Daniel 10:9
Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
The Hebrew tardemah describes supernatural sleep imposed by God for special purposes: Adam's during creation of Eve, Abraham's during covenant ceremony, Saul's army during David's visit (1 Samuel 26:12), and Daniel's during vision. This distinguished divine revelation from normal dreams or human imagination—it was imposed state enabling supernatural communication. Ancient Near Eastern divination involved various altered states (drug-induced, ritual-induced, ecstatic), but biblical revelation emphasized divine initiative and control. God imposed the state, delivered the message, and enabled recovery—the human recipient was passive participant rather than active practitioner. This protected both message integrity (ensuring divine rather than human origin) and recipient safety (preventing destruction from unmediated divine glory).
Questions for Reflection
- What does divinely-imposed sleep enabling revelation teach about God's accommodation to human weakness?
- How does tardemah (supernatural sleep) differ from normal dreaming or altered states sought through human techniques?
- Why does God sometimes use special states (deep sleep, visions, trances) for revelation rather than normal consciousness?
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Analysis & Commentary
The vision continues affecting Daniel: 'Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground.' Despite physical collapse, Daniel retains consciousness sufficient to hear the divine message. The 'deep sleep' (תַּרְדֵּמָה/tardemah) is supernatural—not normal sleep but divinely-induced state enabling reception of revelation beyond normal human capacity. This parallels Abraham's deep sleep during covenant ceremony (Genesis 15:12) and Adam's during Eve's creation (Genesis 2:21). The posture—face toward ground—demonstrates prostration and worship. Reformed theology affirms that God accommodates human weakness: when direct encounter would destroy, He induces states (deep sleep, visions, trances) enabling revelation while protecting the recipient. This demonstrates divine mercy in revelation.