Daniel 10:20--11:1

10:20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? ¹  Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming. 10:21 However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book. ²  (There is no one who strengthens me against these princes, ³  except Michael your ⁴  prince. 11:1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I ⁵  stood to strengthen him and to provide protection for him.)

¹ sn The question is rhetorical, intended to encourage reflection on Daniel’s part.

² tn Heb “a book of truth.” Several English versions treat this as a title of some sort (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although the NAB’s rendering “the truthful book” regards “truth” as an attributive adjective, as does the present translation.

³ tn The word “princes” is supplied for clarity.

⁴ tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, suggesting that Michael is the angelic prince of Daniel and his people.

³ sn The antecedent of the pronoun “I” is the angel, not Daniel. The traditional chapter division at this point, and the presence of a chronological note in the verse similar to ones used elsewhere in the book to position Daniel’s activities in relation to imperial affairs, sometimes lead to confusion on this matter.