John Calvin Commentary Daniel 10:20

"Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I am come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I go forth, lo, the prince of Greece shall come." — Daniel 10:20 (ASV)

The angel appears here to lead the Prophet through a winding course, seemingly in vain; for he could have directly and simply told him why he had come. It was necessary to recall the Prophet to his senses, as he was, at one point, scarcely in control of his actions. He was not, in fact, permanently injured in his mind, but the emotional disturbance he had experienced had temporarily unsettled the calmness of his thoughts.

This event both occurred and is narrated for our benefit. This is the reason why the angel again uses this preface, Do you know? as if he wished to gather the Prophet’s senses, which were previously wandering and scattered. He urges him to pay close attention. And now, he says, I will return; that is, after I have explained to you what you will afterwards hear, I will return again to contend with the prince of the Persians. Here the angel indicates the reason for the delay of his mission: it was not because God neglected the groans and prayers of his Prophet, but because the right time had not yet arrived.

The angel had previously stated how the Persian prince had stood before him; meaning, he detained me, and I was forced to enter into conflict with him, because his cruelty to the people had become far more formidable and insolent. This is the account he gives of his activity.

But he now adds, I will return to fight with the prince of the Persians; implying, God sent me specifically to reveal future events to you, but you now know how far I was from being at leisure or will be in the future. I now come to be God’s witness and herald of His goodwill toward you and your people. In reality, I am the defender of your safety, since I have constantly to fight for you with the prince of the Persians.

He means Cambyses. I follow my previous interpretation of an engagement between the angel and the king of Persia, whom wicked men had incited to cruelty, for he had revoked his father's edict. The angel resisted the king’s fury, who was naturally very turbulent, and secular writers have described his character in a similar way.

He now adds, I will go to fight against the prince of the Persians; for עם, gnem, has the force of “against” here and in many other passages. He next adds, And when I depart, that is, when I am gone, the prince of Greece shall approach, he says; that is, God will employ him in another way.

He does not mean this to refer to Cambyses, but to other Persian kings, as we will state in the proper place. It is quite correct to suppose that the king of Macedon arrived by God’s permission; but the angel simply means to state that various methods exist by which God hinders the cruelty of kings whenever they attempt to injure His people.

He will send the prince of the Greeks, he says. God, therefore, restrained Cambyses in this way by the angel’s assistance, and then He protected His people from the cruelty exercised by Alexander, king of Macedon. God is always providing for the safety of His people and always has a variety of methods in operation. The angel desired to teach us this with all simplicity. Finally, he adds:—