Daniel 12:7

"One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be to the end of these wonders?”"

Key Reflection

The original audience would recognize the scene as a vision from Daniel, where a heavenly messenger speaks to someone clothed in linen—a symbol of purity and righteousness in ancient Near Eastern iconography. The question posed by this interlocutor—"How long will it be to the end of these wonders?"—echoes broader apocalyptic themes, hinting at impending divine judgments or revelations that would significantly impact Israel's future, as understood within the context of Babylonian exile and subsequent Persian rule.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

And I heard the man ... -That is, he replied to the question at once, and in a most solemn manner, as if he were communicating a great and momentous truth respecting the future. When he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven -Toward heaven; as if appealing to heaven for the sincerity and truth of what he was about to utter. The act of swearing or taking an oath was often accompanied with the lifting up of the hand to heaven, usually the right hand (compareGenesis 14:22;Exodus 6:8;Deuteronomy 32:40;Ezekiel 20:5;Revelation 10:5); but here the angel stretched both hands toward heaven, as if he were about to make the affirmation in the most solemn manner conceivable.

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