Daniel 10:1–11:1

10:1 Daniel’s final vision in the book occurred in “the third year of Cyrus king of Persia,” approximately 536 BC.¹ This was the Medo-Persian ruler who conquered Babylon and granted the Jews a return to their land in 538. If Daniel had been deported as a young teenager in 605, he would have been in his eighties in 536. The mention of “Belteshazzar” recalls the fact that Daniel had been renamed according to the name of Nebuchadnezzar’s god (1:7; 4:8).

Chapter 10 begins with third-person narration: “A word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar.” The “word” refers primarily to the content of 11:2–12:3. The author tells the reader that “the word was true” (reliable) and concerned “a great conflict.” The section 11:2–12:3 will describe this coming conflict in great detail. The assertion that Daniel “understood the word and had understanding of the vision” is placed at the beginning of the chapter in light of what follows. Daniel’s understanding would be limited: with the help of the heavenly figure, Daniel would know that the word concerned the future and foretold coming conflicts, that God’s people would be wrapped up in these conflicts, and that the wicked would be judged and the saints vindicated.

10:2–3 The narration shifts to the first person: “In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.” He expressed his mourning by abstaining from meat and wine (“delicacies”) as well as from personal maintenance (“nor did I anoint myself”) for those three weeks. Oil was part of daily hygiene, and after a period of mourning was completed, the mourner would resume the use of oil on his head and body (cf. 2 Sam. 14:2; Isa. 61:3). Fasting from meat and wine probably meant he subsisted on water and other food.² In light of the time noted in Daniel 10:4 (“the twenty-fourth day” of Nisan), Daniel’s three-week fast would have involved abstaining from meat and wine during Passover, which was Nisan 14–15 (cf. Ex. 12:1–6).

10:4–6 On the twenty-fourth day of Nisan, Daniel “was standing on the bank of the great river (that is, the Tigris).” The only other mention of that river in the OT is in Genesis 2:14, a connection that may be important due to the Adamic experience Daniel will have later in this chapter.

Beside this river Daniel beheld “a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist” (Dan. 10:5). This first description concerns the figure’s apparel. The man was clothed literally in “linens,” and elsewhere in the OT the plural “linens” occurs in Ezekiel 9–10 (cf. 9:2–3, 11; 10:2, 6–7), where a glorious angelic figure is also described. The location “Uphaz” occurs in Jeremiah 10:9, where it is again mentioned as a source of fine gold. The golden sash (or belt) around the waist appears on one other person in Scripture: the risen and exalted Christ as he appears to the apostle John in the book of Revelation (1:13).

Daniel shifted his focus from the priestly figure’s attire to its appearance. He saw a body like beryl, a face like lightning, eyes like torches, arms and legs like burnished bronze, and a voice like the sound of a multitude. The term translated “beryl” could also refer to yellow jasper. The high priest wore this gem on his breastplate (Ex. 28:20), and it appeared in the garden of Eden as well (Ezek. 28:13). The figure’s face appeared glorious, majestic, even frightening. Lightning often accompanied a theophany (cf. Ex. 20:18), which may suggest divinity here in Daniel 10. The flaming eyes denoted a piercing gaze and all-encompassing vision. The arms and legs appeared strong, and the “sound of a multitude” indicated a powerful and mighty voice (cf. Ezek. 1:24).

By way of identifying this figure, note that Daniel has never described what an angel wore or looked like (cf. 7:16; 8:16–17; 9:21). The description of 10:5–6, therefore, is unprecedented if the figure is an angel. Furthermore, according to 9:21, the figure Daniel encountered in 7:16 was Gabriel, the figure in 8:16 is called Gabriel, and in 9:21 the bearer of revelation is again Gabriel. Significantly, there is no identification of the figure in 10:5–6 as Gabriel.

According to 10:20–21, the figure who appeared to Daniel in verses 5–6 was a warrior. While not identified as Gabriel, the figure was clearly not Michael, for he spoke of “Michael, your prince,” in verse 21. Possibly the heavenly figure in verses 5–6 was the angel of Yahweh. Since the angel of Yahweh may be rightly understood as a divine figure (cf. Gen. 16:7–11; Ex. 3:2–6; Judg. 2:1; 6:11–14; 13:3–22), Daniel was encountering not a mere angelic messenger but the preincarnate Son of God. If this was the preincarnate second person of the Trinity, John’s use of Daniel 10:5–6 in Revelation 1:14–15 is most appropriate, because John encountered the risen Jesus: “His eyes were like a flame of fire, his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters.” Knowing the book of Daniel, John described Jesus by alluding to Daniel 10:5–6. Such usage may be sufficient to identify the figure in 10:5–6 as the divine Son of God.

10:7 Daniel was not alone by the Tigris River; there were other men with him. Yet “I, Daniel, alone saw the vision,” and the men did not. But they knew something supernatural was afoot, so “they fled to hide themselves.” In Acts 9:3–7, Saul also experienced an encounter that his companions did not fully share. Interestingly, it was the risen Jesus whom Saul encountered (Acts 9:4–5; cf. 22:9–11).

10:8–9 As the sole seer of the vision, Daniel lost his strength and radiant appearance, and the encounter filled him with fear. The sound of the words sent him into a deep sleep, with his face to the ground. If the Tigris River and the image of beryl already evoked the garden of Eden, the depiction of Daniel in a deep sleep would surely remind the reader of Adam (Gen. 2:21). Earlier, in the vision of chapter 8, Daniel had fallen into a deep sleep and had to be awakened by the one he encountered (Dan. 8:18). Daniel’s reaction in 10:8–9 was more severe and extreme, however, than in any previous vision encounter with a heavenly being, and this strong reaction cohered with the overwhelming presence of a divine person.

10:10–11 The figure touched Daniel and propped him up on shaking limbs. With weeks of fasting behind him, Daniel was already weakened, and now this theophany proved difficult to endure. This scene is similar to what the apostle John, who wrote of encountering the exalted Christ, experienced centuries later: seeing Christ, John fell down as though dead, and Jesus touched him in response (Rev. 1:17).

The figure spoke words of reassurance to Daniel. As in Daniel 9:23, he was assured of God’s love. The figure had “been sent” to speak the forthcoming revelation (11:2–12:3), so Daniel needed to stand up and receive it.³ And, after hearing the words of reassurance, Daniel rose, still trembling.

10:12 The heavenly figure told Daniel to “fear not,” for God had heard his prayers. Daniel’s “words” of prayer had probably continued for the entire three weeks of mourning. The heavenly figure was God’s answer to those persistent prayers.

10:13–14 Daniel’s encounter with this heavenly figure didn’t occur until three weeks after he had started praying, because of the messenger’s spiritual engagement with the “prince of the kingdom of Persia,” who had “withstood [him] twenty-one days.” “Prince” refers at times to an earthly ruler (cf. 9:6), but here a spiritual being is meant. “Of the kingdom of Persia” is consistent with the idea that kingdoms or nations have presiding angels (cf. Deut. 4:19; 32:8). The “prince of the kingdom of Persia” was probably a demonic angel who tried to prevent the answer to prayer. Nevertheless, Daniel’s prayer was a factor, as seen by the overlapping time period: Daniel had been mourning and praying for three weeks, and the heavenly figure who appeared to him had been contending with the “prince of . . . Persia” for twenty-one days.

Apparently a demonic spirit had sought to intervene in what God was doing on earth, so we must consider what significant events were taking place during the period of Daniel’s prayer (536 BC). In 538 BC the king of Medo-Persia (Cyrus/Darius) allowed captive Jews to return to their land, and many did so (Ezra 1–2). But those who returned and commenced a rebuilding of the temple experienced opposition (Ezra 3–4), and unfortunately the rebuilding stopped. It would take the ministries of Haggai and Zechariah to spur on the project to completion. In the third year of Cyrus, then, a period of discouragement set in for the former exiles, and not just for them but for Daniel as well. Perhaps Daniel had heard that the returnees were not rebuilding the temple, and so his abiding concern for Jerusalem and God’s people (Dan. 9:1–19) led him to mourn, fast, and pray.

But no spiritual opposition could succeed against God’s plan. His will would be done on earth as it was in heaven. Just as the angel of Yahweh was involved in the success of the Israelites who were once captive to Egypt but headed to the Promised Land as liberated people (Ex. 32:34; 33:2; Josh. 5:13–15), this figure would ensure victory for those who were once captive to Babylon. This new exodus could not be thwarted.

The figure conversing with Daniel reported, “Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I was left there with the kings of Persia” (Dan. 10:13). In the OT, Michael is mentioned by name only in the book of Daniel (cf. 10:21; 12:1), while in the NT he is named in the books of Jude and Revelation (Jude 9; Rev. 12:7–11). In Jude 9 Michael is called “the archangel.” If the archangel Michael came to assist the heavenly figure who appeared to Daniel, then that figure was probably superior to Michael, a rank that further supports identifying the figure of Daniel 10:5–6 as the angel of Yahweh (as which we will subsequently refer to him). Michael would be helpful in the battle against the spiritual prince of Persia because of his role as “the great prince who has charge of your people” (12:1). This further substantiates understanding the conflict (10:13) as involving the nation of Israel, and the present difficulty facing the nation was probably their rebuilding project that had faced opposition and then had ceased.

The angel’s report that “I was left there with the kings of Persia” (10:13) may indicate he had prevailed over spiritual opposition throughout the reigns of multiple Persian kings. The warfare had reached a peak at this point, however. Perhaps Michael was handling the spiritual opposition while the angel of Yahweh appeared to Daniel in answer to prayer. The heavenly figure came to give understanding about “what is to happen to your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come” (10:14). The revelation in 11:2–12:3 encompassed distant events that would involve Israel.

10:15–17 When Daniel heard that something would happen to his people in the latter days, he turned his face toward the ground “and was mute,” again showing a physical reaction to what the figure said (cf. vv. 8–9, 11). Then “one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips” (v. 16), enabling him to speak (cf. Isa. 6:7).

A disputed issue is whether this “one in the likeness of the children of man” (Dan. 10:16) is the same figure who appeared in verses 5–6. Possibly the one who touched Daniel’s lips was a second figure in the scene, perhaps an angel. Yet the figure of verses 5–6 looked like a man, having a body, face, eyes, arms, and legs, and spoke intelligible words. Also, the figure of verses 5–6 already touched Daniel in verse 10, so a touch on the lips (v. 16) need not imply a new figure in the vision. Finally, the one who touched him would speak in verse 20 about returning to fight against the prince of Persia and in verse 21 about Michael contending by his side, two notions found in verse 13 connecting the reader to the figure of verses 5–6.

Daniel admitted to the heavenly being, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength” (v. 16). The distress of what Daniel had heard and seen once again left him severely weak (cf. v. 8). He confessed that he was too weak to converse with the figure, for he had no strength, nor even any breath. The address “my lord” is common in the OT, but other contextual factors may suggest a specific allusion to Joshua 5:14. In that scene, Joshua said “my lord” upon encountering the angel of Yahweh, fell down with his face to the ground, and referred to himself as the angel’s “servant.” Note that in Daniel 10:16–17, the prophet referred to the heavenly figure as “lord” and himself as a “servant,” and multiple times Daniel put his face to the ground (vv. 9, 15). If Daniel indeed encountered the angel of Yahweh in chapters 10–12, this provides one further connection to Joshua 5:14, for Joshua met the angel as well.

10:18–19 Having already touched Daniel’s lips (v. 16), the person in the vision touched Daniel again to strengthen him (v. 18; cf. v. 10). Never had an encounter with an angel left Daniel so debilitated and weakened (cf. 7:16; 8:17–18; 9:21), and this extremely vulnerable and distraught condition further supports the idea that Daniel had encountered a divine figure.

The figure once again assured Daniel of God’s love (10:19; cf. v. 11) and commanded him to “fear not” (cf. v. 12). For the first time he pronounced “peace be with you” and called Daniel to “be strong and of good courage” (v. 19). This language (especially the combination of “peace” and “fear not”) may recall Gideon’s encounter with the angel of Yahweh: “Peace be to you. Do not fear; you shall not die” (Judg. 6:11–23). In the NT, Jesus pronounced peace to his disciples on multiple occasions (Luke 24:36; John 20:19, 21, 26). When the heavenly figure had touched Daniel for the third time, Daniel was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me” (Dan. 10:19). The revelation would come in 11:2–12:3, but first the heavenly being had a question and answer for Daniel (10:20–11:1).

10:20 The angel of Yahweh asked a rhetorical question: “Do you know why I have come to you?” According to verse 12 he had come in response to Daniel’s prayer, and according to verse 14 he had come to reveal aspects of the future to Daniel. He added in verse 20, “I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.” Apparently the spiritual opposition would continue, and the role of this warrior would be integral to the success of God’s plan. That this speaker referred to returning to fight the prince of Persia indicates he was identical to the one who spoke in verse 13, the man-like figure from verses 5–6.

The “prince of Greece” probably referred—like the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” in verse 13—to the evil demonic spirit over that earthly kingdom. Spiritual forces would continue warring in unseen ways, and the effects of those battles would have earthly consequences. The day would come when Greece would conquer Medo-Persia (cf. 8:7, 20–21).

10:21 The heavenly figure prefaced the imminent revelation by saying, “I will tell you what is inscribed in the book of truth.” Nowhere else in the Bible is the phrase “book of truth” used. It was probably equivalent to God’s unwavering plan for the future, a book no one may open but into which God would occasionally grant insight or understanding. Part of what the book of truth disclosed was this: “There is none who contends by my side against these except Michael, your prince.” Michael the archangel was called “your prince,” referring to the angel presiding over Israel. He contended beside the angel of Yahweh in spiritual warfare.

11:1 The heavenly figure reported, “In the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.” This time reference confused people in the Middle Ages, who created a chapter division at this verse, although the vision that began in chapter 10 had not ended. The time reference (“in the first year of Darius the Mede”) was not indicating a new subject or vision, although previous time references did function in that way (2:1; 7:1). Rather, the speaker was still speaking to Daniel, mentioning the first year of Darius to clarify when he (the heavenly figure) had strengthened Michael. In 10:21 the figure had spoken about Michael and then continued speaking of him in 11:1.

The first year of Darius/Cyrus was when the Medo-Persians conquered the Babylonian Empire and permitted captive Jews to return to Jerusalem. These earthly events apparently had heavenly counterparts, for Michael was in the spiritual realm engaging in warfare and advancing God’s plan. The heavenly figure of 10:5–6 had confirmed and strengthened Michael during that crucial time period. Michael, the archangel, was probably not strengthened by someone of lesser rank but by his superior—and the preincarnate Son of God would certainly be superior to the great archangel Michael.