Daniel 10:11

11 Et dixit ad me: Daniel vir desideriorum, intellige verba, quae ego loquor ad te, et sta in gradu tuo: nunc enim sum missus ad te. Cumque dixisset mihi sermonem istum, steti tremens.

Daniel 10:11 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 10:11

And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved
Or, "a man of desires" F21; a most desirable man, lovely to God and men; the same epithet Gabriel gives him, ( Daniel 9:22 Daniel 9:23 ) , which confirms the sentiment, that it is he that touched Daniel, and is here speaking, distinct from the glorious Person before described: understand the words that I speak unto thee;
attend unto them, in order to understand them; and which he was sent to give him an understanding of, as in ( Daniel 8:16 ) , which is a further confirmation that this is Gabriel: and stand upright;
being upon his hands and knees, ( Daniel 10:10 ) , but now is bid to "stand on his standing" F23, or his station; upon his feet, in an erect posture, which was fittest for attention, and most decent and becoming a hearer and learner of the mind of God, from one of his messengers: and therefore, the more to excite him to such a posture, he adds, for unto thee am I now sent:
of God, and particularly to the prophet, and that after three weeks' fasting and mourning: this is another proof that not the glorious Person before described, but an angel of his, is meant, since he is said to be "sent" to Daniel: and when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling:
he got up and stood upon his feet, as the angel had bid him, but trembling and tottering, not yet recovered from his fainting fit; like a man that has been ill, and got upon his legs again, trembles and totters as he goes or stands: and also, though the angel was kind and serviceable to him, set him on his knees and hands, and spoke to him in a tender manner; yet the appearance of such a divine messenger had such an effect upon him, as we find such appearances used to have on good men.


FOOTNOTES:

F21 (twdmx vya) "vir desideriorum", V. L.
F23 (Kdme-le dme) "sta super stare tuum", Montanus, Calvin; "sta in statione tua", Piscator; "super statione tua", Michaelis.

Daniel 10:11 In-Context

9 Et audivi vocem sermonum eius: et audiens iacebam consternatus super faciem meam, et vultus meus haerebat terrae.
10 Et ecce manus tetigit me, et erexit me super genua mea, et super articulos manuum mearum.
11 Et dixit ad me: Daniel vir desideriorum, intellige verba, quae ego loquor ad te, et sta in gradu tuo: nunc enim sum missus ad te. Cumque dixisset mihi sermonem istum, steti tremens.
12 Et ait ad me: Noli metuere Daniel: quia ex die primo, quo posuisti cor tuum ad intelligendum ut te affligeres in conspectu Dei tui, exaudita sunt verba tua: et ego veni propter sermones tuos.
13 Princeps autem regni Persarum restitit mihi viginti et uno diebus: et ecce Michael unus de principibus primis venit in adiutorium meum, et ego remansi ibi iuxta regem Persarum.
The Latin Vulgate is in the public domain.