Daniel 8:18

18 And when he had spoken to me, 1I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But 2he touched me and made me stand up.

Daniel 8:18 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 8:18

Now as he was speaking with me
Addressing him in the above manner: I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground;
through fear he fell prostrate to the ground, and swooned away, which issued in a deep sleep; and so was unfit to attend to the explanation of the vision the angel was sent to give him; and which was not through indifference to it, or neglect of it; but through human weakness, his nature not being able to bear up under such circumstances, which struck him with such fear and dread: but he touched me, and set me upright;
he jogged him out of his sleep, and took him, and raised him up, and set him on his feet; or, "on his standing" F13; which Ben Melech explains, as he "was standing at first"; and so in a better posture to attend to what was about to be revealed unto him.


FOOTNOTES:

F13 (ydme le) "super stare meum", Montanus, Gejerus; "super stationem meam", Michaelis.

Daniel 8:18 In-Context

16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of the Ulai, and it called, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."
17 So he came near where I stood. And when he came, I was frightened and fell on my face. But he said to me, "Understand, O son of man, that the vision is for the time of the end."
18 And when he had spoken to me, I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground. But he touched me and made me stand up.
19 He said, "Behold, I will make known to you what shall be at the latter end of the indignation, for it refers to the appointed time of the end.
20 As for the ram that you saw with the two horns, these are the kings of Media and Persia.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Daniel 10:9; [Luke 9:32]
  • 2. Daniel 9:21; Daniel 10:10, 18
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.