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Selected Verse: Daniel 10:2 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Da 10:2	Strong Concordance	In those days [03117] I Daniel [01840] was mourning [056] three [07969] full [03117] weeks [07620].
	King James	In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks.

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
mourning--that is afflicting myself by fasting from "pleasant bread, flesh and wine" (Dan 10:3), as a sign of sorrow, not for its own sake. Compare Mat 9:14, "fast," answering to "mourn" (Dan 10:15). Compare Co1 8:8; Ti1 4:3, which prove that "fasting" is not an indispensable Christian obligation; but merely an outward expression of sorrow, and separation from ordinary worldly enjoyments, in order to give one's self to prayer (Act 13:2). Daniel's mourning was probably for his countrymen, who met with many obstructions to their building of the temple, from their adversaries in the Persian court.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

mourning--that is afflicting myself by fasting from "pleasant bread, flesh and wine" (Dan 10:3), as a sign of sorrow, not for its own sake. Compare Mat 9:14, "fast," answering to "mourn" (Dan 10:15). Compare Co1 8:8; Ti1 4:3, which prove that "fasting" is not an indispensable Christian obligation; but merely an outward expression of sorrow, and separation from ordinary worldly enjoyments, in order to give one's self to prayer (Act 13:2). Daniel's mourning was probably for his countrymen, who met with many obstructions to their building of the temple, from their adversaries in the Persian court.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
In those days I Daniel was mourning - I was afflicting myself; that is, he had set apart this time as an extraordinary fast. He was sad and troubled. He does not say on what account he was thus troubled, but there can be little doubt that it was on account of his people. This was two years after the order had been given by Cyrus for the restoration of the Hebrew people to their country, but it is not improbable that they met with many embarrassments in their efforts to return, and possibly there may have sprung up in Babylon some difficulties on the subject that greatly affected the mind of Daniel. The difficulties attending such an enterprise as that of restoring a captured people to their country, when the march lay across a vast desert, would at any time have been such as to have made an extraordinary season of prayer and fasting proper. Three full weeks - Margin, "weeks of days." Hebrew, "Three sevens of days." He does not say whether he had designedly set apart that time to be occupied as a season of fasting, or whether he had, under the influence of deep feeling, continued his fast from day to day until it reached that period. Either supposition will accord with the circumstances of the case, and either would have justified such an act at anytime, for it would be undoubtedly proper to designate a time of extraordinary devotion, or, under the influence of deep feeling, of domestic trouble, of national affliction, to continue such religious exercises from day to day.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
Dan 10:2, Dan 10:3 introduce the following revelation by a statement of the occasion of it. ההם בּימים refers back to the date named in Dan 10:1. The ימים after שׁבעים does not serve to designate the three weeks as common day-weeks, in contrast to the שׁבעים of Dan 9:24., but is an accusative subordinated to the definition of time which expresses the idea of continuance: three weeks long, or three whole weeks, as Gen 41:1; cf. Gesen. Gramm. 118, 3. For three weeks Daniel mourned and fasted, i.e., abstained from the usual food. חמות לחם, precious food, delicacies; but Hv., v. Leng., Maur., Hitz., and Kran. interpret it of leavened bread, so called in contrast to the unleavened paschal bread, the bread of affliction (Deu 16:3). But this contrast is not well founded, for the מצּות (unleavened cakes) of the passover was not (notwithstanding Deu 16:3) bread of sorrow, but pure, holy bread, which Daniel did not eat, in opposition to the law, for three weeks. לחם is not to be limited to bread in its narrower sense, but denotes food generally. Flesh and wine are festival food, Isa 22:13; Gen 27:25, which is not had every day. The anointing with oil was the sign of joy and of a joyous frame of mind, as with guests at a banquet, Amo 6:6, and was intermitted in the time of sorrow; cf. Sa2 14:2. Fasting, as an abstaining from the better sustenance of common life, was the outward sign of sorrow of soul. According to Dan 10:4, Daniel mourned and fasted in the first month of the year, the month in the middle of which the paschal feast was kept, in which Israel celebrated their deliverance from their state of slavery in Egypt and their advancement to be the people of God, and were joyful before their God. On the 24th day of this month occurred the Theophany (Dan 10:4.), with which, however, his fasting came to an end. According to this, it appears that he fasted from the third to the twenty-third of the month Nisan; thus it began immediately after the feast of the new moon, which was kept for two days (cf. Sa1 20:18., 27, 34 with 6:29; Dan 2:19). Thus Hv. and Hitzig conclude; while v. Leng. and Maurer argue, from Dan 10:13, that between the time of fasting and the appearance of the angel an interval elapsed, consequently that Daniel fasted from the first to the twenty-first of the month Nisan. But from Dan 10:13 nothing further follows than that the angel was detained twenty-one days; so that the question as to the beginning and the end of the fast is not certainly answered from the text, and, as being irrelevant to the matter, it can remain undecided. More important is the question as to the cause of such long-continued great sorrow, which is not answered by the remark that he was thus prepared for receiving a divine revelation. According to Dan 10:12, Daniel sought הבּין, i.e., understanding as to the state of the matter, or regarding the future of his people, which filled him with concern. The word about the restoration of Jerusalem which he had received through the angel Gabriel in the first year of Darius (Daniel 9) had come to pass since that revelation in the first year of Cyrus, but had had only little effect on the religious lukewarmness of the majority of the people. Of the whole people only a very small portion had returned to the land of their fathers, and had begun, after restoring the altar of burnt-offering, to build the house of God in Jerusalem. But while the foundation of the new temple was laid, there mingled with the joyful shoutings of the people also the loud wailings of the old men who had seen the former temple in its glory, when they beheld this building undertaken amid circumstances so depressing and sorrowful (Ezr 3:1-13). In addition to this, the Samaritans immediately, when the Jewish rulers refused for conscience sake to permit them to take part with them in the building, sought, by means of influences used at the Persian court, to prevent the carrying on of the building (Ezr 4:1-5). This sad state of matters could not but, at the beginning of the new year, fill the heart of Daniel with deep sorrow, and move him at the return of the time of the passover to mourn in fasting and prayer over the delay of the salvation promised to his people, and to supplicate in behalf of Israel the pardon of their sins, and their deliverance out of the hand of their enemies. Therefore he mourned and fasted before and during the paschal days for three weeks, until on the twenty-fourth day of the month he received a revelation from God.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

Dan 10:2, Dan 10:3 introduce the following revelation by a statement of the occasion of it. ההם בּימים refers back to the date named in Dan 10:1. The ימים after שׁבעים does not serve to designate the three weeks as common day-weeks, in contrast to the שׁבעים of Dan 9:24., but is an accusative subordinated to the definition of time which expresses the idea of continuance: three weeks long, or three whole weeks, as Gen 41:1; cf. Gesen. Gramm. 118, 3. For three weeks Daniel mourned and fasted, i.e., abstained from the usual food. חמות לחם, precious food, delicacies; but Hv., v. Leng., Maur., Hitz., and Kran. interpret it of leavened bread, so called in contrast to the unleavened paschal bread, the bread of affliction (Deu 16:3). But this contrast is not well founded, for the מצּות (unleavened cakes) of the passover was not (notwithstanding Deu 16:3) bread of sorrow, but pure, holy bread, which Daniel did not eat, in opposition to the law, for three weeks. לחם is not to be limited to bread in its narrower sense, but denotes food generally. Flesh and wine are festival food, Isa 22:13; Gen 27:25, which is not had every day. The anointing with oil was the sign of joy and of a joyous frame of mind, as with guests at a banquet, Amo 6:6, and was intermitted in the time of sorrow; cf. Sa2 14:2. Fasting, as an abstaining from the better sustenance of common life, was the outward sign of sorrow of soul.

According to Dan 10:4, Daniel mourned and fasted in the first month of the year, the month in the middle of which the paschal feast was kept, in which Israel celebrated their deliverance from their state of slavery in Egypt and their advancement to be the people of God, and were joyful before their God. On the 24th day of this month occurred the Theophany (Dan 10:4.), with which, however, his fasting came to an end. According to this, it appears that he fasted from the third to the twenty-third of the month Nisan; thus it began immediately after the feast of the new moon, which was kept for two days (cf. Sa1 20:18., 27, 34 with 6:29; Dan 2:19). Thus Hv. and Hitzig conclude; while v. Leng. and Maurer argue, from Dan 10:13, that between the time of fasting and the appearance of the angel an interval elapsed, consequently that Daniel fasted from the first to the twenty-first of the month Nisan. But from Dan 10:13 nothing further follows than that the angel was detained twenty-one days; so that the question as to the beginning and the end of the fast is not certainly answered from the text, and, as being irrelevant to the matter, it can remain undecided. More important is the question as to the cause of such long-continued great sorrow, which is not answered by the remark that he was thus prepared for receiving a divine revelation. According to Dan 10:12, Daniel sought הבּין, i.e., understanding as to the state of the matter, or regarding the future of his people, which filled him with concern. The word about the restoration of Jerusalem which he had received through the angel Gabriel in the first year of Darius (Daniel 9) had come to pass since that revelation in the first year of Cyrus, but had had only little effect on the religious lukewarmness of the majority of the people. Of the whole people only a very small portion had returned to the land of their fathers, and had begun, after restoring the altar of burnt-offering, to build the house of God in Jerusalem. But while the foundation of the new temple was laid, there mingled with the joyful shoutings of the people also the loud wailings of the old men who had seen the former temple in its glory, when they beheld this building undertaken amid circumstances so depressing and sorrowful (Ezr 3:1-13). In addition to this, the Samaritans immediately, when the Jewish rulers refused for conscience sake to permit them to take part with them in the building, sought, by means of influences used at the Persian court, to prevent the carrying on of the building (Ezr 4:1-5). This sad state of matters could not but, at the beginning of the new year, fill the heart of Daniel with deep sorrow, and move him at the return of the time of the passover to mourn in fasting and prayer over the delay of the salvation promised to his people, and to supplicate in behalf of Israel the pardon of their sins, and their deliverance out of the hand of their enemies. Therefore he mourned and fasted before and during the paschal days for three weeks, until on the twenty-fourth day of the month he received a revelation from God.

Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65]
Was mourning - Because he foresaw the many calamities that would befall the Jews for their sins, especially for destroying the Messiah, and rejecting his gospel.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
I - was mourning three full weeks - The weeks are most probably dated from the time of the termination of the last vision. Calmet proves this by several reasons.

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² As [1161] they [846] ministered [3008] to the Lord [2962], and [2532] fasted [3522], the Holy [40] Ghost [4151] said [2036], [1211] Separate [873] me [3427] [5037] Barnabas [921] and [2532] Saul [4569] for [1519] the work [2041] whereunto [3739] I have called [4341] them [846].

³ Forbidding [2967] to marry [1060], and commanding to abstain from [567] meats [1033], which [3739] God [2316] hath created [2936] to [1519] be received [3336] with [3326] thanksgiving [2169] of them which believe [4103] and [2532] know [1921] the truth [225].

⁸ But [1161] meat [1033] commendeth [3936] us [2248] not [3756] to God [2316]: for [1063] neither [3777], if [1437] we eat [5315], are we the better [4052]; neither [3777], if [3362] we eat [5315] not [3362], are we the worse [5302].

¹⁵ And when he had spoken [01696] such words [01697] unto me, I set [05414] my face [06440] toward the ground [0776], and I became dumb [0481].

¹⁴ Then [5119] came [4334] to him [846] the disciples [3101] of John [2491], saying [3004], Why [1302] do we [2249] and [2532] the Pharisees [5330] fast [3522] oft [4183], but [1161] thy [4675] disciples [3101] fast [3522] not [3756]?

³ I ate [0398] no pleasant [02532] bread [03899], neither came [0935] flesh [01320] nor wine [03196] in my mouth [06310], neither did I anoint [05480] myself at all [05480], till three [07969] whole [03117] weeks [07620] were fulfilled [04390].

¹ Now when the adversaries [06862] of Judah [03063] and Benjamin [01144] heard [08085] that the children [01121] of the captivity [01473] builded [01129] the temple [01964] unto the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478];
² Then they came [05066] to Zerubbabel [02216], and to the chief [07218] of the fathers [01], and said [0559] unto them, Let us build [01129] with you: for we seek [01875] your God [0430], as ye do; and we do sacrifice [02076] unto him since the days [03117] of Esarhaddon [0634] king [04428] of Assur [0804], which brought us up hither [05927].
³ But Zerubbabel [02216], and Jeshua [03442], and the rest [07605] of the chief [07218] of the fathers [01] of Israel [03478], said [0559] unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build [01129] an house [01004] unto our God [0430]; but we ourselves together [03162] will build [01129] unto the LORD [03068] God [0430] of Israel [03478], as king [04428] Cyrus [03566] the king [04428] of Persia [06539] hath commanded [06680] us.
⁴ Then the people [05971] of the land [0776] weakened [07503] the hands [03027] of the people [05971] of Judah [03063], and troubled [0926] [01089] them in building [01129],
⁵ And hired [07936] counsellors [03289] against them, to frustrate [06565] their purpose [06098], all the days [03117] of Cyrus [03566] king [04428] of Persia [06539], even until the reign [04438] of Darius [01867] king [04428] of Persia [06539].

¹ And when the seventh [07637] month [02320] was come [05060], and the children [01121] of Israel [03478] were in the cities [05892], the people [05971] gathered themselves together [0622] as one [0259] man [0376] to Jerusalem [03389].
² Then stood up [06965] Jeshua [03442] the son [01121] of Jozadak [03136], and his brethren [0251] the priests [03548], and Zerubbabel [02216] the son [01121] of Shealtiel [07597], and his brethren [0251], and builded [01129] the altar [04196] of the God [0430] of Israel [03478], to offer [05927] burnt offerings [05930] thereon, as it is written [03789] in the law [08451] of Moses [04872] the man [0376] of God [0430].
³ And they set [03559] the altar [04196] upon his bases [04350]; for fear [0367] was upon them because of the people [05971] of those countries [0776]: and they offered [05927] burnt offerings [05930] thereon unto the LORD [03068], even burnt offerings [05930] morning [01242] and evening [06153].
⁴ They kept [06213] also the feast [02282] of tabernacles [05521], as it is written [03789], and offered the daily [03117] [03117] burnt offerings [05930] by number [04557], according to the custom [04941], as the duty [01697] of every day [03117] required [03117];
⁵ And afterward [0310] offered the continual [08548] burnt offering [05930], both of the new moons [02320], and of all the set feasts [04150] of the LORD [03068] that were consecrated [06942], and of every one that willingly offered [05068] a freewill offering [05071] unto the LORD [03068].
⁶ From the first [0259] day [03117] of the seventh [07637] month [02320] began [02490] they to offer [05927] burnt offerings [05930] unto the LORD [03068]. But the foundation [03245] of the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068] was not yet laid [03245].
⁷ They gave [05414] money [03701] also unto the masons [02672], and to the carpenters [02796]; and meat [03978], and drink [04960], and oil [08081], unto them of Zidon [06722], and to them of Tyre [06876], to bring [0935] cedar [0730] trees [06086] from Lebanon [03844] to the sea [03220] of Joppa [03305], according to the grant [07558] that they had of Cyrus [03566] king [04428] of Persia [06539].
⁸ Now in the second [08145] year [08141] of their coming [0935] unto the house [01004] of God [0430] at Jerusalem [03389], in the second [08145] month [02320], began [02490] Zerubbabel [02216] the son [01121] of Shealtiel [07597], and Jeshua [03442] the son [01121] of Jozadak [03136], and the remnant [07605] of their brethren [0251] the priests [03548] and the Levites [03881], and all they that were come out [0935] of the captivity [07628] unto Jerusalem [03389]; and appointed [05975] the Levites [03881], from twenty [06242] years [08141] old [01121] and upward [04605], to set forward [05329] the work [04399] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068].
⁹ Then stood [05975] Jeshua [03442] with his sons [01121] and his brethren [0251], Kadmiel [06934] and his sons [01121], the sons [01121] of Judah [03063], together [0259], to set forward [05329] the workmen [06213] [04399] in the house [01004] of God [0430]: the sons [01121] of Henadad [02582], with their sons [01121] and their brethren [0251] the Levites [03881].
¹⁰ And when the builders [01129] laid the foundation [03245] of the temple [01964] of the LORD [03068], they set [05975] the priests [03548] in their apparel [03847] with trumpets [02689], and the Levites [03881] the sons [01121] of Asaph [0623] with cymbals [04700], to praise [01984] the LORD [03068], after the ordinance [03027] of David [01732] king [04428] of Israel [03478].
¹¹ And they sang together by course [06030] in praising [01984] and giving thanks [03034] unto the LORD [03068]; because he is good [02896], for his mercy [02617] endureth for ever [05769] toward Israel [03478]. And all the people [05971] shouted [07321] with a great [01419] shout [08643], when they praised [01984] the LORD [03068], because the foundation [03245] of the house [01004] of the LORD [03068] was laid [03245].
¹² But many [07227] of the priests [03548] and Levites [03881] and chief [07218] of the fathers [01], who were ancient men [02205], that had seen [07200] the first [07223] house [01004], when the foundation [03245] of this house [01004] was laid [03245] before their eyes [05869], wept [01058] with a loud [01419] voice [06963]; and many [07227] shouted [08643] aloud [07311] for joy [08057]:
¹³ So that the people [05971] could not discern [05234] the noise [06963] of the shout [08643] of joy [08057] from the noise [06963] of the weeping [01065] of the people [05971]: for the people [05971] shouted [07321] with a loud [01419] shout [08643], and the noise [06963] was heard [08085] afar off [07350].

¹² Then said [0559] he unto me, Fear [03372] not, Daniel [01840]: for from the first [07223] day [03117] that thou didst set [05414] thine heart [03820] to understand [0995], and to chasten [06031] thyself before [06440] thy God [0430], thy words [01697] were heard [08085], and I am come [0935] for thy words [01697].

¹³ But the prince [08269] of the kingdom [04438] of Persia [06539] withstood [05975] me one [0259] and twenty [06242] days [03117]: but, lo, Michael [04317], one [0259] of the chief [07223] princes [08269], came [0935] to help [05826] me; and I remained [03498] there with [0681] the kings [04428] of Persia [06539].

¹⁹ Then [0116] was the secret [07328] revealed [01541] unto Daniel [01841] in a night [03916] vision [02376]. Then [0116] Daniel [01841] blessed [01289] the God [0426] of heaven [08065].

¹⁸ Then Jonathan [03083] said [0559] to David [01732], To morrow [04279] is the new moon [02320]: and thou shalt be missed [06485], because thy seat [04186] will be empty [06485].

⁴ And in the four [0702] and twentieth [06242] day [03117] of the first [07223] month [02320], as I was by the side [03027] of the great [01419] river [05104], which is Hiddekel [02313];

² And Joab [03097] sent [07971] to Tekoah [08620], and fetched [03947] thence a wise [02450] woman [0802], and said [0559] unto her, I pray thee, feign thyself to be a mourner [056], and put on [03847] now mourning [060] apparel [0899], and anoint [05480] not thyself with oil [08081], but be as a woman [0802] that had a long [07227] time [03117] mourned [056] for the dead [04191]:

⁶ That drink [08354] wine [03196] in bowls [04219], and anoint [04886] themselves with the chief [07225] ointments [08081]: but they are not grieved [02470] for the affliction [07667] of Joseph [03130].

²⁵ And he said [0559], Bring it near [05066] to me, and I will eat [0398] of my son's [01121] venison [06718], that my soul [05315] may bless [01288] thee. And he brought it near [05066] to him, and he did eat [0398]: and he brought [0935] him wine [03196], and he drank [08354].

¹³ And behold joy [08342] and gladness [08057], slaying [02026] oxen [01241], and killing [07819] sheep [06629], eating [0398] flesh [01320], and drinking [08354] wine [03196]: let us eat [0398] and drink [08354]; for to morrow [04279] we shall die [04191].

³ Thou shalt eat [0398] no leavened bread [02557] with it; seven [07651] days [03117] shalt thou eat [0398] unleavened bread [04682] therewith, even the bread [03899] of affliction [06040]; for thou camest forth [03318] out of the land [0776] of Egypt [04714] in haste [02649]: that thou mayest remember [02142] the day [03117] when thou camest forth [03318] out of the land [0776] of Egypt [04714] all the days [03117] of thy life [02416].

¹ And it came to pass at the end [07093] of two full [03117] years [08141], that Pharaoh [06547] dreamed [02492]: and, behold, he stood [05975] by the river [02975].

²⁴ Seventy [07657] weeks [07620] are determined [02852] upon thy people [05971] and upon thy holy [06944] city [05892], to finish [03607] the transgression [06588], and to make an end [08552] [02856] of sins [02403], and to make reconciliation [03722] for iniquity [05771], and to bring in [0935] everlasting [05769] righteousness [06664], and to seal up [02856] the vision [02377] and prophecy [05030], and to anoint [04886] the most [06944] Holy [06944].

¹ In the third [07969] year [08141] of Cyrus [03566] king [04428] of Persia [06539] a thing [01697] was revealed [01540] unto Daniel [01840], whose name [08034] was called [07121] Belteshazzar [01095]; and the thing [01697] was true [0571], but the time appointed [06635] was long [01419]: and he understood [0995] the thing [01697], and had understanding [0998] of the vision [04758].

² In those days [03117] I Daniel [01840] was mourning [056] three [07969] full [03117] weeks [07620].