Daniel 12:2 (WEB)

Passage

Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Nearby Context

Daniel 12:1 “At that time Michael will stand up, the great prince who stands for the children of your people; and there will be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time. At that time your people will be delivered, everyone who is found written in the book.

Daniel 12:2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Daniel 12:3 Those who are wise will shine as the brightness of the expanse. Those who turn many to righteousness will shine as the stars forever and ever.

Daniel 12:4 But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many will run back and forth, and knowledge will be increased.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "everlasting life", "sleep", "dust", "earth", "awake", and "some". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "everlasting life" and "sleep", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 1's "At that time Michael will stand up..." into verse 3's "Those who are wise will shine as...", so "everlasting life" and "sleep" 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 "everlasting life" and "sleep" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.