Daniel 9:3
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: | So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. | And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has read in the books the word of the LORD to Jeremiah that Jerusalem's desolations would last seventy years. He responds by turning to God in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. The prayer that follows, in verses 4-19, is a confession of Israel's sin and a plea for mercy on Jerusalem. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:4Daniel 9:5Daniel 9:16Daniel 9:19Jeremiah 29:10
SpeakingDaniel speaks in the first person, as he does in chapters 7-12. He was one of the young men of Judah taken to Babylon. Daniel 9:2Daniel overview
ToDaniel is describing his own actions for the book's readers. The prayer itself is addressed to the Lord God. Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:4Daniel overview
Also involvedThe prayer concerns Judah, Jerusalem and all Israel scattered in many lands. It also concerns God's desolate sanctuary. Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:16Daniel 9:17
Daniel deliberately turns to God to seek him. He prays, pleads for favor, goes without food, and wears sackcloth and ashes, which are signs of mourning and humbling oneself. Daniel 9:3Strong's H1245Strong's H8469Strong's H6685Strong's H8242Strong's H0665
Daniel is in Babylon, in the realm of the Chaldeans, now under Darius. He prays for Jerusalem, the city that lies desolate. Daniel 9:1Daniel overviewDaniel 9:16
The eventsThis happens in the first year of Darius, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans. In that year Daniel came to understand Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years for Jerusalem's desolations. Daniel 9:1Daniel 9:2Jeremiah 29:10
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, while others keep the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereGod's promise of seventy years moved Daniel to pray, not to wait passively. He sought God to act, asking based on God's great mercies and not on Israel's righteousness. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:18Daniel 9:19
In the whole of ScriptureJeremiah had told the exiles they would seek God and find him when they searched with all their heart. Daniel does just that. God answers at the beginning of his supplications by sending Gabriel to give him understanding. Jeremiah 29:13Daniel 9:21Daniel 9:22Daniel 9:23Daniel overview
For readersGod's promises invite humble, wholehearted prayer that includes confessing sin. Nehemiah likewise wept, fasted and prayed before the God of heaven, asking for mercy. James says the fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:4Nehemiah 1:4Nehemiah 1:11James 5:16
- to seekבָּקַשׁ
Its meanings include "to seek to find" and "to seek the face." Daniel is actively pursuing God, which echoes Jeremiah 29:13. Strong's H1245Jeremiah 29:13
- supplicationsתַּחֲנוּן
This word means a plea for favor. That fits Daniel's request, which rests on God's mercies and not on Israel's righteousness. Strong's H8469Daniel 9:18
- sackclothשַׂק
Sackcloth was rough sacking worn in mourning or humiliation. It shows that Daniel's prayer is one of grief and humbling over sin. Strong's H8242Daniel 9:5Daniel 9:8
- ashesאֵ֫פֶר
The word means ashes and is used figuratively for worthlessness. That matches Daniel's confession that "confusion of face" belongs to his people. Strong's H0665Daniel 9:8
Takeaway
Daniel met God's promise with humble, earnest prayer and confession. He sought God's mercy for his people, and God answered him. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:23
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 I set ! | וָאֶתְּנָ֣ה | va-'e-te-NAH | H5414H | to give: giveנָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted … |
| face my | פָּנַ֗י | pa-NAI | H6440H | face: beforeפָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of |
| to | אֶל־ | 'el- | H0413 | to(wards)אֶל (el) 1) to, toward, unto (of motion) 2) into (limit is actually entered) 2a) in among 3) toward (of direction, not necessarily physical motion) 4) against (motion or direction of a hostile character) 5) in addition to, to 6) concerning, in regard to, in reference to, on account of 7) according to (rule or standard) 8) at, by, against (of one's presence) 9) in between, in within, to within, unto (idea of motion to) |
| [the] Lord | אֲדֹנָי֙ | 'a-do-NAI | H0136 | Lordאֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G) |
| the God | הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים | ha-'E-lo-HIM | H0430G | Godאֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G) |
| to seek | לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ | le-va-KESH | H1245 | to seekבָּקַשׁ (ba.qash) 1) to seek, require, desire, exact, request 1a) (Piel) 1a1) to seek to find 1a2) to seek to secure 1a3) to seek the face 1a4) to desire, demand 1a5) to require, exact 1a6) to ask, request 1b) (Pual) to be sought |
| prayer | תְּפִלָּ֖ה | te-fi-LAH | H8605 | prayerתְּפִלָּה (te.phil.lah) 1) prayer 1a) prayer 1b) pray a prayer 1c) house of prayer 1d) hear prayer 1e) in Ps titles (of poetic or liturgical prayer) |
| and supplications | וְתַחֲנוּנִ֑ים | ve-ta-cha-nu-NIM | H8469 | supplicationתַּחֲנוּן (ta.cha.nun) 1) supplication, supplication for favour 1a) to man 1b) to God |
| with fasting | בְּצ֖וֹם | be-TZOM | H6685 | fastצוֹם (tsom) fast, fasting |
| and sackcloth | וְשַׂ֥ק | ve-SAK | H8242 | sackclothשַׂק (saq) 1) mesh, sackcloth, sack, sacking 1a) sack (for grain) 1b) sackcloth 1b1) worn in mourning or humiliation 1b2) same material spread out to lie on |
| and ash[es] | וָאֵֽפֶר׃ | va-'E-fer | H0665 | ashesאֵ֫פֶר (e.pher) 1) ashes 2) (CLBL) worthlessness (fig.) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.