John Calvin Commentary Daniel 10:7

"And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision; for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, and they fled to hide themselves." — Daniel 10:7 (ASV)

He pursues his own narrative, in which he appears detailed, but not without design.

This prophecy required every kind of confirmation to inspire unhesitating confidence in it, not only among the Jews of that generation but also among all future generations.

Although the predictions of the eleventh chapter have been fulfilled, their usefulness is still evident to us in the following ways:

1. First, we see in them God’s perpetual care for His Church.
2. Second, we observe that the pious are never left without any necessary consolation.
3. Lastly, we perceive, as in a mirror or a living picture, the Spirit of God speaking in the prophets, as I have observed before and will have occasion to remark again.

Daniel, therefore, has good reasons for emphasizing to us the certainty of the vision and whatever tends to prove its reality. He says, I alone saw the vision; but the men who were with me did not see it; just as the companions of Paul did not hear Christ’s voice, but only a confused sound: they did not understand His language, as Paul alone was permitted to comprehend it (Acts 9:7).

This is related to promote belief in the prophecy. Daniel’s power of hearing was not superior to his companions, but God intended to address him alone. Thus the voice, although like the voice of a multitude, did not penetrate the ears of those who were with him. He alone was the recipient of these prophecies, as he alone was endowed with the power of predicting future events, and of consoling and exhorting the pious by imparting to them knowledge of the future, even to the last day.

Should anyone ask how he had his companions with him while he was probably lying on his bed at a distance from the bank of the river, the answer is easy. He had his household members with him; the river’s bank only existed in the vision, and he was transported beyond himself. Thus, his household would have been aware of his ecstatic state without knowing the cause.

Daniel then remained at his own home and only visited the bank of the river during the vision. Although many witnesses were present, God struck them all with astonishment, while Daniel alone perceived what is later recounted. God considered him worthy of this singular honor to equip him to become a teacher and instructor to others.

The men who were with me, he says, saw not the vision; but a great terror fell upon them. This distinction, as I have stated, shows that Daniel was selected as the sole listener to the angel’s voice and as the one receiving the information he was later to convey to others.

Meanwhile, God intended for many witnesses to notice Daniel’s complete freedom from any delusion, whether from a dream or a fleeting imagination. His companions, then, were fright-eyed. This terror proves that the Prophet was divinely instructed and not suffering from any delirium. They fled, therefore, into hiding-places. It then continues: