Daniel 9:20 (DBY)

Passage

And whilst I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God;

Nearby Context

Daniel 9:18 Incline thine ear, O my God, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city that is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of thy manifold mercies.

Daniel 9:19 Lord, hear! Lord, forgive! 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 whilst I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before Jehovah my God for the holy mountain of my God;

Daniel 9:21 whilst I was yet speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, flying swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

Daniel 9:22 And he informed [me], and talked with me, and said, Daniel, I am now come forth to make thee skilful of understanding.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whilst", "speaking", "praying", "confessing", "people", "israel", "presenting", and "supplication". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whilst" and "speaking", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Lord hear Lord forgive Lord hearken and..." into verse 21's "whilst I was yet speaking in prayer...", so "whilst" 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 "whilst" and "speaking" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.