Daniel 9:21 (KJV)

Passage

Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even 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.

Nearby Context

Daniel 9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

Daniel 9:20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

Daniel 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even 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 informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

Daniel 9:23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whiles", "speaking", "prayer", "even", "gabriel", "seen", "vision", and "beginning". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whiles" and "speaking", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "And whiles I was speaking and praying..." into verse 22's "And he informed me and talked with...", so "whiles" and "speaking" 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 "whiles" and "speaking" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.