Daniel 9:20 (DRB)

Passage

Now while I was yet speaking, and praying, and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people of Israel, and presenting my supplications in the sight of my God, for the holy mountain of my God:

Nearby Context

Daniel 9:18 Incline, O my God, thy ear, and hear: open thy eyes, and see our desolation, and the city upon which thy name is called: for it is not for our justifications that we present our prayers before thy face, but for the multitude of thy tender mercies.

Daniel 9:19 O Lord, hear: O Lord, be appeased: hearken, and do: delay not, for thy own sake, O my God: because thy name is invocated upon thy city, and upon thy people.

Daniel 9:20 Now while I was yet speaking, and praying, and confessing my sins, and the sins of my people of Israel, and presenting my supplications in the sight of my God, for the holy mountain of my God:

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

Daniel 9:22 And he instructed me, and spoke to me, and said: O Daniel, I am now come forth to teach thee, and that thou mightest understand.

Study Lenses

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

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