4 Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, 5 I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! 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, and 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.”
10:4
Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris,
As Daniel was beside the Tigris River, he received a vision of a man clothed in linen. Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread fell on the 24th day of the first month (Nisan, April 24). Perhaps he was at the river for a Jewish feast.
10:5
I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz!
Only Daniel saw this vision of a man clothed in linen and girded with gold. This man was probably an angel. The priests of Israel wore expensive linen dresses, setting them aside as special representatives of God. This may be the intent for this angel.
“Uphaz” may be Ophir, which may have been in Arabia off the northeast African coast.
10:6
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, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude.
This angel was decked in the splendor of expensive jewels. Some believe this angel to be a theophany of the Son of God, but there is not enough evidence for this.
10:7
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.
The other Jews with Daniel did not see the vision, but they sensed something mighty took place.
The difference between a “vision” and a “dream” is that dreams occur during sleep, whereas a vision can happen while awake. Ezekiel and Daniel are the most noteworthy in this regard in the Old Testament.
PRINCIPLE:
Significant understanding of God always produces humility.
APPLICATION:
Great men of the Bible humbled themselves when they saw implications of truth. Note Job and Isaiah in this regard:
Job 42:5-6, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear,
But now my eye sees You.
6 Therefore I abhor myself,
And repent in dust and ashes.”
Is 6:3-5, “And one cried to another and said:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts;
The whole earth is full of His glory!”
4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 So I said:
‘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 my eyes have seen the King,
The Lord of hosts.’”
Have you meditated on the greatness and glory of God? Do you have a good grasp of His person and work?
Dr. Grant,
Thanks so much for clarifying this passage. For a while I struggled over whether this could be a theophany, but verse 13 had me totally confused if it was a vision of Christ, but now I know that it's not. Just wondering, what are some of the things that you noticed that alerted you that it is an angel, not the Son of God? Thanks again!
Jakob, Thanks for your blog. It seems to me that it is better to operate on extant statements of Scripture. If this was a theophany then there needs to be some statement indicating that it is a manifestation of God. Since there is none, it is better to take a more generalized meaning.
Hello, I love this site! Thank you for all of your hard work into these commentaries. I still wonder if the angel is in fact Jesus. He has bronze arms and feet. In my understanding this represents judgment and angels don't play a role in this. Also Daniel calls him Lord. The characteristics are so similar to the description of Jesus in the book of Revelation. The only thing that doesn't make sense to me is that it took Him 21 days to reach Daniel and I know God can conquer anything. However, perhaps this points to the inability for Daniel to receive from God because he was in a state of mourning. I believe when we are encased in negative emotions it is nearly impossible for us to receive from God. What do you think about my comments? Thank you so much and God bless you always!
Regarding the person of the vision that Daniel saw in 10:6, a number of excellent scholars give reason why this should be Christ. For the sake of argument, let's say so for the moment. Could vss. 10-21 then be an angelic messanger sent to encourage Daniel? He could be hindered by the demonic opposition. Thus there are two personages in this chapter.
Cliff
Rev. Cliff, is it possible for Christ to be hindered by the demon of Persia (10:13)? Would Jesus need help from Michael in His preincarnate state? The message was given from "heaven." I think it is better to operate on extant statements of Scripture rather than by inference.
This is my first time using this commentary. I Love you break things down to help us to understand and visualize the word. This makes me want to read the word even more. We will all understand it by and by. GOD BLESS YOU.
Amanda, thanks for the encouraging words.