Daniel 12:6
in Daniel 12One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
KJV
And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
⋯
This verse in Daniel 12
Commentary
11 notes on this verseAnd one said to the man clothed with linen,.... One of the angels on one side of the bank of the river spoke to Christ, who appeared in a human form, as a presage of his future incarnation; and as clothed in linen, expressive of his priestly office, and of his purity and holiness, which qualified him for it; See Gill on Dan 10:
This site's exposition
saw two others standing there
on Daniel 12:5-7
Daniel sees two others on opposite banks, and one asks the man in linen how long it will be until these wonders are fulfilled. He swears that it will be “for a time, and times, and half a time,” until the power of the holy people is shattered.
This site's exposition
the man dressed in linen
Readers divide over the man dressed in linen. John Gill and Matthew Henry say he is Christ, dressed in linen as a priest, and Clarke says he is Gabriel. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown set these words beside 1 Peter 1:12, where angels long to look into such things.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
Verses 5-6. "And I Daniel looked, and behold as it were two other persons were standing, one on this side upon the river-bank, and the other upon that side, on the other bank of the river. And I said to the man that was clothed in linen, that stood upon the waters of the river, 'How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?'" Daniel saw two angels standing on either side upon the bank of the river of Babylon.
After these things were spoken in this way, Daniel says, "And I saw, and behold, two other men were standing, one on the side of the bank of the river and one on the other side of the bank of the river and they answered to the man who stood above the water of the river and they said to him, 'When will be the end of the wondrous words which you have spoken?' And I heard the man who was clothed in linen, who was above the water of the river and he raised his right and his left hand to heaven and swore by him who lives for ever that in time and times and half of the time, when the dispersion is consummated, they will know all these things." [Daniel 12:5-7] And so who were the two men who were standing alongside the bank of the river except the law and the prophets? And who was the one who stood above the water except he himself, concerning whom they themselves heralded long ago, who was destined to be visibly testified by the Father at the Jordan in the end and to be shown to the people in openness by John, who carries the ink of a scribe and linen around his loins and being dressed with a multicolored tunic. These, seeing him, learned that to him was given all rule and authority, so that they understood exactly concerning him, when he is about to bring judgment to the world and when what was spoken by him shall be fulfilled. But he, wishing to persuade these according to every way, raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven and swore by him who lives forever.
That is, when that angel, who talked to me, left, and appeared to have entered the riverbed, to look for a place to ford. Suddenly two others appeared, standing on the opposite banks. Therefore the angel, while he proceeded in the riverbed and trod the …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Concerning this we may observe, 1. Who it was that asked the question. Daniel had had a vision of Christ in his glory, the man clothed in linen, ch. x.
To whom this question was put, to the man clothed in linen, of whom we read before ( ch. x. 5 ), to Christ our great high priest, who was upon the waters of the river, and whose spokesman, or interpreter, the angel Gabriel had all this while been. This river was Hiddekel ( ch. x.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
one--namely, of the two (Da 12:5). man . . . in linen--who had spoken up to this point. God impelled the angel to ask in order to waken us out of our torpor, seeing that the very "angels desire to look into" the things affecting man's redemption (1Pe 1:12), as setting forth the glory of their Lord and ours (Eph 3:10).
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
The man clothed in linen - Gabriel in a human form. Thus he is represented, Dan 10:5.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
And one said - One of these angels. It would seem that, though before unseen by Daniel, they had been present, and had listened with deep interest to the communication respecting the future which the angel had made to him.
The words behind it
12 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וַיֹּ֗אמֶר | vaiyomer | and someone said | H559 → | 5305 times |
| לָאִישׁ֙ | laish | to the man | H376 → | 1663 times |
| לְב֣וּשׁ | levush | <the> clothed of | H3847 → | 110 times |
| הַבַּדִּ֔ים | habadim | <the> linen<s> | H906 → | 23 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֥ר | ʾasher | who | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מִמַּ֖עַל | mimaal | [was] from above | H4605 → | |
| לְמֵימֵ֣י | lemeimei | <to> [the] water of | H4325 → | 581 times |
| הַיְאֹ֑ר | hayor | the River | H2975 → | 65 times |
| עַד־ | ʾad- | until | H5704 → | 1261 times |
| מָתַ֖י | matai | when? | H4970 → | |
| קֵ֥ץ | ketz | [will be] [the] end of | H7093 → | 67 times |
| הַפְּלָאֽוֹת׃ | hapelaot | the wonders | H6382 → |
וַיֹּ֗אמֶרand someone said
vaiyomerH559 →5305 times
לָאִישׁ֙to the man
laishH376 →1663 times
לְב֣וּשׁ<the> clothed of
levushH3847 →110 times
הַבַּדִּ֔ים<the> linen<s>
habadimH906 →23 times
אֲשֶׁ֥רwho
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מִמַּ֖עַל[was] from above
mimaalH4605 →
לְמֵימֵ֣י<to> [the] water of
lemeimeiH4325 →581 times
הַיְאֹ֑רthe River
hayorH2975 →65 times
עַד־until
ʾad-H5704 →1261 times
מָתַ֖יwhen?
mataiH4970 →
קֵ֥ץ[will be] [the] end of
ketzH7093 →67 times
הַפְּלָאֽוֹת׃the wonders
hapelaotH6382 →
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
Daniel 8:13Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long until the fulfillment of the vision of the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, and the surrender…
it leads to
- Revelation 11:2
But exclude the courtyard outside the temple. Do not measure it, because it has been given over to the nations, and they will trample the holy city for 42 months.
- Revelation 6:10
And they cried out in a loud voice, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You avenge our blood and judge those who dwell upon the earth?”
- Luke 21:24
They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
- Daniel 9:27
And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple…
- Daniel 11:31
His forces will rise up and desecrate the temple fortress. They will abolish the daily sacrifice and set up the abomination of desolation.
- Revelation 11:2
Through
Daniel 8:16And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
it leads to
- Luke 1:19
“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
- Luke 1:26
In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to a town in Galilee called Nazareth,
- Daniel 12:5–7
Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.
- Luke 1:19
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; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 12:5; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.56.1-5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER TWELVE; John Calvin, Commentary on the Prophet Daniel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
