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And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.”
Daniel 8:16 · New King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB I heard a man’s voice between the banks of the Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
  • KJV And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.
  • BSB And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
  • NASB And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.”
  • NLT And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision.”

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

A voice commands the angel Gabriel to explain the vision to Daniel. God appoints a named messenger to make His revelation clear.

Overview

A human-sounding voice from over the Ulai directs Gabriel, named here for the first time in Scripture, to interpret the vision. This is one of the rare passages naming individual angels, showing heaven's ordered ministry. God's care to make His purposes understood reflects His desire that His people not be left in the dark about His plans.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • Luke 1:19The angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God. I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news.
  • Luke 1:26Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
  • Dan 8:2I saw in the vision; now it was so, that when I saw, I was in the citadel of Susa, which is in the province of Elam; and I saw in the vision, and I was by the river Ulai.
  • Dan 12:5–7Then I, Daniel, looked, and behold, two others stood, one on the river bank on this side, and the other on the river bank on that side.
  • Rev 22:16I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify these things to you for the assemblies. I am the root and the offspring of David; the Bright and Morning Star.”
  • Heb 1:14Aren’t they all serving spirits, sent out to do service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
  • Zech 1:9Then I asked, ‘My lord, what are these?’” The angel who talked with me said to me, “I will show you what these are.”
  • Zech 2:4and said to him, “Run, speak to this young man, saying, ‘Jerusalem will be inhabited as villages without walls, because of the multitude of men and livestock in it.
  • Acts 10:13A voice came to him, “Rise, Peter, kill and eat!”
  • Dan 10:11–12He said to me, Daniel, you man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright; for am I now sent to you. When he had spoken this word to me, I stood trembling.
  • Dan 10:14Now I have come to make you understand what shall happen to your people in the latter days; for the vision is yet for many days:
  • Dan 10:21But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth: and there is no one who holds with me against these, but Michael your prince.”
  • Acts 9:7The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the sound, but seeing no one.
  • Rev 1:12I turned to see the voice that spoke with me. Having turned, I saw seven golden lamp stands.
  • Dan 9:21–22yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Daniel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Daniel 8:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on DanielMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 8:16 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.