Daniel 12:3

Daniel 12:3 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
• New International Version (NIV)Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Those who are wise shall shine Like the brightness of the firmament, And those who turn many to righteousness Like the stars forever and ever.

Context of Daniel 12:3

1“At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress, the likes of which will not have occurred from the beginning of nations until that time. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 2And many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt. Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever. 4But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.” 5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.

Daniel 12:3 word by word

וְהַ֨מַּשְׂכִּלִ֔ים יַזְהִ֖רוּ כְּזֹ֣הַר הָרָקִ֑יעַ וּמַצְדִּיקֵי֙ הָֽרַבִּ֔ים כַּכּוֹכָבִ֖ים לְעוֹלָ֥ם וָעֶֽד׃ פRead the interlinear

• Then the wiseשָׂכַלώâkal · be prudentH7919
• will shineזָהַרzâhar · to shineH2094
• like the brightnessזֹ֫הַרzôhar · brightnessH2096
• of the heavensרָקִיעַrâqîya‛ · expanseH7549
• and those who lead manyרַבrab · manyH7227
• to righteousnessצָדֵקtsâdaq · to justifyH6663
• like the starsכּוֹכָבkôkâb · starH3556
• foreverעוֹלָם‛ôlâm ‛ôlâm · forever: enduringH5769
• and everעַד‛ad · perpetuityH5703

Cross-references for Daniel 12:3

• Daniel 11:33Those with insight will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by sword or flame, or be captured or plundered.
• Proverbs 11:30The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who wins souls is wise.
• Matthew 24:45Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the others their food at the proper time?
• 1 Corinthians 3:10By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds.
• 2 Peter 3:15Consider also that our Lord’s patience brings salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom God gave him.
• Acts 13:1Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.
• Ephesians 4:11And it was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers,
• Hebrews 5:12Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!
• Proverbs 4:18The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
• Matthew 13:43Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
• Matthew 19:28Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
• 1 Corinthians 15:40There are also heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. But the splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one degree, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another.
• 1 Thessalonians 2:19After all, who is our hope, our joy, our crown of boasting, if it is not you yourselves in the presence of our Lord Jesus at His coming?
• Revelation 1:20This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
• Jeremiah 23:22But if they had stood in My council, they would have proclaimed My words to My people and turned them back from their evil ways and deeds.”
• Luke 1:16Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.

Commentaries on Daniel 12:3

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3And they that be wise - Those who are thoroughly instructed in Christ's word and doctrine, shall shine - shall be eminently distinguished in the Christian Church by the holiness of their lives, and the purity of their creed. And they that turn many to righteousness - They who, by preaching Christ crucified among their brethren, shall be the means of converting them to the Christian faith; shall be as the stars - bright luminaries in the Gospel kingdom of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And they that be wise - This is the language which, in the Scriptures, is employed to denote the pious, or those who serve God and keep his commandments. See the book of Proverbs, passim. True religion is wisdom, and sin is folly, and they who live for God and for heaven are the truly wise. The meaning is, that they have chosen the path which true wisdom suggests as that in which man should walk, while all the ways of sin are ways of folly. The language…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Wise people know their God (compare Daniel 1:4, 17; 8:25; 9:22, 25; 11:32–35; 12:10). To shine is a common metaphor for life, purity, righteousness, and glory.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. wise--(Pr 11:30). Answering to "they that understand" (Da 11:33, 35), the same Hebrew, Maskilim; Israelites who, though in Jerusalem when wickedness is coming to a head, are found intelligent witnesses against it. As then they appeared worn out with persecutions (typically, of Antiochus; antitypically, of Antichrist); so now in the resurrection they "shine as the brightness of the firmament." The design of past afflictions here appears "to make them…Read the comment

Topics related to Daniel 12:3

• Church
• Firmament
• Heaven
• Immortality
• Minister, Christian
• Resurrection
• Righteous
• Righteousness
• Wisdom
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Bel, and the Dragon
• Judgment, Last
• Maccabees, Books of
• Shine
• Teach; Teacher; Teaching

Commentaries on Daniel 12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Rashi on Tanakh
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings