NOTES for Dan 10:10-21
10 And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. |
11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. |
12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. |
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. |
14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days. |
15 And when he had spoken such words unto me, I set my face toward the ground, and I became dumb. |
16 And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength. |
17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. |
18 Then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me, |
19 And said, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. And when he had spoken unto me, I was strengthened, and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. |
20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. |
21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. |
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In the biblical books one can find many accounts of angels accompanying people during a difficult and dangerous journey or coming to their help. Mentions of angels leading whole peoples or countries are much rarer. One of these mentions is found in today's passage: the messenger of God who appeared to Daniel tells him about a confrontation with the one he calls the "governor of Persia" (vv. 12-13; in the Synodal translation, "the prince of the kingdom of Persia"). The matter, as can be seen, concerns not people but precisely angels, of whom one, named Michael, is described as "one of the chief rulers" (v. 13; in the Synodal translation, "one of the chief princes"). There is nothing surprising here: in the Yahwist, Jewish, and early Christian traditions, angels are spiritual beings who play a ministering role, carrying out concrete assignments given them by God, assignments that of course may concern both individual people and whole nations.
Usually, however, in the Bible these messengers of God accompany both individual people and whole nations not constantly, but temporarily, most often when a person or a people finds itself in a situation where its fate is being decided. In this case we have precisely such a historical turning point before us: in the confrontation of angels the fate of the Persian Empire is being decided, along with the outcome of its conflict with the Greek world, whose expression and embodiment will be Alexander the Great (vv. 20-21). But what does this confrontation consist of? It hardly resembles those wars of gods or spirits with myths of which the pagan world is full. Rather, one might expect a dispute on the merits, in which each side has its own arguments in favor of those for whom it is responsible before God. And the One who makes the decision, as can be seen, makes it after hearing all the opinions and all the arguments of the parties taking part in the discussion. Of course, God has no need of anyone's advice. But one may think that He nevertheless takes counsel with those who become participants in the fulfillment of His plans. After all, having created human beings and angels free, He truly gives them freedom. That includes the right to one's own opinion, which each may express to Him before hearing His determination.
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Readings for 13 November 2025
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