“Do not be afraid, Daniel,” he said, “for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then he said to me, Don’t be afraid, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard: and I have come for your words’ sake.
- KJV Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
- NKJV Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
- NASB Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words.
- NLT Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
From the first day Daniel set his heart to understand and humbled himself, his prayer was heard, and the messenger came in response. God hears humble, earnest prayer from the very first moment it is offered.
Overview
This verse gives great comfort about prayer: the answer was set in motion the moment Daniel began to seek God, even though the messenger arrived three weeks later. Delay is not denial. The same God who heard Daniel hears His people in Christ, assuring us that humble, persistent prayer is never ignored in heaven.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 26
- Acts 10:30–31Cornelius answered: “Four days ago I was in my house praying at this, the ninth hour. Suddenly a man in radiant clothing stood before me
- Dan 10:19“Do not be afraid, you who are highly precious,” he said. “Peace be with you! Be strong now; be very strong!” As he spoke with me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, for you have strengthened me.”
- Dan 9:20–23While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—
- Isa 58:9Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry out, and He will say, ‘Here I am.’ If you remove the yoke from your midst, the pointing of the finger and malicious talk,
- Acts 18:9–10One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking; do not be silent.
- Matt 28:5But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
- Isa 41:10Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be afraid, for I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will surely help you; I will uphold you with My right hand of righteousness.
- Isa 65:24Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
- Dan 9:3–4So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
- Acts 10:3–5One day at about the ninth hour, he had a clear vision of an angel of God who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
- Isa 41:14Do not fear, O worm of Jacob, O few men of Israel. I will help you,” declares the LORD. “Your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel.
- Isa 35:4Say to those with anxious hearts: “Be strong, do not fear! Behold, your God will come with vengeance. With divine retribution He will come to save you.”
- Lev 16:29This is to be a permanent statute for you: On the tenth day of the seventh month, you shall humble yourselves and not do any work—whether the native or the foreigner who resides among you—
- Dan 10:2–3In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three full weeks.
- Luke 24:38“Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
- Lev 16:31It is a Sabbath of complete rest for you, that you may humble yourselves; it is a permanent statute.
- Acts 27:24and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And look, God has granted you the lives of all who sail with you.’
- Rev 1:17When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. But He placed His right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last,
- Luke 1:30So the angel told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.
- Mark 16:6But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here! See the place where they put Him.
- Num 29:7On the tenth day of this seventh month, you are to hold a sacred assembly, and you shall humble yourselves; you must not do any work.
- Matt 28:10“Do not be afraid,” said Jesus. “Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee. There they will see Me.”
- Ps 69:10I wept and fasted, but it brought me reproach.
- Luke 2:10But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! For behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:
- Dan 10:11He said to me, “Daniel, you are a man who is highly precious. Consider carefully the words that I am about to say to you. Stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he had said this to me, I stood up trembling.
- Luke 1:13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
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Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 10:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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