God’s Word Translation
Daniel 9:3
3So I turned to the Lord God and looked to him for help. I prayed, pleaded, and fasted in 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
1Xerxes’ son Darius, who was a Mede by birth, was made ruler of the kingdom of Babylon. 2In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, learned from the Scriptures the number of years that Jerusalem would remain in ruins. The Lord had told the prophet Jeremiah that Jerusalem would remain in ruins for 70 years. So I turned to the Lord God and looked to him for help. I prayed, pleaded, and fasted in sackcloth and ashes. 4I prayed to the Lord my God. I confessed and said, “Lord, you are great and deserve respect as the only God. You keep your promise and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments. 5We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commandments and laws.
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 to his house. An upper room in his house had windows that opened in the direction of Jerusalem. Three times each day he got down on his knees and prayed to his God. He had always praised God this way.
- Nehemiah 1:4When I heard this, I sat down and cried. I mourned for days. I continued to fast and pray to the God of heaven.
- Psalms 102:13You will rise and have compassion on Zion, because it is time to grant a favor to it. Indeed, the appointed time has come.
- Jeremiah 29:10This is what the Lord says: When Babylon’s 70 years are over, I will come to you. I will keep my promise to you and bring you back to this place.
- Jeremiah 33:3Call to me, and I will answer you. I will tell you great and mysterious things that you do not know.
- Ezekiel 36:37“This is what the Almighty Lord says: I will also let the people of Israel ask me to make them as numerous as sheep.
- James 5:16So admit your sins to each other, and pray for each other so that you will be healed. Prayers offered by those who have God’s approval are effective.
- Daniel 10:2During those days I, Daniel, mourned for three whole weeks.
- Ezra 8:21Then I announced a fast there at the Ahava River so that we might humble ourselves in the presence of our God to ask him for a safe journey for ourselves, for our little ones, and for all our goods.
- Ezra 9:5At the evening sacrifice I got up from my misery, and with my clothes torn, I knelt down, stretched out my hands to the Lord my God in prayer,
- Ezra 10:6Then Ezra left the front of God’s temple and went to the room of Jehohanan, son of Eliashib. Ezra didn’t eat any food or drink any water while he was there. He was mourning because these former exiles had been so unfaithful.
- Nehemiah 9:1When the Israelites assembled on the twenty-fourth day of this month, they fasted, wore sackcloth, and threw dirt on their heads.
- Esther 4:1When Mordecai found out about everything that had been done, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went into the middle of the city and cried loudly and bitterly.
- Psalms 35:13But when they were sick, I wore sackcloth. I humbled myself with fasting. When my prayer returned unanswered,
- Psalms 69:10I cried and fasted, but I was insulted for it.
- Isaiah 22:12On that day the Almighty Lord of Armies will call for crying and for mourning, for shaving your heads and for 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
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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