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Daniel

About this book
Chapter 12

1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who watches over your people,⁠ will arise.⁠ There will be a time of distress unlike any other from the nation’s beginning up to that time.⁠ But at that time your own people, all those whose names are found written in the book, will escape.⁠ 2 Many of those who sleep in the dusty ground will awake—some⁠ to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence.⁠ 3 But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse.⁠ And those bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.⁠ 4 “But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the book until the time of the end.⁠ Many will dash about, and knowledge will increase.”⁠ 5 I, Daniel, watched as two others stood there, one on each side of the river. 6 One said to the man clothed in linen who was above the waters of the river, “When will the end of these wondrous events occur?” 7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen who was over the waters of the river as he raised both his right and left hands to the sky and made an oath by the one who lives forever:⁠ “It is for a time, times, and half a time.⁠ Then, when the power of the one who shatters the holy people has been exhausted, all these things will be finished.” 8 I heard, but I did not understand. So I said, “Sir, what will happen after these things?” 9 He said, “Go, Daniel. For these matters are closed and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many will be purified, made clean, and refined, but the wicked will go on being wicked. None of the wicked will understand, though the wise will understand. 11 From the time that the daily sacrifice is removed and the abomination that causes desolation is set in place, there are 1,290 days. 12 Blessed is the one who waits and attains to the 1,335 days. 13 But you should go your way until the end. You will rest, and then at the end of the days you will arise to receive what you have been allotted.”

Texts in conversation

Compare Deuteronomy 32:9 and Daniel 12:1

Hebrew Bible

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Summary

Deuteronomy 32 follows ancient Near Eastern traditions where patron deities represent and protect their respective nations. Daniel reflects a distinct and later tradition in the Hebrew Bible where God is not Israel's patron, but the angel Michael is.

Passages

Deuteronomy 32:9

Hebrew Bible
7 Remember the ancient days; bear in mind the years of past generations. Ask your father and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you. 8 When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided up humankind, he set the boundaries of the peoples, according to the number of the heavenly assembly. 9 For the Lord’s allotment is his people, Jacob is his special possession. 10 The Lord found him in a desolate land, in an empty wasteland where animals howl. He continually guarded him and taught him; he continually protected him like the pupil of his eye.
750–400 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Deuteronomy

Daniel 12:1

Hebrew Bible
1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who watches over your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress unlike any other from the nation’s beginning up to that time. But at that time your own people, all those whose names are found written in the book, will escape. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dusty ground will awake—some to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting abhorrence. 3 But the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavenly expanse. And those bringing many to righteousness will be like the stars forever and ever.
200–101 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in Daniel

References

"... besides the implicit dualism, the evocation of ancient myths expresses a sense that human affairs are beyond human control. Daniel’s visions deal with political struggles of the Hellenistic age, especially the conflicts between Seleucids and Jews in the Maccabean period. But this is only surface appearance. The angel Gabriel explains to Daniel that the real conflict is between angelic “princes,” the “prince” or patron angel of Greece and the archangel Michael, “prince of Israel” (Daniel 10:13, 20). The conflict is resolved, not by the arms of the Maccabees but by Michael, who arises in victory in Daniel 12:1. Similarly the kings of the various kingdoms are beasts that rise from the sea, embodiments of primordial chaos. On the one hand, this suggests a sense of powerlessness: the course of events is beyond human control. On the other, it actually suggests a sense of security, since the victory is assured ..."
Colin McAllister, The Cambridge Companion to Apocalyptic Literature (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020), 27.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Deuteronomy 32:9 and Daniel 12:1

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