Many people know the phrase Daniel fast as a kind of diet. The chapter it comes from is about something else: Daniel mourning for three full weeks, and a visitor who told him why the answer took as long as it did.
Daniel 10 pulls back a curtain most of the Bible leaves closed. It speaks of a struggle unseen by human eyes, and of a God who heard a prayer on the first day, even when the answer arrived three weeks later.
The Story of Daniel’s Fast
In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long. In those days, Daniel says, I Daniel was mourning three full weeks. I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled.
On the four and twentieth day of the first month, Daniel was by the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel. He lifted up his eyes and saw a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz. His body was like the beryl, his face as the appearance of lightning, his eyes as lamps of fire, his arms and feet like polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.
Daniel alone saw the vision. The men that were with him saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Left alone, Daniel says there remained no strength in me. When he heard the voice of his words he fell into a deep sleep on his face, with his face toward the ground.
A hand touched him and set him upon his knees and upon the palms of his hands. The man said, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. Daniel stood up trembling. Then came the explanation: Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.
The delay had a reason. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. He had come to make Daniel understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days. Daniel set his face toward the ground and could not speak until one like the similitude of the sons of men touched his lips. Even then he said, there remained no strength in me, neither is there breath left in me.
One like the appearance of a man touched him again and strengthened him, saying, O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. Daniel was strengthened and said, Let my lord speak; for thou hast strengthened me. The messenger said he would return to fight with the prince of Persia, that the prince of Grecia would come after, and that there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince. Then he would shew Daniel that which is noted in the scripture of truth, which the following chapters record.
Key Verses
“I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth” Daniel 10:3
“From the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard” Daniel 10:12
“The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days” Daniel 10:13
“O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong” Daniel 10:19
Scripture quotations are from the King James Version (KJV), a public-domain translation.
What the Story of Daniel’s Fast Teaches Us
Daniel’s fast was an act of mourning and seeking, not a diet. He ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, and did not anoint himself for three whole weeks. The messenger described it as setting his heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God.
A delay is not the same as silence. From the first day… thy words were heard, the messenger said, yet he arrived on the twenty-fourth day because the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days. The chapter shows that there is more going on around our prayers than we can see, and that God had heard Daniel from the start.
God strengthens the weak. Again and again Daniel says his strength was gone, and again and again he is touched – set on his knees, his lips touched, and finally strengthened with the words O man greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong. He ends ready to listen: thou hast strengthened me.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What did Daniel eat during his fast in Daniel 10?
Daniel 10:3 says, I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine in my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, till three whole weeks were fulfilled. The verse says what he left out; it does not give a menu of what he did eat.
How long was Daniel’s fast?
Three full weeks. Daniel says, I Daniel was mourning three full weeks (Daniel 10:2), and he kept the fast till three whole weeks were fulfilled (Daniel 10:3).
Is the Daniel fast diet from the Bible?
The modern Daniel fast draws on two passages. In Daniel 10:3 Daniel ate no pleasant bread, flesh or wine for three weeks while mourning. In Daniel 1:12, years earlier, he asked to be tested ten days and said let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink, instead of the king’s meat. Neither passage is given as a diet plan.
Why was the answer to Daniel’s prayer delayed?
The messenger said Daniel’s words were heard from the first day, but the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days, until Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help (Daniel 10:12-13).
Who is Michael in Daniel 10?
Daniel 10:13 calls Michael one of the chief princes, who came to help the messenger, and Daniel 10:21 calls him Michael your prince.
Where did Daniel see the man clothed in linen?
By the side of the great river, which is Hiddekel, on the twenty-fourth day of the first month (Daniel 10:4-5).