Daniel 9:3

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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and fasting. I also wore rough burlap and sprinkled myself with ashes.

Context of Daniel 9:3

1In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, by descent a Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. Then I turned my face to the Lord God, seeking him by prayer and pleas for mercy with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. 4I prayed to the Lord my God and made confession, saying, "O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned and done wrong and acted wickedly and rebelled, turning aside from your commandments and rules.

Daniel 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 knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.
• Nehemiah 1:4As soon as I heard these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days, and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
• Psalms 102:13You will arise and have pity on Zion; it is the time to favor her; the appointed time has come.
• Jeremiah 29:10"For thus says the Lord: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will visit you, and I will fulfill to you my promise and bring you back to this place.
• Jeremiah 33:3Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.
• Ezekiel 36:37"Thus says the Lord God: This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them: to increase their people like a flock.
• James 5:16Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
• Daniel 10:2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three weeks.
• Ezra 8:21Then I proclaimed a fast there, at the river Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from him a safe journey for ourselves, our children, and all our goods.
• Ezra 9:5And at the evening sacrifice I rose from my fasting, with my garment and my cloak torn, and fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God,
• Ezra 10:6Then Ezra withdrew from before the house of God and went to the chamber of Jehohanan the son of Eliashib, where he spent the night, neither eating bread nor drinking water, for he was mourning over the faithlessness of the exiles.
• Nehemiah 9:1Now on the twenty-fourth day of this month the people of Israel were assembled with fasting and in sackcloth, and with earth on their heads.
• Esther 4:1When Mordecai learned all that had been done, Mordecai tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city, and he cried out with a loud and bitter cry.
• Psalms 35:13But I, when they were sick— I wore sackcloth; I afflicted myself with fasting; I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
• Psalms 69:10When I wept and humbled my soul with fasting, it became my reproach.
• Isaiah 22:12In that day the Lord God of hosts called for weeping and mourning, for baldness and wearing 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

• Ashes
• Fasting
• Intercession
• Nation
• Prayer
• Prophets
• Sackcloth
• Seekers

In the dictionaries

• God
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Accomplish
• Belong
• Confession
• Daniel
• Finish
• Prince
• Reconciliation
• Restore

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