Daniel 12:3 (KJV)

Passage

And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Nearby Context

Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.

Daniel 12:2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12:3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.

Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Daniel 12:5 Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "wise", "shall", "shine", "brightness", "firmament", "turn", "righteousness", and "stars". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "wise" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "And many of them that sleep in..." into verse 4's "But thou O Daniel shut up the...", so "wise" and "shall" 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 "wise" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.