Tree of Life Version
Daniel 9:3
3So I set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, 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
1“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans, 2in the first year of his reign—I, Daniel, understood from the books that according to the word of Adonai to Jeremiah the prophet, the number of the years for the fulfilling of the desolation of Jerusalem would be 70 years. So I set my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes. 4“I prayed to Adonai my God and confessed, saying: ‘O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and mercy with those who love Him and keep His mitzvot, 5we have sinned; we have committed iniquity; we have acted wickedly; we have rebelled; we have turned away from Your mitzvot and from Your rulings.
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 6:10Thereupon King Darius issued the written decree.
- Nehemiah 1:4Upon hearing these words I sat down and wept and mourned for days. I prayed and fasted before the God of heaven.
- Psalms 102:13But You, Adonai, sit enthroned forever. Your renown is from generation to generation.
- Jeremiah 29:10For thus says Adonai: “After 70 years for Babylon are complete, I will visit you, and fulfill My good word toward you—to bring you back to this place.
- Jeremiah 33:3“Call to Me, and I will answer you— I will tell you great and hidden things, which you do not know.”
- Ezekiel 36:37Thus says Adonai Elohim: “I will again be inquired of by the house of Israel, to do it for them—I will populate them with people like a flock.
- James 5:16So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is very powerful.
- Daniel 10:2“In those days, I, Daniel was mourning for three whole weeks.
- Ezra 8:21Then I proclaimed a fast there at the Ahava River so that we might humble ourselves before our God and seek from Him a straight way for us, our little ones, and all of our possessions.
- Ezra 9:5At the time of the evening offering, I rose up from my self-abasement with my garment and robe torn, then I bowed down on my knees and spread out my hands to Adonai my God.
- Ezra 10:6Then Ezra got up from before the House of God and went into the room of Jehohanan son of Eliashib. While he was there, he ate no bread and drank no water, because he continued to mourn over the unfaithfulness of the exiles.
- Nehemiah 9:1Now on the twenty-fourth day of this same month, Bnei-Yisrael gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads.
- Esther 4:1When Mordecai learned all that was done, he tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the middle of the city crying out in a loud and bitter voice.
- Psalms 35:13But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth. I afflicted my soul with fasting, my prayer kept returning to my heart.
- Psalms 69:10For zeal for Your House consumed me— the insults of those who insulted You have fallen on me.
- Isaiah 22:12Now in that day, Adonai Elohei-Tzva’ot will call for weeping and wailing, for baldness and putting on 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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