Daniel 10:16-17
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The angelic touch on Daniel's lips isn't just about enabling him to speak again; it's a direct mirroring of how Jesus would later touch and heal the mute, signifying spiritual empowerment and the restoration of divine communication. This act, though appearing simple, reveals a profound connection between this angelic messenger and the coming Son of Man, highlighting God's consistent methods of offering strength and voice to His servants.
And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. How can my lord’s servant talk with my lord? For now no strength remains in me, and no breath is left in me.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Daniel is overwhelmed by a stunning vision of a divine being, leaving him weak and unable to speak. As this radiant figure stands before him, another being, appearing human, touches Daniel's lips, enabling him to regain his voice. Daniel then confesses his profound distress and loss of strength, all caused by the overwhelming nature of the vision he has just experienced.
Daniel is struck speechless by a powerful vision, his strength gone. Then, a divine touch transforms his state, allowing him to speak again.
A Divine Enabling
Daniel's encounter with the divine is overwhelming. He's been left without strength and unable to speak (Daniel 10:15). It's in this state of utter helplessness that an angelic being, described as 'one like the likeness of the children of man,' reaches out and touches Daniel's lips.
This gesture isn't just symbolic; it's functional. The touch directly enables Daniel to speak, reversing his incapacitation. This echoes Old Testament accounts where divine encounters left individuals speechless or empowered after a touch, like Isaiah's encounter with a seraph (Isaiah 6:6-7).
This highlights a crucial truth: our ability to communicate about God and His purposes often requires His direct enabling. We can't always muster the words or the courage on our own. Divine encounters can leave us in awe, but also in a place where only God can restore our voice.
Daniel isn't just tired; he's in agony, his body wracked with pain from the vision. How does this celestial encounter address such deep distress?
The Weight of Divine Revelation
The word for 'sorrows' here (in Hebrew, tsirim) vividly describes intense pain, like the throes of childbirth or agonizing 'writhings.' Daniel isn't just scared; he's physically suffering from the immense weight of the vision and the calamities it foretells for his people.
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This isn't a minor inconvenience; it's a profound spiritual and emotional distress that has drained him completely ('I have retained no strength'). The angelic touch, therefore, is an act of restorative grace. It addresses both his physical weakness and his spiritual anguish, enabling him to receive further communication.
This shows that understanding God's plans and prophetic visions can be an incredibly taxing experience. The grace that comes with these revelations also provides the strength to endure and process them.
Understand the original words
kidmût benê ʾādām · Hebrew Noun phrase
A phrase used to describe a heavenly being resembling a human, often used in Daniel to refer to a supernatural messenger or the pre-incarnate Christ. It emphasizes both the accessibility of the messenger and the awe-inspiring nature of the divine encounter.
ʾădōnî · Hebrew Noun
A title of honor and respect directed toward a superior or divine messenger. In this context, it reflects Daniel's recognition of the supernatural authority and dignity of the one appearing to him.
ḥāzôn · Hebrew Noun
A supernatural revelation from God, often received in a dream, trance, or waking state. It is a vehicle for communicating divine truth or future events to the prophet.
ṣîrîm · Hebrew Noun
Physical or mental anguish, often associated with the overwhelming experience of encountering divine glory. It signifies the human inability to withstand the presence of the holy without divine intervention.
kōaḥ · Hebrew Noun
A state of helplessness before God, acknowledging that one's inherent nature is insufficient to engage with the divine. It is a recurring theme where the human must be supernaturally enabled to participate in or withstand a spiritual encounter.
nĕšāmâ · Hebrew Noun
Essential life force or breath granted by God. Its absence signifies the extremity of Daniel’s physical and spiritual exhaustion in the presence of the divine messenger.
Daniel's profound encounter occurs during the later stages of the Babylonian Exile, a period defined by loss and the yearning for restoration. The angel's message grapples with complex geopolitical shifts and divine plans for Israel's future, making Daniel's physical and emotional distress understandable.
c. 605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
Nebuchadnezzar II of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting its leading citizens, including the young Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of the Babylonian Exile.
587/586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and Second Deportation
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its Temple, leading to a second, larger deportation of Judeans. This event intensifies the crisis for the exiled community.
539 BC
Cyrus the Great Conquers Babylon
The Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great overthrows the Babylonian Empire. This political shift eventually leads to the decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem.
538 BC
Edict of Cyrus Allows Return
Cyrus issues a decree permitting the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple. This sparks hope but also reveals the challenges of restoration.
c. 537 BC
Return of Exiles to Jerusalem
The first wave of exiles, led by figures like Zerubbabel, returns to Jerusalem to begin rebuilding the city and the Temple. This period is marked by hardship and opposition.
c. 516 BC
Dedication of the Second Temple
The Second Temple in Jerusalem is finally dedicated, a significant milestone in the post-exilic period, though it does not match the glory of Solomon's Temple.
c. 458 BC
Ezra's Reforms
The priest and scribe Ezra leads another group of exiles back to Jerusalem and institutes significant religious and social reforms, emphasizing adherence to the Law.
Just as the seraph touched Isaiah's lips with a hot coal to cleanse him and enable him to speak God's word, this angelic being touches Daniel's lips to restore his speech after an overwhelming vision.
Jeremiah 1:9The Lord explicitly commissions Jeremiah by touching his mouth, signifying the impartation of divine authority and ability to speak His message, paralleling the angel's action with Daniel.
1 Samuel 4:19This passage uses the same Hebrew word for 'sorrows' or 'pains' as Daniel 10:16, describing the intense physical distress of childbirth, highlighting the overwhelming physical impact of the divine encounter on Daniel.
Mark 7:33Jesus touches the ears and mouth of the deaf man, enabling him to hear and speak, demonstrating a parallel action of restoration and empowerment for communication.
Daniel 8:17Another angelic being approaches Daniel in a vision and the prophet is terrified, showing a recurring pattern of intense fear and physical weakness when confronted by heavenly messengers.
ellicottDaniel 10:16: "And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength."
(16) One like . . .—Comp. Daniel 8:15 . However, there is no reason for supposing that the person is different from the one mentioned in Daniel 10:10 ; Daniel 10:18 . By “sorrows” is meant the pain produced by terror.
clarkeDaniel 10:16: "And, behold, one like the similitude of the sons of men touched my lips: then I opened my mouth, and spake, and said unto him that stood before me, O my lord, by the vision my sorrows are turned upon me, and I have retained no strength."
Like the similitude of the sons of men - I think Gabriel is here meant, who appeared to Daniel in a human form; and so in Daniel 10:18 , and see also Daniel 9:21 . Touched my lips - Before this he was unable to speak. By the vision - The vision t…
The angelic touch on Daniel's lips isn't just about enabling him to speak again; it's a direct mirroring of how Jesus would later touch and heal the mute, signifying spiritual empowerment and the restoration of divine communication. This act, though appearing simple, reveals a profound connection between this angelic messenger and the coming Son of Man, highlighting God's consistent methods of offering strength and voice to His servants.
Daniel is overwhelmed by a stunning vision of a divine being, leaving him weak and unable to speak. As this radiant figure stands before him, another being, appearing human, touches Daniel's lips, enabling him to regain his voice. Daniel then confesses his profound distress and loss of strength, all caused by the overwhelming nature of the vision he has just experienced.
Daniel is overwhelmed by a stunning vision of a divine being, leaving him weak and unable to speak. As this radiant figure stands before him, another being, appearing human, touches Daniel's lips, enabling him to regain his voice. Daniel then confesses his profound distress and loss of strength, all caused by the overwhelming nature of the vision he has just experienced.
"And behold, one in the likeness of the children of man touched my lips. Then I opened my mouth and spoke. I said to him who stood before me, “O my lord, by reason of the vision pains have come upon me, and I retain no strength. How can my…" — The angelic touch on Daniel's lips isn't just about enabling him to speak again; it's a direct mirroring of how Jesus would later touch and heal the mute, signifying spiritual empowerment and the res…
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Last reviewed October 2026
