What Does Daniel 10:21 Mean in the King James?
But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The Hebrew word rendered “holdeth” also means “strengthens,” so standing with someone is expressed as lending them strength.
THE MEANING
The record of truth stands as a fixed measure while its disclosure unfolds in conflict. The one who “holds” with the speaker is also described by a word of strengthening; Michael (מִיכָאֵל, Mikha’el, “Who is like God?”) is named as the prince who stands beside him.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that a truth has no strength beside it when only one ally stands with it: the verse names Michael as the one who strengthens with the speaker.
THE ROOT
מִתְחַזֵּק
mithchazzeq
GROWS FROM
חזק
ḥ-z-q
Be strong, become firm, strengthen, or take hold.
“holdeth” in this verse is mithchazzeq. The word carries both holding fast and becoming strong. The verse presents standing with the speaker as an act of strengthening, so companionship here has force.
ALSO GROWS
chazaq: Be strong or become firm.
חָזַק
This branch shows that the one who holds with the speaker is described through strength.
chizzeq: Strengthen or make strong.
חִזֵּק
This branch makes the support in “holdeth with me” active: the ally adds strength.
hecheziq: Take hold or hold fast.
הֶחֱזִיק
This branch keeps the sense of holding while revealing its kinship with strengthening.
אֱמֶת
emet
GROWS FROM
אמן
ʾ-m-n
Be firm, reliable, or established.
The word carries firmness and reliability: truth is what proves steady. The verse’s written record therefore has the quality of stable ground while conflict moves around it.
ALSO GROWS
amen: Truly; so be it.
אָמֵן
This affirmation shares the sense of something firm enough to stand upon.
emunah: Steadiness, trustworthiness, or trust.
אֱמוּנָה
The shared root connects truth with what can be relied on.
ne’eman: Reliable or steady.
נֶאֱמָן
This branch shows the same firmness expressed as dependable character.
הָרָשׁוּם
ha-rashum
GROWS FROM
רשם
r-sh-m
Mark, inscribe, or register.
“Noted” carries the sense of something marked or recorded in the writing of truth. The verse points to a written record whose contents are already inscribed as the conflict unfolds.
ALSO GROWS
rasham: Mark or register.
רָשַׁם
This verb reveals the act of making a record behind what is rendered “noted.”
rishum: Inscription or registration.
רִשּׁוּם
This related noun keeps the sense of a marked entry preserved in a record.
THE PATTERN
What is established as truth remains steady while the powers around it shift.
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.THE THREAD
Thy word is true from the beginning: and every one of thy righteous judgments endureth for ever.Daniel calls the written record אֱמֶת (emet), “truth”; Psalm 119 uses that same Hebrew word for the word of God. Together, the verses connect what is written as truth with what endures.
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