Then I heard the man speak, and when I heard the sound of his voice, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.
Parallel translations
- WEB Yet heard I the voice of his words; and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I fallen into a deep sleep on my face, with my face toward the ground.
- KJV Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
- BSB I heard the sound of his words, and as I listened, I fell into a deep sleep, with my face to the ground.
- NKJV Yet I heard the sound of his words; and while I heard the sound of his words I was in a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
- NASB But I heard the sound of his words; and as soon as I heard the sound of his words, I fell into a deep sleep on my face, with my face to the ground.
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
Hearing the voice, Daniel falls into a deep sleep, face to the ground. Human strength simply cannot endure the direct presence of heaven's glory.
Overview
Overcome, Daniel sinks into a swoon, much as John 'fell at his feet as one dead' in Revelation 1:17. The reaction underscores that fallen humanity cannot stand unaided before the holy. Yet God does not leave His servant prostrate; the gracious touch that follows shows He meets weakness with mercy rather than condemnation.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Dan 8:18Now as he was speaking with me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face toward the ground; but he touched me, and set me upright.
- Job 4:13In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falls on men,
- Gen 15:12When the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell on Abram. Now terror and great darkness fell on him.
- Luke 9:32Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they were fully awake, they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him.
- Song 5:2I was asleep, but my heart was awake. It is the voice of my beloved who knocks: “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my undefiled; for my head is filled with dew, and my hair with the dampness of the night.”
- Luke 22:45When he rose up from his prayer, he came to the disciples, and found them sleeping because of grief,
- Gen 2:21Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
- Job 33:15In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falls on men, in slumbering on the bed;
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 10:9 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.