Daniel 9:21 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

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.

Daniel 9:23 From the beginning of thy prayers the word came forth: and I am come to shew it to thee, because thou art a man of desires: therefore, do thou mark the word, and understand the vision.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "Now while I was yet speaking and..." into verse 22's "And he instructed me and spoke to...", so "speaking" and "prayer" 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 "prayer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.