Bible Strands
Daniel 10:5
I lifted up my eyes, and behold, there was a certain man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Daniel speaks while standing on the bank of the Tigris river on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, following a period of mourning and ritual preparation. He addresses no one directly, recording the moment he shifts his physical gaze upward after prolonged stillness.
The words — The particle וְ/הִנֵּ֥ה (ve./hi.Neh) functions as a sudden visual marker, literally meaning "and behold" or "and there!" to signal an abrupt shift in perception. The verb phrase וָ/אֶשָּׂ֤א עֵינַ/י֙ (va./'e.Sa' 'ei.Na/i) literally renders "and I lifted up my eyes," establishing the deliberate physical action that precedes the appearance.
The thread — The vision of a clothed man with a golden belt connects to the armed heavenly figures in Ezekiel 9:2, the linen-clad figure addressed in Daniel 12:6, and the robed, sash-belted figure in Revelation 1:13. Each reference places the encounter within a consistent biblical pattern of authoritative divine messengers appearing in specific, radiant attire.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to note that spiritual perception is triggered by deliberate physical attention, as Daniel's upward gaze directly precedes the manifestation. It asks the reader to recognize that divine encounters are anchored in concrete geography, timing, and visual detail rather than abstract or emotional experience.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz:
Cross-references
- Ezekiel 9:2 And I saw six men coming from the direction of the Upper Gate, which faces north, each with a weapon of slaughter in his hand. With them was another man clothed in linen who had a writing kit at his side. And they came in and stood beside the bronze altar.
- Daniel 12:6 One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long until the fulfillment of these wonders?”
- Revelation 1:13 and among the lampstands was One like the Son of Man, dressed in a long robe, with a golden sash around His chest.
- Jeremiah 10:9 Hammered silver is brought from Tarshish, and gold from Uphaz—the work of a craftsman from the hands of a goldsmith. Their clothes are blue and purple, all fashioned by skilled workers.
- Revelation 15:6 And out of the temple came the seven angels with the seven plagues, dressed in clean and bright linen and girded with golden sashes around their chests.
- Joshua 5:13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, “Are You for us or for our enemies?”
- Isaiah 11:5 Righteousness will be the belt around His hips, and faithfulness the sash around His waist.
- Zechariah 1:8 I looked out into the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the hollow, and behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses.
- Ephesians 6:14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness arrayed,