Daniel 10:21
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | 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. | But first I will tell you what is inscribed in the Book of Truth. Yet no one has the courage to support me against these, except Michael your prince. | But I will tell thee that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me against these, but Michael your prince. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedA heavenly messenger has just told Daniel he will return to fight the prince of Persia, and that the prince of Grecia will come after. Here he promises to show Daniel what is noted in a true, reliable writing, and says only Michael, the prince of Daniel's people, stands with him in these things. What follows is the vision of the kings of the north and the south, which runs to the end of chapter 11. Daniel 10:20Daniel 10:21Daniel 10:14Strong's H0571HDaniel overview
SpeakingThe messenger who touched and strengthened Daniel and said he was sent to him. The text does not give his name. Daniel 10:10Daniel 10:11Daniel 10:18Daniel 10:19
ToDaniel, called "a man greatly beloved," who had mourned and fasted three weeks while seeking to understand. Daniel 10:2Daniel 10:3Daniel 10:11Daniel 10:12
Also involvedDaniel's people, the Jews, whose future in "the latter days" the vision shows. Also Michael, named "your prince," who elsewhere "standeth for the children of thy people." Daniel 10:14Daniel 10:21Daniel overviewDaniel 12:1
The messenger says the coming events are noted in a "scripture of truth," and he will make them known to Daniel. He also says that in his fight with the prince of Persia, with the prince of Grecia still to come, no one stands with him except Michael. This echoes 10:13, where Michael "came to help me" against the prince of Persia. Daniel 10:21Daniel 10:13Daniel 10:20Strong's H3791Strong's H5046
Daniel was beside the great river Hiddekel when he saw the vision. The book was written from Babylon, where Daniel served under Babylonian and then Persian kings. Daniel 10:4Daniel overview
The eventsThe vision came in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, about 536 BC, on the twenty-fourth day of the first month. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:4Daniel overview
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC under Antiochus IV, while others keep the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse assures Daniel that what he is about to hear is written and true. It also ties back to the messenger's delay: Daniel's words were heard from the first day, but the prince of Persia withstood the messenger twenty-one days, and Michael alone stands with him. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:12Daniel 10:13Daniel 10:20Daniel 10:21Strong's H0571H
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel teaches that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men." Here what will befall God's people is written down before it happens. Michael, their prince, will "stand up" for them at the time of trouble (12:1), and Scripture shows him fighting against the dragon (Revelation 12:7). Daniel overviewDaniel 10:14Daniel 10:21Daniel 12:1Revelation 12:7
For readersReaders living under foreign rulers could know that their future was already written and true. They could also know that God's people were not left without a prince who stands for them. Daniel overviewDaniel 10:21Daniel 12:1
Christians read this differently
The text does not name the speaker or say plainly whether he is the man clothed in linen of 10:5-6. Some read the man in linen and the one who touches and strengthens Daniel in 10:10-21 as one angelic messenger. Others see 10:5-6 as a divine appearance, and the one who speaks here, who has Michael's help, as a different angel. Daniel 10:5Daniel 10:6Daniel 10:10Daniel 10:16Daniel 10:18Daniel 10:21
- scripture (writing)כְּתָב
It means a writing, document, register or roll, and one listed sense is a written edict "of divine authority." The verse points to a written record of what is to come. Strong's H3791
- noted (inscribed)רָשַׁם
It means "that which is inscribed." What will befall Daniel's people in the latter days is already written down. Strong's H7559Daniel 10:14
- truthאֱמֶת
Its meaning includes firmness, reliability and faithfulness. The written record is sure. This matches 10:1, "the thing was true," and 8:26, where the vision "is true." Strong's H0571HDaniel 10:1Daniel 8:26
It means to strengthen, support or be firm. Michael is the one who stands firm with the messenger, as in 10:13 where he "came to help me." Strong's H2388GDaniel 10:13
- princeשַׂר
It means a prince, ruler or commander, and one listed sense is "patron-angel." Michael is "your prince," the great prince who "standeth for the children of thy people" (12:1). Strong's H8269Daniel 12:1
Takeaway
What God has shown about his people's future is already written, and it is true. In the fight with the prince of Persia, Michael stands with the messenger, and he is the prince who stands for God's people. Daniel 10:21Daniel 10:20Strong's H0571HDaniel 12:1
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| but | אֲבָל֙ | 'a-VAL | H0061 | trulyאֲבָל (a.val) 1) truly, verily, surely 2) but, however, howbeit 3) contrariwise, nay rather (neg.) |
| I will tell | אַגִּ֣יד | 'a-GID | H5046 | to tellנָגַד (na.gad) 1) to be conspicuous, tell, make known 1a) (Hiphil) to tell, declare 1a1) to tell, announce, report 1a2) to declare, make known, expound 1a3) to inform of 1a4) to publish, declare, proclaim 1a5) to avow, acknowledge, confess 1a5a) messenger (participle) 1b) (Hophal) to be told, be announced, be reported |
| the [thing] inscribed | הָרָשׁ֥וּם | ha-ra-SHUM | H7559 | to inscribeרָשַׁם (ra.sham) 1) to inscribe, note 1a) (Qal) that which is inscribed (participle) Aramaic equivalent: re.sham (רְשַׁם "to sign" H7560) |
| in writing of | בִּכְתָ֖ב | bikh-TAV | H3791 | writingכְּתָב (ka.tav) 1) a writing, document, edict 1a) register, enrolment, roll 1b) mode of writing, character, letter 1c) letter, document, a writing 1d) a written edict 1d1) of royal enactment 1d2) of divine authority Aramaic equivalent: ke.tav (כְּתָב "inscription" H3792) |
| truth | אֱמֶ֑ת | 'e-MET | H0571H | truth: faithfulאֱמֶת (e.met) : faithful 1) firmness, faithfulness, truth 1a) sureness, reliability 1b) stability, continuance 1c) faithfulness, reliableness 1d) truth 1d1) as spoken 1d2) of testimony and judgment 1d3) of divine instruction 1d4) truth as a body of ethical or religious knowledge 1d5) true doctrine adv 2) in truth, truly |
| and there not | וְאֵ֨ין | ve-'EIN | H0369 | nothingאַ֫יִן (a.yin) 1) nothing, not, nought n 1a) nothing, nought neg 1b) not 1c) to have not (of possession) adv 1d) without w/prep 1e) for lack of |
| [is] one | אֶחָ֜ד | 'e-CHAD | H0259 | oneאֶחָד (e.chad) 1) one (number) 1a) one (number) 1b) each, every 1c) a certain 1d) an (indefinite article) 1e) only, once, once for all 1f) one...another, the one...the other, one after another, one by one 1g) first 1h) eleven (in combination), eleventh (ordinal) |
| [who] shows himself strong | מִתְחַזֵּ֤ק | mit-cha-ZEK | H2388G | to strengthen: strengthenחָזַק (cha.zaq) : strengthen/support/encourage 1) to strengthen, prevail, harden, be strong, become strong, be courageous, be firm, grow firm, be resolute, be sore 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be strong, grow strong 1a1a) to prevail, prevail upon 1a1b) to be firm, be caught fast, be secure 1a1c) to press, be urgent 1a1d) to grow stout, grow rigid, grow hard (bad sense) 1a1e) to be severe, be grievous 1a2) to strengthen 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to make strong 1b2) to restore to strength, give strength 1b3) to strengthen, sustain, encourage 1b4) to make strong, make bold, encourage 1b5) to make firm 1b6) to make rigid, make hard … |
| with me | עִמִּי֙ | 'i-MI | H5973A | withעִם (im) 1) with 1a) with 1b) against 1c) toward 1d) as long as |
| on | עַל־ | 'al- | H5921A | uponעַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) … |
| these | אֵ֔לֶּה | 'E-leh | H0428 | theseאֵ֫לֶּה (el.leh) 1) these 1a) used before antecedent 1b) used following antecedent Aramaic equivalent: el.leh (אֵלֶּה "these" H0429) |
| that | כִּ֥י | ki | H3588B | that if: exceptכִּי [אם] (ki im) 1) except if 1a) but if 1b) even though |
| except | אִם־ | 'im- | H0518B | if: except[כִּי] אם (ki im) 1) except if 1a) but if |
| Michael | מִיכָאֵ֖ל | mi-kha-'EL | H4317Q | Michaelמִיכָאֵל (mi.kha.el) A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Dan.10.13 Also named: Michaēl (Μιχαήλ "Michael" G3413) § Michael = "who is like God" 1) one of, the chief, or the first archangel who is described as the one who stands in time of conflict for the children of Israel 2) an Asherite, father of Sethur, one of the 12 spies of Israel 3) one of the Gadites who settled in the land of Bashan 4) another Gadite, ancestor of Abihail 5) a Gershonite Levite, ancestor of Asaph 6) one of the 5 sons of Izrahiah of the tribe of Issachar 7) a Benjamite of the sons of Beriah … |
| prince your | שַׂרְכֶֽם׃ פ | sar-KHEM | H8269 | rulerשַׂר (sar) 1) prince, ruler, leader, chief, chieftain, official, captain 1a) chieftain, leader 1b) vassal, noble, official (under king) 1c) captain, general, commander (military) 1d) chief, head, overseer (of other official classes) 1e) heads, princes (of religious office) 1f) elders (of representative leaders of people) 1g) merchant-princes (of rank and dignity) 1h) patron-angel 1i) Ruler of rulers (of God) 1j) warden |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.