Commentary - Daniel 10:10-21

Bird's-eye view

In this extraordinary passage, the prophet Daniel, exhausted from three weeks of intense prayer and fasting, is given a behind-the-scenes look at the cosmic spiritual warfare that undergirds all of human history. An angelic messenger, delayed by a battle with a demonic "prince of Persia," finally arrives to strengthen Daniel and deliver a crucial prophecy. The text reveals a number of foundational truths: that earnest prayer is immediately heard in heaven and sets events in motion; that the rise and fall of earthly empires are linked to conflicts between powerful angelic and demonic beings; that a true encounter with the holy leaves a man undone and aware of his profound weakness; and that God does not leave His servants in that state, but strengthens them by His touch and His word so they can stand and receive His truth. This section serves as the prologue to the final, detailed prophecy of Daniel 11 and 12, establishing the spiritual reality in which those historical events will unfold.

The central lesson is that history is not a random series of political accidents. It is a story being written by God, recorded in "the writing of truth," and its outworking on earth involves real conflict in the heavenly places. Daniel is not just given information; he is fortified for his task, moving from a state of near-collapse to one of strength and readiness, a model for every believer who seeks to understand God's word and stand in His world.

Outline

Context In Daniel

Daniel 10 serves as the introduction to the fourth and final vision of the book, which spans chapters 10, 11, and 12. This vision is given in the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia (10:1), around 536 B.C. Daniel is an old man, having served God faithfully through the entire Babylonian exile and into the beginning of the Persian period. Unlike the previous visions that came in dreams, this one comes while Daniel is awake, following a period of deep mourning and fasting for his people. The preceding chapter, Daniel 9, contained his great prayer of confession and the prophecy of the seventy weeks. This final vision builds on that, providing a much more detailed, "on the ground" account of the conflicts that will affect his people from the Persian era through the Greek period, culminating in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, who serves as a type of the Antichrist, and ultimately pointing to the work of the Messiah. This chapter sets the stage by pulling back the curtain on the spiritual realities that drive the historical events prophesied in chapter 11.

Key Issues

Prayer and the Princes of the Air

We often treat prayer as a quiet, private, and somewhat passive affair. We send our requests up, and then we wait. But this passage rips that placid picture to shreds. Daniel's prayer was an immediate declaration of war in the heavenlies. The moment he set his heart to understand and humble himself, the answer was dispatched. The ensuing three-week delay was not due to divine indifference but to fierce angelic combat. This is a window into the control room of history, and it shows us that geopolitics is downstream from spiritual warfare. The Persian Empire on earth was mirrored by a demonic "prince of Persia" in the air, a high-ranking spiritual entity whose job was to influence that empire away from God's purposes, which included frustrating the return of the Jews to their land.

Our prayers are not gentle suggestions dropped into a cosmic suggestion box. They are calls for air support. They are requests for heavenly intervention in a world contested by hostile spiritual forces. When we pray according to God's will, we are participating in this conflict. The angel's struggle reminds us that there is real opposition, and that victory in our lives and in our world is not achieved without a fight. But it also reminds us that our side has Michael, the chief princes, and the Lord of Hosts Himself. The battle is real, but the outcome is not in doubt.

Verse by Verse Commentary

10 Then behold, a hand touched me and set me shaking on my hands and knees.

Daniel was completely undone by the vision he had just seen (vv. 8-9). He was prostrate, in a deep sleep, face to the ground. The first step in his restoration is a divine touch. This is not a gentle pat; it is a touch with enough power to set him "shaking," or rattling, on his hands and knees. It gets him up out of the dust, but just barely. This is the beginning of God's grace to a man overwhelmed by holiness. God does not berate us for our weakness in His presence; He reaches down and begins the process of helping us up.

11 And he said to me, “O Daniel, man of high esteem, understand the words that I am about to speak to you and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling.

The angel, whom we can assume is Gabriel from previous encounters, addresses Daniel with an astonishing title: "man of high esteem," or more literally, "man of preciousness." This is heaven's valuation of a man who has devoted his life to prayer and humility. Then comes the command: understand and stand. God wants us to receive His revelation with our minds engaged and on our feet, ready for service. The word itself has power. As the angel spoke, Daniel was enabled to get to his feet, though still trembling. Grace works this way; God gives the command, and with the command He gives the power to obey it.

12 Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you gave your heart to understand this and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.

This is a verse of immense encouragement for every believer who prays. The angel tells Daniel that his prayer was effective from the very first moment. There is no probationary period for the prayers of the saints. God's hearing is instantaneous. The angel's arrival is a direct consequence of Daniel's prayer. This establishes a direct causal link between what happens on earth in a humble prayer closet and what happens in the heavenly court.

13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was standing against me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. Now I had been left there with the kings of Persia.

Here is the reason for the delay. An angelic being, a powerful demonic entity assigned to the Persian empire, actively resisted the messenger angel. This battle raged for the entire three weeks that Daniel was praying and fasting. We should not imagine this as two men with swords; this is a conflict on a cosmic scale. The breakthrough came when Michael, identified as "one of the chief princes" and elsewhere as the archangel specifically assigned to protect Israel (v. 21), came to provide reinforcements. This reveals a hierarchy in the angelic and demonic realms and shows that the affairs of nations are a battleground for these spiritual powers.

14 Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the last days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”

The angel states his mission. He is here to explain what will befall Daniel's people, the Jews. The phrase the last days here refers not to the end of the world, but to the future period from Daniel's perspective, which would see the end of the Old Covenant order and the coming of the Messiah. The prophecy will cover the remaining time of the Persian empire, the rise of Greece under Alexander, the subsequent breakup of his empire, and the intense persecution of the Jews under Antiochus Epiphanes, all of which sets the stage for the arrival of Christ.

15 Now when he had spoken to me according to these words, I turned my face toward the ground and became speechless.

Even though he was standing, the weight of this revelation sends Daniel back into a state of shock. He is not just quiet; he is struck dumb. The reality of this cosmic war, the holiness of the messenger, and the gravity of the message for his people is simply too much. He turns his face to the ground again, overwhelmed.

16 And behold, one in the likeness of the sons of men was touching my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke and said to him who was standing before me, “O my lord, as a result of the vision that appeared, pains have come upon me, and I have retained no might.

Here another figure intervenes. This is not the messenger angel, but "one in the likeness of the sons of men." This is very likely a Christophany, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Son of God. Just as the Lord touched the lips of Isaiah to cleanse him (Isa 6:7), this figure touches Daniel's lips to enable him to speak. Daniel's first words are a confession of his utter weakness. The vision has brought him not excitement, but anguish and a complete draining of his strength.

17 Now how can such a servant of my lord talk with such as my lord? As for me, right now no might stands within me, nor does any breath remain within me.”

Daniel expresses his profound sense of unworthiness. He feels the infinite gap between himself, a mere servant, and this glorious lord. He is not being falsely modest; he is giving an accurate assessment of his condition. He is physically and spiritually depleted, to the point of breathlessness. This is the proper posture of a man before his God; all self-sufficiency is stripped away.

18 Then this one with the appearance of a man touched me again and strengthened me.

A second touch from this Christ-like figure. The first touch enabled him to speak of his weakness; this second touch imparts actual strength. This is a beautiful picture of how God deals with us. He meets us in our confessed weakness and then provides the strength we need for the task He has set before us. Strength is not something we muster up; it is something we receive by His grace.

19 And he said, “O man of high esteem, do not be afraid. Peace be with you; gather strength and be strong!” Now as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength and said, “May my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.”

The words of the angel now accompany the touch. He repeats the title, "man of high esteem," and the command, "do not be afraid." He speaks peace and commands strength. And notice the effect: "as soon as he spoke to me, I received strength." The divine word is a creative word. It does not just suggest a course of action; it accomplishes what it says. Now fully restored, Daniel is ready to receive the message. He has moved from prostrate and speechless to standing and strengthened.

20 Then he said, “Do you know why I came to you? But I shall now return to fight against the prince of Persia; so I am going forth, and behold, the prince of Greece is about to come.

The messenger angel, having completed his work of strengthening the prophet, now summarizes his mission. He is on a tour of duty. He must return to the battle against the prince of Persia. And he reveals what is next on the historical timeline: after Persia, the empire of Greece will rise, and it too has a demonic prince who will need to be fought. This demonstrates that the succession of world empires is a key focus of this spiritual war.

21 However, I will tell you what is inscribed in the writing of truth. Now there is no one who exerts strength with me against these forces except Michael your prince.

The message he is about to deliver is not speculative. It is from "the writing of truth," which is another way of saying God's sovereign, unchangeable decree. History is a settled matter in heaven. The angel is simply reading a page from God's script. He concludes by noting that in this particular theater of war, his only ally is Michael, the designated guardian prince of Daniel's people, Israel. This emphasizes both the intensity of the fight and the specific, covenantal care God provides for His own.

Application

This passage ought to fundamentally change the way we view the world and the way we pray. We are not living in a secular, materialist world occasionally interrupted by spiritual oddities. We are living in a war zone. The political headlines, the cultural shifts, the movements of nations are all surface ripples of a deep and ancient conflict in the heavenly realms. Our prayers are not wishful thinking; they are strategic weapons in that conflict. Daniel's prayer was answered on day one, but the answer had to fight its way to him. When our answers seem delayed, we should not assume God is not listening. We should, like Daniel, press on in prayer, knowing that a battle may be raging on our behalf.

Furthermore, we must recognize our own profound weakness. Like Daniel, a true glimpse of God's reality will leave us undone. Our strength is not in ourselves. It comes from the touch of Christ and the word of His grace. He does not call us to serve Him in our own power. He calls us to confess our weakness, and then He touches us and says, "Be strong." Only then, strengthened by Him, can we stand up, open our mouths, and hear what is written for us in the book of truth, the Holy Scriptures. We are to live as men and women of high esteem, not because of who we are, but because of who He is, and because our prince, the Lord Jesus Christ, has already won the decisive victory.