12th March, 2023 – Daniel 10:1-11
Daniel 10:1 – In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing [was] true, but the time appointed [was] long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
This would refer to Cyrus the Great who is recorded in history as having taken Babylon in 539 BC. However, while Cyrus was officially king of Babylon from 539 BC onward, Daniel records that Darius the Mede is the ruler when Babylon falls (Daniel 5:30-31). Ezra 1:1-2 says that it was in the first year of Cyrus that the proclamation went out to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem in fulfillment of Jeremiah’s 70-year prophecy (Jeremiah 25:11-12). This was probably in 536 BC, 3 years after Cyrus, king of Persia, took Babylon. Therefore we may assume that Darius the Mede was appointed by Cyrus to rule in Babylon, and that Cyrus took over the throne there (possibly on the death of Darius) in 536 BC.
(Note that the temple itself was rebuilt after the captivity in 520-515 BC according to jewishvirtuallibrary.org)
But this introduces some confusion in determining when this “third year of Cyrus” actually was. Was it the third year from the taking of Babylon (539 BC) or the third year of Cyrus actually ruling at Babylon (536 BC)? Thus Ch.10 may be dated as either ~536 BC or ~533 BC.
Daniel 1:21 says that “Daniel continued [even] unto the first year of king Cyrus”. Some have suggested that this means he died in that year. But if he is still living in the 3rd year of Cyrus, then this does suggest that he lived past that 1st year of Cyrus, and that Daniel 1:21 should be read as “at least until the first year of Cyrus”. But then again, the confusion over when Cyrus commenced ruling at Babylon may also explain this, where his 1st year of being on the throne at Babylon may also be the 3rd year of his reign, thus 537-536 BC.
However, the most acceptable interpretation of Daniel 1:21 is that he survived until the downfall of the Chaldean empire, but then continued on in the next empire rule.
Daniel was given a Chaldean name (Belteshazzar) when he was taken captive to Babylon (Daniel 1:7).
thing (speech; saying; utterance; word) was true (reliable; trustworthy; sure; faithful) The revelation given to Daniel was to be fully trusted (see Daniel 8:26). It would happen exactly as it was prophesied. It is associated with “the vision” above. It is translated “words’ in Vs 6, 9 & 11 below, plus Daniel 10:12 & 15.
a thing was revealed – A prophecy (of words) was revealed to Daniel.
It would refer to Daniel 11 & 12. Ellicott suggests that it refers to Daniel 9:25, but it is clear that it goes further by adding information expanding upon this fulfilling of the 70 weeks of years. It could possibly mean that the prophecy he was given in Daniel 9:24-27 would take a long time (possibly with much suffering) to fulfill but the timing (when Daniel received this revelation) does not support this.
the time
appointed [was] long – Literally, “the war (army, force;
host; power) that goes
forth is great”. It would have the idea of trials and
tribulations over a significant period of time, or a
significant amount of time later (in the future). There would be a certain period of time of conflict and great persecution for Israel.
This could refer to the coming great tribulation of which Jesus said: For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not
since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:21) However, it also includes much about
the relevant warfare from this point until the end. More on this later.
understood – had discernment regarding the
revelation (“thing”).
had
understanding – had
discernment
Daniel not
only had a head-knowledge of the prophetical revelation but also had
discernment, that is, some understanding of what it meant, its application.
Daniel 10:2-3 – 2In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. 3I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
In those days – Or possibly, At this time …..
was mourning – continued to mourn or lament
three full weeks – literally “three days in heptad (sets of 7)” or “three complete heptads (weeks) of days”. The term is based on 3 heptads of days = 21 days.
It isn’t certain what Daniel was mourning for, but note Daniel 9:3 – And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
It is clear that Daniel was in mourning for these 3 full weeks, no doubt lamenting over what had befallen Israel, but also he would have been praying throughout this time concerning this revelation that had come to him. That is, he would have been fasting and praying. Daniel may have been asking God what future Israel could have after all her sinful behaviour with possibly no end of that in sight!
pleasant bread – or desirable food. Thus he avoided enjoyment of eating; he ate from absolute necessity alone rather than pleasure.
Note “with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3). It is apparent that the events of Ch.10 (3rd year of Cyrus – ~536 or 533 BC) are not the same as those of Ch.9 (1st year of Darius – ~539-538 BC) but the emotions are very similar because both related to the future of his people, Israel. And, with similar emotions and concerns, Daniel’s reaction is to mourn or lament. He fasts in Ch.9, while in Ch.10 he could be eating basic bread and water yet avoiding all enjoyable or pleasurable food. In Ch.9 he humbles himself with sackcloth and ashes, and in Ch.10 he humbles himself by not anointing himself for his three weeks of mourning. (The anointing of oil was to clean and soften skin hardened by exposure to sun and dust. It was a personal comfort. Good hosts did this for their guests. Note the anointing of Jesus’ feet by Mary in John 12:3.)
That is, in his 3 weeks of mourning (or lamenting) Daniel avoided all pleasures in order to better express his grief.
Daniel 10:4 – And in the four
and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river,
which [is] Hiddekel;
The first month would have been Nisan, the month in which the Passover was held (on the 15th of Nisan). It was on the 24th day of the month when Daniel’s time of mourning ends with the appearance of “a certain man” (see vs 5 below).
The river here is probably the Tigris. Both the Tigris and the Euphrates flow from Turkey, and they both join at the Shatt al-Arab which takes the combined flow into the Persian Gulf. Both Tigris and Euphrates are the main rivers of ancient Mesopotamia (= “the land between the rivers”).
While some (such as Ellicott) say that this river is the Euphrates (probably based on the Syriac texts), Genesis 2:14 says otherwise. “And the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel: that [is] it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river [is] Euphrates.” Nineveh (where Mosul is today) was on the Tigris, as is Baghdad (the capital of Iraq) today.
Also note that while Daniel normally dwelt at Babylon on the Euphrates, he is here on the Tigris.
Daniel 10:5-6 – 5Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins [were] girded with fine gold of Uphaz: 6His 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.
Some say that this is a Christophany (an OT appearance of Christ), noting some similarity with the description of Christ in Revelation 1:12-16. Others say that this is an angel of the highest order. There does not appear to be anything that definitively demonstrates that it is one or the other. It is clear that the one who talks to Daniel in Vs 11 below is an angel (“for unto thee am I now sent”) so, if this one in Vss 5-6 above is Christ, then there is also an angel involved further on.
Note that Abraham’s 3 visitors (Genesis 18) do appear at first to be 3 angels but further down it appears that one of them is actually God (probably a Christophany). Abraham calls one of them “My Lord” from the beginning; although this title of honour could be given to an angel, he says it to one and not to all three.
It is possible but not certain that this one in Vs 5 & 6
above is Christ.
Daniel lifts up his eyes, apparently from bowing down in prayer. He sees a certain (or one particular) man (or a being in the form of a man) dressed in linen (typical of that required for the priesthood, although it appears that certain angels also wore linen as per Ezekiel 9:2)
And fine gold of Uphaz (seemingly fit for the king in Jeremiah 10:9). Uphaz could be Ophir, a place known for its wealth, including fine gold.
beryl – perhaps a
chrysolite, yellow jasper, or other yellow coloured stone. Benson says though that it was “cerulean, or of a bluish-green colour” Beryl today is beryllium aluminium silicate
which includes aquamarine (pale
blue to light green), emerald (green) and morganite (orange or pink). However,
the biblical term used is tarshiysh (note
Tarshish = yellow jasper) which seems to be associated with topaz (often golden
yellow or blue).
His face looked
like lightning and eyes like lamps (torches) of fire.
Ezekiel 1:13 – As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance [was] like burning coals of fire, [and] like the appearance of lamps (torches): it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. Also see Nahum 2:4.
like in colour – This is the same word used for “eyes” in both Vs 5 and Vs 6.
His arms and his feet were “like in colour to polished brass” (literally, like the eye of brass, thus to shine like polished brass) Thus they gleamed like brass. Note “his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace” (Revelation 1:15)
And the sound of his words (utterances) like the sound of the voices of a multitude (crowd). Note “as the sound of many waters” (Revelation 1:15)
Revelation 1:15 – And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Daniel 10:7 – And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.
Note similarity with Saul on road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-9). Saul (Paul) is confronted by Christ. Like Paul, Daniel falls to the ground (Vs 9 below). Note that Daniel is accompanied by other men. They (like those with Paul) didn’t see the vision. (Acts 9:7 – And the men which journeyed with him (Paul) stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. It is not clear if those with Daniel heard the voices.
Only Daniel saw the vision (the appearance of this man). His acquaintances did not see the man, but instead a “great quaking” (great trembling – see Genesis 27:33 “trembled very exceedingly”) – probably due to fear and terror falling upon them; they fled (clearly to escape this terror) in order to hide from whatever it was that threatened them. Perhaps they heard the sound but saw nothing, or maybe they had such a sense of dread that they feared for their lives, despite having no physical evidence of such?
Daniel 10:8 – Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
Therefore Daniel was effectively left
on his own. He saw this great vision (of great authority?) and he completely
lost all his strength to do anything. His comeliness (or vigour – Cambridge
says “The meaning is dignity of countenance. Majesty, glory, is the idea of the word”) was turned
in (or upon) him into corruption (ruin; destruction) and he retained no strength at all.
my
comeliness was turned in me into corruption – my vigour instead became my weakness or frailty. Or,
as the saying goes, his legs turned to jelly.
Clearly
Daniel has had an extreme shock. High levels of anxiety can cause a person to
go into shock, even fainting, due to a sudden loss of blood supply to the brain
as the consequence of a sudden drop in blood pressure. He comes face to face
with Gabriel, one of God’s greatest angel-messengers in Daniel 9:21 (little or no reaction to this
appearance) and in Daniel 8:16-18 (also Gabriel; Daniel fell on his face and went into a deep sleep). In Daniel 7:9 he is grieved and troubled when he
sees God on the throne in his vision. This vision in today’s passage does
appear to be more troubling than the other visions. So
what could cause this? If this is a vision of Christ, then we may compare it
with John who wrote, “I fell at his feet as
dead.” (Revelation 1:17) It could make a compelling case for
this man being Christ himself. However, note Daniel 8:16-18 (see Vs 9 below for further
explanation).
Was Daniel
overcome by his lack of holiness here? Note Isaiah’s reaction to God’s holiness
in Isaiah 6:5-7 – 5Then said I,
Woe [is] me! for I am undone; because I [am] a man of unclean
lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean
lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. 6Then
flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal
in his hand, [which] he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: 7And
he laid [it] upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips;
and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged.
Daniel 10:9 – Yet heard I the
voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a
deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
heard – hear; listen; obey. It has the idea of not just hearing a sound but taking in what is said in order to act upon it.
Note the similarities with the following passage, which is about a great angel (Gabriel) and not Christ.
Daniel 8:16-18 – 16And I heard a man’s voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision. 17So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision. 18Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright.
Daniel, as then, now here also, when he heard “the voice of his words” (Vs 6 above), he had at least some understanding of what was being said, such that when he heard “the voice of his words”, he fell with his face toward the ground in a deep sleep (or became unconscious). “a deep sleep” here is the same term as used in Daniel 8:18. Therefore the effect of this being on Daniel is similar to the effect of God speaking to Gabriel on Daniel in Daniel 8:16-18. This of course does not prove that it is an angel this time, however.
Vs 8 above suggests that he fainted or swooned from shock; in Vs 9 his unconsciousness is probably the consequence of this swooning. If it is Christ who appears to Daniel here, then another being (clearly an angel) takes over the narrative in Vs 10 below.
Daniel 10:10 – And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and [upon] the palms of my hands.
As in Daniel 8:18, Daniel here is touched (with a hand, likely to be also a hand in Daniel 8:18). In both cases Daniel is made to rise from his “deep sleep”. However, whereas in Daniel 8:18 he is made to stand, here he ends up on hands and knees.
Note that here, as in Daniel 8:16-18, it is an angel who does this each time. It is possible that this is also Gabriel, even though he is not mentioned by name.
It does seem that if this being is the same angel all through this passage, then might it not instead say, “his hand” and not just “an hand”? Thus it does strongly suggest two different beings in this passage, firstly Christ and then an angel.
Daniel 10:11 – And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.
am I now sent – An angel might be sent but never the Christ who is sovereign and requires no-one to send Him anywhere. It is quite possible that it is Christ who initially speaks to Daniel, but then sends His angel to continue to minister to Daniel.
He (an angel) has been sent (or made to go; impelled to go) to Daniel in order to assist him to (better) understand what “the voice of his words” (Vs 9 above) means. Another bit of evidence to show that this is an angel and not Christ is that Daniel is to “stand upright”. A similar situation occurs in Revelation 22:8-9 where John falls down to worship a mighty angel and is told “See [thou do it] not: for I am thy fellowservant”.
Daniel stood trembling as a result of either this confrontation with a great angel or from the understanding of what this angel said to him. It is clear that these words apply to the latter days (end times); see Daniel 10:14a – Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days:
Ch.11 & 12 would be the writing down of those words; we’ll look at them soon.
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