The Meaning of Daniel 8:26 Explained

Daniel 8:26

KJV: And the vision of the evening and the morning which was told is true: wherefore shut thou up the vision; for it shall be for many days.

YLT: And the appearance of the evening and of the morning, that is told, is true; and thou, hide thou the vision, for it is after many days.'

Darby: And the vision of the evening and the morning which hath been told is true; but close thou up the vision, for it is for many days to come.

ASV: And the vision of the evenings and mornings which hath been told is true: but shut thou up the vision; for it belongeth to many days to come .

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And the vision  of the evening  and the morning  which was told  [is] true:  wherefore shut thou up  the vision;  for it [shall be] for many  days. 

What does Daniel 8:26 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Another title for this vision is "the vision of the evenings and mornings" (cf. Daniel 8:14). The phrase describes the particular period when this prediction would find fulfillment, perhaps167-164 B.C. Daniel needed to seal up the vision (NIV) in the sense of recording, finishing, and preserving it, not in the sense of making it secret (NASB, cf. Daniel 7:28; Daniel 12:9). It pertained to many days in the future, namely, four centuries later as well as beyond then. The NIV translation "distant future" unfortunately implies that it pertains only to the distant future from our point in history.

Context Summary

Daniel 8:15-27 - God's Deliverance Is Sure
It does not fall within our province to go into the various fulfillments which have been assigned to the predictions of this chapter-one to the time of the Maccabees, one to our own days, and one to that malign Satanic power which stands up perpetually against the Prince of princes. Let us dwell, rather, on the assertion that whatever sets itself against the kingship of Jesus Christ shall inevitably be broken. The Church of God is menaced today, as never before, by a vast multiplication of malign influences; but the Master's promise holds good that the gates of Hades shall not prevail against her. They shall be broken without hand. This is our strong confidence with respect to all our foes, and therefore we may possess our souls in patience. It is interesting that Daniel continued to do the king's business, notwithstanding the abundance of the revelations given unto him. However much we may be caught up into the heaven of religious meditation and ecstasy, we must never forget or neglect the interests which are committed to our hands, whether of the home, the business, or the state. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 8

1  Daniel's vision of the ram and he goat
13  The two thousand three hundred days of the suspension of the daily sacrifice
15  Gabriel comforts Daniel, and interprets the vision

What do the individual words in Daniel 8:26 mean?

And the vision of the evenings and mornings which was told TRUE is therefore you seal up the vision for [it refers] to days [in the future] many
וּמַרְאֵ֨ה הָעֶ֧רֶב וְהַבֹּ֛קֶר אֲשֶׁ֥ר נֶאֱמַ֖ר אֱמֶ֣ת ה֑וּא וְאַתָּה֙ סְתֹ֣ם הֶֽחָז֔וֹן כִּ֖י לְיָמִ֥ים רַבִּֽים

וּמַרְאֵ֨ה  And  the  vision 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: מַרְאֶה  
Sense: sight, appearance, vision.
הָעֶ֧רֶב  of  the  evenings 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עֶרֶב  
Sense: evening, night, sunset.
וְהַבֹּ֛קֶר  and  mornings 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בֹּקֶר 
Sense: morning, break of day.
נֶאֱמַ֖ר  was  told 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
אֱמֶ֣ת  TRUE 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֱמֶת  
Sense: firmness, faithfulness, truth.
וְאַתָּה֙  therefore  you 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Pronoun, second person masculine singular
Root: אַתְּ 
Sense: you (second pers.
סְתֹ֣ם  seal  up 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: סָתַם 
Sense: to stop up, shut up, keep close.
הֶֽחָז֔וֹן  the  vision 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: חָזׄון  
Sense: vision.
לְיָמִ֥ים  [it  refers]  to  days  [in  the  future] 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural
Root: יׄום 
Sense: day, time, year.
רַבִּֽים  many 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.