Daniel 10:2-3

10:2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning for three whole weeks. ¹  10:3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine came to my lips, ²  nor did I anoint myself with oil ³  until the end of those three weeks.

[10:2]  ¹ tn Heb “three weeks of days.” The inclusion of “days” here and in v. 3 is perhaps intended to call attention to the fact that these weeks are very different in nature from those of chap. 9, which are “weeks of years.”

[10:3]  ² tn Heb “mouth.”

[10:3]  ³ sn Anointing oneself with oil (usually olive oil) was a common OT practice due to the severity of the Middle Eastern sun (cf. Ps 121:6). It was also associated with rejoicing (e.g., Prov 27:9) and was therefore usually not practiced during a period of mourning.