Daniel 10:8

6 His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, ^aand the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.

7 And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves.

8 Therefore I was left alone when I saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me; for my¹ vigor was turned to frailty in me, and I retained no strength.

9 Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.

Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece

10 ^aSuddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands.

11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, ^aman greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling.

12 Then he said to me, ^a“Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, ^byour words were heard; and I have come because of your words.

13 ^aBut the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, ^bMichael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

14 Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people ^ain the latter days, ^bfor the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

15 When he had spoken such words to me, ^aI turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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What Does Daniel 10:8 Mean?

The being who appeared to Daniel possessed such power that ordinarily strong, valiant men fled in fright. Yet another being withstood him for three full weeks, keeping him from reaching Daniel—a titanic, awesome struggle beyond human witness. All of this occurred without Daniel's awareness. A malignant demon sought to thwart Daniel's prayer, but the prayer was answered when Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help. It took two great, mighty archangels to subdue the opposing being, whose identity as the king of Persia logically points to Satan himself. This account offers encouragement, showing that angels are ministering spirits protecting the heirs of salvation, standing between them and annihilation, and deflecting the power of malignant beings—often through interventions of which people remain entirely unaware.

Daniel 10:8-13

This was an awesome being of power, so great that ordinarily strong, valiant men were so frightened that they ran. Yet something withstood this great being to his face and kept him from getting to Daniel for three full weeks. We cannot even begin to imagine the titanic struggle that went on between, say, Gabriel and this other being. There must have been such an awesome wrestling match as men have never been witness to.

Whatever it was that withheld Gabriel from getting to Daniel must have been awfully powerful. Notice too that this great struggle was going on without Daniel even being aware of it. Somehow a malignant demon tried to thwart Daniel's prayer from being answered.

But it was answered because, in verse 13, "Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia." It was not until two of them ganged up on this other being—two great, mighty archangels to subdue the other. The logical conclusion would almost have to be that the king of Persia mentioned here was none other than Satan.

This section in Daniel 10 really contains a great deal of encouragement. We can understand why the apostle Paul and the psalmist wrote that the angels are ministering spirits. They are ministering to the heirs of salvation. They are protecting us! They are standing between us and possible annihilation! We do not know how many times an angel has intervened to save our lives, to deflect the power of these malignant beings from us. It has happened repeatedly in some cases, not just in dramatic interventions, but where an intervention took place of which we were not even aware.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Satan (Part 1)

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Daniel 10:8:

Luke 2:25
Luke 2:30-32
Luke 2:36-38
Revelation 1:12-18
Revelation 12:7-9

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Daniel 10:9 >>

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Prophecies Concerning Persia and Greece

What Does Daniel 10:8 Mean?

A Verse and a Thought,Every Morning

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