And I Daniel fainted and was sick certain days
Or, "then I Daniel fainted" F24; after he had seen the
vision, and had thought upon it, and considered the afflictions
that were to come upon the people of God, and the condition the
temple, and the worship of it, would be in; these so affected his
mind, that he not only fainted away, and was struck with a kind
of stupor and amazement, but had a fit of illness upon him, which
continued some days; such a nearness and sympathy there are
between the soul and body: afterwards I rose
up;
from the bed in which he had laid some days ill: and did
the king's business;
by which it appears, that, upon the death of Nebuchadnezzar,
Daniel was as yet continued in the service of the king of
Babylon, though perhaps not in the same posts as before, and was
not a favourite at court, and so much known as he had been; and
also that he was not in reality at Shushan, when he had this
vision, but at Babylon: and I was astonished at the
vision;
at the things contained in it, which were of so much importance,
respecting the kingdoms of the earth, especially the Persian and
Grecian empires, and the state of his own people the Jews:
but none understood it:
to whom he showed it; none but himself, who was made to
understand it by the angel, ( Daniel 8:16 Daniel 8:17 ) .