Passage
At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.
Daniel 9:23 (ASV)
Nearby Context
Daniel 9:21 yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
Daniel 9:22 And he instructed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee wisdom and understanding.
Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
Daniel 9:25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.
Study Lenses
The verse centers on "beginning", "supplications", "commandment", "went", "forth", "come", "tell", and "thee". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "beginning" and "supplications", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.
The nearby context moves from verse 22's "And he instructed me and talked with..." into verse 24's "Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people...", so "beginning" and "supplications" belong inside that flow. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.
A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "beginning" and "supplications" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.