Daniel 10:2

In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

In those days {H3117} I Daniel {H1840} was mourning {H56} three {H7969} full {H3117} weeks {H7620}.

At that time I, Dani'el, had been mourning for three whole weeks.

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

In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.

Commentary

Daniel 10:2 introduces us to the prophet Daniel in a state of profound spiritual discipline and distress. This verse sets the stage for one of Daniel's most significant and detailed prophetic visions, emphasizing the deep personal cost and spiritual preparation involved in receiving divine revelation.

Context

This verse opens the final major prophetic section of the book of Daniel, occurring in the "third year of Cyrus king of Persia," as mentioned in Daniel 10:1. This places the event around 536 BC, roughly two years after the initial return of some Jewish exiles to Jerusalem under Zerubbabel, a decree initiated by Cyrus (see Ezra 1:1). Despite the return, Daniel, likely still in Babylon, was deeply troubled. His mourning for "three full weeks" (21 days) suggests a period of intense fasting and prayer, possibly due to concerns about the struggles of his people back in Jerusalem, the delay in the rebuilding of the temple, or the ominous future prophecies he had previously received concerning Gentile empires and Israel's destiny. This period of lament foreshadows the profound spiritual conflict and future events that the ensuing vision will reveal.

Key Themes

  • Deep Spiritual Discipline: Daniel's act of mourning, which typically involved fasting, abstaining from pleasant foods, and intense prayer, highlights his unwavering commitment to God and his people. This self-denial was a form of humbling himself before God, seeking understanding and intervention.
  • Intercession and Burden: Daniel's sorrow was not personal grief but a burden for the future of Israel and the fulfillment of God's promises. His mourning reflects a heart deeply invested in the spiritual and physical well-being of his nation, demonstrating a prophetic intercessor's heart.
  • Preparation for Revelation: This period of intense spiritual preparation was crucial. It was during this time of humbling and seeking that Daniel was made ready to receive a challenging yet vital vision about the future, demonstrating that profound spiritual insights often require profound spiritual dedication.

Linguistic Insights

The phrase "three full weeks" in Hebrew is ลกฤbuโ€˜รฎm yฤmรฎm (ืฉึธืื‘ึปืขึดื™ื ื™ึธืžึดื™ื), literally "weeks of days." This emphasizes the completeness and unbroken nature of the 21-day period of mourning. The word for "mourning," 'ฤbal (ืึธื‘ึทืœ), signifies a deep sorrow, often accompanied by outward expressions of grief such as fasting, wearing sackcloth, and abstaining from anointing oneself with oil or eating choice foods (as indicated by Daniel 10:3).

Practical Application

Daniel's example in this verse offers powerful lessons for believers today:

  • The Power of Persistent Prayer and Fasting: Daniel's 21-day period underscores the importance of sustained spiritual discipline. Sometimes, breakthrough or deeper understanding requires extended periods of seeking God with earnestness and self-denial.
  • Bearing Spiritual Burdens: Like Daniel, believers are called to intercede for their communities, nations, and for the Church, especially in times of spiritual or societal distress. Our prayers can influence spiritual realities.
  • Preparation for God's Work: Just as Daniel's mourning prepared him to receive weighty prophecies, our own periods of spiritual discipline can prepare us to receive God's truth, understand His will, and be used more effectively in His service. The angelic messenger later confirms that Daniel's words were heard from the first day he set his heart to understand (see Daniel 10:12), highlighting God's immediate attentiveness to sincere seeking, even if the answer is delayed by spiritual conflict.
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Cross-References

  • Nehemiah 1:4

    And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned [certain] days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,

  • Daniel 9:24

    Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

  • Daniel 9:27

    And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

  • Ezra 9:4

    Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonied until the evening sacrifice.

  • Ezra 9:5

    ยถ And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God,

  • Isaiah 66:10

    Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:

  • Matthew 9:15

    And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
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