The Case for Daniel 10:1 as an Interpolation

The various problems associated with the book of Daniel demand fresh investigations. This study suggests a new interpretation of Daniel 10:1, namely, as a secondary interpolation. Several arguments will be brought to support the claim: (1) the dating of 10:1 goes against the chronological framework presented in 1:21; (2) Daniel 10:1 is the only verse which suggests that the prophet understood the prophecy, contradicting the very conclusion of the unit that it purportedly opens; (3) Daniel 10:1 refers to prophet in the 3rd person while, beginning with v. 2 onwards (till the end of the book), the narrative uses the 1st person. These observations are further corroborated with what it will be obtained if Daniel 10:1 would be bracketed as an interpolation: (4) the prophet’s encounter with the angel and the prophecy of the 70 weeks in Daniel 9 would be followed by a reaction from the prophet (cf. 10:2ff). As it is now delimited, Daniel 9 reflects the only angelic encounter in the book which did not trigger any reaction from the prophet; (5) Daniel 9:3, which mentions both the prophet’s prayer and his fasting, would function as an introduction to the subsequent material, alluding to his prayer in 9:3-20 and his fasting in 10:2-8. The interpolation of 10:1 was seemingly shaped to parallel the 1st year and 3rd year schematic chronology of chapters 7 and 8. Like the reworked dating formula in Daniel 11:1, we finally contend, the insertion of Daniel 10:1 was meant to break the longer apocalypse of Daniel 9-12 into smaller units. The new interpretation, if accepted, would require approaching the last four chapters of the book as a single literary unit.