Daniel 10:6
in Daniel 10His body was like beryl, his face like the brilliance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as flaming torches, and his arms and his feet like unto burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
KJV
His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
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This verse in Daniel 10
Commentary
11 notes on this verseVerse 6. "And his body was like chrysolite." For "chrysolite," one of the twelve gems inserted in the oracular breastplate of the high priest, the Hebrew has trs'ys (tharsis) , a word which Theodotion and Symmachus simply left unchanged in transcription; but the Septuagint called it "the sea," according to the usage in the Psalms: "With a violent gale Thou dashest the ships of Tharsis in pieces," i.e., "the ships of the sea" (Psalm 48:7).
This site's exposition
the great river, which is Hiddekel
on Daniel 10:4-6
By the great river Hiddekel, the Tigris, a man clothed in linen appears, girded with gold, his body like beryl, his face as lightning, his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and feet like polished brass, his voice like a multitude, a description the bench reads as the most exalted angelic appearance in the book. The commentators divide on his identity: many, Calvin and Keil among them, read him as Gabriel continuing the angelic ministry of chapters eight and nine, while others weigh the sheer glory of the description against a lesser messenger and hold the question open. The same vocabulary of eyes like fire and feet like burning brass returns for the glorified Christ at Rev 1:14-15, a parallel the older commentators note without claiming Daniel's man in linen and John's risen Lord are one and the same figure.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
He says, "And his body was like Tharseis" instead of "it resembled purified gold brought from Tharseis," for refined gold was brought to Solomon from there. "And his face was like the appearance of lightning." He says that a radiance resembling light shone from his …
"And his body was like Tharsus." [Daniel 10:6] Tharsus is interpreted as Ethiopian. For the prophet already proclaimed its difficult interpretation, as the Word will be about to appear in the flesh in the world, he will be hard to recognize for many. "And his face was like lightning and his eyes like lamps of fire." [Daniel 10:6] For it is necessary for the fiery nature and the judgment of the Word to be foretold, so that fire, having been righteously inflicted upon the impious, may consume them, but to the righteous and to those who hope in him, he offers deathless eternity. He adds saying, "And his arms and feet were like burnished bronze," [Daniel 10:6] so that the first calling of the fathers and second of the nations are indicated to be the same. For the last will be as the first, for he says, "I will set your chiefs as at the beginning and your rulers as the first." [Isaiah 1:26] "And his voice was like the voice of a great crowd." [Daniel 10:6] For today all we who believe in him utter the oracles of Christ as through his mouth, speaking what is prescribed by him.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
His body also was like the beryl,.... That is, that part of it which was not covered with the linen garment, and was seen, was like such a precious stone, said to be of an azure and sky colour, signifying he was the Lord from heaven; though, according to its name, it should be of a sea colour, greenish; and so, according to some, the beryl is.
) that here touched him, and talked with him; that was Christ, but this seems to have been the angel Gabriel, whom Christ had once before ordered to instruct Daniel, ch. viii. That glorious appearance (as that of the God of glory to Abraham, Acts vii. 2 ) was to give authority and to gain attention to what the angel should say.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The encouragement that was given him to expect such a discovery of future events as should be satisfactory and useful both to others and to himself, and that he should be enabled both to understand the meaning of this discovery, though difficult, and to bear up under the lustre of it, though dazzling and dreadful,
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Paul's companions were aware of the light, but saw no man, Acts ix. Note, It is the honour of those who are beloved of God that, what is hidden from others, is known to them. Christ manifests himself to them, but not to the world, John xiv.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
His body also was like the beryl - There is a very striking resemblance between the description here given and that of the Saviour as he appeared to John in Patmos, Rev 1:13-16. See the notes at that passage. It contains, however, no description of the appearance of the body. “Beryl” is “a mineral of great hardness, occurring in green and bluish-green six-sided prisms. It is identical with the emerald, except that the latter has a purer and richer color. “ - Dana, in Webster’s Dictionary.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
beryl--literally, "Tarshish," in Spain. The beryl, identical with the chrysolite or topaz, was imported into the East from Tarshish, and therefore is called "the Tarshish stone."
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
His body also was like the beryl - The description of this person is very similar to that of our Lord in Rev 1:13-15.
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּגְוִיָּת֣וֹ | ugeviyato | and body his | H1472 → | |
| כְתַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ | khetarshish | [was] like topaz | H8658 → | |
| וּפָנָ֞יו | ufanav | and face his | H6440 → | 2123 times |
| כְּמַרְאֵ֤ה | kemareh | [was] like [the] appearance of | H4758 → | 103 times |
| בָרָק֙ | varak | lightning | H1300 → | |
| וְעֵינָיו֙ | veeinav | and eyes his | H5869 → | 887 times |
| כְּלַפִּ֣ידֵי | kelapidei | [were] like torches of | H3940 → | |
| אֵ֔שׁ | ʾesh | fire | H784 → | |
| וּזְרֹֽעֹתָיו֙ | uzerootav | and arms his | H2220 → | 91 times |
| וּמַרְגְּלֹתָ֔יו | umargelotav | and feet his | H4772 → | |
| כְּעֵ֖ין | keein | [were] like [the] appearance of | H5869 → | 887 times |
| נְחֹ֣שֶׁת | nechoshet | bronze | H5178 → | |
| קָלָ֑ל | kalal | burnished | H7044 → | |
| וְק֥וֹל | vekol | and [the] sound of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| דְּבָרָ֖יו | devarav | words his | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| כְּק֥וֹל | kekol | [was] like [the] sound of | H6963 → | 506 times |
| הָמֽוֹן׃ | hamon | a multitude | H1995 → | 83 times |
וּגְוִיָּת֣וֹand body his
ugeviyatoH1472 →
כְתַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ[was] like topaz
khetarshishH8658 →
וּפָנָ֞יוand face his
ufanavH6440 →2123 times
כְּמַרְאֵ֤ה[was] like [the] appearance of
kemarehH4758 →103 times
בָרָק֙lightning
varakH1300 →
וְעֵינָיו֙and eyes his
veeinavH5869 →887 times
כְּלַפִּ֣ידֵי[were] like torches of
kelapideiH3940 →
אֵ֔שׁfire
ʾeshH784 →
וּזְרֹֽעֹתָיו֙and arms his
uzerootavH2220 →91 times
וּמַרְגְּלֹתָ֔יוand feet his
umargelotavH4772 →
כְּעֵ֖ין[were] like [the] appearance of
keeinH5869 →887 times
נְחֹ֣שֶׁתbronze
nechoshetH5178 →
קָלָ֑לburnished
kalalH7044 →
וְק֥וֹלand [the] sound of
vekolH6963 →506 times
דְּבָרָ֖יוwords his
devaravH1697 →1440 times
כְּק֥וֹל[was] like [the] sound of
kekolH6963 →506 times
הָמֽוֹן׃a multitude
hamonH1995 →83 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
Ezekiel 1:24When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they…
it leads to
- Ezekiel 43:2
and I saw the glory of the God of Israel coming from the east. His voice was like the roar of many waters, and the earth shone with His glory.
- Psalms 29:3–9
The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters.
- Revelation 1:15
His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice was like the roar of many waters.
- Revelation 19:6
And I heard a sound like the roar of a great multitude, like the rushing of many waters, and like a mighty rumbling of thunder, crying out: “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the…
- Psalms 68:33
to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old; behold, His mighty voice resounds.
- Ezekiel 43:2
Through
Revelation 19:12He has eyes like blazing fire, and many royal crowns on His head. He has a name written on Him that only He Himself knows.
it leads to
- Revelation 19:16
And He has a name written on His robe and on His thigh: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.
- Revelation 19:16
Through
Matthew 17:2There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
it leads to
- Psalms 104:2
He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
- Matthew 28:3
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
- Psalms 104:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
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); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.37.3-6; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TEN; John Calvin, Commentary on the Prophet Daniel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 10:5-6.