Daniel 8:26
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days. | The vision of the evenings and the mornings that has been spoken is true. Now you must seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” | And the vision of the evenings and mornings which hath been told is true: but shut thou up the vision; for it belongeth to many days to come. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedGabriel finishes explaining Daniel's vision of the ram, the he goat and the little horn. He confirms that the vision about 'the evening and the morning', the time span given in 8:13-14, is true. He tells Daniel to shut it up, because it concerns a time far off. Daniel 8:13Daniel 8:14Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:26
SpeakingThe angel Gabriel, who was sent to make Daniel understand the vision. Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19
ToDaniel, who recorded the vision himself in the first person. Daniel 8:1Daniel 8:15Daniel overview
Also involvedThe sanctuary, the daily sacrifice and 'the holy people', who would suffer under the king of fierce countenance. Also later readers, for whom the vision was kept until 'the time of the end'. Daniel 8:11Daniel 8:13Daniel 8:24Daniel 8:17Daniel overview
Gabriel declares the vision reliable and orders Daniel to keep it closed up, because its fulfillment lies 'many days' ahead. Daniel is left sick and astonished, and no one understood the vision. Daniel 8:26Daniel 8:27
In the vision Daniel was at Shushan in the palace, in the province of Elam, by the river Ulai. In waking life he served the king in Babylon. Daniel 8:2Daniel 8:16Daniel 8:27Daniel overview
The eventsThe vision came in the third year of King Belshazzar of Babylon. Daniel 8:1
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 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse seals the vision with a guarantee: what was told is true. It also explains why it must be shut up, since it is for a distant time, 'the time of the end'. Daniel 8:26Daniel 8:17Daniel 8:19
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel is repeatedly told that his visions are true but far off, and that they are to be closed up until the time of the end. Daniel 10:1 calls a later revelation 'true, but the time appointed was long', and 10:14 says 'the vision is for many days'. Daniel 12:4 and 12:9 command the words to be 'shut up' and 'sealed till the time of the end'. Daniel 10:1Daniel 10:14Daniel 12:4Daniel 12:9
For readersGod's word about the future stands firm even when its fulfillment is long delayed. Revelation 22:10, by contrast, says 'Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.' Daniel 8:26Revelation 22:10Daniel overview
- trueאֱמֶת
The word means firmness, faithfulness, sureness and reliability. The vision is called dependable, the same claim made in Daniel 10:1, 'the thing was true'. Strong's H0571HDaniel 10:1
- shut upסָתַם
It means to stop up, shut up or keep close, and as a participle it means 'secret'. The same idea of shutting up and sealing returns in Daniel 12:4 and 12:9, 'till the time of the end'. Strong's H5640ADaniel 12:4Daniel 12:9
- eveningעֶ֫רֶב
Together with 'morning' (H1242), this word names the time span of the vision. The lexicon for 'day' notes that a day is defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1. This ties the phrase back to the 'two thousand and three hundred days' of 8:14. Strong's H6153Strong's H1242Strong's H3117GDaniel 8:14
- daysיוֹם
Joined with 'many' (H7227A), it marks a long stretch of time. The same phrase appears in Daniel 10:14, and in Ezekiel 12:27 of 'times that are far off'. Strong's H3117GStrong's H7227ADaniel 10:14Ezekiel 12:27
Takeaway
Gabriel assures Daniel that the vision is true, even though its fulfillment lies far in the future and was to be kept closed until the time of the end. God's word holds firm even when its time is long. Daniel 8:26Daniel 8:17Daniel 10:1Daniel 12:4
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 [the] vision of | וּמַרְאֵ֨ה | u-mar-'EH | H4758 | appearanceמַרְאֶה (mar.eh) 1) sight, appearance, vision 1a) sight, phenomenon, spectacle, appearance, vision 1b) what is seen 1c) a vision (supernatural) 1d) sight, vision (power of seeing) |
| the evening | הָעֶ֧רֶב | ha-'E-rev | H6153 | eveningעֶ֫רֶב (e.rev) 1) evening, night, sunset 1a) evening, sunset 1b) night |
| and the morning | וְהַבֹּ֛קֶר | ve-ha-BO-ker | H1242 | morningבֹּ֫קֶר (bo.qer) 1) morning, break of day 1a) morning 1a1) of end of night 1a2) of coming of daylight 1a3) of coming of sunrise 1a4) of beginning of day 1a5) of bright joy after night of distress (fig.) 1b) morrow, next day, next morning |
| which | אֲשֶׁ֥ר | 'a-SHER | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| it has been told | נֶאֱמַ֖ר | ne-'e-MAR | H0559 | to sayאָמַר (a.mar) 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560) |
| [is] truth | אֱמֶ֣ת | '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 |
| it | ה֑וּא | Hu' | H1931 | he/she/itהוּא (hu) pron 3p s 1) he, she, it 1a) himself (with emphasis) 1b) resuming subj with emphasis 1c) (with minimum emphasis following predicate) 1d) (anticipating subj) 1e) (emphasising predicate) 1f) that, it (neuter) demons pron 2) that (with article) |
| and you | וְאַתָּה֙ | ve-'a-TAH | H0859A | youאַנְתָּה (an.tah) you, thou (second pers. sing.) Aramaic of at.tah (אַתָּ֫ה "you(m.s.)" H0859A) |
| keep secret | סְתֹ֣ם | se-TOM | H5640A | to closeסָתַם (sa.tam) 1) to stop up, shut up, keep close 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stop up 1a2) to shut up, keep close 1a3) secret (participle) 1b) (Niphal) to be stopped up 1c) (Piel) to stop up |
| the vision | הֶֽחָז֔וֹן | he-cha-ZON | H2377 | visionחֱזוּ (che.zev) 1) vision, appearance 1a) vision 1b) appearance |
| for | כִּ֖י | ki | H3588A | forכִּי (ki) 1) that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since 1a) that 1a1) yea, indeed 1b) when (of time) 1b1) when, if, though (with a concessive force) 1c) because, since (causal connection) 1d) but (after negative) 1e) that if, for if, indeed if, for though, but if 1f) but rather, but 1g) except that 1h) only, nevertheless 1i) surely 1j) that is 1k) but if 1l) for though 1m) forasmuch as, for therefore |
| [it is] for days | לְיָמִ֥ים | le-ya-MIM | H3117G | dayיוֹם (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 |
| many | רַבִּֽים׃ | ra-BIM | H7227A | manyרַב (rav) adj 1) much, many, great 1a) much 1b) many 1c) abounding in 1d) more numerous than 1e) abundant, enough 1f) great 1g) strong 1h) greater than adv 1i) much, exceedingly |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.