Bible Strands
Daniel 8:27
I, Daniel, was exhausted and lay ill for days. Then I got up and went about the king’s business. I was confounded by the vision; it was beyond understanding.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Daniel speaks in the first person immediately after the angel concludes the explanation of the vision, addressing the record of the revelation and his own physical state. He reports his condition at the conclusion of the divine encounter before resuming his service to the king.
The words — The Hebrew וְ/נֶֽחֱלֵ֙יתִי (ve./ne.che.Lei.ti) literally means "and I was sick," paired with יָמִ֔ים (ya.Mim) "days," indicating prolonged physical debilitation. The verb נִהְיֵ֤יתִי (nih.Yei.ti) translates as "I was done," emphasizing total exhaustion before he arose to work.
The thread — This pattern of physical collapse following a divine encounter parallels Daniel 7:28, Habakkuk 3:16, and 1 Samuel 3:15, where messengers experience tremors, paleness, or fear after receiving visions. Each text notes the bodily response before the individual resumes their assigned task or maintains silence.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that divine revelation can overwhelm human capacity, yet appointed duties continue regardless of comprehension. It requires the reader to separate the experience of understanding from the requirement of obedience.
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
And I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king’s business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.
Cross-references
- Daniel 7:28 Thus ends the matter. As for me, Daniel, my thoughts troubled me greatly, and my face turned pale. But I kept the matter to myself.”
- Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.
- 1 Samuel 3:15 Samuel lay down until the morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,
- Daniel 2:48 Then the king promoted Daniel and gave him many generous gifts. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief administrator over all the wise men of Babylon.
- Daniel 5:14 I have heard that the spirit of the gods is in you, and that you have insight, intelligence, and extraordinary wisdom.
- Daniel 6:2 and over them three administrators, including Daniel, to whom these satraps were accountable so that the king would not suffer loss.
- Daniel 8:2 And in the vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa, in the province of Elam. I saw in the vision that I was beside the Ulai Canal.
- Daniel 8:7 I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him to the ground and trampled him, and no one could deliver the ram from his power.
- Daniel 10:8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision. No strength remained in me; my face grew deathly pale, and I was powerless.
- Daniel 10:16 And suddenly one with the likeness of a man touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and said to the one standing before me, “My lord, because of the vision, I am overcome with anguish, and I have no strength.