Page 371 - Daniel

and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy
people comes to an end all these things would be finished. I heard, but
I did not understand. Then I said, “O my lord, what shall be the
outcome of these things?”

Daniel was still observing the scene by the side of the river, as in
chapter 10, when he saw two individuals on its banks. It may be

assumed that the river is the Tigris (cf. 10:4). These individuals were
probably angelic creatures, in keeping with Daniel’s experiences in
chapter 10. One of them asked the important question of how long it
would be until these things were fulfilled. In verse 7, reference is made
to “the man clothed in linen,” apparently the same one described in
10:5–6.

This man held up his hands and swore “by him who lives forever,” no
doubt a reference to God, that the time factor involved will be “for a
time, times, and half a time.” Although the second angel did not

participate in this revelation, it may be in keeping with the concept of
requiring two witnesses to establish a point (Deut. 19:15; 31:28; 2 Cor.
13:1). The fact that the angel raised both hands indicates the solemnity
of the oath. Ordinarily, only one hand was raised (Gen. 14:22; Deut.
32:40). The message was delivered on behalf of God and, to some extent,
parallels the thought of Deuteronomy 32:40. 35

Interestingly, the word translated “stream” is the word ordinarily used
36
for the Nile River. As Young states, “There must be a reason for the
choice of the word translated stream. As already indicated, it is the

common designation for the Nile River. Possibly, it is deliberately
employed here to remind Dan. that just as the Lord had once stood over
Egypt, the world-nation which was hostile to God’s people, so now does
He stand over the world kingdom, represented symbolically by the Nile
stream, actually the Tigris, ready again to deliver His people.” 37

What is the meaning of the phrase “a time, times, and half a time”?
This expression, also occurring in Daniel 7:25, apparently refers to the
last period preceding the second coming of Christ that brings conclusion
to the time of the end. Montgomery correctly stated the meaning when
he wrote, “Here, v. 7, it is in the terms of 7:25, with the Heb. equivalent

38
of the Aram, there; i.e., three and a half years.” In other words, it is