What is the meaning of Daniel 10:17? How can I, your servant • Daniel addresses the radiant being from a posture of lowliness, embracing the title “servant” (cf. Psalm 116:16; Luke 1:38). • His words echo the humility of Abraham—“I have ventured to speak to the Lord, though I am but dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). • The scene confirms that heavenly activity is real history, not symbolism; a literal messenger stands before a literal prophet. speak with you, my lord? • “My lord” shows reverence for the messenger’s delegated authority, much as Joshua fell before the commander of the LORD’s army (Joshua 5:14-15). • Daniel wonders how conversation is even possible between frailty and glory—a reaction shared by Moses (“I am slow of speech,” Exodus 4:10) and John (“I fell at His feet as though dead,” Revelation 1:17). • Yet God makes room for dialogue; Hebrews 4:16 reminds believers they may “approach the throne of grace with confidence,” but the awe remains. Now I have no strength • The supernatural encounter drains Daniel physically, mirroring his collapse after the earlier vision (Daniel 8:27). • Divine manifestations routinely overpower human strength: Ezekiel needed the Spirit to set him on his feet (Ezekiel 2:1-2); Peter, James, and John fell facedown at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:6). • The episode illustrates that any strength we offer God must first be supplied by Him (cf. 2 Corinthians 12:9; Psalm 73:26). nor is any breath left in me. • The phrase indicates literal breathlessness—like the queen of Sheba, whose “spirit was gone” when she beheld Solomon’s glory (1 Kings 10:5; 2 Chronicles 9:4). • Breath (“spirit”) is God-given (Genesis 2:7); when awestruck, Daniel feels momentarily cut off from that sustaining gift. • Habakkuk had a similar experience: “my breath trembled” (Habakkuk 3:16). Such reactions underscore the chasm between earthly weakness and heavenly majesty. summary Daniel 10:17 portrays the prophet’s utter incapacity before a holy messenger: humbled as a servant, stunned into silence, drained of strength, and gasping for breath. The verse teaches that encounters with God’s glory reveal our dependency and drive us to rely on the strength He alone supplies. |
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