Daniel 10:17
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 17 | 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. | How can I, your servant, speak with you, my lord? Now I have no strength, nor is any breath left in me.” | 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 was there breath left in me. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has just seen a dazzling heavenly messenger by the river and has fallen to the ground without strength. After his lips are touched, he explains why he can hardly speak: a mere servant cannot talk with such a lord, because he has no strength or breath left. The next verses show the messenger touching and strengthening him so the vision can be told. Daniel 10:5Daniel 10:6Daniel 10:8Daniel 10:16Daniel 10:17Daniel 10:18Daniel 10:19
SpeakingDaniel, also called Belteshazzar, speaks in the first person. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:2Daniel overview
ToDaniel speaks to the one standing before him, whom he calls "my lord." This is the man clothed in linen who says he was sent to Daniel. The text does not give his name. Daniel 10:5Daniel 10:11Daniel 10:16
Also involvedThe message this figure brings concerns Daniel's people "in the latter days." Daniel 10:14
Daniel confesses his weakness before the heavenly visitor. He calls himself a servant and the visitor his lord, and says strength and even breath have left him. He is asking how someone so weak can carry on a conversation with one so great. Daniel 10:17Daniel 10:8Daniel 10:16
Daniel was by the side of the great river Hiddekel when he saw the vision. Daniel 10:4
The eventsThe vision came in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, on the twenty-fourth day of the first month. It followed three weeks in which Daniel had mourned and fasted. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:3Daniel 10:4
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC; the third year of Cyrus is about 536 BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse shows how overwhelming the heavenly messenger was, and that Daniel could only receive the message once he was strengthened. It prepares for the messenger's touch and words, "be strong, yea, be strong." Daniel 10:17Daniel 10:18Daniel 10:19
In the whole of ScriptureOthers in Scripture cried out when they saw the LORD or his angel: Isaiah said, "Woe is me! for I am undone," and Gideon said, "Alas, O LORD God!" after seeing an angel of the LORD face to face. Manoah's wife reasoned that the LORD would not have shown her and Manoah these things if he meant to kill them. In Daniel's case, the visitor tells him "fear not" and gives him peace. Isaiah 6:5Judges 6:22Judges 13:23Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:19
For readersThe book teaches that God reveals secrets to those who seek him. This verse shows Daniel receiving understanding in humility and weakness. The strength to receive it did not come from himself; the messenger sent to him gave it. Daniel overviewDaniel 10:11Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:17Daniel 10:19
- servantעֲבַד
The word means servant or slave. Daniel uses it of himself. Jacob used the same humble self-description ("thy servant Jacob") when he hoped to be accepted. Strong's H5650Genesis 32:20
- lordאָדוֹן
The word means lord or master and is used of men, kings, and God. Here it is Daniel's respectful address to the heavenly visitor, whose name the text does not give. Strong's H0113Daniel 10:16
- remainedעָמַד
The verb means to stand, remain, or endure. Literally, no strength "stands" in Daniel. He had just been told to "stand upright" and could only stand trembling. Strong's H5975GDaniel 10:11
- breathנִשְׁמָא
The word means breath or spirit. Daniel says even his breath has gone, and only afterward was he touched and strengthened. Strong's H5397Daniel 10:17Daniel 10:18
Takeaway
Daniel 10:17 is Daniel's honest admission that he had no strength or breath to face the heavenly messenger. The messenger did not leave him there. He touched him, said "fear not," and strengthened him to hear the message. Daniel 10:17Daniel 10:18Daniel 10:19
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and how? | וְהֵ֣יךְ | ve-HEIKH | H1963 | how?הֵיךְ (hekh) how |
| is he able | יוּכַ֗ל | yu-KHAL | H3201 | be ableיָכֹל (ya.khol) 1) to prevail, overcome, endure, have power, be able 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be able, be able to gain or accomplish, be able to endure, be able to reach 1a2) to prevail, prevail over or against, overcome, be victor 1a3) to have ability, have strength Aramaic equivalent: ye.khel (יְכִל "be able" H3202) |
| [the] servant of | עֶ֤בֶד | 'E-ved | H5650 | servant/slaveעֲבַד (a.vad) servant, slave Aramaic of e.ved (עֶ֫בֶד "servant/slave" H5650) |
| lord my | אֲדֹנִי֙ | 'a-do-NI | H0113 | lordאָדוֹן (a.don) 1) firm, strong, lord, master 1a) lord, master 1a1) reference to men 1a1a) superintendent of household, of affairs 1a1b) master 1a1c) king 1a2) reference to God 1a2a) the Lord God 1a2b) Lord of the whole earth 1b) lords, kings 1b1) reference to men 1b1a) proprietor of hill of Samaria 1b1b) master 1b1c) husband 1b1d) prophet 1b1e) governor 1b1f) prince 1b1g) king 1b2) reference to God 1b2a) Lord of lords (probably = "thy husband, Yahweh") 1c) my lord, my master 1c1) reference to men 1c1a) master 1c1b) husband 1c1c) prophet 1c1d) prince 1c1e) king 1c1f) father 1c1g) Moses 1c1h) priest … |
| this | זֶ֔ה | Zeh | H2088 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| to speak | לְדַבֵּ֖ר | le-da-BER | H1696G | to speak: speakדָבַר (da.var) : speak/tell/command 1) to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing 1a) (Qal) to speak 1b) (Niphal) to speak with one another, talk 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to speak 1c2) to promise 1d) (Pual) to be spoken 1e) (Hithpael) to speak 1f) (Hiphil) to lead away, put to flight |
| with | עִם־ | 'im- | H5973A | withעִם (im) 1) with 1a) with 1b) against 1c) toward 1d) as long as |
| lord my | אֲדֹ֣נִי | 'a-DO-ni | H0113 | lordאָדוֹן (a.don) 1) firm, strong, lord, master 1a) lord, master 1a1) reference to men 1a1a) superintendent of household, of affairs 1a1b) master 1a1c) king 1a2) reference to God 1a2a) the Lord God 1a2b) Lord of the whole earth 1b) lords, kings 1b1) reference to men 1b1a) proprietor of hill of Samaria 1b1b) master 1b1c) husband 1b1d) prophet 1b1e) governor 1b1f) prince 1b1g) king 1b2) reference to God 1b2a) Lord of lords (probably = "thy husband, Yahweh") 1c) my lord, my master 1c1) reference to men 1c1a) master 1c1b) husband 1c1c) prophet 1c1d) prince 1c1e) king 1c1f) father 1c1g) Moses 1c1h) priest … |
| this | זֶ֑ה | Zeh | H2088 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| and I | וַאֲנִ֤י | va-'a-NI | H0589 | meאֲנָא (a.na) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis) Aramaic of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589) |
| from now | מֵעַ֙תָּה֙ | me-'A-tah | H6258 | nowעַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) 1) now 1a) now 1b) in phrases |
| not | לֹֽא־ | lo'- | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| it remains | יַעֲמָד־ | ya-'a-mod- | H5975G | to stand: standעָמַד (a.mad) : stand/stop/establish 1) to stand, remain, endure, take one's stand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of 1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease 1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast 1a4) to make a stand, hold one's ground 1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright 1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against … |
| strength | כֹ֔חַ | KHO-ach | H3581B | strengthכֹּחַ (ko.ach) 1) strength, power, might 1a) human strength 1b) strength (of angels) 1c) power (of God) 1d) strength (of animals) 1e) strength, produce, wealth (of soil) |
| and breath | וּנְשָׁמָ֖ה | u-ne-sha-MAH | H5397 | breathנִשְׁמָא (nish.ma) breath, spirit Aramaic of ne.sha.mah (נְשָׁמָה "breath" H5397) |
| not | לֹ֥א | lo' | H3808 | notלֹא (lo) 1) not, no 1a) not (with verb-absolute prohibition) 1b) not (with modifier-negation) 1c) nothing (subst) 1d) without (with particle) 1e) before (of time) Aramaic equivalent: la (לָא "not" H3809) |
| it is left | נִשְׁאֲרָה־ | nish-'a-rah- | H7604 | to remainשָׁאַר (sha.ar) 1) to remain, be left over, be left behind 1a) (Qal) to remain 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be left over, be left alive, survive 1b1a) remainder, remnant (participle) 1b2) to be left behind 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to leave over, spare 1c2) to leave or keep over 1c3) to have left 1c4) to leave (as a gift) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.