Daniel 12:5-13 Meaning: Two Angels at the River
5Then 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.
6One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be to the end of these wonders?”
7I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by him who lives forever that it will be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have finished breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things will be finished.
8I heard, but I didn’t understand. Then I said, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”
9He said, “Go your way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end.
10Many will purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined, but the wicked will do wickedly; and none of the wicked will understand, but those who are wise will understand.
11“From the time that the continual burnt offering is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there will be one thousand two hundred ninety days.
12Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred thirty-five days.
13“But go your way until the end; for you will rest, and will stand in your inheritance at the end of the days.”
5Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.
6And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
10Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
5Then I, Daniel, looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on the brink of the river on this side, and the other on the brink of the river on that side.
6And one said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?
7And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when they have made an end of breaking in pieces the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
8And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end.
10Many shall purify themselves, and make themselves white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand; but they that are wise shall understand.
11And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.
12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.
13But go thou thy way till the end be; for thou shalt rest, and shalt stand in thy lot, at the end of the days.
5And I have looked--I, Daniel--and lo, two others are standing, one here at the edge of the flood, and one there at the edge of the flood,
6and he saith to the one clothed in linen, who is upon the waters of the flood, `Till when is the end of these wonders?'
7And I hear the one clothed in linen, who is upon the waters of the flood, and he doth lift up his right hand and his left unto the heavens, and sweareth by Him who is living to the age, that, `After a time, times, and a half, and at the completion of the scattering of the power of the holy people, finished are all these.'
8And I have heard, and I do not understand, and I say, `O my lord, what is the latter end of these?'
9And he saith, `Go, Daniel; for hidden and sealed are the things till the time of the end;
10Purify themselves, yea, make themselves white, yea, refined are many: and the wicked have done wickedly, and none of the wicked understand, and those acting wisely do understand;
11and from the time of the turning aside of the perpetual sacrifice , and to the giving out of the desolating abomination, are days a thousand, two hundred, and ninety.
12O the blessedness of him who is waiting earnestly, and doth come to the days, a thousand, three hundred, thirty and five.
13And thou, go on to the end, then thou dost rest, and dost stand in thy lot at the end of the days.'
5And I Daniel looked, and behold, there stood other two, the one on this side, on the bank of the river, and the other on that side, on the bank of the river.
6And he said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, How long [is it to] the end of these wonders?
7And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river; and he held up his right hand and his left hand unto the heavens, and swore by him that liveth for ever that it is for a time, times, and a half; and when the scattering of the power of the holy people shall be accomplished, all these things shall be finished.
8And I heard, but I understood not. And I said, My lord, what shall be the end of these things?
9And he said, Go thy way, Daniel; for these words are closed and sealed till the time of the end.
10Many shall be purified, and be made white, and be refined; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.
11And from the time that the continual [sacrifice] is taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, [there shall be] a thousand, two hundred, and ninety days.
12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and thirty-five days!
13But do thou go thy way until the end; and thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
Meaning in one sentence
Why does Daniel see two angels on opposite banks?
Context
Daniel is still by the Tigris River, the same place where he received the earlier vision in chapter 10. The man clothed in linen, who seems to be a glorious angelic being, has been speaking. Now Daniel notices two more figures, one standing on each bank of the river. One of them asks the man in linen a question that had surely been on Daniel's heart: How long until these wonders end?
The man in linen answers with an oath. He raises both hands to heaven and swears by God that it will be for a time, times, and a half. When the power of the holy people is shattered, then all will be finished. Daniel hears the words but cannot grasp their meaning. He asks again about the outcome, and the reply is gentle but firm: the message is sealed until the time of the end. Specific numbers follow, describing days of waiting. And then a personal word for Daniel himself: go your way, you will rest, and you will stand in your allotted inheritance at the end of the days.
Key Words
Three verbs in verse 10 describe what happens to believers during hard times: they purify themselves, make themselves white, and are refined. The Hebrew words are vivid. Yitbararu (purify) means to be sifted, cleansed of what does not belong. Yitlabbenu (make white) suggests being washed until you shine. Yitzarefu (refined) is the word for smelting metal: fire that burns away dross so only the pure remains. Together they paint a picture of what suffering can do in a person’s life when God is at work.
Verse 12 calls blessed the one who waits. The Hebrew chakah is not a passive, resigned waiting. It means to wait with eager longing, to stay alert and hopeful. The one who reaches the 1,335 days has held on through a long stretch and is counted happy.
Finally, verse 13 gives Daniel two promises: rest (nuach, to lie down in peace) and stand (amad, to rise again). His allotted portion (goral, literally the lot cast in a sacred ceremony) is a personal inheritance that belongs to him at the resurrection. The waiting ends with a place held secure.
How Christians Read This Verse
Christians have read these verses in several ways. Some, like John Calvin and many Reformed interpreters, see the man clothed in linen as an angelic prince, and the two angels on the riverbank as witnesses to the solemn oath. They understand the numbers to point symbolically to the time between the desecration of the temple under Antiochus Epiphanes and its eventual cleansing, or to the final tribulation before Christ’s return.
Others, including Matthew Henry and John Gill, identify the man in linen as Christ himself, the heavenly High Priest. In this view, the two angels serve as witnesses from heaven, and the numbers represent extended periods of trial for the church before the end. Many Catholic and Eastern Orthodox interpreters also read the passage eschatologically, seeing in the blessing on those who wait a promise of perseverance through the final trials. Across all traditions, the emphasis remains on trusting God's hidden timing and being purified through the waiting.
A common misunderstanding
A common mistake is to treat the numbers in verses 11-12 as a code for calculating the exact date of Christ’s return. Many have tried to map 1,290 and 1,335 days to specific years. In fact, the angel tells Daniel plainly that the words are shut up and sealed until the time of the end (v. 9). The numbers are not a puzzle to be solved. They are a way of saying that the suffering will last a determined, bounded time, and that those who endure to the full extent of it will be blessed. The point is patient trust, not date-setting.
Living This Out
This passage comes as a word to anyone who has asked God “How long?” and received silence. You may be waiting for a difficult season in your life to end, for a relationship to heal, for a prayer to be answered. Daniel heard the answer but still did not understand. And the angel did not rebuke him; he simply told him to go on living faithfully.
You can do the same this week. When the waiting feels senseless, let it do its work in you. The three verbs of verse 10 describe the quiet transformation that happens when you stay near God in the hard times: you are sifted, washed, purified. You do not have to see the end to trust the One who holds it. Do your ordinary duties, tend to your relationships, and rest your hope in the resurrection promise that your inheritance is still coming.
Main takeaway: We do not need to understand God’s timing to trust Him; the waiting itself is meant to purify us, and our inheritance is secure in the end.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Daniel saw two angels standing by a river. One angel asked a question, and the answer was a promise from God. Sometimes we wait for things and don't understand why. But God is always working, and He has a good plan.
For ages 9, 12
In this passage, Daniel sees two angels standing on opposite sides of the river, like witnesses in a courtroom. One of them asks how long the suffering will last. The answer is a mysterious promise about a set time. Daniel doesn't understand it, and the angel tells him the words are sealed until the end. But then the angel gives Daniel a personal promise: he will rest and rise again to his inheritance. This teaches us that even when we don't understand God's plan, we can trust that He has an end in sight and a personal inheritance waiting for us.
Questions People Ask
Why does Daniel see two angels standing on opposite banks of the river?
The two angels on each bank seem to serve as witnesses to the solemn oath taken by the man clothed in linen (verse 7). In the Bible, two or three witnesses were required to confirm a testimony (Deuteronomy 19:15). Their position on opposite sides of the river frames the scene like a courtroom, showing that God's decree about the end is sure and established.
What does 'a time, times, and a half' mean in Daniel 12:7?
This phrase refers to a period of three and a half years, often understood as a symbolic measure of a limited season of persecution. It appears in Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14. Christians have interpreted it variously as the literal time of the Maccabean revolt, a longer prophetic period (day-year principle), or the final tribulation before Christ's return. The exact interpretation is debated, but the point is that the suffering has a fixed, God-determined duration.
What are the 1,290 days and 1,335 days in Daniel 12:11-12?
These numbers follow the 'time, times, and a half' and likely extend the timeline. The 1,290 days start when the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination of desolation is set up. The 1,335 days add an extra 45 days, and a blessing is promised to those who wait and reach that point. Many interpreters see these as additional periods of waiting before the full restoration. The exact meaning is kept veiled, and the passage itself warns that the words are sealed until the end.
Why didn't Daniel understand what he heard?
Daniel 'heard but did not understand' (verse 8) because the prophecy about the times was not meant to be fully clear before its fulfillment. The angel told him the words were 'shut up and sealed until the time of the end' (verse 9). This is a common pattern in biblical prophecy: some details remain mysterious until the events unfold, calling for humble trust rather than complete comprehension. Daniel models that humility by asking honestly and then accepting the Lord's response.
What does 'stand in your lot' mean in Daniel 12:13?
The phrase 'stand in your lot' refers to Daniel's inheritance in the resurrection. The word 'lot' (Hebrew goral) originally meant a pebble used for casting lots, and came to mean an assigned portion or destiny. After Daniel rests in death, he will rise again and receive his promised place among God's people. This is a clear hope of resurrection and eternal reward, a comfort that sustained Daniel through his unanswered questions.
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