God’s Word Translation
Daniel 9:4
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.
Daniel 9:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;
- New International Version (NIV)I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
- English Standard Version (ESV)I 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,
- New King James Version (NKJV)And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments,
Context of Daniel 9:4
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. 3So I turned to the Lord God and looked to him for help. I prayed, pleaded, and fasted in sackcloth and ashes. I 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. 6We haven’t listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, leaders, ancestors, and all the common people.
Read all of Daniel 9Daniel 9:4 word by word
וָֽאֶתְפַּֽלְלָ֛ה לַיהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהַ֖י וָאֶתְוַדֶּ֑ה וָאֹֽמְרָ֗ה אָנָּ֤א אֲדֹנָי֙ הָאֵ֤ל הַגָּדוֹל֙ וְהַנּוֹרָ֔א שֹׁמֵ֤ר הַבְּרִית֙ וְֽהַחֶ֔סֶד לְאֹהֲבָ֖יו וּלְשֹׁמְרֵ֥י מִצְוֹתָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And I prayedפָּלַלpâlal · to prayH6419
- unto the Lordיְהֹוָהyehôvâh · LORDH3068
- my Godאֱלֹהִים'ĕlôhîym · GodH430
- and made my confessionיָדָהyâdâh · to give thanksH3034
- and saidאָמַר'âmar · to sayH559
- Oאָֽנָּ֫א'ân'â 'ânnâh · Please!H577
- Lordאֲדֹנָי'ădônây · LordH136
- the greatגָּדוֹלgâdôl gâdôl · great: largeH1419
- and dreadfulיָרֵאyârê' · to fear: revereH3372
- Godאֵל'êl · GodH410
- keepingשָׁמַרshâmar · to keep: obeyH8104
- the covenantבְּרִיתberîyth · covenantH1285
- and mercyחֶ֫סֶדchêsêd · kindnessH2617
- to them that loveאָהֵב'âhab 'âhêb · to love: loverH157
- his commandmentsמִצְוָהmitsvâh · commandmentH4687
Cross-references for Daniel 9:4
- Daniel 9:5We have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned away from your commandments and laws.
- Leviticus 26:40“But if they confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—the treacherous things they did to oppose me—
- 1 Kings 8:47If they come to their senses, are sorry for what they’ve done, and plead with you in the land where they are captives, saying, ‘We have sinned. We have done wrong. We have been wicked,’
- 2 Chronicles 7:14However, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves, pray, search for me, and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear ⌞their prayer⌟ from heaven, forgive their sins, and heal their country.
- Nehemiah 9:2Those who were descendants of Israel separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood and confessed their sins as well as the wicked things their ancestors had done.
- Psalms 32:5I made my sins known to you, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to you, O Lord. Then you forgave all my sins. Selah
- Jeremiah 3:13Admit that you’ve done wrong! You have rebelled against the Lord your God. You have given yourself to strangers under every large tree. You have not obeyed me,’ declares the Lord.
- 1 John 1:8If we say, “We aren’t sinful” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
- Exodus 20:6But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.
- Exodus 34:6Then he passed in front of Moses, calling out, “The Lord, the Lord, a compassionate and merciful God, patient, always faithful and ready to forgive.
- Numbers 14:18‘The Lord … patient, forever loving…. He forgives wrongdoing and disobedience…. He never lets the guilty go unpunished, punishing children … for their parents’ sins to the third and fourth generation….’
- Deuteronomy 5:10But I show mercy to thousands of generations of those who love me and obey my commandments.
- Deuteronomy 7:9Keep in mind that the Lord your God is ⌞the only⌟ God. He is a faithful God, who keeps his promise and is merciful to thousands of generations of those who love him and obey his commands.
- 1 Kings 8:23and said, “Lord God of Israel, there is no god like you in heaven above or on earth below. You keep your promise of mercy to your servants, who obey you wholeheartedly.
- Nehemiah 1:5I said, “Lord God of heaven, great and awe-inspiring God, you faithfully keep your promise and show mercy to those who love you and obey your commandments.
- Nehemiah 9:32And now, our God, you are the great, mighty, and awe-inspiring God. You faithfully keep your promises. Do not consider all the hardships that we have been going through as unimportant. The hardships have come to our kings, leaders, priests, prophets, ancestors, and all your people from the time of the kings of Assyria until now.
Commentaries on Daniel 9:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Keeping the covenant - Fidelity and truth are characteristics of God. He had never yet broken his engagements to his followers, and was ever showing mercy to men.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4And I prayed unto the Lord my God - Evidently a set and formal prayer. It would seem probable that; he offered this prayer, and then re corded the substance of it afterward. We have no reason to suppose that we have the whole of it, but we have doubtless its principal topics. And made my confession - Not as an individual, or not of his own sins only, but a confession in behalf of the people, and in their name. There is no reason to suppose that what he…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-19Verses 4-19 In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be trusted. We should, in prayer, look both at God's greatness and his…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 4the LORD (Hebrew Yahweh): This is the covenant name of God (Exodus 6:2–3; 20:2) and appears in Daniel only in this chapter. God remains faithful to his covenant with those who love and obey him (compare Exodus 34:6–7; Deuteronomy 7:9; Romans 8:28). God's unfailing love is his core nature. The Hebrew word is khesed, which is also sometimes translated as “grace,” “mercy,” or “kindness.” It inspires faith, hope, and worship throughout the Bible (see Numbers…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. my confession--according to God's promises in Le 26:39-42, that if Israel in exile for sin should repent and confess, God would remember for them His covenant with Abraham (compare De 30:1-5; Jr 29:12-14; Jas 4:10). God's promise was absolute, but prayer also was ordained as about to precede its fulfilment, this too being the work of God in His people, as much as the external restoration which was to follow. So it shall be at Israel's final restoration…Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 9:4
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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