Daniel 10:16
in Daniel 10And suddenly one with the likeness of a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and said to the one standing before me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am overcome with anguish, and I have no strength.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And, behold, one in the likeness 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 reason of the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I retain no strength.
KJV
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.
⋯
This verse in Daniel 10
Commentary
10 notes on this verseVerse 16. "O my lord, at the sight of thee my joints are loosed..." Theodotion interprets it this way, in accordance with what we read in the One Hundred and Second Psalm: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name."
This site's exposition
I became dumb
on Daniel 10:15-17
Daniel is struck dumb by the words, and one like the similitude of the sons of men touches his lips before he can speak at all, his sorrows turned upon him and no strength left, an experience of prophetic revelation registered as pure exhaustion. He asks how the servant of his lord can even talk with such a lord, since breath itself seems to fail him, the bench noting the honesty of a book that never dresses up its human cost. The messenger's touch loosens his tongue rather than restoring his strength outright, a partial mercy that still leaves him needing to be touched again.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Let those Anomoeans listen who, out of curiosity, are investigating into the essence of the Lord of angels. Daniel, to whom the eyes of the lions showed reverence, Daniel, who had a more than human power in his human body, could not endure the presence of his fellow servant but lay on the ground before the angel and could not breathe. For he said, "My bowels were turned within me at what I saw, and no breath was left in me." But these Anomoeans, who are so far removed from the virtue of that just man, profess to know with all exactness the highest and first of essences, the very essence of God, who has created myriads of these angels. And yet Daniel did not have the strength to look on a single one of them.
"Like the Son of man." He foresees the incarnation of the Only Begotten and calls him the Son of man, the one who was to be born of holy Mary and made human. "And my insides churned." Since life is compared with a wheel, the …
For he spoke in this way, "And I saw, and behold, as an appearance of a son of man he touched me." [Daniel 10:16] And so at first he said, "as the hand of a man," [Daniel 10:8] but now he says, "as an appearance of a son of man," so that at first it was partially shown to him, but secondly the whole human nature was put on and shown to him. For the Word of God in the figure of a man is proclaimed as a man and is displayed in the world as an incarnate man, though not yet then being a son of man. But when the fullness of time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, so that the Son of God may put on manhood from the Virgin and may be demonstrated as being the Son of God and the Son of Man. "And he opened," he says, "my mouth and I spoke to him who stood before me, 'Lord in your appearance my insides were turned within me and I have no strength,'" [Daniel 10:16] for it is necessary that the advent of the Lord happened upon the people above and below, so that those below may be able to come to those above.
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
), that which he had to say was to excuse his having been so long silent, for really he durst not speak, he could not speak: " O my lord " (so, in great humility, this prophet calls the angel, though the angels, in great humility, called themselves fellow-servants to the prophets, Rev. xxii.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation
9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. This vision is dated in the third year of Cyrus, that is, of his reign after the conquest of Babylon, his third year since Daniel became acquainted with him and a subject to him. A general idea of this prophecy (
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Like the similitude of the sons of men - I think Gabriel is here meant, who appeared to Daniel in a human form; and so in Dan 10:18, and see also Dan 9:21. Touched my lips - Before this he was unable to speak. By the vision - The vision that I have already had, and of which I have not a proper knowledge has greatly afflicted me, because I see it intimates grievous calamities to my people. See Dan 9:26.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips - In the form of a man. The reference here is undoubtedly to Gabriel appearing to Daniel in human form. Why he does not name him is unknown; nor is there any intimation whether he changed his form as he now approached the prophet. It would seem not improbable that, seeing the effect of his presence and his words on Daniel, he laid aside some of the manifestations of awe and majesty in which he had at first appeared to him, and approached him as a man, and placed his hands on his lips - as a sign that he should speak, or as imparting power to him to speak. See the notes at Isa 6:6-7. I opened my mouth, and spake - His fear was removed, and he was now able to address the heavenly messenger. O my lord - A title of respectful address, but without indicating the rank of him to whom it is applied. By the vision my sorrows are turned upon me - The word rendered “sorrows” (צירים tsı̂yrı̂ym) means, properly, “writhings, throes, pains,” as of a woman in travail, Isa 13:8; Isa 21:3; 1Sa 4:19; and then any deep pain or anguish. Here it refers to “terror or fright,” as so great as to prostrate the strength of Daniel. The word rendered “are turned” (נהפכוּ nehepekû - from הפך hâphak) means, in Niphal. to turn one’s self about, to turn back. The same phrase which is used here occurs also in 1Sa 4:19, “her pains turned upon her;” that is, came upon her. Perhaps we should express the idea by saying that they rolled upon us, or over us - like the surges of the ocean.
The words behind it
22 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְהִנֵּ֗ה | vehineh | and there! | H2009 → | 843 times |
| כִּדְמוּת֙ | kidmut | like [the] likeness of | H1823 → | |
| בְּנֵ֣י | benei | [the] sons of | H1121 → | 4930 times |
| אָדָ֔ם | ʾadam | humankind | H120 → | 551 times |
| נֹגֵ֖עַ | nogea' | [was] touching | H5060 → | 150 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | <on> | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| שְׂפָתָ֑י | sefatai | lips my | H8193 → | 176 times |
| וָאֶפְתַּח־ | vaeftach- | and I opened | H6605 → | |
| פִּ֗י | pi | mouth my | H6310 → | |
| וָאֲדַבְּרָה֙ | vaadaberah | and I spoke ! | H1696 → | 1141 times |
| וָאֹֽמְרָה֙ | vaomerah | and I said ! | H559 → | 5305 times |
| אֶל־ | ʾel- | to | H413 → | 5510 times |
| הָעֹמֵ֣ד | haomed | the [one] standing | H5975 → | 521 times |
| לְנֶגְדִּ֔י | lenegdi | to before me | H5048 → | 151 times |
| אֲדֹנִ֗י | ʾadoni | O lord my | H113 → | 333 times |
| בַּמַּרְאָה֙ | bamarah | on the vision | H4759 → | 12 times |
| נֶהֶפְכ֤וּ | nehefkhu | they have turned | H2015 → | |
| צִירַי֙ | tzirai | pangs my | H6735 → | |
| עָלַ֔י | ʾalai | on me | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| עָצַ֖רְתִּי | ʾatzarti | I have retained | H6113 → | 47 times |
| כֹּֽחַ׃ | koach | strength | H3581 → | 126 times |
וְהִנֵּ֗הand there!
vehinehH2009 →843 times
כִּדְמוּת֙like [the] likeness of
kidmutH1823 →
בְּנֵ֣י[the] sons of
beneiH1121 →4930 times
אָדָ֔םhumankind
ʾadamH120 →551 times
נֹגֵ֖עַ[was] touching
nogea'H5060 →150 times
עַל־<on>
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
שְׂפָתָ֑יlips my
sefataiH8193 →176 times
וָאֶפְתַּח־and I opened
vaeftach-H6605 →
פִּ֗יmouth my
piH6310 →
וָאֲדַבְּרָה֙and I spoke !
vaadaberahH1696 →1141 times
וָאֹֽמְרָה֙and I said !
vaomerahH559 →5305 times
אֶל־to
ʾel-H413 →5510 times
הָעֹמֵ֣דthe [one] standing
haomedH5975 →521 times
לְנֶגְדִּ֔יto before me
lenegdiH5048 →151 times
אֲדֹנִ֗יO lord my
ʾadoniH113 →333 times
בַּמַּרְאָה֙on the vision
bamarahH4759 →12 times
נֶהֶפְכ֤וּthey have turned
nehefkhuH2015 →
צִירַי֙pangs my
tziraiH6735 →
עָלַ֔יon me
ʾalaiH5921 →5755 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
עָצַ֖רְתִּיI have retained
ʾatzartiH6113 →47 times
כֹּֽחַ׃strength
koachH3581 →126 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Jeremiah 1:9Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
it leads to
- Luke 21:15
For I will give you speech and wisdom that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.
- Exodus 4:11–12
And the LORD said to him, “Who gave man his mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, the sighted or the blind? Is it not I, the LORD?
- Luke 12:12
For at that time the Holy Spirit will teach you what you should say.”
- Isaiah 51:16
I have put My words in your mouth, and covered you with the shadow of My hand, to establish the heavens, to found the earth, and to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”
- Isaiah 50:4
The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple.
- Luke 21:15
Through
Isaiah 6:7And with it he touched my mouth and said: “Now that this has touched your lips, your iniquity is removed and your sin is atoned for.”
it leads to
- Jeremiah 1:9
Then the LORD reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
- 1 John 1:7
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.
- Isaiah 43:25
I, yes I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake and remembers your sins no more.
- Jeremiah 1:9
Where this verse is studied
About Daniel
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ammonius of Alexandria, FRAGMENTS ON DANIEL 10:16; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.39.4-6; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TEN; John Chrysostom, AGAINST THE ANOMOEANS 3:23; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.