Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 8:17
So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.
17. afraid ] affrighted (R.V.), as Isa 21:4, A.V. (Job 7:14 al. ‘terrify’): ‘afraid’ is not strong enough. At the approach of the celestial being Daniel is terrified.
fell upon my face ] a mark of awe or respect (Gen 17:3; Jdg 13:20; Rth 2:10, al.); cf. in the visions of Ezekiel, Eze 1:28; Eze 3:23; Eze 9:8; Eze 11:13; Eze 43:3; Eze 44:4.
son of man ] Borrowed, no doubt, from the book of Ezekiel, where it is the standing title by which the prophet is addressed (Dan 2:1; Dan 2:3; Dan 2:6; Dan 2:8, Dan 3:1; Dan 3:3-4; Dan 3:10; Dan 3:17; Dan 3:25, &c. more than a hundred times altogether).
for the vision belongeth to the time of the end ] and therefore deserves attention. The ‘time of the end’ is a standing expression in Daniel (Dan 11:35; Dan 11:40, Dan 12:4; Dan 12:9; cf. ‘the appointed-time [ ] of the end’ Dan 8:19, and ‘the end’ Dan 9:26 b), and means (spoken from Daniel’s standpoint) the period of Antiochus’s persecution, together with the short interval, consisting of a few months, which followed before his death (Dan 11:35; Dan 11:40), that being, in the view of the author, the ‘end’ of the present condition of things, and the divine kingdom (Dan 7:14; Dan 7:18; Dan 7:22; Dan 7:27, Dan 12:2-3) being established immediately afterwards. This sense of ‘end’ is based probably upon the use of the word in Amo 8:2, Eze 7:2, ‘an end is come, the end is come upon the four corners of the land,’ 3, 6: cf. also ‘in the time of the iniquity of the end,’ Eze 21:25; Eze 21:29; Eze 35:5; and Hab 2:3, ‘For the vision is yet for the appointed-time [has reference to the time of its destined fulfilment], and it hasteth toward the end.’
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
So he came near where I stood – He had seen him, evidently, at first in the distance. He now drew near to Daniel, that he might communicate with him the more readily.
And when, he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face – Doubtless perceiving that he was a celestial being. See the notes at Rev 1:17. Compare Eze 1:28, and Dan 10:8-9. He was completely overpowered by the presence of the celestial stranger, and sank to the ground.
But he said unto me, Understand, O son of man – Give attention, that you may understand the vision. On the phrase son of man, see the notes at Dan 7:13. It is here simply an address to him as a man.
For at the time of the end shall be the vision – The design of this expression is undoubtedly to cheer and comfort the prophet with some assurance of what was to occur in future times. In what way this was done, or what was the precise idea indicated by these words, interpreters have not been agreed. Maurer explains it, for this vision looks to the last time; that is, the time which would immediately precede the coming of the Messiah, which would be a time of calamity, in which the guilt of the wicked would be punished, and the virtue of the saints would be tried, to wit, the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Lengerke supposes that the end of the existing calamities – the sufferings of the Jews – is referred to; and that the meaning is, that in the time of the Messiah, to which the vision is extended, there would be an end of their sufferings and trials. The design of the angel, says he, is to support and comfort the troubled seer, as if he should not be anxious that these troubles were to occur, since they would have an end, or, as Michaelis observes, that the seer should not suppose that the calamities indicated by the vision would have no end.
Perhaps the meaning may be this: The vision is for the time of the end; that is, it has respect to the closing period of the world, under which the Messiah is to come, and necessarily precedes that, and leads on to that. It pertains to a series of events which are to introduce the latter times, when the kingdom of God shall be set up on the earth. In justification of this view of the passage, it may be remarked that this is not only the most obvious view, but is sustained by all those passages which speak of the coming of the Messiah as the end, the last days, etc. Thus 1Co 10:11 : upon whom the ends of the world are come. Compare the notes at Isa 2:2. According to this interpretation, the meaning is, the vision pertains to the end, or the closing dispensation of things; that is, it has a bearing on the period when the end will come, or will introduce that period. It looks on to future times, even to those times, though now remote (compare Dan 8:26), when a new order of things will exist, under which the affairs of the world will be wound up. Compare the notes at Heb 1:2.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. At the time of the end shall be the vision.] Or, as Houbigant, “The vision shall have an end at the proper time.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He came near, that he might speak more familiarly to him, yet Daniel could not bear the glory of it, Mat 17:6. How much less can we bear the glory of God! and how graciously hath the Lord dealt with us to teach us by men, and not by angels! and how vain are they who aspire to a converse with angels here on earth!
O son of man: he calls him son of man, to make him mind his frailty, and not to be lifted up with visions, and this great condescension and familiarity of Heaven with him.
At the time of the end, i.e. in Gods appointed time, i.e. in the latter generations, but not now in thy lifetime, but about four hundred years hence. See Dan 8:26.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. the time of the endsoDan 8:19; Dan 11:35;Dan 11:36; Dan 11:40.The event being to take place at “the time of the end”makes it likely that the Antichrist ultimately referred to (besidesthe immediate reference to Antiochus) in this chapter, and the one inDa 7:8, are one and the same.The objection that the one in the seventh chapter springs out of theten divisions of the Roman earth, the fourth kingdom, the one in theeighth chapter and the eleventh chapter from one of the fourdivisions of the third kingdom, Greece, is answered thus: The fourdivisions of the Grecian empire, having become parts of the Romanempire, shall at the end form four of its ten final divisions[TREGELLES]. However, theorigin from one of the four parts of the third kingdom may be limitedto Antiochus, the immediate subject of the eighth and eleventhchapter, while the ulterior typical reference of these chapters(namely, Antichrist) may belong to one of the ten Roman divisions,not necessarily one formerly of the four of the third kingdom.The event will tell. “Time of the end” may apply to thetime of Antiochus. For it is the prophetic phrase for the time offulfilment, seen always at the end of the prophetic horizon (Gen 49:1;Num 24:14).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So he came near where I stood,…. The angel immediately obeyed the divine Person in human form, and came near the prophet, in order to instruct him, and carry on a familiar conversation with him:
and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face; not being able to bear the glory that attended him; and especially when he considered him as the messenger of a divine Person sent to instruct him, and being conscious of his own frailty and weakness:
but he said unto me, understand, O son of man: give attention in order to understand the vision, which the angel, by a divine command, was about to give him the full meaning of; and which he could not so well attend unto in his present circumstance and posture; and therefore suggests he should shake off his fear, and stand on his feet, and listen to what he was about to say: he calls him “son of man”, a title only given to him and Ezekiel; and so may be considered as a mark of honour and respect, as being one greatly beloved and honoured by the Lord; or to express his tender regard to him, and accommodating himself to him, considering he was a frail mortal man; or to put him in mind that he should so consider himself, though now among angels, and favoured with revelations of secrets, that so he might not be exalted with them above measure:
for at the time of the end shall be the vision; or rather, “for a time is the end of the vision” l; there is a set, fixed, and determined time, when the vision shall end, and have its full accomplishment; namely, when the 2300 days are expired.
l “ad tempus, finis visionis”, Munster, Montanus, Calvin.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
I will not repeat what I have already explained. I will proceed with what I had commenced, namely, the Prophet’s need of instruction, because he could not understand the vision without an interpreter; wherefore the angel was ordered to explain his revelation of God more fully. But, before he narrates this, he says, he was frightened at the approach of the angel. Without doubt, this reverence was always present to his mind. Whenever he perceived himself called or taught by God, he was doubtless struck with fear; but here some special feeling is expressed, as God desired to influence his mind to set us an example, and to render us more attentive. Here Daniel explains his own mind to us, commending the magnitude and importance of the vision, lest we should read with carelessness what he will afterwards relate, and not treat the occasion with sufficient seriousness. For God used the angel as his servant to explain his intention to the Prophet; at the same time he inwardly touched his mind by his Spirit to show us the way, and thus he would not only train us to docility, but also to fear. He says, then, he was frightened and fell down This, as I have said, was usual with the Prophet, as it ought to be with all the pious. Paul also, in celebrating the effect and power of prophecy, says, if any unbelievers should enter into the assembly and hear a prophet speaking in God’s name, he would prostrate himself, says he, upon his face. (1Co 14:25.) If this happened to unbelievers, how great will be our troubles, unless we receive most reverently and humbly, what we know to have been uttered by the mouth of God? Meanwhile, we should remember what I have lately touched upon, — the importance of the present oracle as here commended to us by the Prophet; for he fell upon his face through his fright, as he will repeat in the next verse.
Nor is the following exhortation superfluous; understated, says he, O son of Adam It would be of little use to us to be moved and excited for a time, unless our minds were afterwards composed for hearing. For many are touched by fear when God appears to them; that is, when he compels them to feel the force and power of his sway; but they continue in their stupidity, and thus their fright is rendered profitless. But Daniel here makes a difference between himself and the profane, who are only astonished and by no means prepared for obedience. At the same time, he relates how his own excitement was effected by the assistance of the angel. The fear, then, of which we have lately made mention, was preparation for docility; but; this terror would have been useless by itself, unless it had been added, that he might understand We ought to understand how piety does not consist merely in acknowledging the fear of God, but obedience is also required, preparing us to receive with tranquil and composed feelings whatever we shall be taught. We ought diligently to observe this order.
It now follows: Because there shall be an end of the vision at a fixed time. Some join לעת-קף legneth-ketz, making the sense “at the end of the time,” קף ketz, in this sense being in the genitive case by way of an epithet, as the Hebrews commonly use it. They elicit this sense — the vision shall be for a prefixed time. But others prefer — the end of the vision shall be for a time. I think this latter sense is better, as the former seems to me forced. On the whole, it is not of much consequence, yet as that form of expression is the easier, namely, the end or fulfillment of the vision should be at a definite time, I had rather follow that interpretation. The angel asserts, then, that this was no vain speculation, but a cause joined with its effect, which should have its completion at a stated period. There shall be an end, then, of the vision in its time; meaning, what you now behold shall neither vanish away nor be destroyed, but its end shall happen when the time shall arrive which God has determined. קף , ketz, is often taken in this sense. Hence there shall be an end of the vision,; that is, the vision shall be completed when the fitting time shall arrive. We ought to bear in mind this exhortation of the angel, because unless we are certainly persuaded of the fixedness of anything when God speaks, we shall not be ready to receive whatever he pronounces. But when we are convinced of this saying, God never separates his hand from his mouth — meaning, he is never unlike himself, but his power follows up his word, and thus he fulfills whatever he declares; this becomes a sure and firm foundation for our faith. This admonition of the angel ought to be extended generally to the whole of Scripture, since God does not throw words into the air, according to the common phrase. For nothing happens rashly, but as soon as he speaks, his truth, the matter itself and its necessary effect, are all consistent. It follows: —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(17) The time of the endi.e., either at the final period of earthly history, or at the time which lies at the limit of the prophetic horizon. St. Jerome observes that what happened in the times of Antiochus was typical of what shall be fulfilled hereafter in Antichrist.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
17. Here, at least, son of man means human as contrasted with angelic or divine. (Compare Dan 7:13.) Daniel, though accustomed to angelic presences (Dan 7:10; Dan 7:16), was “terrified” either at the appearance of this greatest of the angels, or, as Gabriel’s first words may suggest, being overwhelmed with the thought that now at last this most profound mystery is about to be explained. (Compare Dan 8:27.)
At the time of the end Rather, the vision belongeth to the time of the end. The “end” does not refer to the end of the world; for the vision does not refer to this. Rather, as Dan 8:19 proves and the interpretation of the vision necessitates, the “end” is the “end of the indignation” or “wrath,” which the Jews were then suffering under Antiochus. With this king the power of the fourth brute kingdom is to be broken, after which comes the kingdom of God under the peaceful rule of one who is like the Son of man (Dan 7:13-14).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘So he came near where I stood, and when he came I was filled with awe, and fell on my face. But he said to me, “Understand O son of man, for the vision belongs to the time of the end.”
The approach of Gabriel filled Daniel with awe and he fell on his face. The presence of Gabriel and the voice from the river made him aware of the awesome presence of God. Gabriel then addressed him as ‘son of man’, a title suggestive of weakness and humanity, and, in the context of Daniel, of one of the people of God.
‘For the vision belongs to the time of the end.’ The meaning of this statement is open to question. Of course, for interpreters who see large parts of prophetic Scripture as belonging to what they call ‘the end times’, meaning the time just before Christ’s second coming, even when, on the face of it, it does not fit in, there is no difficulty, ‘the end’ always means that period. The fact that what has gone before does not fit in with that is no problem, they simply double up and say it all applies to both its obvious meaning and the end times. Such interpreters take up certain phrases and say that they always indicate what they mean by ‘the end times’ (phrases such as ‘the Day of Yahweh’, which can actually refer to any ‘day’ when Yahweh acts in judgment whether at the ‘end times’ or not; and ‘in that day’, which can simply mean at that time; although both often can mean ‘the end times’).
But we have to ask what Daniel meant by it in context, and, as we have seen, the vision refers first to the rise of the Medo-Persian empire, and then of the Greek empire and then refers at the end to the time of the rise and persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes and desecration of the temple, and ceases at the point of the ‘making righteous’ of the temple. ‘The ‘fourth empire’ is not yet in sight. Thus the obvious meaning of ‘belongs to the time of the end’ is that the whole significance and purpose of the vision was to bring us up to that end point, the end of the vision. The ‘time of the end’ is ‘the time of the end of the vision’. The concentration of the vision was not on the prior sweep of history but on the final phase, the dealings of Antiochus Epiphanes. That is the time the vision ‘belongs to’, the time at the end of the vision.
Note on – ‘The vision belongs to the time of the end’ and similar phrases
In Daniel, references to ‘the end’ are many and certainly do not all point to one period. We have seen already that in Dan 8:17 ‘the time of the end’ is the time on which the vision concentrates at its end, the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, thus meaning ‘the time of the end of the vision’. We can compare Dan 8:19 where ‘the latter time of the indignation’, that is the final part of the period of indignation against Israel and Judah, (which includes the three hundred and ninety years of Israel and the forty years of Judah – Eze 4:4-13) belongs to ‘the appointed time of the end’. This refers to the activities of Antiochus which are seen as the closure of the time of indignation. The angel’s explanation will cover exactly the same period. This ‘indignation’ refers to God’s wrath against His people as described by the prophets, which was clearly here seen as continuing during the activities of Medo-Persia and Greece because of the disobedience of God’s rebellious people, the latter time of it being the reign of Antiochus, for that is what the vision is specifically emphasising. The end of this period is ‘the appointed time of the end’ (of the indignation).
This phrase ‘the appointed time’ also occurs in Dan 11:27; Dan 11:29; Dan 11:35 where each time it is referring to the time that God has appointed in which to deal with this vile persecutor, Antiochus. The exile was clearly not seen as having averted ‘the indignation’, and this was to be Israel’s next major hurdle. Thus Daniel saw the Maccabaean uprising which followed Antiochus, and the rise of the Hasidim (the loyal ones) and their followers, preparatory for the coming of John the Baptiser and Jesus, as following this period of indignation. The return from exile had not purified the people. This had required the persecution of an Antiochus.
In Dan 11:6 ‘the end of the years’ simply means the end of the period to which those particular circumstances apply.
Very different are references to ‘the end’ (Dan 9:26; Dan 11:40, Dan 12:6 compare Dan 12:13, and possibly Dan 12:4; Dan 12:9) where there is no reference point for ‘the end’ and we must therefore see them as actually referring to the time when God is about to sum up history. For all these references see the commentary at that point.
Like all the prophets Daniel looked forward in his vision and saw the near and far future. None of them knew how long it would be. But they saw certain events ahead like mountain peaks one behind the other. And to them beyond the first mountain peak were ‘the last days’.
Imagine a sturdy walker on a long hike in unknown mountainous country. He looks ahead and sees stretching before him a number of mountain peaks, and the farthest does not seem all that much further than the nearest. The problem is going to be getting to the first. Then they will come quickly one after another. So he struggles on and at last reaches the first mountain. But when he gets to the top of the first mountain peak, he receives his first shock. The second mountain peak which had seemed to be just behind the first is now a long way distance away separated from him by a huge plain. So he begins his weary trip towards the second. And the same happens each time he reaches a mountain top. Rather than being close together as they first appeared they are each separated from the other by huge plains.
In the same way the prophets looked ahead and saw the mountain tops. They did not know what lay between, and they rarely reached the first mountain. (Ezekiel did and then he saw further mountains ahead). They were not fortune tellers or foretellers of future events in order to satisfy human curiosity, they were the voice of God, declarers of what God was going to do and the principles that he would follow through to the end. Their prophecies were regularly in two phases, the first phase which would be fulfilled in the not too distant future, but would only be a partial fulfilment, and a second phase, a further mountain top, which would bring about its final fulfilment. Compare for example Tyre (Eze 26:7-14). This was first to be defeated by Nebuchadnezzar, but it would only a lot later on become a place to spread nets in. A similar example is Babylon, defeated by the Medes, but it was only long centuries later that it became a total ruin (Isa 13:17-22). And yet the second result followed the first inexorably.
In Daniel’s case he saw first the persecutions of Antiochus Epiphanes, which would have such a profound effect on the faith of Israel, bringing about the birth of what was good in the Pharisaic teaching with its emphasis on the resurrection. That was his first mountain top. And then would come (of which he saw glimpses) the rise of the fourth kingdom and the birth of Jesus the Messiah and Son of Man, followed by the establishment of the new Israel under the Kingly Rule of God, arising out of the old Israel, all smiting at the base of the totality of the empires, and then would come ‘the end’, troublous times, followed by the final judgment of God and the resurrection (Dan 12:2-3). And all seen as coming closely one after another, without any conception of the spans of time that lay between, which to us seem so huge, but which to God, Who can step from one mountain top to another in a moment of time, are just ahead.
So the fourth and final empire, which was already in view in Dan 11:30, would follow Antiochus. And as we have seen in his visions that was the ‘end time’ empire, (Dan 2:40-44; Dan 7:7-8; Dan 7:19-25), the apocalyptic empire, which would clash with the smiting stone and the son of man receiving His kingdom.
To put it in other words the actions of Antiochus would introduce ‘the last days’. These ‘last days’ would include the conquests of Rome, the coming of Jesus, the Messiah and Son of Man, (regularly described in the New Testament as ‘the last days’ and as being ‘the end of the ages’ and its equivalent – Act 2:17; 1Pe 1:20; 1Pe 4:7 ; 1Co 10:11; Heb 1:1-2; Heb 9:26-28), the destruction of Jerusalem by Rome, the growth of the new Israel, the everlasting kingdom of God which incorporates all true believers, and indeed is the true church and the true Israel of God, the disintegration of Rome into many ‘kingships’ (the ten horns), and the final times prior to the second coming of Christ, which would include the rise of ‘the horn, the small one’, leading up to that coming, and the resurrection and the final judgment of God. All these are portrayed in one way or another by the prophets.
End of note.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Dan 8:17. For at the time of the end, &c. For the vision shall have an end at its proper time. Houbigant; and so Dan 8:19.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Dan 8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.
Ver. 17. So he came near where I stood. ] Let our obedience be like that of the angels, prompt and present.
I was afraid.
Understand, O son of man.
For at the time of the end shall be the vision,
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
son of man. Only Daniel and Ezekiel so called, beside Messiah. See note on Psa 8:4.
at the time of the end. This gives the time to which this vision refers. See the interpretation in (verses: Dan 8:20-25), and especially (verses: Dan 8:23-25). See also App-90; and Compare Dan 7:26; Dan 9:26; Dan 11:40; Dan 12:4, Dan 12:9, Dan 12:13; and Mat 24:14.
shall be. Supply the Ellipsis (App-6) by reading “[belongeth]”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 8:17-19
Dan 8:17 So he cameH935 nearH681 where I stood:H5977 and when he came,H935 I was afraid,H1204 and fellH5307 uponH5921 my face:H6440 but he saidH559 untoH413 me, Understand,H995 O sonH1121 of man:H120 forH3588 at the timeH6256 of the endH7093 shall be the vision.H2377
Dan 8:18 Now as he was speakingH1696 withH5973 me, I was in a deep sleepH7290 onH5921 my faceH6440 toward the ground:H776 but he touchedH5060 me, and setH5975 me upright.H5921 H5977
Dan 8:19 And he said,H559 Behold,H2009 I will make thee knowH3045 (H853) whatH834 shall beH1961 in the last endH319 of the indignation:H2195 forH3588 at the time appointedH4150 the endH7093 shall be.
Dan 8:17-19
So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. Now as he was speaking with me, I was in a deep sleep on my face toward the ground: but he touched me, and set me upright. And he said, Behold, I will make thee know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.
Daniel was not a young man when he had this vision. The emotional stress coupled with his age had to leave him exhausted and distraught. Daniel may not at this time fully understand the vision, but he knew enough to realize that his countrymen were going to suffer horribly sometime in the future. One could only imagine the anxiety and stress associated with seeing such a vision and having one such as Gabriel in their presence. Gabriel touched Daniel and set him upright and informed him that the vision he had just had would be further explained.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
I was: Dan 10:7, Dan 10:8, Dan 10:16, Gen 17:3, Eze 1:28, Mat 17:8, Mar 9:4, Mar 9:5, Rev 1:17, Rev 19:9, Rev 19:10, Rev 22:8
Understand: Dan 8:15, Dan 9:23, Dan 10:11
O son: Eze 2:1, Eze 6:2
at: Dan 8:19, Dan 9:27, Dan 11:35, Dan 11:36, Dan 12:4, Dan 12:13, Hab 2:3
Reciprocal: Gen 17:17 – fell Num 24:4 – falling Jdg 13:6 – terrible Eze 3:23 – and I fell Dan 7:28 – the end Dan 8:18 – I was Dan 11:40 – at the Hab 3:2 – I have Mat 17:6 – General Mar 16:5 – and they Luk 24:5 – they
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 8:17. The appearance of this messenger from heaven filled Daniel with surprise and terror, and in rev. erence he fell face downward upon the ground. Then Gabriel made an introductory remark as to the time when the vision would be fulfilled. The time of the end could not he the end of the world, for the events predicted do not agree with that period. Neither could it mean the end of the four world empires, for there was still one more of them to come which was to exist for centuries. Hence, on the basis of elimination, the conclusion is that it refers to the end of the second one of the world powers that are pictured in the vision. That is in harmony with the facts of history, for Antiochus Epiphanes, with whom the vision concludes, appears in the historical records about 150 years B.C., and the reign of the Macedonian Empire was tapering off toward its end, to be supplanted by the Roman Empire, which waa then beginning to cast its shadow ahead.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Dan 8:17. So he came near where I stood That he might speak more familiarly with him. And when he came, I was afraid This fear was probably occasioned by the effulgent brightness of the heavenly messenger, which quite amazed Daniel upon his drawing near to him. And I fell upon my face Not to worship the angel, but because he could not bear the lustre of his glory. But he said unto me, Understand, O son of man We find this is a title given to none of the prophets but Ezekiel and Daniel, who had more frequent converse with angels than any of the rest: and it is given to the prophet here, either to put him in mind that he was but flesh and blood, that he might not be exalted for having these heavenly visions imparted to him; or else it was used as a mark of honour, implying that he was something more than an ordinary man, even one highly favoured and beloved of God. For at the time, or, to the time, of the end shall be the vision That is, there is a precise time determined for the accomplishment of the vision, when it shall certainly be fulfilled. Or the meaning may be, that the fulfilling of the vision should not come to pass for a considerable space of time; that it was concerning matters at a distance, namely, at the distance of almost four hundred years.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
8:17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for {d} at the time of the end [shall be] the vision.
(d) The effect of this vision will not yet appear, until a long time after.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Gabriel’s approach made Daniel so fearful that he prostrated himself on the ground (cf. Dan 2:46; Dan 10:9-10; Dan 10:15; Eze 1:28; Eze 3:23; Eze 44:4; Rev 1:17). The title "son of man" indicates humanity, and here, in contrast to Gabriel, it stressed Daniel’s human weakness (cf. Dan 7:13; Eze 2:1; et al.).
"It suggests both solemnly and encouragingly the awesomeness and the honor of an ordinary human being hearing this man of God address him . . ." [Note: Goldingay, p. 214.]
Gabriel introduced his interpretation by explaining that it concerned "the time of the end" or the end times (cf. Dan 8:19). The vision dealt with events yet future from Daniel’s viewpoint in history. "The time of the end" in Daniel is similar to future references to "the Day of the Lord" in the other prophets. It can refer to a more immediate future day, or to an eschatological day, depending on the context. Daniel’s response to Gabriel’s awesome presence and words was that he fainted. [Note: Montgomery, p. 345.] The Hebrew word "denotes a coma-like state of deep sleep brought about by supernatural agency, especially in connection with visionary experiences . . ." [Note: Goldingay, pp. 214-15. Cf. 10:9.] Gabriel proceeded to revive the prophet, and to prepare him to receive the remainder of the interpretation.