Verse 1
This entire chapter is actually preliminary to the final two chapters, the whole chapter along with Daniel 11:1 dealing with the events that led up to the sensational predictions made in the following two chapters.
One of the very interesting things in this chapter is the revelation of the activities of the holy angels upon behalf of God's people. The Holy Scriptures have reference to this phenomenon elsewhere, especially in Hebrews 1:14; but Daniel's revelation goes beyond what is stated there.
"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a great warfare: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision. In those days, I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled."
"Even a great warfare ..." (Daniel 10:1)." Young has pointed out that the meaning of "great" in this phase is "for a long time." "The word has now been found on the tablets of Mari in the sense of 'time.'"[1]
Robert D. Culver is correct in the opinion that Daniel's fasting here was not due to asceticism, but applied to a special reason for his mourning.[2] Note also that "mourning" and fasting here are in apposition, the word mourning carrying with it the idea of fasting as indicated in Daniel 10:3. The special reason for Daniel's mourning would appear to be that, in the 3years of Cyrus, the restoration of the Temple (Ezra 1-3, especially Ezra 4:4-5) had been stopped, hence Daniel's concern and anxiety.
"Three whole weeks were fulfilled ..." (Daniel 10:3)." The literal words from which this expression is translated are: "three sevens days." "The reason for using the word 'days' here is to show the difference in the meaning of sevens from previous passages (where it means sevens of years)."[3] Thus we have a strong indication here that the previous mention of "seventy weeks" is actually a reference to "sevens of years," as we have interpreted it.
The critical quibble based on the first verse here as compared with Daniel 1:21 where Daniel is said to have lived until the first year of Cyrus, whereas in Daniel 10:1 he is said to have seen a vision in the third year of Cyrus, is typical of that class of objection. In the first place, the statements are not contradictory but supplementary. Also, as Wilson put it:
"If we suppose that Belshazzar was king of the Chaldeans while his father was king of Babylon, just as Cambyses was king of Babylon while his father Cyrus was king of the lands, or as Nabonidus II seems to have been king of Haran while his father, Nabonidus I, was king of Babylon, this statement will harmonize with the other statements made with regard to Belshazzar."[4]
Thomson likewise offered almost the same explanation of this. "We are here assuming that the chronology of this passage reckons from the overthrow of Nabunahid, that is from Cyrus' accession to the throne of Babylon; this `third year' may be reckoned from his assumption of the title `King of Persia.'[5]
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