Verse-by-Verse Commentary
The Book of Daniel
Chapter 10: The Unseen Battle Behind the Answer
The last vision of Daniel begins with the prophet mourning and fasting for three weeks. By the great river he lifts his eyes and sees 'a certain man clothed in linen,' his face like lightning, his eyes like lamps of fire, his feet like polished brass, the same glory John would later see in the risen Christ. Daniel collapses, drained of all strength, and must be touched and strengthened to stand. Then the heavenly messenger reveals something astonishing: from the very first day Daniel began to pray, his words were heard, but the answer was delayed twenty-one days because 'the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me,' until Michael came to help. This chapter draws back the curtain on the unseen war behind the nations, and calls the praying believer to persevere, for the answer is often on its way long before it arrives.
About This Commentary
This is a verse-by-verse study of Daniel chapter 10, which opens the book's final vision (chapters 10-12). For each section you will find the KJV text, the Hebrew words that sharpen the meaning, plain explanation, and a Gospel Focus. This chapter is the prologue: it prepares Daniel, and us, to receive the great prophecy that follows, and it unveils the spiritual warfare behind history. Every Scripture quotation is from the King James Version.
Setting the Stage
A Man Clothed in Linen
A glorious figure by the river, shining like the risen Christ.
No Strength Remained
Daniel falls undone before the glory and must be raised.
Heard From the First Day
His prayer was answered at once, though the reply was held up.
The Prince of Persia
An unseen battle behind the nations, and Michael the helper.
A Certain Man Clothed in Linen (Daniel 10:1-9)
After three weeks of mourning and fasting, Daniel sees by the river a glorious figure clothed in linen, whose appearance is like lightning and fire; the men with him flee, and Daniel is left drained of all strength before the vision.
There Remained No Strength in Me
"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. In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I 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. And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel; 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: 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. 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. 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. 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."
Hebrew Study
"a certain man clothed in linen... his eyes as lamps of fire... his feet like in colour to polished brass." This glorious figure is described in almost the exact words the apostle John uses of the risen, glorified Christ: "girt about the paps with a golden girdle... his eyes were as a flame of fire; And his feet like unto fine brass... and his voice as the sound of many waters" (Revelation 1:13-15). Many understand this to be a manifestation of the LORD Himself, the pre-incarnate Christ, appearing to strengthen His servant before the great revelation. What Daniel saw by the Hiddekel, John saw on Patmos: the glory of the one God who comes in the form of a Man.
"there remained no strength in me." The response to seeing the glory of God is always the same collapse. Daniel's "comeliness was turned... into corruption," and he fell as if dead, just as Isaiah cried "Woe is me! for I am undone" (Isaiah 6:5), and John "fell at his feet as dead" (Revelation 1:17). No one meets the true glory of God and remains casually upright. This holy undoing is the beginning of real strength, for the God who lays us low is the God who then lifts us up and says, "Fear not."
Explanation
It is now the reign of Cyrus, and though the exiles have begun returning, Daniel is "mourning three full weeks," fasting from "pleasant bread" and wine, burdened for his people. By "the great river, which is Hiddekel" (the Tigris), he lifts his eyes and sees "a certain man clothed in linen," girded with gold, his body like beryl, "his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire," his voice "like the voice of a multitude." It is a vision of overwhelming glory.
The men with Daniel do not see it, but "a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled." Daniel is left alone before the glory, and "there remained no strength in me." His vigor drains away; he falls into "a deep sleep" with his face to the ground. The sight of heavenly glory unmakes him. Before God will reveal His secrets, He first humbles His servant to the dust, so that all the strength to receive and bear the revelation will be God's gift, not Daniel's.
Gospel Focus
The glory Daniel saw by the river is the glory John saw in the risen Christ, "his eyes as lamps of fire," "his feet like... polished brass," "his voice... like the voice of a multitude." It is the glory of the one God who appears in the form of a Man, and it teaches us who Jesus truly is: not merely a teacher but the LORD of glory, before whom the strongest saint falls as dead. And notice what that glory does. It does not merely dazzle; it undoes. Daniel, like Isaiah and John after him, is stripped of all his own strength, "there remained no strength in me." This is a mercy, for the proud cannot receive God, only the emptied. Every deep work of God in a soul begins with this collapse before His holiness. But the same glorious One who lays us low reaches down with a hand, sets us on our feet, and says, "Fear not." If you have never been undone before the glory of God, you have not yet seen Him truly; and if you have, you know that His hand raises those His glory humbles.
Thy Words Were Heard From the First Day (Daniel 10:10-21)
A hand strengthens Daniel, and the messenger reveals that his prayer was heard from the first day, but the answer was delayed by the prince of Persia's resistance until Michael came to help; then Daniel is strengthened again to hear what will befall his people.
The Prince of the Kingdom of Persia Withstood Me
"And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 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. Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince."
Hebrew Study
"thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." Here is a great comfort about prayer. "From the first day" that Daniel set his heart to seek God, "thy words were heard." The answer was dispatched at once, though it took three weeks to arrive. Heaven's silence is not always heaven's refusal; God may be answering from the first day while the reply is still on the way. This calls us, like the Lord's parable, to the truth "that men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). Keep praying; your words were heard the first day.
"the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days." The messenger reveals the reason for the delay: an unseen "prince", a demonic power over the kingdom of Persia, resisted him for the very twenty-one days Daniel had been mourning, until "Michael, one of the chief princes," came to help. This draws back the curtain on the war behind history, "we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Ephesians 6:12). Prayer is not shouting into an empty sky; it engages a real battle in the heavenly places, and it matters.
Explanation
A hand raises the fallen Daniel to his knees, and the messenger calls him "a man greatly beloved" and bids him "stand upright." Then comes the reassurance: "Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand... thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words." The prayer was answered the moment it began. But the reply was delayed: "the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days," until "Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me."
Daniel, still overwhelmed, is "dumb" until his lips are touched; he confesses he has "no strength" and "no breath left." Twice more the messenger strengthens him, "O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong." Only then can Daniel say, "Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me." The messenger explains he must "return to fight with the prince of Persia," and that "the prince of Grecia shall come," but assures Daniel he will "shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth," backed by "Michael your prince." Behind the empires Daniel can see rage battles he cannot, and God's angels and God's written decree prevail.
Gospel Focus
This passage is one of Scripture's clearest windows into the spiritual warfare behind our prayers, and it is full of encouragement. First, your prayers are heard immediately. "From the first day... thy words were heard." When the answer seems slow, do not conclude that God is silent or indifferent; the reply may already be on its way. Keep praying, "and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). Second, delays can mean spiritual opposition, not divine reluctance. The messenger was withstood by "the prince of the kingdom of Persia" for twenty-one days, the exact span of Daniel's fasting, a stunning hint that Daniel's persevering prayer was tied to the battle above. We "wrestle... against principalities" (Ephesians 6:12), and so we are told to be "praying always" (Ephesians 6:18). Third, we do not fight alone; "Michael your prince" and the armies of heaven contend for God's people. And fourth, the God who lays His servants low tenderly calls them "greatly beloved" and strengthens them again and again, "be strong, yea, be strong." The same Lord who makes us fall as dead lifts us with the words, "peace be unto thee." Whatever unseen resistance stands against your prayers, heaven heard you the first day, the battle is real but not yours alone, and you are greatly beloved.
Chapter 10 in Review
Daniel 10 is the prologue to the book's final vision. After three weeks of mourning, Daniel sees by the Hiddekel "a certain man clothed in linen," shining with the very glory John saw in the risen Christ, "his eyes as lamps of fire," "his feet like... polished brass." The sight leaves him undone, "there remained no strength in me." A heavenly hand raises him, calls him "a man greatly beloved," and reveals that his prayer was heard "from the first day," though the answer was delayed twenty-one days because "the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me," until "Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help." Strengthened again and again, Daniel is prepared to receive what is "noted in the scripture of truth."
For the Apostolic reader this chapter carries deep encouragement about prayer and the unseen world. The glory Daniel saw is the glory of the LORD who appears as a Man, our Lord Jesus, before whom the strongest saint falls, and who then raises him with "Fear not." Our prayers are heard the moment we begin, even when the answer is delayed; and delays may be the mark of a real battle in the heavens, not of God's indifference, so we pray on and do not faint. Behind the rise and fall of nations rage conflicts we cannot see, but God's angels and God's written decree prevail, and His faithful ones are "greatly beloved" and strengthened by His own hand. Persevere in prayer; the answer may be closer than the silence suggests.
- The glorious man matches the risen Christ of Revelation 1, the LORD who appears as a Man (10:5-6; Revelation 1:13-15).
- Seeing God's glory undoes us; the collapse before Him precedes His strengthening (10:8; Isaiah 6:5; Revelation 1:17).
- Prayers are heard "from the first day," even when the answer is delayed (10:12; Luke 18:1).
- Delays can mean spiritual warfare, not divine reluctance: "the prince of... Persia withstood me" (10:13; Ephesians 6:12).
- God's people are helped by Michael and the armies of heaven (10:13, 21; Daniel 12:1; Revelation 12:7).
- God calls His faithful "greatly beloved" and strengthens the weak again and again (10:11, 19; 2 Corinthians 12:9).
Questions for Reflection
- Have you ever been "undone" before the glory of God? How did He raise you afterward?
- Your prayers are heard the first day. How does that change the way you handle delayed answers?
- There is a real battle behind your prayers. How does that move you to "pray always" and not faint?
- God called Daniel "greatly beloved." Do you receive God's tender love for you, even in your weakness?
References & Sources
Scripture is quoted from the King James Version (KJV). The glorious figure (verses 5-6) is described in the terms of the risen, glorified Christ in Revelation 1:13-16; many understand this appearance as a manifestation of the LORD Himself, while the messenger who speaks in verses 11-14 (withstood by the prince of Persia, aided by Michael) is an angel sent in answer to prayer. Godly interpreters read the passage in more than one way; the sure points are the Christ-like theophany, the ministry of angels, and the reality of spiritual warfare. Collapse before God's glory: Isaiah 6:1-5; Ezekiel 1:28; Revelation 1:17; Acts 9:4. Prayer heard from the first day: Isaiah 65:24; Daniel 9:23; persevering prayer: Luke 18:1; 11:5-10; 1 Thessalonians 5:17; Ephesians 6:18. Spiritual warfare behind the nations: Ephesians 6:10-18; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5. Michael the archangel and guardian of God's people: Daniel 12:1; Jude 9; Revelation 12:7. "Greatly beloved": Daniel 9:23; 10:11, 19; compare Romans 1:7; Ephesians 1:6. God's strength in weakness: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Isaiah 40:29-31. If anything here does not look right, a verse, a reference, or a wording, please tell us at info@FruitBearers.net. Thank you for helping us keep Bible Learning error free.
- The vision of the glorious man and Daniel's collapse: Daniel 10:1-9; Revelation 1:13-17; Isaiah 6:5.
- The answered prayer, the delay by the prince of Persia, and Michael's help: Daniel 10:10-21; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:12; Daniel 12:1.