Christian Standard Bible
Daniel 9:3
3So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Daniel 9:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
- New International Version (NIV)So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
Context of Daniel 9:3
1In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, a Mede by birth, who was made king over the Chaldean kingdom — 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the books according to the word of the Lord to the prophet Jeremiah that the number of years for the desolation of Jerusalem would be seventy. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek him by prayer and petitions, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: Ah, Lord — the great and awe-inspiring God who keeps his gracious covenant with those who love him and keep his commands — 5we have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commands and ordinances.
Read all of Daniel 9Daniel 9:3 word by word
וָאֶתְּנָ֣ה אֶת־פָּנַ֗י אֶל־אֲדֹנָי֙ הָֽאֱלֹהִ֔ים לְבַקֵּ֥שׁ תְּפִלָּ֖ה וְתַחֲנוּנִ֑ים בְּצ֖וֹם וְשַׂ֥ק וָאֵֽפֶר׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I setנָתַןnâthan · to give: putH5414
- my faceפָּנֶהpânîym · faceH6440
- unto the Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- to seekבָּקַשׁbâqash · to seekH1245
- by prayerתְּפִלָּהtephillâh · prayerH8605
- and supplicationsתַּחֲנוּןtachănûn tachănûnâh · supplicationH8469
- with fastingצוֹםtsôm tsôm · fastH6685
- and sackclothשַׂקώaq · sackclothH8242
- and ashesאֵ֫פֶר'êpher · ashesH665
Cross-references for Daniel 9:3
- Daniel 6:10When Daniel learned that the document had been signed, he went into his house. The windows in its upstairs room opened toward Jerusalem, and three times a day he got down on his knees, prayed, and gave thanks to his God, just as he had done before.
- Nehemiah 1:4When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for a number of days, fasting and praying before the God of the heavens.
- Psalms 102:13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her — the appointed time has come.
- Jeremiah 29:10For this is what the Lord says: “When seventy years for Babylon are complete, I will attend to you and will confirm my promise concerning you to restore you to this place.
- Jeremiah 33:3Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and incomprehensible things you do not know.
- Ezekiel 36:37“‘This is what the Lord God says: I will respond to the house of Israel and do this for them: I will multiply them in number like a flock.
- James 5:16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect.
- Daniel 10:2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.
- Ezra 8:21I proclaimed a fast by the Ahava River, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us, our dependents, and all our possessions.
- Ezra 9:5At the evening offering, I got up from my time of humiliation, with my tunic and robe torn. Then I fell on my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God.
- Ezra 10:6Ezra then went from the house of God and walked to the chamber of Jehohanan son of Eliashib, where he spent the night. He did not eat food or drink water, because he was mourning over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
- Nehemiah 9:1On the twenty-fourth day of this month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting, wearing sackcloth, and had put dust on their heads.
- Esther 4:1When Mordecai learned all that had occurred, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, went into the middle of the city, and cried loudly and bitterly.
- Psalms 35:13Yet when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled myself with fasting, and my prayer was genuine.
- Psalms 69:10I mourned and fasted, but it brought me insults.
- Isaiah 22:12On that day the Lord God of Armies called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.
Commentaries on Daniel 9:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3I set my face - to seek by prayer - He found that the time of the promised deliverance could not be at any great distance; and as he saw nothing that indicated a speedy termination of their oppressive captivity, he was very much afflicted, and earnestly besought God to put a speedy end to it; and how earnestly he seeks, his own words show. He prayed, he supplicated, he fasted, he put sackcloth upon his body, and he put ashes upon his head. He uses that…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3And I set my face unto the Lord God - Probably the meaning is, that he turned his face toward Jerusalem, the place where God had dwelt; the place of his holy abode on earth. See the notes at Daniel 6:10. The language, however, would not be inappropriate to denote prayer without such a supposition. We turn to one whom we address, and so prayer may be described by “setting the face toward God.” The essential idea here is, that he engaged in a set and formal…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3Daniel realized the seventy years were almost over, so he asked the Lord God to restore his people and Jerusalem. People who were mourning often wore rough burlap clothing and placed ashes on themselves as a sign of sorrow (compare Nehemiah 9:1; Esther 4:1; Lamentations 2:10; Luke 10:13). Focused prayer often included fasting to prioritize spiritual concerns over physical needs.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 33. prayer ... supplications--literally, "intercessions ... entreaties for mercy." Praying for blessings, and deprecating evils.Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 9:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Daniel 9
- 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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