and I lifted up mine eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, and his loins were girded with pure gold of Uphaz;
Daniel is in grief before his God. He lifts his eyes and sees a man clothed in linen, wearing a belt of fine gold. Who is this figure? And what do the linen and the gold say about Him?
The description is too great for an ordinary messenger, and one reading takes the figure to be the Lord Himself, appearing in human form to a servant He feels for.
Besides these angels, another appears on the scene: "a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist." Verse 6 gives us a magnificent description of Him, and Daniel alone sees Him. He does not appear to have been a mere angel. He may have shown some features of angelic glory. But I take this to be One who often appears in both New and Old Testament history — the Lord of glory Himself. He appears now as a man — as One who had the deepest sympathy with His servant on the earth.
Commentators differ. The difference turns on what the speaker says about himself later in this chapter.
Who, then, was this heavenly visitor? We see at once many likenesses to the appearance of the one "like the Son of man," whom John saw on the island of Patmos. But there are also differences, and some of the most striking features that John records are missing. So it is by no means certain that this is a divine person. Indeed, if the same speaker talks all through this chapter, it could not be. He says that "the prince of Persia" hindered his mission for twenty-one days... Some have supposed that it is a divine person in verses 5-9, and an angel from verse 10. Nothing, however, depends on the interpretation, and the question may be left undecided.
The Hebrew word behind the clothing points to linen, and linen is white. Scripture puts that whiteness to use.
The Hebrew word 'bad' (which at root means separated into parts, or to be alone) means thread, and then linen. Linen is white, so it may often stand for purity... Further, in Ezekiel 9 and Daniel 10, we find it used for an angel appearing as a man.
Uphaz is a place name, and the record about it is thin.
Some place from which gold was brought. Jer. 10:9; Dan. 10:5; supposed, according to some ancient versions, to be the same as Ophir.
The metal and the belt each carry their own sense: one tells us what God is, the other what fits a servant to act.
Gold is the emblem of the perfect righteousness, the justice, of God. The belt is the sign of activity in service. It is also the sign of that self-control and power over ourselves which would make us fit to act, and by its very character to carry out this righteousness.
Where the belt sits matters. John's vision in Revelation places it higher, and the contrast with Daniel's verse is deliberate.
A belt worn across the chest instead of round the waist (Dan. 10:5) would suggest calm rest. The belt itself stands for righteousness and faithfulness, qualities that always marked the Lord in all His ways (Isa. 11:5).
Daniel was not looking for a vision. He was in grief, and God took note of it.
God also notices this, for the man clothed in linen says to him, "Fear not, Daniel," and so on (v. 12). Daniel's position was that of affliction in the presence of his God.
Daniel had no equal in moral quality. Yet this sight left him in ruins.
As to moral qualities, perhaps no one in the Old Testament surpasses Daniel. Yet in the presence of "a man ... with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz," he has to say that his beauty was turned in him into corruption (Daniel 10:5-8). However fine a man may be, when he comes into the presence of Him who is altogether lovely, he feels his most excellent qualities to be debased and impure.
- Sorrow first. Daniel's position was affliction in the presence of his God, and God noticed it.
- A man, seen alone. Daniel alone sees Him. Kelly takes Him for the Lord of glory, in deepest sympathy with His servant. Dennett says this is by no means certain, since the prince of Persia hindered the speaker for twenty-one days.
- Linen means purity. The Hebrew word means linen, and linen is white. Scripture uses it for purity, and for an angel appearing as a man.
- Gold means righteousness. Gold is the emblem of God's perfect justice. The belt marks activity in service — the power to carry that righteousness out.
- Belt at the waist. In Revelation the belt sits across the chest and suggests calm rest. Here it is at the waist, ready for action. And the man who saw it lost all his beauty in that presence.
and his body was like a chrysolite, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as torches of fire, and his arms and his feet as the look of burnished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
After three weeks of mourning and fasting, Daniel looked up by the great river and saw a man blazing with light. Who is he, and why does the sight of him leave the most faithful man of his day flat on the ground?
Some writers read this shining man as the Lord Himself, not a created messenger:
Verse 6 describes him magnificently, and Daniel alone sees him. He does not appear to have been a mere angel. He may have been seen with some features of angelic glory. But I take this to be One who often appears in both New and Old Testament history — the Lord of glory Himself. He appears now as a man, as One who had the deepest sympathy with His servant on the earth.
Commentators differ. Others compare this figure with the vision John saw on Patmos and hesitate:
Who, then, was this heavenly visitor? Many resemblances to the one "like a son of man," whom John saw on Patmos, stand out at once. But there are also differences, and some of the most striking features John records are missing. So it is by no means certain that this is a divine person. Indeed, if the same speaker continues through this chapter, it could not be. He says "the prince of Persia" hindered him in his mission for twenty-one days. Nothing depends on the interpretation, though, and the question may be left undecided.
The word behind "beryl" is tarshish. It shows up in some striking places:
There is no certainty as to what stone the word tarshish means. The Greek translation renders it by different words. Ezekiel 1:16 and 10:9 compare the wheels to its colour, but do not say what that colour was. Some suppose it was the golden topaz; others that it was the chrysolite. It was the first stone in the fourth row of the high priest's breastpiece. It also appears in the foundation of the heavenly Jerusalem.
The eyes and the gleaming limbs work as a pair. Writers explaining the same imagery elsewhere show how:
His eyes as "a flame of fire" refer to His moral intolerance of evil. He will search out sin and discover it, however hidden. Who or what can escape those eyes like a flame of fire? "His feet like burnished bronze." What His eyes discover, His feet shall tread upon. The feet of burnished bronze stand for unbending judgement, justice that never gives way.
The men beside Daniel were there, but the vision was not for them. Scripture shows the same thing happening elsewhere:
Horses and chariots filled the mountain. But the prophet's servant had to have his eye opened before he could see them. Daniel saw a glorious stranger and heard his voice like the voice of a multitude. But the men who stood with him saw nothing — only a terror fell on them.
Daniel's record is hard to fault. That is what makes his collapse worth watching:
In moral qualities there is perhaps no one in the Old Testament to excel Daniel. Yet in the presence of "a certain man… girded with fine gold of Uphaz," he has to say, "my radiant appearance was fearfully changed." However fine a man may be, he feels his most excellent qualities to be debased and impure when he comes before the One who is altogether lovely.
The vision does not end with Daniel face down in the dust. What happens next has a purpose:
Left alone with the angel, Daniel is overcome with fear. He falls to the ground and finds relief in deep sleep. In this position the hand of the angel touches him and sets him on his knees and the palms of his hands. The angel then speaks. He assures Daniel that he is greatly beloved, and makes him stand upright, though trembling. So Daniel stands free in the presence of this heavenly being, to hear what God has to say.
- Seen — a shining man by the river. Commentators differ on whether this is the Lord Himself or a messenger, and one writer says nothing depends on settling it.
- Searched — eyes like flaming torches find evil however well hidden; limbs like burnished bronze tread down what the eyes find.
- Selective — the glory was real, but only Daniel saw it; his companions felt terror and ran.
- Stripped — the finest man of his day lost his strength and his radiance in that presence. Next to perfection, even excellence feels impure.
- Steadied — a hand set him on his knees, a word called him beloved, and the angel raised him upright for one purpose: to hear what God had to say.