In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, after three whole weeks of mourning, Daniel stands by the great river Hiddekel and sees the man clothed in linen, 'whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz; his body also was like the beryl... and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.' His strength leaves him; his comeliness is turned to corruption; and the touch and the word come: 'O Daniel, you man greatly beloved... fear not! peace be to you.' The veil lifts for a moment on the unseen war: the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood twenty-one days, 'but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me' — none holding with him against these 'except Michael your prince.' And then the promise: 'However, I will declare to you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth.'
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In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the word was true, even a great warfare; and he gave heed to the word, and had understanding of the vision.
verse value 6460
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 87 letters. Notable word values: "to·him" (ל֖וֹ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "to·him" (ל֖וֹ, 2 letters) and the longest is "whose·was·called" (אֲשֶׁר־נִקְרָ֥א, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·revealed" (נִגְלָ֣ה), "his·name" (שְׁמ֖וֹ), "Belteshazzar" (בֵּלְטְאשַׁצַּ֑ר). The root דבר appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "king·of" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "to·Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "word" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Belteshazzar', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 9 words.
Rashi
and for a long time and it will come in a long time. and he understood the word and to understand the word, the vision was revealed to me. and he understood it in the vision Heb. וּבִינָה and to make him understand it in the vision. Now this word is not a noun, like (Job. 38:4): “if you know understanding (בִּינָה) Instead, the “hey” is superfluous, and it is like (Ps 5:2) “understand (בִּינָה) my thoughts” Therefore, the accent is above on the “beth,” and its meaning is like הָבֵן, understand.
Ibn Ezra
In the third year — The Gaon said that [the word] ‘warfare’ (צָבָא) is like the word in ‘and whatever he wished’ (וְדִי הֲוָה צָבֵא) (Daniel 5:19). And Rabbi Moshe ben Balaam said that it is like the word in ‘is there not a term of service for man on earth?’ (Job 7:1). But in my opinion, [the clause] ‘whose name was called [Belteshazzar]’ comes in between two [connected] matters, just as I explained regarding [the verse] ‘and Israel saw [the Egyptians] dead on the shore of the sea’ (Exodus 14:30) — where [the reason,] that the earth had swallowed them, is given only afterward, for so it is written in the Song [at the Sea] (Exodus 15:12). And so too here: this matter — ‘and the word was true, even a great warfare’ — was revealed to Daniel in visions of the night, [with the clause ‘whose name was called Belteshazzar’ inserted in between]. And ‘true’ — [describes] ‘the word.’ ‘And he gave heed to the word’ — this is an infinitive [used adverbially], like ‘consider well that which is before you’ (Proverbs 23:1). ‘And had understanding of it’ — this is a noun; and because its accent falls at the outset, on its first letter, with penultimate stress — like [the pattern of] ‘has gotten me this wealth’ (Deuteronomy 8:17). Or perhaps both [words, ‘he gave heed’ and ‘had understanding’] are imperative forms, with the words ‘and it was said to him’ omitted [elliptically] — [meaning] this vision he did not reveal, but concealed; perhaps that is what he was commanded to do.
Metzudat David
A word – That is, a word of prophecy. And the word was true – That is, the truth of the matter was revealed to him exactly as it is, not through hints and riddles. Even a great warfare – A great host of the angels on high was also revealed to him. And he gave heed to the word – That is, in order that he might grasp the matter and have it made clear to him through actual sight, the truth of the matter was revealed to him just as it is, together with a great host of the angels on high, so that he would understand it readily. But it is not stated what the word of prophecy actually was; perhaps he was commanded to keep it concealed.
Metzudat Zion
Warfare (vetzava) - An expression [meaning] a great army.
Malbim
In the third year of Cyrus — after Daniel saw that Cyrus had given permission to build the Temple, and that, through the accusation that the adversaries of Judah had written, the building had once again been halted, he mourned over this matter, and the word came to him to quiet the turmoil of his spirit. ‘A word was revealed’ — for this vision did not come to him only in general terms; rather, all its details were revealed to him. ‘And the word was true’ — he explained to him a true account of what was happening now, and also ‘a great warfare’ — of what would happen in the distant future. ‘And he gave heed to the word’ — through this vision he came to understand all the earlier visions, which had consisted of two elements, ‘word’ and ‘vision’: that is, words that he heard in prophecy, and a vision that he saw in imagery, such as the ram and the he-goat, and so on. And all of this was now made clear to him in detail — both ‘to understand the word,’ and ‘had understanding of’ — that is, he had understanding of the vision, meaning, to understand what he had seen in the vision.
Ibn Yahya
Section 11: 'In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia,' etc., 'a word was revealed to Daniel,' etc. — that this word was true and certain, and concerned a great host (tzava), meaning the greatness of the host of Israel in the fifth kingdom; and the vav of ve-tzava ("and a host") stands in place of a bet (as though be-tzava, "through a host"), for the letters bet, vav, mem, and peh interchange with one another. And since it says that the word 'was revealed to Daniel,' this makes clear that the matter is exceedingly hidden. Now, [one might suppose that] there is great understanding of it when a person is awake, and great understanding of it even within the prophetic vision itself; but this verse hints that, just as Daniel did not understand these visions of his while awake, after the holy spirit had passed from him, so too, even at the time of the vision itself, he did not understand it. And this was not because of any deficiency in his own comprehension, but rather because of the depth of what was to be grasped, which Hashem wished to make deep and to conceal, so that people should not uncover it. And because Daniel was preparing himself for this knowledge, so that there be no withholding from above, all this knowledge was poured into him, and he would write it down; yet in truth he did not understand it from what he wrote, nor can it be understood by anyone else, except for the matter of the four kingdoms; but concerning the fifth kingdom, nothing true and certain has become known.
In those days I Daniel was mourning three whole weeks.
verse value 2373
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 39 letters. The shortest word is "the·those" (הָהֵ֑ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·the·days" (בַּיָּמִ֖ים, 5 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "in·the·days" (בַּיָּמִ֖ים), "mourning" (מִתְאַבֵּ֔ל). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "in·the·days" (root יום, 33x in Daniel); "I" (root אני, 23x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·those', dividing the verse into phrases of 2 and 7 words. Full calculation: בַּיָּמִ֖ים [in·the·days] (102) + הָהֵ֑ם [the·those] (50) + אֲנִ֤י [I] (61) + דָֽנִיֵּאל֙ [Daniel] (95) + הָיִ֣יתִי [I·was] (435) + מִתְאַבֵּ֔ל [mourning] (473) + שְׁלֹשָׁ֥ה [three] (635) + שָׁבֻעִ֖ים [weeks] (422) + יָמִֽים [days] (100) = 2373.
Rashi
had been mourning when he saw that Cyrus had curtailed the construction of the Temple, for he had ordered to commence it, and he reneged because of the missive of the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin: Rehum the adviser and Shimshai the scribe, as is written in the Book of Ezra (4:5). three weeks of days twenty-one years. They are eighteen years from the one year of Darius the Mede, when he [Daniel] put to his heart to calculate the seventy years of the exile, as it is written: until the second year of Darius the Persian, the son of Esther, who built the Temple. As for the three extra years, I do not know whether he started to fast before them or whether the duration of the acceptance of the vow of his fasts terminated three years after the building.
Ibn Ezra
In those days I Daniel was mourning three whole weeks — and this was in the month of Nisan. But how could he have mourned through the days of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and not drunk wine on the night of Passover, the night of the fifteenth? For it is written, ‘for from the first day that you set your heart to afflict yourself before your God’ (Daniel 10:12), and ‘I have come because of your words,’ by the command of Hashem — for so it is written, ‘for now I am sent to you’ (Daniel 10:11). Only, ‘the prince of the king of Persia stood against me twenty-one days’ (Daniel 10:13) — these being the three weeks that he fasted. That is why [the angel, in effect,] said: ‘I meant to come [sooner], and had Michael, who helped me, not [done so], I would still be there, in battle with the kings of Persia; and now, when I depart from you, I will return to fight with the prince of Persia’ (Daniel 10:13, 20). And this was on the twenty-fourth day of the first month (Daniel 10:4). Only, we do not know for certain whether this month is the month of Nisan, or whether it is [counted as] the first month of the third year of the reign of Cyrus — in the manner of [the phrase] ‘in the twenty-fifth year of our captivity, at the beginning of the year’ (Ezekiel 40:1); and this, too, is like [the phrase] ‘in the tenth day of the month, which is the fifth month’ (Jeremiah 52:12), for in that month the Temple was burned.
Metzudat David
In those days, etc. – Because he saw that Cyrus had commanded the building of the House to be halted, after having given permission to build it, as stated in the Book of Ezra, he was mourning over this; or perhaps he was mourning on account of the matter that had been revealed to him, which may have concerned the length of the exile. Three whole weeks – Three week-units of days, that is, twenty-one days.
Malbim
In those days — for at that time he was mourning for three weeks. Abarbanel explained this as corresponding to the three kingdoms that he saw would yet rule over Israel — one week corresponding to each.
Ibn Yahya
And he relates the manner of the preparation he made in order to receive that influence, which consisted in subduing matter [the body]. By standing in mourning, so as to still the feeling soul, in whose dwelling joy resides; and by withholding from himself the pleasures of the vegetative soul that come from eating — [restricting himself] to the bread necessary for life, and not the fine and pleasant kind; indeed, he ate, merely to sustain life, coarse black bread. And by withholding meat, which nourishes the body's vitality; and by withholding wine and sleep, which are superfluous things — so that, through the subduing of matter for three weeks, the intellect and the divine soul would be elevated and attain what it sought, since the bodily adversary and oppressor would no longer weigh it down.
I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
verse value 4477
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·I·anointed" (לֹא־סָ֑כְתִּי, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "I·ate" (אָכַ֗לְתִּי), "and·flesh" (וּבָשָׂ֥ר), "not·came" (לֹא־בָ֥א). The root סוך appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "not·came" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel); "days" (root יום, 33x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'not·I·anointed', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: לֶ֣חֶם [bread] (78) + חֲמֻד֞וֹת [pleasant] (458) + לֹ֣א [not] (31) + אָכַ֗לְתִּי [I·ate] (461) + וּבָשָׂ֥ר [and·flesh] (508) + וָיַ֛יִן [and·wine] (76) + לֹא־בָ֥א [not·came] (34) + אֶל־פִּ֖י [to·my·mouth] (121) + וְס֣וֹךְ [and·to·anoint] (92) + לֹא־סָ֑כְתִּי [not·I·anointed] (521) + עַד־מְלֹ֕את [until·were·fulfilled] (545) + שְׁלֹ֥שֶׁת [three] (1030) + שָׁבֻעִ֖ים [weeks] (422) + יָמִֽים [days] (100) = 4477.
Rashi
white bread Heb. לֶחֶם חֲמֻדֹת, white (lit. clean) bread, as Onkelos rendered (Gen. 27:15): “Esau’s clean clothes (הַחֲמֻדֹת),” דַּכְיָתָא, clean.
Metzudat David
Pleasant bread – Delicious, refined bread. Neither did I anoint, etc. – I did not anoint myself with oil, in the manner of those who indulge in luxury.
Metzudat Zion
Were fulfilled (ad melot) - Meaning were completed.
Malbim
Pleasant bread — meaning that even at night, after fasting, he would not eat bread of fine, clean flour, nor drink wine.
And in the four and twentieth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, which is Tigris,
verse value 2950
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 55 letters. Verse gematria: 2950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "upon" (עַ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·four" (וְאַרְבָּעָ֖ה, 6 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·in·day" (וּבְי֛וֹם), "to·the·month" (לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ), "the·river" (הַנָּהָ֛ר). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "upon" (root על, 64x in Daniel); "and·in·day" (root יום, 33x in Daniel); "hand·of" (root יד, 26x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·first', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 8 words. Full calculation: וּבְי֛וֹם [and·in·day] (64) + עֶשְׂרִ֥ים [twenty] (620) + וְאַרְבָּעָ֖ה [and·four] (284) + לַחֹ֣דֶשׁ [to·the·month] (342) + הָרִאשׁ֑וֹן [the·first] (562) + וַאֲנִ֗י [and·I] (67) + הָיִ֛יתִי [I·was] (435) + עַ֣ל [upon] (100) + יַ֧ד [hand·of] (14) + הַנָּהָ֛ר [the·river] (260) + הַגָּד֖וֹל [the·great] (48) + ה֥וּא [it] (12) + חִדָּֽקֶל [Tigris] (142) = 2950.
Ibn Ezra
And I was by the side of the great river — like Ezekiel, [who prophesied] by the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1:1).
Metzudat David
And in the four and twentieth day, etc. – This was at the completion of the three weeks. By the side – Near the place of the river, etc.
Ibn Yahya
And on the twenty-fourth day of the first month of the aforementioned third year of Cyrus — these being the three weeks of days mentioned above, each week reckoned as eight days, counted inclusively from one round to the next — it appeared to me that I was on the bank of the great river, the Tigris; and this is an allegory: he saw a great influence, like living waters from the fountains of heaven, come upon him, owing to how greatly he had prepared himself to receive it.
I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold a man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz;
verse value 3170
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 51 letters. The shortest word is "and·I·lifted" (וָאֶשָּׂ֤א, 4 letters) and the longest is "my·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינַי֙, 6 letters). 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "my·eyes" (אֶת־עֵינַי֙), "and·I·saw" (וָאֵ֔רֶא), "man·one" (אִישׁ־אֶחָ֖ד). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·saw" (root ראה, 22x in Daniel). First appearance of the root בד ("in·linen") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·linen', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וָאֶשָּׂ֤א [and·I·lifted] (308) + אֶת־עֵינַי֙ [my·eyes] (541) + וָאֵ֔רֶא [and·I·saw] (208) + וְהִנֵּ֥ה [and·behold] (66) + אִישׁ־אֶחָ֖ד [man·one] (324) + לָב֣וּשׁ [clothed] (338) + בַּדִּ֑ים [in·linen] (56) + וּמׇתְנָ֥יו [and·his·loins] (512) + חֲגֻרִ֖ים [girded] (261) + בְּכֶ֥תֶם [in·gold] (462) + אוּפָֽז [Uphaz] (94) = 3170.
Rashi
clad in linen a linen garment. with a girdle of gold studded with jewels Heb. בְּכֶתֶם אוּפָז, with a girdle of a cluster of pearls. Every [instance of] כֶּתֶם is an expression of a cluster of gold and precious stones.
Ibn Ezra
I lifted up my eyes and looked — in visions of the night, in the manner of Zechariah the prophet. And know that their rank was greater than the rank of Gideon, and of Manoah and his wife — and let the perceptive [reader] understand. The alef of ‘Uphaz’ is extra, like the alef of ‘etmol’ (‘yesterday’), ‘ezroa’ (‘arm’), and ‘eshmor’ (‘I will keep’). And ‘fine gold’ (כֶּתֶם) — this is a round [ornament] containing pure gold (פָּז).
Metzudat David
Linen – Linen garments. Fine gold of Uphaz – Pure, fine gold.
Metzudat Zion
Linen (badim) - Flax. Fine gold (bechetem) - An expression [meaning] gold, as in "an ornament of fine gold" (Proverbs 25:12).
Malbim
Clothed in linen — linen garments, that is, white flax garments, indicate his purity from matter. whose loins [were girded with fine gold of Uphaz] — as is said regarding the chashmal (cf. Ezekiel 1:27): from his loins and upward is a radiance that shines but does not burn, and below is a consuming fire — that is, the attribute of judgment. For with respect to the flow he receives from above, he receives kindness and compassion, and this is hinted at by the white linen garment, while from his loins downward is the fine gold of Uphaz, for gold signifies judgment, which comes from the side of the recipients who are below.
Ibn Yahya
'I lifted up my eyes, and looked, and behold, a man' — one alone, distinguished in his form and his completeness; and he is an allegory for God, blessed be He. 'Clothed in linen' — that is, in white — and this alludes to the fact that Hashem 'is clad in light as with a garment' (Psalms 104:2). 'And his loins girded with fine gold of Uphaz' — which is pure and free of all dross; and this alludes to the world of the angels, who are free of all matter, and he likens them to God's girdle, inasmuch as they resemble Him, in a certain respect, in their simplicity, and cleave to Him and submit to His will.
his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as torches of fire, and his arms and his feet like in color to burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
verse value 6071
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 82 letters. Verse gematria: 6071 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "fire" (אֵ֔שׁ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·his·feet" (וּמַרְגְּלֹתָ֔יו, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 152: and·his·face, and·his·eyes. 14 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·his·body" (וּגְוִיָּת֣וֹ), "like·beryl" (כְתַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ), "and·his·face" (וּפָנָ֞יו). The root עין appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·words" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel); "and·his·face" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel). First appearance of the root זרוע ("and·his·arms") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'burnished', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 4 words.
Rashi
And his body was like tarshish Our Sages of blessed memory explained in Tractate Hullin (9lb): “His body was two thousand parasangs large, like the measurement of the sea named Tarshish, and that is the sea of Africa (the Mediterranean).” brandished Heb. קָלָל, smelted, refined, and shiny. like the voice of a multitude like the voice of a gathering of a large multitude, whose voice is heard from afar.
Ibn Ezra
‘And his feet’ (מַרְגְלוֹתָיו) — like [the plain form] ‘his feet’ (רַגְלָיו). ‘Burnished’ — polished. ‘Like the voice of a multitude’ — that it would give forth a great sound.
Metzudat David
His body also was like the beryl – His body was like the beryl stone, which has a bluish hue. Like the voice of a multitude – Like the sound of the roar of a great crowd.
Metzudat Zion
Torches (kelapidei) - Flames. And his feet (umargelotav) - Meaning his feet. Like in color to (ke'ein) - Meaning like the hue of, as in "and its color was like the color of bdellium" (Numbers 11:7). Burnished (kalal) - Refined by fire; the word is related to "roasted by fire" (Leviticus 2).
Malbim
His body also was like the beryl — that which took on bodily form and clothed itself in a garment when appearing to human beings has the appearance of a sapphire-like beryl, for that is how the ethereal air (avir ha-eiter) appears. and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as torches of fire — Abarbanel explains that the apprehension of the separate intellect by the human intellect is like a flash of lightning that sparkles and then vanishes, as the Guide [Rambam's Guide for the Perplexed] states in its introduction. and his arms and his feet like in color to burnished brass — the action of his hands and the movement of his feet are hinted at by his 'arms' and 'feet'; and the matter of 'burnished brass' is explained in [the discussion of] the Chariot of Ezekiel, regarding 'and gleaming like the color of burnished brass' (Ezekiel 1:7) — see there. and the voice of his words like the voice of A multitude — as is said in Ezekiel, 'a tumultuous sound, like the sound of a camp' (Ezekiel 1:24) — see there.
Ibn Yahya
'And his body was like the beryl (tarshish)' — a precious stone with a bluish hue; and this alludes to the heavens, which are of a fine and precious substance, and of a bluish appearance. 'And his face was like the appearance of lightning' — meaning that his 'face,' that is, his providence over the angels, comes through a fine light resembling lightning. And his eyes — his providence over the world of the celestial spheres — comes through a corporeal light, resembling the light of torches of fire. 'And his arms and his feet were like the color of burnished brass' — this alludes to the lower world, which lies at the outermost edge of creation. Even though it appears burnished, polished, and beautiful, it is nonetheless made of brass (nechoshet) — which is to say, in the sense of 'corrupted' (nishchat): that which comes into being and passes away, having no permanence or endurance. 'And the voice of his words was like the voice of a multitude' — this alludes to the fact that his influence and his words in this world operate through the multitude, that is, through the human race.
And I Daniel alone saw the vision; for the men who were with me saw not the vision; however, a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves.
verse value 4287
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 84 letters. Notable word values: "in·hiding" (בְּהֵחָבֵֽא) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "not" (לֹ֥א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·vision" (אֶת־הַמַּרְאָ֔ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 652: the·vision, the·vision. 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·the·men" (וְהָאֲנָשִׁים֙), "were" (הָי֣וּ), "saw" (רָא֖וּ). The root ראה appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "upon·them" (root על, 64x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·vision', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 7 words.
Rashi
but the men who were with me Our Sages of blessed memory said that they were Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. but a great quaking fell upon them Our Sages of blessed memory said that although a person does not see something of which he is terrified, his guardian angel, who is in heaven, does see it; therefore, he becomes terrified.
Ibn Ezra
And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision — this is how he would see, in visions of prophecy.
Metzudat David
For the men who were with me, etc. – Our sages, of blessed memory, said that they were Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. However, a great trembling – Even though they themselves did not see it, their guardian angels did, so said our sages. To hide themselves – To conceal themselves in a hiding place, a place of refuge.
Malbim
And I Daniel alone saw the vision; for the men who were with me saw not the vision — our Sages explain that these were Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, and this is why they sensed something and a trembling fell upon them, for they were prophets; nevertheless, they did not see the vision itself, for with regard to seeing the angel face to face, Daniel's level was higher than theirs, as [the Sages] say, 'he was greater than they' (cf. Megillah 3a), etc.
Ibn Yahya
'And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision' — because I was prepared for it; whereas the men who were with me did not merit seeing it, since they were not prepared. 'But a great trembling fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves' — in such a way that—
So that I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me; for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength.
verse value 4946
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 74 letters. The shortest word is "strength" (כֹּ֑חַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·vision" (אֶת־הַמַּרְאָ֤ה, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 37: and·not, and·not. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "I·was·left" (נִשְׁאַ֣רְתִּי), "remained·in·me" (נִשְׁאַר־בִּ֖י), "and·my·comeliness" (וְהוֹדִ֗י). The root שאר appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "upon·me" (root על, 64x in Daniel); "and·I" (root אני, 23x in Daniel). First appearance of the root עצר ("I·retained") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 7 words.
Rashi
was turned in me into corruption Heb. לְמַשְׁחִית, lit. to a destroyer. To corruption, and it is customary for Biblical verses to speak in this manner, like (Jer. 5:8): “They were like armed stallions early in the morning.” מַשְׁכִּים is the equivalent of בְּהַשְׁכָּמַת הַבּקֶר, in the early morning. I could not summon up strength i.e., I did not gather. All my strength left my innards.
Ibn Ezra
‘Was turned in me into corruption’ (לְמַשְׁחִית) — this is a noun or an adjective. And Rabbi Moshe said that it is like [the phrase] ‘the mount of corruption’ (2 Kings 23:13). But in my opinion it is a verb, in the manner of [the phrase] ‘the stouthearted have been despoiled’ (Psalms 76:6), which is said concerning Zion, ‘And to be corrupt’ — from the same form as ‘the oil of anointing.’ And behold, it describes a trembling appearance; and comparable to it is [the form] ‘from the heavens’ (מִשָּׁמַיִם), within it. Now, if this ‘first month’ is Nisan, then he began fasting from the very start of the month — but we do not know this for certain. The Gaon said: the meaning of ‘stood against me’ is that he [the prince of Persia] was instructing him — but he [the Gaon] overlooked [the verse] ‘the two shall withstand him’ (Ecclesiastes 4:12), and [assumed] there is no reason to think that a man ‘standing against him’ must be hostile — for so he reasoned; therefore [as in the parallel case] he asked, ‘Are you for us, or for our adversaries?’ (Joshua 5:13). And he [the Gaon] said that ‘to fight with the king of Persia’ means ‘to help him,’ and comparable to it is [the phrase] ‘will you go with me to battle?’ (1 Kings 22:4) — for ‘with me’ (אִתִּי) is like ‘on my side’ (עִמִּי). But this is not correct, for [we find] ‘and he fought with Israel’ (Judges 11:20) [i.e., against Israel], and also ‘and we will fight them in the plain’ (1 Kings 20:25) — in both, [the preposition] means the very opposite [of alliance]. And as for the verse he cited, ‘will you go with me to battle?’ — there, ‘with me’ is attached not to ‘battle’ but only to ‘the going.’ And furthermore: if he were helping him, how could it be written, ‘and behold, as I go forth, the prince of Greece shall come’ (Daniel 10:20), which would destroy the king of Persia — the very one this angel was [supposedly] helping? I will yet explain all of this. And the meaning of ‘one of the chief princes’ — in the manner of [the phrase] ‘who sat first in the kingdom’ (Esther 1:14); therefore he [Michael] is called ‘the great prince’ (Daniel 12:1); and ‘were it not for him, I would have remained there’ (cf. Daniel 10:13); and ‘the kings of Persia’ are ‘the princes of Persia’ — that is, the princes appointed over Persia, just as Michael is appointed over Israel. And the meaning of ‘in the latter days’ — for now he [the angel] will relate, in this prophecy, everything that will happen until the coming of the Messiah, when all the kingdoms of the earth will perish, as he has explained and will yet explain.
Metzudat David
My comeliness – The appearance of my face changed, becoming disfigured. And I retained no strength – I was unable to keep my strength from leaving me.
Metzudat Zion
I retained (atzarti) - An expression of holding back, as in "the strength of the arm shall not hold" (below, ch. 11).
Malbim
And there remained no strength in me — meaning, no strength remained in his body. for my comeliness [was turned in me into corruption] — that is, the power of the intellect was turned into ruin. And I retained no strength — this refers also to the powers of the soul, which normally grow stronger when the powers of the body are stilled, and thereby become prepared to receive prophecy; but here even these powers were stilled, and he was not prepared to receive the divine speech.
Ibn Yahya
'I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and no strength remained in me' — since my bodily frame was weak; so that the honor and splendor I had gained from attaining the holy spirit, which I had so longed for, was turned for me — in place of honor — into disfigurement, for I could not retain strength in the face of the vision, and my faculties nearly died away entirely.
Yet I heard the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, then I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground.
verse value 3859
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "and·I" (וַאֲנִ֗י, 4 letters) and the longest is "and·when·I·heard" (וּכְשׇׁמְעִי֙, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 537: voice·of, voice·of. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·when·I·heard" (וּכְשׇׁמְעִי֙), "in·a·deep·sleep" (נִרְדָּ֥ם), "and·my·face" (וּפָנַ֥י). The root שמע appears 2 times in this verse. 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "his·words" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel); "upon·my·face" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel); "and·I·heard" (root שמע, 24x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'his·words', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 9 words. Full calculation: וָאֶשְׁמַ֖ע [and·I·heard] (417) + אֶת־ק֣וֹל [voice·of] (537) + דְּבָרָ֑יו [his·words] (222) + וּכְשׇׁמְעִי֙ [and·when·I·heard] (446) + אֶת־ק֣וֹל [voice·of] (537) + דְּבָרָ֔יו [his·words] (222) + וַאֲנִ֗י [and·I] (67) + הָיִ֛יתִי [I·was] (435) + נִרְדָּ֥ם [in·a·deep·sleep] (294) + עַל־פָּנַ֖י [upon·my·face] (240) + וּפָנַ֥י [and·my·face] (146) + אָֽרְצָה [toward·the·ground] (296) = 3859.
Rashi
I fell into a sound sleep out of great fright.
Metzudat David
Then I fell into a deep sleep – I then fell into a sleep of terror, lying prostrate on the ground.
Malbim
Yet I heard [the voice of his words] — and after hearing the voice, the weakness increased further, until he fell into the deep sleep of prophecy.
Ibn Yahya
'Yet I heard the voice of his words' — from this man, that is, his influence upon others — while I had fallen into a deep sleep upon my face, my face to the ground, from exhaustion.
And, behold, a hand touched me, which set me tottering upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands.
verse value 1684
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 33 letters. The shortest word is "in·me" (בִּ֑י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·it·made·me·totter" (וַתְּנִיעֵ֥נִי, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·behold·hand" (וְהִנֵּה־יָ֖ד), "touched" (נָ֣גְעָה), "and·it·made·me·totter" (וַתְּנִיעֵ֥נִי). The root יד appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·behold·hand" (root יד, 26x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְהִנֵּה־יָ֖ד [and·behold·hand] (80) + נָ֣גְעָה [touched] (128) + בִּ֑י [in·me] (12) + וַתְּנִיעֵ֥נִי [and·it·made·me·totter] (596) + עַל־בִּרְכַּ֖י [upon·my·knees] (332) + וְכַפּ֥וֹת [and·palms·of] (512) + יָדָֽי [my·hands] (24) = 1684.
Rashi
and moved me as one who moves a sleeping person to awaken him.
Metzudat David
Which set me tottering – That hand shook me onto my knees and the palms of my hands, the way one rouses someone from sleep.
Metzudat Zion
Set me tottering (vateni'eni) - From the root meaning trembling and shaking.
Malbim
And, behold, A hand touched me — with this he strengthened him to stand, though he still stood trembling; and he told him that he had been sent to come to him immediately, on that very first day, along the lines of, 'and it shall come to pass that before they call, I will answer' (Isaiah 65:24).
Ibn Yahya
'And, behold, I felt as though a hand touched me,' and it set me trembling upon my knees and the palms of my hands — for, owing to my weakness, I could not stand on my feet, and so I stood on all fours, that is, on my two knees and my two palms. And this 'hand' was the hand and influence of the angel through whom the vision came, since I could not bear to see the face of God directly.
And he said to me: ‘O Daniel, you man greatly beloved, give heed to the words that I speak to you, and stand upright; for now I am sent to you’; and when he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling.
verse value 5811
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 96 letters. Verse gematria: 5811 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "man·of·desires" (אִישׁ־חֲ֠מֻד֠וֹת, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 120: and·stand, with·me. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "in·the·words" (בַּדְּבָרִ֜ים), "I" (אָנֹכִ֨י), "upon·your·place" (עַל־עׇמְדֶ֔ךָ). The root דבר appears 4 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "and·stand" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·you', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 6 words.
Rashi
man of desirable qualities אִישׁ חֲמֻדוֹת, pure man. upright Heb. עַל עָמְדֶךָ, on the stand of your feet. I have been sent to you I have been sent to you from the Omnipresent. quaking [as translated,] quaking.
Metzudat David
Man greatly beloved – One who possesses precious, beloved qualities. And stand upright – That is, [stand] as you stood before. Trembling – Shaking and quaking.
Ibn Yahya
'And he said to me, Daniel, man greatly beloved, give heed to the words that I speak to you, and stand up, for now I have been sent to you' from your God. And the like of this happened to our father Jacob: he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set upon the earth, and he saw the unfolding order of the world, and behold, Hashem stood over him and said, etc. So too here: after he had seen the unfolding order of created things, behold, a hand touched him, and it said, etc. 'And when he spoke with me, I was trembling' — for even the mere appearance of the angel was more than my strength could bear.
Then he said to me: ‘Fear not, Daniel; for from the first day that you did set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
verse value 6302
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 90 letters. The shortest word is "for" (כִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·humble·yourself" (וּלְהִתְעַנּ֛וֹת, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "from·the·day" (מִן־הַיּ֣וֹם), "you·set" (נָתַ֧תָּ), "your·heart" (אֶֽת־לִבְּךָ֛). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "Daniel" (root דניאל, 75x in Daniel); "that" (root אשר, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'your·words', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 2 words.
Rashi
and I have come because of your words I have come on this mission because of your words. Our Rabbis, however, explained in Tractate Yoma (77a): “and I came within the curtain because of you, for I was banned from its midst.”
Metzudat David
Fear not – As if to say: behold, I will do you no harm. That you did set your heart – That is, that you stirred your heart to gain understanding in the fear of Hashem, and to afflict yourself before Him by abstaining from pleasant bread, meat, and wine — for this too counts as an affliction. Your words were heard – From that time, the words of your petition were heard and accepted. Because of your words – On account of the words of your petition I have come here, not to do you harm.
Ibn Yahya
'And he said to me, Daniel, fear not' — do not fear that you are unprepared for prophecy, and that this is why all these events have befallen you; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand these matters and to afflict yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come on account of those words.
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 was left over there beside the kings of Persia.
verse value 5993
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 85 letters. Notable word values: "one" (אַחַ֛ד) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). Verse gematria: 5993 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "came" (בָּ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·first" (הָרִאשֹׁנִ֖ים, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 340: Persia, there, Persia. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·prince·of" (וְשַׂ֣ר), "day" (י֔וֹם), "the·princes" (הַשָּׂרִ֥ים). The root שר appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "kings·of" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "standing" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "came" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel). First appearance of the root מיכאל ("Michael") in Daniel. First appearance of the root עזר ("to·help·me") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·help·me', dividing the verse into phrases of 15 and 6 words.
Rashi
has been standing against me to battle with me in heaven by requesting an extension for the kingdom for Persia to enable them to subjugate you (Israel). Behold twenty-one days that he has been standing against me. the first princes those counted first among those who enter. and I remained there to silence the princes of Persia in heaven.
Metzudat David
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia – The heavenly prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me to fight with me, demanding that Persia rule over Israel for a long time; and over this I have been battling him in the firmament for twenty-one days from the time you began to fast — and because of this I was unable to come on the first day, nor even afterward, until now. One of the chief princes – One of the seven great princes among the ministers on high. Came to help me – Against the prince of the kingdom of Persia. And I was left over there – That is, until then, before his [Michael's] arrival, I remained alone battling him and could not move from there; but now that Michael has come, I have come to you. The kings of Persia – The prince of the kings of Persia.
Malbim
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me — he was acting as prosecutor against the building of the [Temple] house, and swaying the king's heart to cancel it. But, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me — Michael is one of the princes who is highest in rank above the rest of the princes and exerts influence upon them, in the manner that Targum Yonatan renders 'and one called to another' (Isaiah 6:3) as 'and they receive it, one from another.' and I was left over there beside the kings of Persia — the word 'beside' (etzel) is used in the sense of, 'and upon the nobles (atzilei) of the children of Israel He laid not His hand' (Exodus 24:11) — that is, the princes who impart from their wisdom to the people. And through Michael I was 'left over' — meaning, I was granted the advantage of being beside, that is, an influencing prince over the kings of Persia, in such a way that it is now within my power to turn their hearts to kindness toward Israel, for the influence of the first prince upon them will now pass through me.
Ibn Yahya
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia, etc. – The seventy nations each have their own prince in heaven, seventy princes in all, and Israel likewise has one prince, namely Michael. Yet the prince of Israel differs, in his governance of his people, from the way the other princes govern their own nations. For the princes of the other peoples are, in effect, their gods: they act upon them as deities, and those peoples are watched over by none but their own princes. Israel, however, is watched over by Hashem directly, and even when Michael acts upon them, it is only by the command of his Maker; he does nothing, small or great, without His leave. And the angel Gabriel relates that for twenty-one days, while Daniel was praying on his people's behalf to remove the evil from upon them, the prince of the kingdom of Persia — who, by the nature of the heavenly arrangements, should rightly have subjugated Israel to Persia — was opposed by Gabriel, who was pleading before God that Israel not be exiled, telling God, may He be blessed, that it was not right to take from Israel its allotted bread, which heaven had granted it by the will of its Maker. And behold, Michael — who is one, the sole one among the chief princes who behold the face of the King, Hashem — came to help me, in such a way that I remained there under a compromise, present during the time of Israel's exile under Persia, among the kings of Persia, so that they would not enslave them harshly. And so it was: our fathers' servitude to Persia was a sweet one, and they — the Persian kings — even spurred on the building, that is, the Temple.
Now I have come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the end of days; for there is yet a vision for the days.’
verse value 2950
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. Verse gematria: 2950 is divisible by 50, the years to the Jubilee (yovel). The shortest word is "to·your·people" (לְעַמְּךָ֖, 4 letters) and the longest is "that·shall·befall" (אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥ה, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·I·have·come" (וּבָ֙אתִי֙), "to·make·you·understand" (לַהֲבִ֣ינְךָ֔), "that·shall·befall" (אֲשֶׁר־יִקְרָ֥ה). The root יום appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·have·come" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel); "the·days" (root יום, 33x in Daniel); "to·make·you·understand" (root בין, 32x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·days', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 3 words.
Rashi
for there is yet a vision to tell you what has not yet been told, and it will come in many days at an appointed time.
Metzudat David
What shall befall – He speaks in the manner of people, who call something 'chance' when they do not know its cause; but truly there is no chance in the world — everything happens by decree. For there is yet a vision – Besides the vision that already appeared to you, there is yet another vision to tell you, of what will happen in days to come.
Metzudat Zion
For the days (layamim) - Meaning for many days; the missing word "many" is understood on its own, just as "men of measures" (Numbers 13:32) means men of great, or many, stature.
Malbim
Now I have come — however, even though I am able to defeat the prince of Persia, in such a way that this kingdom will be filled with kindness toward Israel, nevertheless I have come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the end of days — that kingdoms are destined to arise that I will not be able to defeat, and that will deal harshly with Israel. for there is yet A vision for the days — for there is yet a vision concerning another subjugation that will come in days to come.
Ibn Yahya
And I have now come at once to make you understand what will befall your people in the end of days, from the time of the end — for there is yet another vision, telling of what will happen after many days, besides the vision of the kingdoms that you already saw.
And when he had spoken to me according to these words, I set my face toward the ground, and was dumb.
verse value 2490
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "with·me" (עִמִּ֔י, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·was·dumb" (וְנֶאֱלָֽמְתִּי, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "as·the·words" (כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים), "I·set" (נָתַ֧תִּי), "my·face" (פָנַ֛י). The root דבר appears 2 times in this verse. 7 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "these" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel); "and·in·his·speaking" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel); "my·face" (root פנים, 31x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'these', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּבְדַבְּר֣וֹ [and·in·his·speaking] (220) + עִמִּ֔י [with·me] (120) + כַּדְּבָרִ֖ים [as·the·words] (276) + הָאֵ֑לֶּה [these] (41) + נָתַ֧תִּי [I·set] (860) + פָנַ֛י [my·face] (140) + אַ֖רְצָה [to·the·ground] (296) + וְנֶאֱלָֽמְתִּי [and·was·dumb] (537) = 2490.
Metzudat David
And was dumb – From the terror of the angel's appearance.
Metzudat Zion
And was dumb (vene'elamti) - From the root meaning mute.
Malbim
And when he had spoken to me according to these words — after he went on to speak with him great prophecies, the powers of his body were stilled once again, and he could not retain the strength to receive the influx of the separate intellect concerning such lofty matters — lofty both in respect of their content, and in respect of their being for many days and distant times to come.
Ibn Yahya
When he spoke to me in this manner, I set my face toward the ground and was struck dumb, from the weakness of my strength.
And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth, and spoke and said to him who stood before me: ‘O my lord, by reason of the vision my pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength.
verse value 4687
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 84 letters. The shortest word is "strength" (כֹּֽחַ, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·I·opened·my·mouth" (וָאֶפְתַּח־פִּ֗י, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "like·likeness·of" (כִּדְמוּת֙), "upon·my·lips" (עַל־שְׂפָתָ֑י), "and·I·opened·my·mouth" (וָאֶפְתַּח־פִּ֗י). 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·I·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "and·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "upon·me" (root על, 64x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אדם ("man") in Daniel. First appearance of the root שפה ("upon·my·lips") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'upon·my·lips', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 13 words.
Rashi
my joints turned upon me Heb. צִירַי. These are the ends of the bones, all the limbs that are thrust into their sockets and turn within them like a door on its hinge in the socket of the threshold. My joints turned to become dislocated from their place out of much trembling and quaking.
Metzudat David
One like the similitude of the sons of men – To remove his terror, the angel transformed into the likeness of a human being, and touched his lips as though opening his mouth so that he could speak. To him who stood before me – That is, the angel who had transformed into the likeness of a human being. By reason of the vision – At the time I saw you in that wondrous vision, my 'joints' were then overturned upon me — that is, the limbs of the body, each fastened to the next like the hinges of a door fixed within it — they were indeed wrenched and dislodged from their place, from the sheer greatness of the terror. And I retain no strength – I was unable to hold my strength within me; my strength had already left me from that moment.
Metzudat Zion
My pains (tzirai) - Anything fixed into something else, so as to pivot, is called a "tzir" [hinge]; the word is borrowed from the hinges of doors, similarly, "her pangs turned upon her" (I Samuel 4).
Malbim
By reason of the vision [my pains have come upon me] — he said to him: behold, from the vision alone I was so terrified that I could not retain any strength, and how much more so regarding speech, which requires even greater strength; so now, even as you are preparing me for speech, I retain no strength, and no breath remains in me either.
Ibn Yahya
And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth, and spoke – For at first, when he saw something like the appearance of a man [ish], that was a higher level of vision; and when he saw merely the appearance of a hand — a hand touching him — which was likewise a great vision, he was struck mute, did not open his mouth, and stood trembling. But when it came in a thick cloud — a prophecy that was dense, cloud-like, and corporeal, in the likeness of a man [adam] — his strength was able to bear that vision, and he immediately opened his mouth. This is the reply that corresponds to the words of the one speaking with him. For the term 'ish' denotes a higher rank, and the term 'adam' denotes a lower one; and 'he spoke, and said' indicates the two modes of speech — dibbur, the harsh mode, and amirah, the gentle mode. And what he said to the one standing before him — 'O my lord' — refers to the first, greater vision: 'my pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength.'
For how can this servant of my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither was there breath left in me.’
verse value 2460
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 61 letters. The shortest word is "this" (זֶ֔ה, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·stand·in·me" (לֹֽא־יַעֲמׇד־בִּ֣י, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 12: this, this. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·how" (וְהֵ֣יךְ), "with·my·lord" (עִם־אֲדֹ֣נִי), "from·now" (מֵעַ֙תָּה֙). The root אדון appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "not·stand·in·me" (root עמד, 46x in Daniel); "servant·of" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'this', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 7 words.
Rashi
this servant of my lord He refers to himself as a servant, and to the angel as “my lord,” i.e., to say, How will your servant be able to speak with you?
Ibn Ezra
‘V’heich’ (וְהֵיךְ) — [a variant of] ‘eich’ (אֵיךְ, ‘how’); comparable to [other such variant forms, as in] ‘the rest of the multitude’ (2 Kings 25:11) and ‘return, come’ (Isaiah 21:12) — and there are many like these.
Metzudat David
This servant of my lord – He speaks of himself as a servant of this lord, namely the angel speaking with him, as if to say: How can I speak, when my strength has left me since then? For as for me, straightway – That is, even though I now see you in human form, still no strength remains in me even now, [left over] from that earlier terror, and no breath remains in me; and he speaks by way of exaggeration and hyperbole, for was he not speaking [even as he said this]?
Metzudat Zion
For how (veheikh) - Equivalent to "ve'eikh," spelled with an alef; so too, "how (heikh) shall I bring [the Ark] to myself" (I Chronicles 13).
Ibn Yahya
For how can this servant of my lord talk with this my lord? – That is: how can this servant of yours, my lord — I, who see you in this vision — speak with my lord, the one I saw in the greater vision before? For from now on, should he come to speak with me again another time, no bodily strength would remain in me, and my soul would not remain in me, for it would separate from the body — as Manoah said, 'We shall surely die, for we have seen God' (Judges 13:22). Therefore, please, my lord, speak you with me, and I will listen; and let not that other lord speak with me again, lest I die. Meaning: by the term 'my lord' he refers to the rank of the vision, whether lesser or greater. And so Israel said to Moses, their lord: 'Speak you with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die' (Exodus 20:16). And so he did—
Then there touched me again one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me.
verse value 759
Insights
Verse structure: 5 words, 25 letters. The shortest word is "man" (אָדָ֖ם, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·he·strengthened·me" (וַֽיְחַזְּקֵֽנִי, 7 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·again" (וַיֹּ֧סֶף), "and·he·strengthened·me" (וַֽיְחַזְּקֵֽנִי). 5 unique roots are used. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֧סֶף [and·again] (156) + וַיִּגַּע־בִּ֛י [and·touched·me] (101) + כְּמַרְאֵ֥ה [like·appearance·of] (266) + אָדָ֖ם [man] (45) + וַֽיְחַזְּקֵֽנִי [and·he·strengthened·me] (191) = 759.
Metzudat David
One like the appearance of a man – That is, he was still in the human form into which he had transformed. And he strengthened me – With the words stated in the next verse.
Malbim
Then there touched me again — therefore he needed to strengthen him once more, and told him, 'be strong' — strong in body, and strong in the powers of the intellect.
Ibn Yahya
Then there touched me again one like the appearance of a man, and he strengthened me – Meaning, a dense prophetic influence was poured out upon me, which my strength was able to bear, and I stood firm under it.
And he said: ‘O man greatly beloved, fear not! peace be to you, be strong, indeed, be strong.’ And when he had spoken to me, I was strengthened, and said: ‘Let my lord speak; for you have strengthened me.’
verse value 4756
Insights
Verse structure: 15 words, 69 letters. The shortest word is "to·you" (לָ֖ךְ, 2 letters) and the longest is "man·of·preciousness" (אִישׁ־חֲמֻד֛וֹת, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "peace" (שָׁל֥וֹם), "be·strong" (חֲזַ֣ק), "and·be·strong" (וַחֲזָ֑ק). The root חזק appears 4 times in this verse. 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "and·when·he·spoke" (root דבר, 40x in Daniel); "with·me" (root עם, 30x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·be·strong', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 8 words.
Metzudat David
Peace be to you – That is, your strength will not fail on account of the terror. Be strong, indeed, be strong – Strengthen yourself; and he repeated the word to spur him on. For you have strengthened me – With these words you have strengthened me, my spirit has returned, and I am now ready to listen.
Ibn Yahya
He said: 'Fear not — of death, O man greatly beloved — for peace is yours' — that is, the peace of health, which comes from the harmony and balance of the four humors in the human body. And fear not lest your people perish from this transient world; and fear not lest they perish from the world that is wholly long — that is, the World to Come, which has no end — for in respect of both they have hope of restoration. Therefore: 'be strong, indeed, be strong' — one 'strong' for each of these two fears. When he had spoken to me in this way, I was strengthened, and said: 'Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.'
Then he said: Do you know why I come to you? and now I will return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come.
verse value 3957
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 60 letters. The shortest word is "coming" (בָּֽא, 2 letters) and the longest is "why·I·come" (לָמָּה־בָּ֣אתִי, 7 letters). 7 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "do·you·know" (הֲיָדַ֙עְתָּ֙), "why·I·come" (לָמָּה־בָּ֣אתִי), "I·will·return" (אָשׁ֔וּב). The root בוא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·he·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "do·you·know" (root ידע, 43x in Daniel); "why·I·come" (root בוא, 42x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Persia', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 5 words. Full calculation: וַיֹּ֗אמֶר [and·he·said] (257) + הֲיָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ [do·you·know] (489) + לָמָּה־בָּ֣אתִי [why·I·come] (488) + אֵלֶ֔יךָ [to·you] (61) + וְעַתָּ֣ה [and·now] (481) + אָשׁ֔וּב [I·will·return] (309) + לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם [to·fight] (113) + עִם־שַׂ֣ר [with·prince·of] (610) + פָּרָ֑ס [Persia] (340) + וַאֲנִ֣י [and·I] (67) + יוֹצֵ֔א [going·forth] (107) + וְהִנֵּ֥ה [and·behold] (66) + שַׂר־יָוָ֖ן [prince·of·Greece] (566) + בָּֽא [coming] (3) = 3957.
Rashi
And now I shall return to battle with the prince of Persia and I know that I will be victorious, but when the time of the kingdom of the heathens [Greece Malbim ed., Antiochus Vilna ed.] arrives, I know that I will leave, and he will enter after thirty-four years of the existence of the Temple. Alexander of Macedon will rise, for although Israel was subjugated by the kings of Persia in those days, they exacted a light tribute from them, and they did not burden them heavily because the Holy One, blessed be He, caused them to have mercy on them. But the kings of the heathens [Greece, Antiochus] laid a heavy yoke upon them.
Metzudat David
Do you know – Do you know why I have come to you? As if to say: Now you can know that I have not come to do you harm, but to reveal hidden secrets to you, so you need not be terrified any longer. And now I will return – When I finish speaking with you, I will return to battle the prince of Persia. And when I go forth – As if to say: indeed, I know that I can prevail and defeat the prince of Persia, but know that afterward I will be forced to withdraw, and I will no longer be able to argue in Israel's defense, for their transgressions will multiply; and behold, the prince of Greece will come and demand that Greece rule over Israel, and it will be granted to him.
Malbim
DO you know why I come to you — that is, I did not come only for the sake of that matter for which you fasted; for regarding that, I will go back to fight with the prince of Persia, as is explained further on — that three more kings are destined to arise for Persia, and I will need to fight with him each time, to turn the heart of each king toward good for Israel, inasmuch as I remain beside the kings of Persia to exert my influence upon them, as above. But, and when I go forth — I will have to depart from being beside the kings and influencing them toward a good heart for Israel, for the prince of Greece shall come, and there I will not be able to turn their hearts to good and defeat the prince of Greece.
Ibn Yahya
Then he said: Do you know why I come to you? – That is: you already know why I have come to you, as I told you before — namely, to tell you truly and in very truth what is recorded in the writing of truth. This means: what has truly been decreed concerning Israel's exiles, and cannot be revoked. And after I make this known to you, I will go back to fight with the prince of Persia before Hashem, to see whether I can lighten the yoke of his exile from upon your people Israel; and when I go out from fighting with him, behold, the prince of Greece will come to fight with me over the exile of Israel under Greece as well — to see whether I can lighten the yoke of that exile too — which will be very difficult to achieve, because—
However, I will declare to you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth; and there is none who holds with me against these, except Michael your prince.
verse value 3541
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 56 letters. Notable word values: "I·will·declare" (אַגִּ֣יד) = 18, chai, 'life'. The shortest word is "to·you" (לְךָ֔, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·inscribed" (אֶת־הָרָשׁ֥וּם, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·inscribed" (אֶת־הָרָשׁ֥וּם), "in·writing·of" (בִּכְתָ֖ב), "holding" (מִתְחַזֵּ֤ק). 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "against·these" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel); "with·me" (root עם, 30x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'truth', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 8 words. Full calculation: אֲבָל֙ [however] (33) + אַגִּ֣יד [I·will·declare] (18) + לְךָ֔ [to·you] (50) + אֶת־הָרָשׁ֥וּם [the·inscribed] (952) + בִּכְתָ֖ב [in·writing·of] (424) + אֱמֶ֑ת [truth] (441) + וְאֵ֨ין [and·there·is·no] (67) + אֶחָ֜ד [one] (13) + מִתְחַזֵּ֤ק [holding] (555) + עִמִּי֙ [with·me] (120) + עַל־אֵ֔לֶּה [against·these] (136) + כִּ֥י [but] (30) + אִם־מִיכָאֵ֖ל [except·Michael] (142) + שַׂרְכֶֽם [your·prince] (560) = 3541.
Rashi
what is inscribed in a true script the document of the decree is true, but not one of the heavenly princes is exerting himself to assist me with all these, except etc.
Metzudat David
That which is inscribed – What is written on high in the writing of truth, which will be fulfilled unchanged, and which is stated further below, concerning the downfall of the kingdoms and the redemption of Israel. And there is none who holds – There is no one among the angels who exerts himself to join me in my effort, to plead and petition concerning these matters stated below, regarding the downfall of the kingdoms and the redemption of Israel. Except Michael your prince – Only Michael, the prince and defending angel of Israel, joins with me in petitioning concerning these matters.
Metzudat Zion
That which is inscribed (harashum) - From the root meaning a mark, that is, writing.
Malbim
However — in this matter I can only tell you what has been inscribed from above in a writing of truth, and as our Sages say, it is called 'truth' once a decree has been decreed [and can no longer be revoked] — and this I cannot cancel. and there is none who holds with me against these — that is, against the prince of Greece there is no one who can give me the strength to defeat his prince and to make me the one who exerts influence over these kings, since the decree has already been decreed and he has support from above — except Michael your prince, who, precisely because he is the prince of Israel, is able to watch over Israel so that they not be destroyed, and to save them by way of miracle — not through the agency of the king and the defeat of his prince turning his heart to good, but only by way of sign and wonder: that at the time Israel stands in great distress and is close to annihilation, the prince of Israel will be aroused through miraculous providence, as is stated at the beginning of (Daniel 12).
Ibn Yahya
None of the celestial princes stands firm with me against these princes, except Michael your prince; and all the host of heaven, and the angels who are the princes of the nations, stand against me — since it is said that Hashem gave them dominion on earth, and so the heavenly constellations and their stars have decreed, and it cannot be reversed. For behold, Israel has a harsh star in the heavens, which decrees upon them lowliness and poverty. But when they revere Hashem, He disrupts the constellations, and — whether the nations like it or not — raises their nest high above all the rest; and when they act wickedly, He leaves them to the chances and mishaps of time, yet He Himself does them no harm, for no evil descends from above — it is only their own star that causes it.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Metzudat Zion
Malbim
Ibn Yahya