Christian Standard Bible
Daniel 10:20
20He said, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come.
Daniel 10:20 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come.
- New International Version (NIV)So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? But now I will return to fight against the prince of Persia; and when I go out, behold, the prince of Greece will come.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come.
Context of Daniel 10:20
18Then the one with a human appearance touched me again and strengthened me. 19He said, “Don’t be afraid, you who are treasured by God. Peace to you; be very strong!” As he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Let my lord speak, for you have strengthened me.” He said, “Do you know why I’ve come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come. 21However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth. (No one has the courage to support me against those princes except Michael, your prince.
Read all of Daniel 10Daniel 10:20 word by word
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר הֲיָדַ֙עְתָּ֙ לָמָּה־בָּ֣אתִי אֵלֶ֔יךָ וְעַתָּ֣ה אָשׁ֔וּב לְהִלָּחֵ֖ם עִם־שַׂ֣ר פָּרָ֑ס וַאֲנִ֣י יוֹצֵ֔א וְהִנֵּ֥ה שַׂר־יָוָ֖ן בָּֽא׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Then saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- he, Knowestיָדַעyâda‛ · to knowH3045
- thou wherefore I comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- unto thee? and now will I returnשׁוּבshûb · to return: returnH7725
- to fightלָחַםlâcham · to fightH3898
- with the princeשַׂרώar · rulerH8269
- of Persiaפָּרַסpâras · PersiaH6539
- and when I am gone forthיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
- of Greciaיָוָןyâvân · GreeceH3120
Cross-references for Daniel 10:20
- Daniel 10:13But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
- Isaiah 37:36Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck down one hundred eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians. When the people got up the next morning, there were all the dead bodies!
- Acts 12:23At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.
- Daniel 7:6“After this, while I was watching, suddenly another beast appeared. It was like a leopard with four wings of a bird on its back. It had four heads, and it was given dominion.
- Daniel 8:5As I was observing, a male goat appeared, coming from the west across the surface of the entire earth without touching the ground. The goat had a conspicuous horn between his eyes.
- Daniel 11:2Now I will tell you the truth. “Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than the others. By the power he gains through his riches, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
Commentaries on Daniel 10:20
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Knowest thou wherefore I come - So high art thou in the favor of God, that he hath sent me unto thee to give thee farther satisfaction; though I was elsewhere employed upon a most important mission, and I must speedily return to accomplish it, viz.: - To fight with the king of Persia - To remove all the scruples of Cyrus, and to excite him to do all that God designs him to do for the restoration of my people, and the rebuilding of the city and temple of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? - This was known by what the angel had said in Daniel 10:14. He seems to have called his attention to it, and to have proposed the question, because Daniel had been so overcome by his fright that it might be doubtful whether he had understood him distinctly when he had told him the object of his coming. He therefore proposes the question here; and as the silence of Daniel seems to have been construed…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-21Verses 10-21 Whenever we enter into communion with God, it becomes us to have a due sense of the infinite distance between us and the holy God. How shall we, that are dust and ashes, speak to the Lord of glory? Nothing is more likely, nothing more effectual to revive the drooping spirits of the saints, than to be assured of God's love to them. From the very first day we begin to look toward God in a way of duty, he is ready to meet us in the way of mercy…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20The messenger explained empires by describing the spirit prince that represented each one. The Persian Empire had just begun and would later be replaced by the Greek Empire (compare Daniel 8:3–7, 19–21).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. Knowest thou wherefore--The angel asks, after Daniel had recovered from his fright, whether he has understood what was revealed (Da 10:13). On Daniel, by his silence, intimating that he did understand, the angel declares he will return to renew the fight with the evil angel, the prince of Persia. This points to new difficulties to the Jews' restoration which would arise in the Persian court, but which would be counteracted by God, through the ministry…Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 10:20
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Daniel 10
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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