Daniel 10

Daniel · Chapter 10

Daniel 10:2

1In 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.2In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.3I 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.4And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel;5Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:6His 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.7And 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.8Therefore 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.9Yet 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.10And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.11And 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.12Then 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.13But 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.14Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.15And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb.16And, 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.17For 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.18Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me,19And 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.20Then 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.21But 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.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
2In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.

In context

AI-assisted, sourced

After a revelation in the third year of Cyrus, Daniel spent three full weeks mourning, going without pleasant food, meat, wine and anointing oil. The messenger later told him his words were heard from the first day he set his heart to understand and humble himself. The answer was delayed because the prince of Persia withstood the messenger twenty-one days. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:3Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:13

Commonly taken out of context

How it’s often usedUsed as the basis for a 21-day "Daniel fast" diet plan, treated as a set rule for food and health.

In contextThe verse reports a time of mourning and humbling before God, not a diet or a command. Daniel gave up pleasant food, meat, wine and anointing to seek understanding, and the passage ties the three weeks to God's answer and the delayed messenger. Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:3Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:13

SpeakingDaniel speaks in the first person here ("I Daniel"). He was a young man of Judah's nobility taken to Babylon and named Belteshazzar. Daniel 10:2Daniel overviewDaniel 10:1

ToThe book is not a letter. It is written for God's people in exile and after it, and for later readers looking to the time of the end. Daniel overview

Daniel mourned for three weeks. He ate no pleasant bread, no meat and no wine, and did not anoint himself until the three weeks were done. The messenger calls this setting his heart to understand and chastening himself before God. Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:3Daniel 10:12

The verse does not say where Daniel mourned. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month he was by the great river Hiddekel, and there he saw the vision. Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:4

BABYLONIAMEDIABabylon 1SusaUlai

The eventsThese were the days after a revelation in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, about 536 BC. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, Daniel saw the vision by the river. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:4Daniel overview

WrittenTraditional: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the 500s BC date, pointing to Matthew 24:15. Daniel overview

HereThe verse shows how Daniel sought God before the great vision of chapters 10-11. He humbled himself to understand, and God sent a messenger to explain what would befall his people in the latter days. Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:14Daniel overview

In the whole of ScriptureMourning with fasting and prayer is how other faithful leaders sought God too. Nehemiah mourned, fasted and prayed before the God of heaven when he heard troubling words, and Ezra sat in heaviness and then knelt before the LORD. The book teaches that God reveals secrets to those who seek him. Nehemiah 1:4Ezra 9:4Ezra 9:5Daniel overview

For readersDaniel kept seeking God for the full three weeks without seeing an answer. Yet he was heard from the first day, and the delay came from a conflict he could not see. Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:13

  • mourningאָבַל
    Hebrew · a.val · H0056

    The word means to mourn or lament. It frames Daniel's three weeks as grief and lament before God, matched by the self-denial in verse 3 and the "chasten thyself" of verse 12. Strong's H0056Daniel 10:3Daniel 10:12

  • weeksשָׁבוּעַ
    Hebrew · sha.vu.a · H7620I

    The word is glossed "sevens," and the lexicon says the name means seven. The three "sevens" of mourning match the twenty-one days the prince of Persia withstood the messenger. Strong's H7620IDaniel 10:13

  • Iאֲנָא
    Hebrew · a.na · H0589

    This first-person pronoun is usually used for emphasis. "I Daniel" marks Daniel himself as the one telling what he went through, as in other first-person reports in chapters 7-12. Strong's H0589Daniel overviewDaniel 10:7

Takeaway

Daniel mourned and humbled himself for three weeks to understand what God was showing him. God heard him from the first day, even though the answer came only after twenty-one days. Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:13

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
  1. 612 BC
    WarNineveh 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)

  2. 605 BC
    WarBattle 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)

  3. 597 BC
    WarJerusalem 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)

  4. 586 BC
    WarJerusalem 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

  5. c. 575 BC
    BuildingBabylon 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

  6. 562 BC
    RulersNebuchadnezzar dies

    His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34

  7. c. 553-543 BC
    RulersNabonidus 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

  8. 550 BC
    WarCyrus 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

  9. October 539 BC
    WarBabylon 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

  10. 538 BC
    God'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

  11. c. 536 BC
    God'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

  12. 334-331 BC
    WarAlexander 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

  13. 323-301 BC
    WarAlexander'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

  14. 167 BC
    WarAntiochus 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

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
in the daysבַּיָּמִ֖יםbai-ya-MIMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

the thoseהָהֵ֑םha-HEMH1992
they

אִנּוּן (in.nun) these, those, they Aramaic of hem.mah (הֵ֫מָּה "they(masc.)" H1992)

Iאֲנִ֤י'a-NIH0589
me

אֲנָא (a.na) I (first pers. sing. -usually used for emphasis) Aramaic of a.ni (אֲנִי, אָֽנֹכִ֫י "I" H0589)

Danielדָֽנִיֵּאל֙da-ni-yeLH1840G
Belteshazzar

בֵּלְטְשַׁאצַּר (be.le.te.shats.tsar) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Ezk.14.14; also called Belteshazzar at Dan.1.7; 2.26; 4.8,9,18,19; 5.12; 10.1; Another name of da.niy.yel (דָּנִיֵּאל, דָּנִאֵל "Daniel" H1840G) § Belteshazzar = "lord of the straitened's treasure" …

I wasהָיִ֣יתִיha-YI-tiH1961
to be

הָיָה (ha.yah) 1) to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out 1a) (Qal) 1a1) --- 1a1a) to happen, fall out, occur, take place, come about, come to pass 1a1b) to come about, come to pass 1a2) to come into being, become 1a2a) to arise, appear, come 1a2b) to become 1a2b1) to become 1a2b2) to become like 1a2b3) to be instituted, be established 1a3) to be 1a3a) to exist, be in existence 1a3b) to abide, remain, continue (with word of place or time) 1a3c) to stand, lie, be in, be at, be situated (with word of locality) 1a3d) to accompany, be with 1b) (Niphal) …

mourningמִתְאַבֵּ֔לmit-'a-BELH0056
to mourn

אָבַל (a.val) 1) to mourn, lament 1a) (Qal) to mourn, lament 1a1) of humans 1a2) of inanimate objects (fig.) 1a2a) of gates 1a2b) of land 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to mourn, cause to mourn (fig.) 1c) (Hithpael) 1c1) to mourn 1c2) play the mourner

threeשְׁלֹשָׁ֥הshe-lo-SHAHH7969
three

שָׁלֹשׁ (sha.losh) 1) three, triad 1a) 3, 300, third Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (תְּלָת "three" H8532)

sevensשָׁבֻעִ֖יםsha-vu-'IMH7620I
Weeks

שָׁבוּעַ (sha.vu.a) Feast of Weeks, Also named: pentēkostē (πεντηκοστή "Pentecost" G4005) This name means seven,

daysיָמִֽים׃ya-MIMH3117G
day

יוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow

Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.