A Man Dressed in Linen (Daniel 10)

I have written about theophanies or appearances of God in the Bible, but I missed one. In Daniel 10, while Daniel was near the Tigris River, he says,

I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. (vv. 5-6)

Two chapters later we learn that this man was suspended in the air above the water:

Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” (12:5-6)

How did Daniel respond to this amazing figure?

I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. (10:7-9)

The Man’s Identity

Who could this man in linen be?

There are only two options: an angel or God.

Are any angels described this way in Scripture? Do any have eyes “like flaming torches” or a “voice like the sound of a multitude”?

No.

Who is described this way in Scripture?

John’s Vision in Revelation

In Revelation 1, John writes:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (vv. 12-18)

Comparing Daniel 10 and Revelation 1

Here are the similarities between Daniel and John’s vision:

• A man
• Wearing a belt or sash of gold
• A shining face – “like lightning” or “like the sun shining in all its brilliance”
• Eyes of fire – “like flaming torches” or “like blazing fire”
• Appendages like polished or burnished bronze (arms, leg, feet)
• A powerful voice – “like the sound of a multitude” or “like the sound of rushing waters”

To these items we can almost certainly add that the man in both scenes was wearing a linen robe. While Daniel only says the man was wearing linen and John only says he was wearing a robe, robes were the most common outfit worn in the ancient world and they were frequently made from linen.

Also, both Daniel and John respond in a similar way to this awesome man.

• Daniel says, “I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.”
• John writes, “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.”

Both were mentally and physically overwhelmed, even to the point of falling to the ground.

These similarities, along with the fact that no one else is described this way in Scripture, encourage us to identify both men as the same person. Since John’s vision is clearly of Christ, Daniel must have also seen Christ.

Another Man in Daniel 10

Why is this easy to miss in Daniel?

Because immediately following Daniel’s description, we read:

A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (10:10-14)

How could Christ have been in a battle for twenty-one days, needing help from the archangel Michael? Since this doesn’t make sense, some reason that the man in linen must have been an angel.

But there is a better explanation.

The man who touched Daniel was not the same as the man wearing linen. Notice the text says, “A hand touched me.” It doesn’t say “his hand [the man wearing linen] touched me.” Many assume it must have been the same man, but viewing the interpreter—the one who explained the vision to Daniel—as someone other than the man wearing linen makes better sense of the biblical data.

In chapter 12 we have explicit references to two other people in the scene, one of whom questions the man in linen.

Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?” (12:5-6)

Note that the man in linen is questioned by someone on the river bank.

How does the man in linen respond?

The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time. When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.” (12:7)

Since Daniel doesn’t understand this statement, he asked for an explanation: “I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, ‘My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?’” (12:8) At this point, I think he is talking to the interpreter.

Conclusion

The key, then, to properly identifying the man in linen is to match him with the man in John’s vision and to differentiate him from Daniel’s interpreter who was in a battle for twenty-one days.

Les Bridgeman

After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.