made; it occurs also in the vision of Ezekiel. The singularity is that in Ezekiel, as in Daniel, the word is always plural whereas in the rest of Scripture it is always singular. Uphaz occurs, as above mentioned, only in Jer_10:9; it is by some supposed tobe a variation on Ophir. As here, it is connected in Jeremiah with Tarshish. Fiirst suggests paz, "fine gold", (Job_28:17) and Wa yai. "coast or island," thus making it equivalent to Gold Coast." Kethem, "fine gold," is associated in Isa_13:12 with "Ophir," as here with" Uphaz;" this might hint at the identity of the two places. That, however, is an uncertain basis. The fact that Tarshish and Uphaz are brought together, would indicate that, like Tarshish, it was in Spain. Kneucker, in Schenkel"s "Bibellexikon," decides for Hy-phasis, South Arabia, on the uncertain ground of the sound of the name. Bochart would place it in Ceylon, because Ptolemy mentions a harbour and river of the name of Phasis. Tarshish is the Tartessus of the Greeks and the modern Tharsis; here the chrysolite or topaz, as brought from thence. Margelothayo , "his feet," is the most common rendering; but yon Lengerke would render, "the place where his feet rested a rendering which, while it suits the form of the word, does not suit the context. It occurs four times in Ruth in one connection, and not elsewhere, save here. "Like in colour to polished brass" is a phrase which occurs in Eze_1:7. Professor Bevan says, "What meaning the author attached to llq (qalal) polished," it is impossible to say." All the versions render" gleaming," in both passages; there seems no need to suggest a corruption of the text. The vision here has a great resemblance, though with many pointsof contrast, to Eze_1:4-25 Eze_8:2 Eze_9:2 Eze_10:1-22. Many passages in the Apocalypse show traces of its influence: thus Rev_1:14, Rev_1:15, the appearance of our Lord; also Rev_10:1-3. The vision in Ezekiel 1. is a theophany; this, however, is not the appearance of a direct symbol of God, but the appearance of one of his angels. The whole aspect is one of terror and splendour. It has been noted that the yellow gleam of the topaz suits well the tint of the Oriental complexion. When we compare this with Ezekiel"s vision, we find a reticence in Ezekiel"s description; he does not affirm (Eze_1:27) that it is a man he sees, but only one in human likeness. Whereas Daniel distinctly says that it was a man. In the case of Ezekiel, it was a theophany which he saw; it was an angelophany which appeared to Daniel. "The voice of a multitude" refers to the sound of the shout of a multitude; the effect it produces is not merely the volume of sound, but the difference of tones and the difference of moment of utterance give a sense of vastness and multitudinousness, always impressive, and indeed awe-inspiring.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On v7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision.
Dan_10:7
And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision.
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Visions for ones self alone
Many and many of these men whom we see plodding on in their dusty ways are travelling with visions in their souls. Nobody knew it but themselves and God. Once years ago they saw a light. They knew it, only for a moment, what companionships, what attainments, they were made for! That light has never faded. It is the soul of good things which they are doing in the world to-day. It makes them sure when other men think their faith is gone. It will be with them to the end, until they come to all it prophesies. (Phillips Brooks.)
The Divine Fellowship of Loneness
The events here recorded are among the more advanced and elevated experiences of this man of God. The Lord is showing him things which are to take place; and in order to prepare him as the exponent of the divine purposes, he is raised into a supra-mundane state of soul.
I. THE SCENE: the vision. We have no positive data for speaking dogmatically as to what may be the composition of the visible nature of angels. We associate them with spiritual orders of Gods creatures; but as to man, he has a dual nature; within, spirit; without, a material body. In the wise and gracious purposes of our God, He has seen fit to take man into His counsels, and to make known to him His purposes. Taking, as we must, a broad view of this interesting fact, the Almighty uses a variety of means for communicating His mind and intentions to the children of men. The colours and forms, the harmonies and utilities of nature of imaging and voicing through the senses the wisdom, power and beneficence of God. The potent impact of the Spirits influence upon the mind of prophet and apostle has furnished us with the inimitable truths of this great book, the Bible, which infinitely surpasses the best productions of the human intellect. In dreams, when deep sleep has fallen upon men, hath the Lord made Himself known to and encouraged His faithful servants. Visions too, have their place among the methods of revealing. Dreams and visions evidently belong to the same class of phenomena; and yet are there not shades of difference? Dreams are what come to us when we are asleep; visions come oftentimes in moments of waking. In dreams men have had the symbols of things; in visions, the things themselves. Visions evidently belong to a higher and more direct order of celestial manifestation. Visions seem to hold in mysterious suspension the ordinary processes of thought and feeling, unfolding to the mind new worlds of knowledge. We have all read those marvellous visions of Old Testament history: Isaiah standing with speechless awe before the vision of God; Ezekiel encircled in the vast and wondrous region of visionary mystery, now looking into hidden chambers of abomination, then with seer-like eye peering among apparently conflicting wheels. Daniel sees in vision things which are to be. In this supreme fact we have the significance and symbol of life. Situated as we are in the midst of vast circles and orders of beings and ideas, all true life, which is essentially progressive, is made up of visions; and by these we attain the true ascent of man, passing up from shadows into light, and from the unknown to the known. A life of progress is one of constant waking. So far as the things of to-morrow and the knowledge of the future are concerned, we are now asleep. The hopes of future good which we now cherish are foreshadowing dreams, the dawning of these hoped for events are visions brightening things up to blessed realities. Thus we live and grow. Men are somewhat in the habit of pooh-poohing dreams, and of relegating visions to the region of superstitious fancies or even imbecile hopes. All the truth, however, is not with such men, nor all wisdom either. I say, dream on, only see to it that your dreams are pure and true, and be careful that your visions take their light from above. The purest ascent of life is often adumbrated by visions of hope and longing; and as we exercise faith and put forth effort, they crystallize into shape and become real possessions. God gives us visions of what we may be; by them we are roused to search and make inquiry, and then to believe; and so visions of a free spirit and a clean heart which the Lord gave us yesterday become our norms of character and life to-day. Note a few points in Daniels vision. It appears he was reduced to a very low state so far as enjoyment was concerned. Luxurious food, and exhilarating drinks were put away (verse 3). Visions do not generally come in fulness of body. It is when the physical is chastened that the spiritual ascends. It was when Peter was hungry that he had the vision which prepared the way for his visit to the Gentiles. Daniel saw a certain man (verse 5). This could be none other than the Christ, as we may gather from Rev_1:13; Rev_1:15, where he appears in similar form to John at Patmos. He was clothed in fine linen, as the high priest was on the day of Atonement, thus showing that He is the High Priest of our Profession. Whose loins are girded with fine gold. Girded ready for work. With fine gold, proof that everything of Christ is best, and that the best of everything is all too unworthy of Him. We have also a description of His form. Body like the beryl, a precious stone of an azure colour. His face as the appearance of lightning, a terror to evil-doers. Eyes as lamps, seeing all things. His arms and His feet like in colour to polished brass, prophetic of the brightness and power of the message of His gospel. The voice of His words like the voice of a multitude. The words of this new life are destined to overcome and supersede all other systems.
II. THE CIRCUMSTANCES: alone. In this remarkable experience and wondrous manifestation Daniel was alone. No other eye could follow this brilliant unfolding of God. Looking at this fact superficially there may occur a feeling of sadness; but looked at more deeply, it is seen to be inevitable. As every man has personality and individuality, so has he his loneness. While there are affinities or connecting links between man and man, there are dividing lines between all the individuals composing the human family. Science teaches that between every two particles of matter, even in the hardest substance there is space; in like manner between men there are bridgeless gulfs, so that the one cannot pass over to the other. While this is true of the general mass of men, it is more strikingly manifest in the higher forms and better conditions of mind and spirit. Best men and men at their best must needs be alone. He who progresses rapidly and soars loftily must be alone, inasmuch as he leaves the multitude behind. How true this is in the growth of intellect and the enlargement of heart, in the constraints of love and the sublimities of faith! He who waits on others will find progress slow work. In the larger commonwealth of intellectual and moral life God deals with the man, not with the mass. The individual stands directly related, and personally responsible, to his Maker; and in proportion to his realization of the possibilities of his own being will he be alone. The thinking man climbs heights and reaches lofty peaks at the far down foot of which lie panting the mass of puny men. The man of close communion with God and self and truth basks in a light that would dazzle to blindness men of weaker vision. Much of best life must be lived in splendid isolation. The worlds great reformers and deep thinkers have lived alone, because they have been far in advance of their own age. While there may be the loneness of weakness and eccentricity, still, in the main, lone souls are rendered such by their superiority and by the revelations they receive from the Father of lights. The Bible furnishes us with striking examples. Mark the happy oblivion and lofty loneness of Enoch who walked with God, and he was not for God took him. Note the elevation of Joseph in those prophetic dreams which excited the jealous ire of his brethren. Alone Elijah stood on Mount Carmel, and discomfited the prophets of Baal. Alone Paul was caught up into the third heaven. Alone John witnessed the prophetic visions of Patmos. Alone, aye, alone! down in the depths of His great soul Christ sorrowed and suffered, wept and sighed, bled and died. Alone He trod the winepress of the wrath of God. Thus alone are wrought out and made manifest the highest intents of the holiest purposes of our supreme moral Ruler. Have we not here, by implication at least, a word of caution? We are so prone to censure if not condemn all who do not conform to our pattern of thought. Christianity, brotherliness, and forbearance will prompt a tender consideration for such persons. As Daniel was left alone when the vision came, I gather that in the ordinary routine of life he had companionship; but in the supremely extraordinary, when he stood in the midst of the splendour of vision, he was alone. So men in the ordinary littlenesses and the common superficialities of small living may find plenty of fellows, but when they step up into the light of God and see Visions, they are left alone. It may be that you are exercised in mind from similar considerations, and you wonder why God has made you so much unlike the rest of mankind. You wish you could be as others are. Foolish desire! As wise for the eagle to wish it were an ostrich, or the lark to covet the blinking sombreness of the owl! Take your apportionment and even your peculiarity from God, and be not discontented nor discouraged with yourself. I observe here that the souls light, purity and power, consist in communion with God. Daniel lived in intimate fellowship with the Almighty. Hence he was conditioned for receiving a vision; and while less devout and less noble souls were unfitted for a new revelation and unprepared for s new truth, and terrified at a brighter light, he had a mind and heart adapted to the improved conditions which came with the vision, and stood unflinchingly amid this unearthly brightness. Thank God! heaven is not far removed into the dim distances of remotest space, but is nigh, even here, to the devout and reverent believer. Oh! had we pure hearts, spiritual minds, single eyes, and right spirits, we should find ourselves in the midst of heavenly surroundings. Be it ours to seek a loftier place, a fuller life, and a closer walk; then shall we have visions and experience days of heaven upon earth. (M. Brokenshire.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On vv6, 10 His body The theophanies. Dan 10:10; Dan 10:18; Eze…
His body The theophanies. Dan 10:10; Dan 10:18; Eze 40:3; Gen 12:7; Rev 1:9. (See Scofield "Dan 10:10").
beryl Chrysolite. Cf. Eze 1:16.
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain On v10 The First Part of the Angel’s Message
The First Part of the Angel’s Message
v. 10. And, behold, an hand touched me, the stunned prophet not being able to say whose hand it was, although the text indicates that it was that same Angel in white, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands, gently shaking him into a half waking state, so that he assumed at least a crouching position, although his stupor was not yet entirely gone.
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v. 11. And He said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, Cf. Dan 9:23, understand the words that I speak unto thee, marking them very closely, and stand upright, shaking off the last effects of the numbness besetting him; for unto thee am I now sent, as the bearer of a message of comfort and blessing. And when He had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling, still in fearful expectation of the matters which would be revealed to him.
v. 12. Then said He unto me, Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, applying himself most earnestly to the solution of the problems, and to chasten thyself before thy God, in the proper humiliation of mind, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words, in consequence of the prayer which had come to the attention of God. The Lord always hears all prayers of those who believe in Him, though He may sometimes delay His answer or give it in a manner different from that which His children expect.
v. 13. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia, the angel of darkness representing the Persian world power in its idols and therefore identical with some evil spirit, withstood Me one and twenty days, trying to hinder the Angel of the Presence in carrying out His mission of comfort; but, lo, Michael one of the chief princes, the first in rank in possessing the strength of the Almighty, came to help Me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia, using His influence in the interest of the Lord’s people. There is a world of angels and spirits, and these spirits often have a very decided influence upon the happenings of history.
v. 14. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days, during the Messianic era; for yet the vision is for many days, it extends far into the future.
v. 15. And when He had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, in awe and consternation over the revelations to be expected, and I became dumb, remaining speechless for the time being.
v. 16. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men, an angel having the appearance of a human being, probably again the Angel of the Lord in the special sense of the word, touched my lips, to heal his dumbness. Then I opened my mouth and spake and said unto Him that stood before me, O my Lord, by the vision, as a result of his seeing the vision, my sorrows are turned upon me, with acute and overwhelming power, and I have retained no strength.
v. 17. For how can the servant of this my Lord talk with this my Lord? whose majesty was of a nature to terrify a poor, sinful mortal. For as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me, he could neither stand nor breathe properly for agitation and consternation.
v. 18. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,
v. 19. and said, O man greatly beloved, fear not, for his terror was the real cause of his weakness. Peace be unto thee; be strong, yea, be strong! the repetition of the comforting words serving to give emphasis to them. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened and said, Let my lord speak, he now felt able to hear and receive the message; for thou hast strengthened me.
v. 20. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? The serious and highly important character of the message must be borne in mind by the prophet. And now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia, in order to hinder him from performing his evil designs against the children of God; and when I am gone forth; prepared to wage war, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come, another hostile spirit, representing Greece, destined to be the next world-power.
v. 21. But I will show thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth, in the sacred document of God’s divine decrees; and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, standing fully on his side, but Michael, your prince, the particular champion of the people of God. The prince of this world, with all his hosts of evil spirits, is continually engaged in attempts to break and hinder the gracious and good will of the Lord over against His children; but the Lord is more powerful than all His enemies and keeps those who believe in Him from all harm and danger.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv7, 10 So I was left alone and saw
So I was left alone and saw
This can be stated in active form. "No one was with me, and I saw" (See: Active or Passive)
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my bright appearance was turned into a ruined look
This can be stated in active form. "my bright appearance turned into looking ruined" (See: Active or Passive)
my bright appearance
This describes the face of someone who is healthy. AT: "my healthy-looking face" (See: Idiom)
a ruined look
Someone's unhealthy, pale face is spoken of as if it were a ruined building. AT: "pale" (See: Metaphor)
I heard his words
This implies that someone was speaking in the vision. This can be made explicit. AT: "I heard the words of someone who was speaking" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
I fell on my face in deep sleep
Possible meanings are: 1) Daniel was so scared by what he saw that he deliberately laid on the ground, where he then fainted or 2) Daniel fainted and then fell forward onto the ground. (See: Idiom)
translationWords
vision
terror
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv5, 7 10:5-6 The man dressed in linen clothing is an…
10:5-6 The man dressed in linen clothing is an unidentified messenger of the Lord (cp. 10:16, 18; 12:6-7; see also Ezek 9:3).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.