I lifted up my eyes
This phrase indicates a moment of revelation or vision, a common occurrence in prophetic literature. It suggests a transition from the mundane to the divine, as seen in other biblical accounts such as Ezekiel 1:1 and Revelation 4:1, where prophets receive visions after looking up.

and behold, there was a certain man
The "certain man" is often interpreted as a heavenly being, possibly an angel or a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, known as a Christophany. This aligns with similar descriptions in Ezekiel 9:2 and Revelation 1:13, where divine messengers appear in human form.

dressed in linen
Linen garments are typically associated with purity and holiness, often worn by priests (Exodus 28:39-42) and angels (Ezekiel 9:2). This attire signifies the sacred nature of the being and the message he brings.

with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist
The belt of fine gold signifies wealth, authority, and divine majesty. Uphaz is a location mentioned in Jeremiah 10:9, known for its high-quality gold. This imagery parallels the description of the glorified Christ in Revelation 1:13, emphasizing the divine authority and splendor of the figure Daniel sees.

1. Daniel
The prophet who receives the vision. He is a key figure in the Old Testament, known for his faithfulness to God amidst exile in Babylon.

2. The Man Dressed in Linen
This figure is often interpreted as a heavenly being, possibly an angel or a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ, given the description of his attire and appearance.

3. Linen Garment
Linen is often associated with purity and priestly garments in the Bible, indicating the holiness and divine nature of the figure.

4. Belt of Fine Gold from Uphaz
Uphaz is a location known for its fine gold, symbolizing wealth, purity, and divine authority.

5. Vision
This event is part of a larger vision given to Daniel, which includes messages about future events and spiritual warfare.Divine Revelation
God reveals Himself and His plans to those who are faithful and seek Him earnestly, as Daniel did.

Holiness and Purity
The linen garment signifies the importance of holiness in our walk with God. We are called to live lives that reflect His purity.

Spiritual Authority
The gold belt symbolizes the authority and power of God. As believers, we are reminded of the authority we have in Christ.

Heavenly Perspective
Lifting our eyes to see God's vision encourages us to focus on His eternal plans rather than our immediate circumstances.

Preparation for Spiritual Warfare
Understanding the spiritual realm and the presence of heavenly beings prepares us for the spiritual battles we face.1. What is the meaning of Daniel 10:5?

2. How does Daniel 10:5's vision inspire awe and reverence in your life?

3. What does the description in Daniel 10:5 reveal about God's messengers?

4. How can Daniel 10:5 deepen your understanding of spiritual warfare?

5. Connect Daniel 10:5 with other biblical visions of heavenly beings.

6. How can you apply the awe of Daniel 10:5 in daily worship?

7. Who is the man described in Daniel 10:5, and what is his significance?

8. How does Daniel 10:5 relate to angelic appearances in the Bible?

9. What historical context surrounds the vision in Daniel 10:5?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Daniel 10?

11. What riddles are found in the Bible?

12. Revelation 15:6–7 depicts angels with golden sashes—can this imagery be reconciled with known historical or archaeological findings?

13. What is the Bible's perspective on auras?

14. How does the portrayal of an angel descending from heaven with a rainbow (Revelation 10:1) align with other biblical visions that depict heavenly beings differently? I lifted up my eyes

• Daniel consciously shifts his gaze from earthly concerns to heavenly revelation, echoing moments like “I lift up my eyes to the hills” (Psalm 121:1) and Jesus’ “Lift up your eyes and look at the fields” (John 4:35).

• The phrase signals readiness to receive divine truth, reminding us that revelation often comes when we purposefully refocus on God (Colossians 3:1–2).

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and behold

• Scripture uses “behold” to announce something extraordinary (Isaiah 7:14; Luke 2:10).

• Here it prepares us for a life-altering vision, underscoring that what follows is not imagination but a literal event God wants Daniel—and us—to notice.

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there was a certain man

• “Certain” stresses specificity, just as Joshua met “a man standing in front of him” (Joshua 5:13), and John saw “One like a son of man” (Revelation 1:13).

• The description that follows aligns closely with Revelation 1:13-16, supporting the view that Daniel encounters the pre-incarnate Christ rather than a mere angel (cf. Ezekiel 1:26-28).

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dressed in linen

• Linen garments were worn by priests on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:4) and by heavenly messengers in visions (Ezekiel 9:2-3).

• Linen symbolizes purity and righteousness (Revelation 19:8), pointing to Christ as our sinless High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-15).

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with a belt of fine gold

• A golden sash pictures kingly authority and perfect holiness, just as Isaiah foretold: “Righteousness will be the belt around His hips” (Isaiah 11:5).

• John sees the risen Christ “with a golden sash around His chest” (Revelation 1:13), reinforcing the identity of the figure Daniel sees.

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from Uphaz

• Uphaz, noted for its pure gold (Jeremiah 10:9), highlights unmatched value and glory.

• The detail affirms a literal location and underscores that everything about this figure radiates divine splendor (Haggai 2:8).

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around his waist

• The belt gathers the robe for action, picturing readiness (Luke 12:35) and truth cinched close (Ephesians 6:14).

• It signals that the One Daniel sees is prepared to carry out God’s plans in history (Revelation 19:11-16).

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summary

Daniel 10:5 presents a literal, awe-inspiring appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ: Daniel deliberately looks up, witnesses a real heavenly figure in priestly linen and royal gold, and learns that the Lord of righteousness stands ready to act in history. Every detail—from lifted eyes to golden belt—calls us to recognize Jesus’ purity, authority, and active involvement in our lives today.

(5) A certain man.--The appearance of this person is minutely described, while that of the angels is not mentioned. The dress especially recalls to our minds the clothing of the high priest. (See Exodus 39:27-29, and comp. Revelation 1:13.) The person himself is carefully distinguished from Michael (Daniel 10:21), and as we may infer from Daniel's silence (comp. Daniel 9:21), he is distinct from Gabriel also. He is the same man who stood before Daniel (Daniel 8:15), and must be regarded as "the Angel of God" (Exodus 32:34), or "God's Presence" (Exodus 33:14), or "God's Name;" in fact, the One who was the Logos. . . . Verses 5, 6. - Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphas: his body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude. The version given by the Septuagint exhibits traces of confluence, "And it was [apparently reading וַיִּהִי (vayyehee)] on the four and twentieth day of the first month, I was upon the bank of the great river Tigris, and I lifted up mine eyes, and saw, and behold a man clothed in fine linen (βύσσινα), and girt about the loins with fine linen (βυσσίνῳ), and from his middle there was light, and his month was as the sea, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and feet as gleaming brass, and the voice (φωνὴ) of his speech as the voice of a multitude." It would seem that the translator had בַּדִּים twice; that might be due to blunder, or may be a case of doublet - a phenomenon so frequent. The difficult word Uphaz, which only occurs elsewhere in Jeremiah 10:9, is omitted; "from his middle there was light" is probably an effort to render this clause, which the translator seems to have read mithoq 'or. Possibly the mysterious clause, "and his mouth was like the sea," may be another attempt to render these unaccustomed words. Theodotion merely transliterates בדים into βαδδίν, and תַרְשִׁישׁ into θαρσίς, and regards Uphaz as a garment, which, in the case before us, was golden (χρυσίῳ). In the Syriac of the Peshitta, the translator escapes the difficulty of bad, deem by rendering it "glory." The next clause is also paraphrastic, "the girdle of his loins (back) was of splendid magnificence:" this last is his rendering of Uphaz. The next verse does not call for remark. Jerome, in the Vulgate, renders tarsheesh as chrysolithus - an interpretation very generally followed now. In the Massoretic text, the use of the numeral "one," almost as our indefinite article, has to be noted. Baddeem is the plural of a word used mainly for the material of which the garments of the priests were made; it occurs also in the vision of Ezekiel. The singularity is that in Ezekiel, as in Daniel, the word is always plural whereas in the rest of Scripture it is always singular. Uphaz occurs, as above mentioned, only in Jeremiah 10:9; it is by some supposed to be a variation on Ophir. As here, it is connected in Jeremiah with Tarshish. Fürst suggests paz, "fine gold" (Job 28:17), and אוּ - אִי. "coast or island," thus making it equivalent to "Gold Coast." Kethem, "fine gold," is associated in Isaiah 13:12 with "Ophir," as here with" Uphaz;" this might hint at the identity of the two places. That, however, is an uncertain basis. The fact that Tarshish and Uphaz are brought together, would indicate that, like Tarshish, it was in Spain. Kneucker, in Schenkel's 'Bibellexikon,' decides for Hy-phasis, South Arabia, on the uncertain ground of the sound of the name. Bochart would place it in Ceylon, because Ptolemy mentions a harbour and river of the name of Phasis. Tarshish is the Tartessus of the Greeks and the modern Tharsis; here the chrysolite or topaz, as brought from thence. Margelothayo, "his feet," is the most common rendering; but yon Lengerke would render, "the place where his feet rested" - a rendering which, while it suits the form of the word, does not suit the context. It occurs four times in Ruth in one connection, and not elsewhere, save here. "Like in colour to polished brass" is a phrase which occurs in Ezekiel 1:7. Professor Bevan says, "What meaning the author attached to קָלָל (qalal),' 'polished,' it is impossible to say." All the versions render" gleaming," in both passages; there seems no need to suggest a corruption of the text. The vision here has a great resemblance, though with many pointsof contrast, to Ezekiel 1:4-25; Ezekiel 8:2; Ezekiel 9:2; Ezekiel 10:1-22. Many passages in the Apocalypse show traces of its influence: thus Revelation 1:14, 15, the appearance of our Lord; also Revelation 10:1-3. The vision in Ezekiel 1. is a theophany; this, however, is not the appearance of a direct symbol of God, but the appearance of one of his angels. The whole aspect is one of terror and splendour. It has been noted that the yellow gleam of the topaz suits well the tint of the Oriental complexion. When we compare this with Ezekiel's vision, we find a reticence in Ezekiel's description; he does not affirm (Ezekiel 1:27) that it is a man he sees, but only one in human likeness. Whereas Daniel distinctly says that it was a man. In the case of Ezekiel, it was a theophany which he saw; it was an angelophany which appeared to Daniel. "The voice of a multitude" refers to the sound of the shout of a multitude; the effect it produces is not merely the volume of sound, but the difference of tones and the difference of moment of utterance give a sense of vastness and multitudinousness, always impressive, and indeed awe-inspiring.

Parallel Commentaries ...


I lifted up
וָאֶשָּׂ֤א (wā·’eś·śā)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - first person common singular
Strong's 5375: To lift, carry, take

my eyes,
עֵינַי֙ (‘ê·nay)
Noun - cdc | first person common singular
Strong's 5869: An eye, a fountain

and behold,
וְהִנֵּ֥ה (wə·hin·nêh)
Conjunctive waw | Interjection
Strong's 2009: Lo! behold!

there was a certain
אֶחָ֖ד (’e·ḥāḏ)
Number - masculine singular
Strong's 259: United, one, first

man
אִישׁ־ (’îš-)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 376: A man as an individual, a male person

dressed
לָב֣וּשׁ (lā·ḇūš)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine singular
Strong's 3847: Wrap around, to put on a, garment, clothe

in linen,
בַּדִּ֑ים (bad·dîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 906: Flaxen thread, yarn, a linen garment

with a belt
חֲגֻרִ֖ים (ḥă·ḡu·rîm)
Verb - Qal - QalPassParticiple - masculine plural
Strong's 2296: To gird, gird on, gird oneself

of fine gold
בְּכֶ֥תֶם (bə·ḵe·ṯem)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 3800: Something carved out, ore, gold

from Uphaz
אוּפָֽז׃ (’ū·p̄āz)
Noun - proper - feminine singular
Strong's 210: Uphaz -- a region where gold is found

around his waist.
וּמָתְנָ֥יו (ū·mā·ṯə·nāw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - mdc | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4975: The waist, small of the back, the loins


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OT Prophets: Daniel 10:5 I lifted up my eyes and looked (Dan. Da Dn)