Daniel 10:17

Dan 10:17 For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.

Ver. 17. For how can the servant of this my lord.]. Qui tantulus sum, et tam imbecillis. God’s praying servants use to speak as broken men. They well understand, (1.) Their distance; (2.) Dependence.

Talk with this my lord.] Prayer is a holy interparlance with the divine Majesty: εντευξις. {1Ti 2:1}

Neither is there breath in me.] I am hardly able to bear up or breathe. Human frailty cannot endure God’s presence without fainting. {Rev 1:17}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

this . . . this my lord--to avoid the tautology in English Version, join rather "this," with "servant," "How can this servant of my lord (that is, how can I who am so feeble) talk with this my lord (who is so majestic)?" Thus Daniel gives the reason why he is so overwhelmed with awe [MAURER].

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 17. Neither is there breath] He could not breathe freely; he was almost suffocated with sorrow.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(17) For how.—The whole verse must be regarded as addressed by Daniel to the angel. On the phrase “neither is there any breath in me” comp. 1Ki_17:17. Here we may notice the same fear which possessed Isaiah at the time of his vision (Isa_6:5).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. talk with this my lord] with a being so glorious and terrible.

and as for me, straightway &c.] either from now (i.e. from just now) there remaineth &c. (so most commentators); or (Keil) from now (i.e. henceforth) there will remain no strength in me,—so paralysed, viz. am I. The latter rendering is in accordance with the meaning of ‘from now’ elsewhere; the former expresses a thought harmonizing better with the clause which follows. ‘Remain’ is lit. stand, i.e. maintain itself: cf. Ecc_2:9; and ḳûm in Jos_2:11.

neither is there breath, &c.] a hyperbole. Cf. (of actual death) 1Ki_17:17; also, with ‘spirit’ for ‘breath,’ of the effects of fear, as here, Jos_2:11; and of wonder, 1Ki_10:5.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord?.... Or, "talk with that my lord?" (z) pointing to the man clothed in linen, who appeared so glorious, and whom Daniel knew to be more than a man; and therefore he, who was a mere mortal sinful man, and reckoned himself a servant of the angel of the Lord that was now before him, and had touched him, and was conversing with him, and to whom he was greatly inferior, must be very unfit and unworthy to have conversation with one that was infinitely above him; "with such an one", his Lord, as Noldius (a) renders it, as Christ the Son of God, the Head of angels, King of kings, and Lord of lords; what was he, dust and ashes, that he should speak unto him, or be admitted to any discourse with him? so sensible was he of the greatness of Christ, and of his own frailty, sinfulness, and nothingness;

for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me; as soon as ever he saw this great and glorious person; See Gill on Dan 10:8,

neither is there breath left in me: when he fainted away, and became like a dead man; and though he was raised up again, and set upon his feet, and had a little recovered his speech, yet it was with great difficulty that he breathed and spoke; as it is with men when their spirits are greatly oppressed, it is as if their life and soul were gone out of them, and they move more like dead than living men.

(z) "cum domino meo illo", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Junius & Tremellius. (a) Concord. Ebr. Part. p. 353.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

For how card the servant of this my lord - Acknowledging his humble and lowly condition and rank in the presence of an angel - a messenger now sent from heaven.

Neither is there breath left in me - That is, he was utterly overcome and prostrate. He felt that he was incapable of speaking in the presence of one who tied descended from God.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The condition of the church under the gospel is a better dispensation than the law and the prophets, when God spake often by angels; but now by his Son, and that not in angelical shape and splendour, but as a mean man, in a meek and humble garb, and most familiar, Isa 61:1-3; Joh 13:5; Act 3:22.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

17. For — Rather, And. In addition to the pains of disappointed hope (Dan_10:15-16) he is overawed by the splendor and majesty of this heavenly visitor notwithstanding his gracious assurances. (See note Dan_10:11.)

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For how can the servant of this my lord talk with this my lord? for as for me, straightway there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me. The LXX does not preserve the peculiar use of the demonstrative which we have here. Theodotion has it in the second case only; the Peshitta retains it; but the Vulgate omits it altogether. The rendering of neshama by pneuma in the Greek versions may be noted. Jerome renders, halitus. The Aramaic influence is seen in (hayeh) instead of (ayeh). How can the servant," etc., exhibits respect and humility. For as for me, etc. This seems not to be part of Daniel"s address to the angel, but a note which he has added to indicate his condition while he was speaking. - Neither is there breath left in me. There is no certainty whether this is to be taken in the physical or metaphysical sense; whether we should regard the prophet as declaring that awe deprived him of the power of breath, or he felt his consciousness so numbed as that he seemed to be without it.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Therefore he may not talk with this Lord, i.e., with Him who appeared before him in such dread majesty; and he is yet in such a state, since all strength has departed from him and his breath has gone, that he fears he must die; cf. Kg1 17:17. Then once more one like the appearance of a man touched him. אדם כּמראה is in reality = אדם בּני כּדּמוּת: both forms of expression leave the person of him who touched him undefined, and only state that the touching proceeded from some one who was like a man, or that it was such as proceeds from men, and are like the expression used in Dan 10:19, "a hand touched me." From this it does not follow that he who spoke to him touched him, but only that it was a spiritual being, who appeared like to a man. After thus being touched for the third time (Dan 10:18), the encouragement of the angel that talked with him imparted to him full strength, so that he could calmly listen to and observe his communication.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

this servant of my lord He refers to himself as a servant, and to the angel as “my lord,” i.e., to say, How will your servant be able to speak with you?

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.