Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 9:23

"At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment went forth, and I am come to tell thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision." — Daniel 9:23 (ASV)

At the beginning of your supplications - We are not informed at what time Daniel began to pray, but as remarked above, it is most natural to suppose that he devoted the day to prayer, and had commenced these solemn acts of devotion in the morning.

The commandment came forth - Margin, “word.” That is, the word of God. This evidently means, in heaven; and the idea is that as soon as he began to pray, a command was issued from God to Gabriel that he should visit Daniel and convey to him the important message respecting future events.

It is fair to conclude that he had at once left heaven in obedience to the order, and on this high mission, and that he had passed over the amazing distance between heaven and earth in the short time during which Daniel was engaged in prayer. If so, and if heaven—the peculiar seat of God, the dwelling place of angels and of the just—is beyond the region of the fixed stars, some central place in this vast universe, then this may give us some idea of the amazing rapidity with which celestial beings may move.

It is calculated that there are stars so remote from our earth that their light would not travel down to us for many thousand years. If so, how much more rapid may be the movements of celestial beings than even light; perhaps more than that of the lightning’s flash—than the electric fluid on telegraphic wires—though that moves at the rate of more than 200,000 miles in a second. Compare Dick’s “Philosophy of a Future State,” p. 220. “During the few minutes employed in uttering this prayer,” says Dr. Dick, “this angelic messenger descended from the celestial regions to the country of Babylonia. This was a rapidity of motion surpassing the comprehension of the most vigorous imagination, and far exceeding even the amazing velocity of light.”

With such rapidity, it may be our privilege yet to pass from world to world on errands of mercy and love, or to survey in distant parts of the universe the wonderful works of God.

And I am come to show you - To make you acquainted with what will yet be.

For you are greatly beloved - Margin, as in Hebrew, “a man of desires.” That is, he was one whose happiness was greatly desired by God, or a man of God’s delight; that is, as in our version, greatly beloved. It was on this account that his prayer was heard and that God sent to him this important message respecting what was to come.

Therefore understand the matter - The matter respecting what was yet to occur in regard to his people.

And consider the vision - This vision—the vision of future things which he was now about to present to his view. From this passage, describing the appearance of Gabriel to Daniel, we may learn:

1. That our prayers, if sincere, are heard in heaven as soon as they are offered. They enter at once into the ears of God, and he regards them at the instant.
2. A command, as it were, may be at once issued to answer them—as if he directed an angel to bear the answer at once.
3. The angels are ready to hasten down to men to communicate the will of God. Gabriel came evidently with pleasure on his mission, and to a benevolent being anywhere there is nothing more grateful than to be commissioned to bear glad tidings to others. Possibly that may be a part of the employment of the righteous forever.
4. The thought is an interesting one, if we are permitted to entertain it, that good angels may be constantly employed as Gabriel was; that whenever prayer is offered on earth they may be commissioned to bring answers of peace and mercy, or dispatched to render aid, and that thus the universe may be constantly traversed by these holy beings ministering to those who are heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:1, Hebrews 1:4).