A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Daniel 10-12
Part 1: Commentary on Daniel 10, and the Janus Chiasmus between Daniel 10 & 11
Kuruvilla Thomas
Bangalore
Published on 26 September 2023 *
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Introduction
In this 3-part study, we interpret Daniel 10-12 based on an analysis of its chiastic structure. In Part 1 we have a commentary on Daniel 10. We also point out the Janus Chiasmus that acts as a bridge or literary hinge between Daniel 10 and the cryptochiastic Daniel 11-12.
In Part 2 and Part 3 we will show that Daniel 11-12 is a detailed prophecy in the form of a complex, multiply-applied chiasmus.
Discussion
1. A commentary on Daniel 10
We will use the NIV translation for this section. We have retranslated parts of the text.
Chapter 10 1a In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia,
When Cyrus the Great of Persia conquered Babylon (around Oct 539BC), he installed Darius the Mede as ruler in the city (Dan. 5:30-31, 6:28, 9:1). (The Persians and Medes, who were the two-horned ram of Dan. 8:3, enjoyed a stable alliance that was strengthened through marriage.) Cyrus himself officially became ruler of Babylon in 536BC after the elderly Darius the Mede died (Darius appears to be the throne name of Cyaxares II the Mede; he reigned for around 2 years). So the third year of Cyrus as king of Medo-Persia from Babylon is the year 534BC - the start date of the prophecy in Dan. 11&12 (see Dan. 12:7). ( Note that, in these times, the calendar year did not begin on the 1st of January, as in our Gregorian calendar.)
Chapter 10 1b a message was revealed to Daniel, who was called Belteshazzar. The message was true, but the appointed time was long. The explanation of the message came to him in a vision.[a]
Daniel was initially given the short message in 10:14,21. The angel delivering the prophecy was abruptly called away, and he returned on another day to give Daniel the entire vision, as detailed in Daniel 11-12. As we show through our analysis of Dan 10-12, this prophecy makes predictions regarding the distant future, all the way to the end of the world ("the appointed time was long").
Chapter 10 2 At that time I, Daniel, mourned for three weeks. 3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.
Daniel does not reveal the reason for his 3 weeks of fasting, praying and mourning, but he may have been concerned about the opposition the Judahites faced while rebuilding the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:1-5). ( An edict by Cyrus in his first year, which started in 536BC, had just allowed the Judahites to return to Judea from Babylon in 535BC - Ezra 1:1-4. They had been exiled to Babylon 70 years prior, beginning from the fourth year of Jehoiakim and after the battle of Carchemish in 605BC - Jer. 25:1-12, Jer. 46:2, Jer. 29:10.)
Chapter 10 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris,
Daniel reveals the exact date of the vision, down to the day - the twenty-fourth day of the first month (Tishri). This detail is significant, because we use the date of this vision to compute the time of the Final Resurrection. (We believe that Tishri is the first month here, because other prophecies, such as the '1 week' Period of Daniel 9, follow the Jewish secular fall-to-fall calendar.)
Chapter 10 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
In the analysis of the Janus below, we show that this man that Daniel sees by the Tigris river is the Archangel Michael. We believe that the physical characteristics of this angel figuratively represent facts about him: the linen represents righteousness (Rev. 19:8); the belt of finest gold from Uphaz royalty/leadership (he is the "prince" of vs 21); his body glitters like a jewel, representing the brilliance of his accomplishments (for ex see Rev 12:7-9); his face shines brightly, presumably from being in the presence of God (Exo. 24:39); the flaming eyes indicate knowledge and insight (Isa. 11:2); his bronze feet represent spiritual strength (Zech. 6:1, Rev. 19:11); and the loud voice presumably indicates that his words will be carried around the world. ( Note that the physical appearance of this angel is similar to that of the angel described in Rev. 1:13-16.)
Notes:
- Uphaz/Ophir was a region in ancient India known for the quality of its gold (1 Kings 10:22).
- The word translated "topaz" (or "beryl" in the KJV) is "Tarshish" in Hebrew. Tarshish was a famous port city in Ophir in India, and presumably was a well-known source of this gemstone. (see appendix in [1])
Chapter 10 7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Daniel is the only one among his companions who is chosen to see this vision. The sight of this angel and the sound of his voice are so overwhelming that Daniel faints and falls on his face. He is comforted and gradually lifted back up onto his feet. ( In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is similarly affected by the sight of this angel - Rev. 1:17.)
We believe that angels, when they convey a message from a heavenly source, sometimes speak in the first person as though they themselves were the source. During the revelation of the message, they may also speak for themselves. This leads to some confusion, as it is not clear whether the angel is speaking for himself or for someone else. For example, in the passage about Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-17), we are told that an angel spoke to Moses from the burning bush, but the angel uses the first person pronoun as though he himself were God. Similarly, in the book of Revelation, the angel sometimes speaks as though he were Jesus and sometimes speaks as himself. Jacob wrestled with an angel in Genesis 32:22–32, but is credited with fighting God.
In this case, the Archangel Michael, who had come to Daniel to convey a prophecy from another unnamed powerful Heavenly Being, speaks as though he himself were that being; Michael only speaks as himself in Ch. 11:1.
Chapter 10 12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, the first [b] of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.
Daniel's prayers were presumably a plea to thwart opposition to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem. In reply, the Heavenly Being (that Michael represented) wrestled with the angel of Persia so that the angel of Persia may influence king Cyrus to deal favourably with the Judahites. Michael may have gone to his aid because the Archangel was responsible for the Israelites (12:1), and because only he had the strength to fight the mighty angel of Persia (10:21). The Heavenly Being wrestled with the angel who controlled Persia for 21 days. This is the same length of time for which Daniel fasted and prayed in 10:2,3, which implies that the Heavenly Being responded to Daniel's request as soon as he started praying (vs. 12).
We see from these passages that powerful angels are given dominion over the various regions and nations of the earth (see Psalm 82, Deut.32:8). Control over God's portion, Israel (see Deut. 32:9), has been delegated to Michael.
Michael is the first of the chief princes (see 1 Enoch 24:6), the chief commander of the angels, the "Prince of Princes" (see Dan. 8:25), the Archangel.
Chapter 10 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Daniel was given these prophecies because he was concerned about the future of the Judahites ("set your mind to gain understanding" in vs 12). The wars predicted in this prophecy affected the Judahites directly or indirectly: Alexander's battles changed Judea's neighbourhood; and the Syrian wars of Ch 11 sometimes spilled over into Judea; but the event that affected the Judahites the most was the First Jewish-Roman War.
Chapter 10 15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like the sons of men [c] touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”
Daniel bows his head, as he is rendered terrified, weak and speechless.The angel touches Daniel's lips so that he can speak again, and the humble Daniel says that he feels unworthy of interacting with this awesome angel.
Chapter 10 18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.” When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”
The angel assures Daniel that he is highly esteemed and so worthy of speaking to mighty angels. Daniel is strengthened so that he can pay attention to the the prophecy that the angel is about to give him. Note that Michael, as in several other passages, is described as looking like a "son of man", that is, a man (see also Rev 1:13, Dan. 7:13).
Chapter 10 20a So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you?
Before continuing, the Heavenly Being reminds Daniel of the purpose of his coming with a rhetorical question: "You do know why I have come to you, don't you?" And according to 10:14 it is to convey a prophecy that affects the Judahites.
Chapter 10 20b I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia [d], and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
But just as he is about to reveal the details of the prophecy, the Heavenly Being is called away, back to the negotiations with the angel of Persia. He has been informed that the angel of Greece is coming to the aid of the angel of Persia (these passages are designed to give us a glimpse into the workings of the angelic realm).
This arrival of Greece's angel as a friend of Persia is unrelated to Xerxes' assault on Greece or Alexander's conquests of Persia. However, in the Janus below, the mention of Greece in this passage ties it to the passage in 11:2.
Chapter 10 21 But I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.[e]
The Heavenly Being promises to return on another date (see 11:1) to give Daniel the prophecy. The prophecy is excerpted from the "Book of Truth", a book of the prophecies of God (cf. Psalm 139:16).
The Heavenly Being needs Michael to return with him, because only the mighty Archangel Michael, the angelic prince of the Judahites, can help with this fight against the powerful fallen angels that control Persia and Greece.
Although the Heavenly Being could not give Daniel the prophecy on this occasion, he established the start date for the prophecy, which we use in Dan 12 to compute the date of the End of the World. He had also assured Daniel that his prayers for the Judahites were being addressed.
2. The structure of the Janus chiasmus
Definition of Janus Chiasmus: A Janus Chiasmus is a type of chiasmus that tightly binds two consecutive passages. The chiasmus straddles the boundary between the two passages and, like a regular Chiasmus, its corresponding subunits are about the same size and related in some way. It is named after the two-faced Roman god with faces pointed in opposite directions.We parse the chiasmus in Daniel 10:20-11:2 into subunits, treating the phrase "In the first year of Darius the Mede" as the chiastic pivot, to arrive at the 3-unit chiastic structure below (we have retranslated and included below the Ch 11 leg of the chiasmus - 11:1,2):
3. A commentary on the Janus in Daniel 10:20-11:2
This is not a cryptochiasmus and so a rearrangement is not necessary, but we do so below for clarity and convenience. See more detailed commentary on the passages below under the corresponding chapters.
Subunits A1 A2
A1 10:20 20a So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come;
A2 11:2b 2b Three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.
We consider these passages as corresponding subunits because Greece and Persia are mentioned in both.
Subunits B1 B2
B1 10:21a But I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth.
B2 11:2a Now then, I tell you the truth:
In Subunit B1, the Heavenly Being promises to return and give Daniel a prophecy after battling the prince of Persia. In B2, he returns on another day (on the date specified in the pivot) and says that he will now give Daniel the prophecy. So subunit B2 is a confirmation of subunit B1.
Subunits C1 C2
C1 10:21b, 11:1a No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. 11:1a And I
C2 11:1c I took my stand to support and strengthen him.
As in Unit B, we can treat subunit C2 as a confirmation of C1. So, in subunit C1, Michael, speaking for the Heavenly Being, says, "Michael supports me". In subunit C2, Michael, speaking for himself, confirms what is said in subunit C1. We contend that this serves as evidence for our position that Michael is the angel that conveys this prophecy to Daniel.
Pivot point X
X 11:1b In the first year of Darius the Mede,
The Pivot point X of the chiasmus should be considered the first line of the prophecy in Ch. 11&12, and like most first lines in Daniel, this one helps date the prophecy. The "Darius the Mede" of this verse must have been a Median satrap under Cyrus some time during or after Cyrus' third year (see 10:1), the year of the prophecy of chapter 10 (this is not the Darius of Dan. 5:31 who reigned before Cyrus).
Part 1 Part 2 Part 3
Retranslation notes for Daniel 10
[a] vs 1 Retranslated verse.
[b] vs 13 "the first" instead of "one".
[c] vs 16 "the sons of men" instead of "a man".
[d] vs 20 "I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia" instead of "Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia".
[e] vs 21 Retranslated verse.
References
[1] A Chiastic Reconfiguration Of Isaiah 23* First version published on 22 March 2019.