In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.
English Standard Version (ESV)
While Daniel is called Belteshazzar, a name associated with his Babylonian captivity, the revelation itself speaks of "great conflict" and "long warfare." This highlights how God's unfolding purposes often involve hardship and a protracted struggle, even as His truth remains certain and ultimately understandable.
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Daniel, now an elderly man, receives a profound and true revelation in the third year of Cyrus' reign, a time when the Jewish return to Jerusalem faced opposition. This vision, which he understands, serves as a preface to a detailed prophecy about future conflicts and tribulations for God's people, unfolding the spiritual realities behind historical events.
Daniel receives a message from God, but this isn't just any message. It's described as 'true' and something he 'understood.' What does this tell us about God's communication?
The verse highlights that the revelation given to Daniel was both "true" and something he could grasp. This points to the reliability and clarity of God's word, even when the subject matter is complex or involves future events.
Divine Accuracy
When the Bible says a "word was true," it means it is faithful, trustworthy, and certain to come to pass. God's pronouncements aren't suggestions; they are declarations of reality, past, present, or future.
Clarity in Understanding
While the implications of a prophecy might take time to unfold (as we'll see in the next concept), the core message itself is accessible. Daniel "understood the thing and had understanding of the vision." This signifies that God equips His prophets, and by extension, those who study His Word, to comprehend His revealed will. It's not a coded message meant to be forever mysterious, but a truth meant to be received and understood.
Daniel receives a clear message, but it's about "a long time" and "conflict." What does this tension between immediate understanding and delayed fulfillment teach us about God's timing?
The verse presents a fascinating paradox: Daniel understood the message, yet it concerned a "long time" and "conflict." This reveals that understanding God's word doesn't always mean immediate or easy fulfillment.
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The Weight of "Long Time"
The phrase "the time appointed was long" (or similar translations like "great conflict" or "long warfare") signifies that the events prophesied would not happen quickly. This is crucial for understanding God's perspective, which transcends human timelines. What seems long to us is but a moment in God's eternal plan.
The Reality of Conflict
This revelation wasn't just about a distant future, but a future marked by "conflict" or "warfare." This suggests that the path to God's ultimate purposes often involves struggle, opposition, and hardship. It prepares Daniel, and us, for the reality that obedience and divine plans are sometimes met with resistance, both spiritual and earthly.
Understand the original words
dabar · Hebrew Noun
A divine communication or message from God to a prophet, often carrying authoritative weight and truth. It represents God's self-disclosure to humanity.
mar’eh · Hebrew Noun
A supernatural or divinely granted sight or experience in which God reveals His will, glory, or future events to an individual. It serves as a medium of prophetic insight.
This vision comes at a crucial, yet frustrating, time for the Jewish people. Though allowed to return home and begin rebuilding, they faced significant opposition and delays, leading to a long period of hardship. Daniel's vision offers divine insight into the spiritual forces at play and the long sweep of history leading to God's ultimate purposes.
c. 538 BC
Cyrus's Decree for Jewish Return
Cyrus the Great issues a decree allowing the exiled Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple, marking a significant shift after decades of Babylonian captivity.
c. 536 BC
First Wave of Returnees
A large group of Jewish exiles, led by Zerubbabel, returns to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the city and the Temple. This marks the beginning of the Second Temple period.
c. 535-530 BC
Opposition to Temple Rebuilding
Local adversaries begin to hinder the work on the Temple, sending reports to the Persian court and causing delays and disruptions.
c. 530 BC
Death of Cyrus the Great
The death of Cyrus leads to a period of instability and changes in Persian leadership, potentially impacting the ongoing situation of the returned Jews.
c. 529-522 BC
Reign of Cambyses II
Cyrus's son, Cambyses II, reigns. His focus shifts to Egyptian conquest, and the Jewish returnees face continued challenges and delays in their rebuilding efforts.
522-521 BC
Period of Persian Instability
Following Cambyses II's death, a period of turmoil and competing claims to the throne occurs in the Persian Empire, further complicating the situation for the Jews.
c. 520 BC— this verse
Temple Rebuilding Resumes
Under Darius I, the Jewish prophets Haggai and Zechariah encourage the people to resume the work on the Temple. This is likely when Daniel receives this significant vision.
This passage describes Daniel's prayer for his people and the angelic prophecy about the seventy weeks, directly preceding the vision in Daniel 10, showing the context of Daniel's deep concern for Israel's future.
Daniel 8:1-14Daniel 10:1 states he understood the vision, referencing the vision of the ram and the goat from Daniel 8, which was previously difficult for him to comprehend, highlighting the clarifying nature of this new revelation.
Isaiah 40:2The commentary notes that the 'long time appointed' could refer to 'warfare' or 'hardship,' echoing Isaiah's message of comfort to Jerusalem that her suffering was complete and her iniquity pardoned.
Daniel 12:8-10This passage directly addresses Daniel's partial understanding, stating 'I heard, but I did not understand,' which contrasts with the verse in Daniel 10:1 that he 'understood the thing,' showing a progression in his comprehension of God's plans.
1 Corinthians 2:14The text mentions Daniel's struggle to understand, and this verse speaks to the natural person not being able to understand spiritual things, which were revealed by the Spirit, reflecting the divine nature of Daniel's revelation and understanding.
ellicottDaniel 10:1: "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision."
(1) A thing.— A revelation, as Daniel 9:25 . The contents of the revelation are specified in the perplexing words, “the thing was true, and the time appointed (comp. Daniel 8:12 ) was long,” by which is meant apparently that truth and long tribulati…
jfbDaniel 10:1: "In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision."
CHAPTER 10Da 10:1-21. Daniel Comforted by an Angelic Vision.The tenth through twelfth chapters more fully describe the vision in the eighth chapter by a second vision on the same subject, just as the vision in the seventh chapter explains more fully…
While Daniel is called Belteshazzar, a name associated with his Babylonian captivity, the revelation itself speaks of "great conflict" and "long warfare." This highlights how God's unfolding purposes often involve hardship and a protracted struggle, even as His truth remains certain and ultimately understandable.
Daniel, now an elderly man, receives a profound and true revelation in the third year of Cyrus' reign, a time when the Jewish return to Jerusalem faced opposition. This vision, which he understands, serves as a preface to a detailed prophecy about future conflicts and tribulations for God's people, unfolding the spiritual realities behind historical events.
Daniel, now an elderly man, receives a profound and true revelation in the third year of Cyrus' reign, a time when the Jewish return to Jerusalem faced opposition. This vision, which he understands, serves as a preface to a detailed prophecy about future conflicts and tribulations for God's people, unfolding the spiritual realities behind historical events.
"In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a word was revealed to Daniel, who was named Belteshazzar. And the word was true, and it was a great conflict. And he understood the word and had understanding of the vision." — While Daniel is called Belteshazzar, a name associated with his Babylonian captivity, the revelation itself speaks of "great conflict" and "long warfare." This highlights how God's unfolding purposes…
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Last reviewed October 2026