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.
• 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 son of Ahasuerus, who was of Median descent and who had been appointed king over the Babylonian empire – 2in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, came to understand from the sacred books that, according to the word of the lord disclosed to the prophet Jeremiah, the years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalem were seventy in number. So I turned my attention to the Lord God to implore him by prayer and requests, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. 4I prayed to the lord my God, confessing in this way: “O Lord, great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant with those who love him and keep his commandments, 5we have sinned! We have done what is wrong and wicked; we have rebelled by turning away from your commandments and standards.

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 realized that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. Three times daily he was kneeling and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously.
• Nehemiah 1:4When I heard these things I sat down abruptly, crying and mourning for several days. I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.
• Psalms 102:13You will rise up and have compassion on Zion. For it is time to have mercy on her, for the appointed time has come.
• Jeremiah 29:10“For the Lord says, ‘Only when the seventy years of Babylonian rule are over will I again take up consideration for you. Then I will fulfill my gracious promise to you and restore you to your homeland.
• Jeremiah 33:3‘Call on me in prayer and I will answer you. I will show you great and mysterious things which you still do not know about.’
• Ezekiel 36:37“This is what the sovereign Lord says: I will allow the house of Israel to ask me to do this for them: I will multiply their people like sheep.
• James 5:16So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness.
• Daniel 10:2In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks.
• Ezra 8:21I called for a fast there by the Ahava Canal, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from him a safe journey for us, our children, and all our property.
• Ezra 9:5At the time of the evening offering I got up from my self-abasement, with my tunic and robe torn, and then dropped to my knees and spread my hands to the Lord my God.
• Ezra 10:6Then Ezra got up from in front of the temple of God and went to the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he stayed there, he did not eat food or drink water, for he was in mourning over the infidelity of the exiles.
• Nehemiah 9:1On the twenty-fourth day of this same month the Israelites assembled; they were fasting and wearing sackcloth, their heads covered with dust.
• Esther 4:1Now when Mordecai became aware of all that had been done, he tore his garments and put on sackcloth and ashes. He went out into the city, crying out in a loud and bitter voice.
• Psalms 35:13When they were sick, I wore sackcloth, and refrained from eating food. (If I am lying, may my prayers go unanswered!)
• Psalms 69:10I weep and refrain from eating food, which causes others to insult me.
• Isaiah 22:12At that time the sovereign master, the Lord who commands armies, called for weeping and mourning, for shaved heads and 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