Daniel 10:1 · Bible study
Daniel 10:1 Commentary: The True Word of a Great Conflict
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why the third year of Cyrus? What is the ‘great warfare’? Study the Hebrew, the timing, and the meaning of Daniel’s final vision.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The verse introduces Daniel’s final vision, set three years after Cyrus’s decree, affirming the revelation’s truth despite its theme of great conflict.
- Key words: dabar (word/message), niglah (was revealed), emet (truth/faithfulness), tzava (warfare/hard service), bin (understood).
- Main debate: Whether the Hebrew tzava gadol means “great warfare” (conflict) or “long appointed time” (duration).
- Theological theme: God’s truth stands even when His plans involve prolonged struggle.
- Best use: A launching point for teaching on perseverance, the delay of promises, and the nature of apocalyptic revelation.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, and it concerned a great conflict. And the understanding of the message was given to him in a vision.
WEB World English Bible 2000
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the message was true, even a great warfare. He understood the message, and had understanding of the vision.
KJV King James Version 1769
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, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
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.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a thing is revealed to Daniel, whose name is called Belteshazzar, and the thing is true, and the warfare is great: and he hath understood the thing, and hath understanding about the appearance.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing is true, but the appointed time of trial is long; and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
In the third year of Cyrus, king of the Persians, a word was revealed to Daniel, surnamed Baltassar, and a true word, and great strength: and he understood the word: for there is need of understanding in a vision.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
EN el tercer año de Ciro rey de Persia, fué revelada palabra á Daniel, cuyo nombre era Beltsasar; y la palabra era verdadera, mas el tiempo fijado era largo: él empero comprendió la palabra, y tuvo inteligencia en la visión.
No terceiro ano de Ciro rei da Pérsia, foi revelada uma palavra a Daniel, cujo nome era chamado Beltessazar; e a palavra é verdadeira, e sobre uma grande guerra; e ele entendeu a palavra, e teve entendimento da visão.
La troisième année de Cyrus, roi de Perse, une parole fut révélée à Daniel, qu’ on nommait Beltschatsar. Cette parole, qui est véritable, annonce une grande calamité. Il fut attentif à cette parole, et il eut l’intelligence de la vision.
Im dritten Jahr des Königs Kores aus Persien ward dem Daniel, der Beltsazar heißt, etwas offenbart, das gewiß ist und von großen Sachen; und er merkte darauf und verstand das Gesicht wohl.
In het derde jaar van Kores, den koning van Perzie, werd aan Daniel, wiens naam genoemd werd Beltsazar, een zaak geopenbaard, en die zaak is de waarheid, doch in een gezetten groten tijd; en hij verstond die zaak, en hij had verstand van het gezicht.
Il terzo anno di Ciro, re di Persia, una parola fu rivelata a Daniele, che si chiamava Beltsatsar; e la parola è verace, e predice una gran lotta. Egli capì la parola, ed ebbe l’intelligenza della visione.
Roku trzeciego Cyrusa, króla Perskiego objawione było słowo Danijelowi, którego imię nazwano Baltazar; a to słowo było prawdziwe, i czas zamierzony długi; i zrozumiał ono słowo, bo wziął zrozumienie w widzeniu.
В третий год Кира, царя Персидского, было откровение Даниилу, который назывался именем Валтасара; и истинно было это откровение и великой силы. Он понял это откровение и уразумел это видение.
波斯 王 古列 第三 年，有事 顯給 稱 為 伯提沙撒 的但以理。這事 是真的，是指著大 爭戰；但以理通達 這事， 明白 這異象。
In the third year of Cyrus, king of Persia, a secret was unfolded to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, even a hard work: and he had knowledge of it, and the vision was clear to him.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Daniel 10:1
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
The verse dates Daniel’s last recorded vision to the third year of Cyrus, two years after the decree allowing Jews to return from exile. Commentators agree this timing is deliberate: the initial hope of restoration met opposition, showing God’s people still faced a struggle. The Hebrew term tzava gadol (צָבָא גָדוֹל) is a crux. Older interpreters like the KJV translators, following Kimchi, read it as “the time appointed was long.” Most modern translators, with support from the Cambridge Bible and Keil, render it “great warfare” or “great conflict,” noting the same word describes hard military service in Job 7:1. Calvin and Barnes take the phrase as affirming that the prophecy concerns severe trials. The verse declares the revelation is true (emet), a word that carries the sense of faithfulness and reliability. Daniel “understood the word” and “had understanding of the vision”, a double emphasis that this prophecy, unlike some earlier ones, was given with clarity.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Great warfare: Most modern translations read tzava gadol as a reference to military or spiritual conflict, consistent with the battles described in chapters 11-12.
- Long appointed time: The KJV and Geneva Bible follow a reading of tzava as an appointed period (cf. Job 7:1), emphasizing delay rather than battle.
- Great host: Some scholars interpret tzava as an army or host, pointing to the scale of the forces involved in the vision.
What is clear: The revelation is true and concerns a period of significant hardship or conflict for God’s people, understood by Daniel as a genuine prophecy from God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Date of the vision | All interpreters identify the third year of Cyrus as after the decree of return (538 BC), placing the vision around 536, 534 BC. | Some (e.g., Gill) calculate it from Cyrus's sole reign after Darius the Mede; others follow the standard chronology; the exact year is less debated than its significance. |
| Meaning of tzava gadol | The phrase points to something difficult: either conflict or a long duration. | Many modern translations (WEB, ASV, BSB) render it 'great warfare' (or 'great conflict'), linking tzava to military service or hardship. Older translations (KJV, Geneva) read it as 'the time appointed was long,' following a tradition that interprets the same word as an appointed period (cf. Job 7:1). Both readings have ancient support. |
| Daniel's understanding | Daniel grasped the meaning of the word and the vision. | Some commentators (Calvin) note that understanding came progressively; others stress the verse's redundancy to emphasize full comprehension. |
| Scope of the prophecy | The vision concerns the future of God's people under successive world empires. | Historicist interpreters see it covering Persian, Greek, and Roman periods. Futurist interpreters extend it to end-time events. Both agree the 'great warfare' involves persecution and deliverance. |
| Use of the name Belteshazzar | The Babylonian name identifies Daniel in the court context. | Some see it simply as historical detail; others (Calvin) suggest it made the prophecy more recognizable in the Persian-Hellenic world. |
Historical & Cultural Context
In Cyrus’s first year (538 BC), the Persian king had issued a decree allowing Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple, as recorded in Ezra 1. That act fulfilled Jeremiah’s prophecy, and Daniel himself had prayed for it in chapter 9. But by Cyrus’s third year (536, 534 BC), the situation had soured. The returning exiles faced opposition from neighboring peoples who had settled in the land during the exile. Work on the temple stalled, and the community struggled.
Daniel, now very old, perhaps in his late eighties or early nineties, had not returned to Jerusalem. He remained in Babylon or Susa, serving in the Persian court under the Babylonian name Belteshazzar. The text calls him by this foreign name, which the Cambridge Bible suggests identifies him to the wider Persian-Hellenic world where his prophecies would circulate. The vision places him by the Tigris River, far from the temple ruins, during a season of mourning and fasting (v. 2, 3). This context explains the tone. The vision does not promise quick relief. Its “great warfare” includes the succession of Persian and Greek empires and the persecutions under Antiochus Epiphanes, and some Christian interpreters extend it to the end-times opposition against God’s people. The opening verse prepares readers: the word is true, but the path through it is a war.
Textual Notes
The Hebrew text of Daniel 10:1 is stable across manuscripts, with no significant variants noted in the supplied sources. The main variation appears in translation, not in the underlying consonants. The expression tzava gadol (צָבָא גָדוֹל) is interpreted either as “great warfare” or “long appointed time,” but the Masoretic Text is consistent. The KJV’s “time appointed” reflects a traditional reading of tzava as a period of service, not a textual variation.
Reception History
Jewish and Christian readers have long seen this verse as a hinge to the final visions of Daniel. In the Jewish tradition, the third year of Cyrus was understood as a period when prophetic activity shifted toward the end-time. The Midrash notes that the phrase “great warfare” refers to the conflicts that precede the messianic age. Early Christian commentators, including Jerome, saw the verse as authenticating the prophecies of Daniel, pointing to the “true word” as a guarantee of God’s plan. In the Reformation period, Calvin and others used the verse to teach that God’s truth remains even when fulfillment is delayed, a theme that has comforted believers facing prolonged trials. The verse has also been read as a preface to the detailed predictions of Daniel 11, which have been applied to Antiochus Epiphanes, Rome, and future antichrist figures across different traditions.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The timing of the vision, The third year of Cyrus was a moment of disappointment, not triumph. God speaks into discouragement, not only into success.
- The nature of the message, It is true and it involves a great conflict. Faithfulness to God’s word does not guarantee an easy road.
- The prophet’s understanding, The verse twice says Daniel understood. This revelation was given with clarity, even if its fulfillment stretched far ahead.
Five-point outline
- Historical setting: Third year of Cyrus, why not the first? Because the story continues after the decree.
- The name Belteshazzar: Daniel is known by his Babylonian title, anchoring the prophecy in the world-political stage.
- The word is true: God’s word is dependable even when circumstances seem otherwise.
- Great warfare: The revelation describes the long struggle against the world-powers, not a painless triumph.
- The gift of understanding: Daniel is given insight into the vision, showing that God does not leave his servants in the dark about what matters.
Illustration hooks
- A stalled renovation: A family begins home repairs with enthusiasm, then hits permits, delays, and cost overruns. The initial excitement fades, but the work must continue. The third year of Cyrus felt like that for the exiles.
- A marathon, not a sprint: When a long race begins, runners pace themselves. The prophecy’s “great warfare” is a distance event, not a short burst. Daniel had to receive a vision that covered centuries.
- Reading the fine print: A contract can be true but contain clauses about hardships. God offers a truthful word that does not hide the cost.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “If God promised restoration, why are things still hard?”
- “Does a prophecy about ancient empires matter for my life today?”
- “How can I trust a promise that seems delayed?”
Leading a Discussion
This verse opens the final unit of the book of Daniel. It raises questions about timing, trust, and the nature of God’s revelation. The group should consider the tension between God’s truth and the difficulty of the path ahead.
Discussion questions
- Why do you think the date is given as the third year of Cyrus, not the first? What does this suggest about Daniel’s circumstances?
- Daniel was a very old man by this time. How does his age and his long life of service shape the way you read this verse?
- The word emet (truth) carries the idea of faithfulness and reliability. What difference does it make that the message is not just “correct” but “faithful”?
- Some translations render the second half as “a great warfare” and others as “the appointed time was long.” How does each interpretation affect your understanding of the prophecy?
- The verse says Daniel “understood the word” and “had understanding of the vision.” Why is this double affirmation of understanding important for the reader?
- How has your own experience of waiting for God’s promises been shaped by setbacks or opposition?
- If this vision covers strife for centuries, what does that say about how God works in history? Where do you see hope in such a long perspective?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 41:32 | The dream was doubled to Pharaoh, because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. |
| II Chronicles 36:22 | Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, |
| Ezra 1:1 | Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that Yahweh’s word by Jeremiah’s mouth might be accomplished, Yahweh stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, |
| Ezra 1:2 | “Cyrus king of Persia says, ‘Yahweh, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. |
| Ezra 1:7 | Also Cyrus the king brought out the vessels of Yahweh’s house, which Nebuchadnezzar had brought out of Jerusalem, and had put in the house of his gods; |
| Ezra 1:8 | even those, Cyrus king of Persia brought out by the hand of Mithredath the treasurer, and counted them out to Sheshbazzar the prince of Judah. |
| Ezra 3:7 | They also gave money to the masons and to the carpenters. They also gave food, drink, and oil to the people of Sidon and Tyre to bring cedar trees from Lebanon to the sea, to Joppa, according to the grant that they had from Cyrus King of Persia. |
| Ezra 4:3 | But Zerubbabel, Jeshua, and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing to do with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves together will build to Yahweh, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus the king of Persia has commanded us.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke notes that the phrase "the time appointed was long" comes from a Hebrew expression meaning "the warfare long." He interprets this to mean that many conflicts and wars must take place before these prophetic events are finally accomplished, rather than simply a long period of waiting.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that the "long time" mentioned does not simply mean a lengthy period but rather a prolonged season of warfare and hardship. He bases this on the Hebrew word "tsaba," which he says means military service or affliction, setting the stage for the wars and calamities detailed in the chapters ahead.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin stresses that Daniel deliberately marks the time and circumstances to make readers take the prophecy seriously. He reasons Daniel calls himself Belteshazzar not for personal honor but to testify to his prophetic vocation among the Medes, Persians, and Chaldeans, where that name was widely known.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible notes that the word "warfare" here does not mean literal combat but figuratively describes a period of severe hardship and trial, as it does in Isaiah and Job. The revelation itself is true, and it concerns an appointed time of great struggle.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws attention to a striking contrast: the word revealed to Daniel was true, yet the appointed time was long. Despite this delay, Daniel fully grasped both the message and the vision itself, showing that understanding the prophecy did not require an immediate fulfillment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill carefully works out the chronology of this vision, placing it in the third year of Cyrus's sole reign when Daniel was about ninety. He stresses that the revelation was true and certain, even though the events it foretold lay centuries ahead, reaching to Antiochus and the resurrection.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB treats this passage as a real glimpse into the spiritual struggle behind world events, where angels like Michael actively oppose God-opposing powers. This vision expands the earlier symbolic one in chapter 8, now giving detailed future history rather than mere outlines, and marks the point where Daniel finally understands what was previously obscure.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see the theophany itself as carrying prophetic meaning: Daniel thrown down by God's majesty and then raised up prefigures the future experience of God's people, who will be cast down by tribulation and then raised by divine help. This direct manifestation of God sets this passage apart from earlier dreams and angelic interpretations.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange sees this vision as revealing a real spiritual war behind world history. He argues the unnamed angel is a created archangel, not Christ, who battles the demonic princes of Persia and Greece alongside Michael. The detailed angelic conflict shows that God governs empires through personal spirits.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry's emphasis falls on the absolute trustworthiness of what Daniel received. The vision was true because every word from God is true, and Daniel solemnly confirmed both the fact of the revelation and its content on his authority as a prophet.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley lists the specific witnesses by which Christ confirmed the new covenant: angels, John the Baptist, the wise men, saints, Moses, and Elijah. He reads the end of sacrifice as Christ abolishing all Jewish rites through his death, and links the determined desolation to a spirit of slumber God pours on the nation until Israel's future salvation.