Daniel 12 · Verse 4

Daniel 12:4

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

Daniel 12:4, King James Version

Daniel 12:4 in other translations

BSB	But you, Daniel, shut up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”
WEB	But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, even to the time of the end. Many will run back and forth, and knowledge will be increased.”
ASV	But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
YLT	And thou, O Daniel, hide the things, and seal the book till the time of the end, many do go to and fro, and knowledge is multiplied.'
DARBY	And thou, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book, till the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
BBE	But as for you, O Daniel, let the words be kept secret and the book rolled up and kept shut till the time of the end: numbers will be going out of the way and troubles will be increased.
Webster	But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

What does Daniel 12:4 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

4. shut up ... seal the book--John, on the contrary, is told (Re 22:10) not to seal his visions. Daniel's prophecy refers to a distant time, and is therefore obscure for the immediate future, whereas John's was to be speedily fulfilled (Re 1:1, 3; 22:6). Israel, to whom Daniel prophesied after the captivity, with premature zeal sought after signs of the predicted period: Daniel's prophecy was designed to restrain this. The Gentile Church, on the contrary, for whom John wrote, needs to be impressed with the shortness of the period, as it is, owing to its Gentile origin, apt to conform to the world, and to forget the coming of the Lord (compare Mt 25:13, 19; Mr 13:32-37; 2Pe 3:8, 12; Re 22:20). run to and fro--not referring to the modern rapidity of locomotion, as some think, nor to Christian missionaries going about to preach the Gospel to the world at large [Barnes], which the context scarcely admits; but, whereas now but few care for this prophecy of God, "at the time of the end," that is, near its fulfilment, "many shall run to and fro," that is, scrutinize it, running through every page. Compare Ha 2:2 [Calvin]: it is thereby that "the knowledge (namely, of God's purposes as revealed in prophecy) shall be increased." This is probably being now fulfilled.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 4 Shut up the words, and seal the book - When a prophet received a prediction concerning what was at a considerable distance of time, he shut his book, did not communicate his revelation for some time after. This Daniel was commanded to do, Dan 8:26. See also Isa 29:10, Isa 29:11; Rev 22:10. Among the ancients, those were said to seal, who in the course of their reading stamped the places of which they were yet doubtful, in order to keep them in memory, that they might refer to then; again, as not yet fully understood. This custom Salmasius, in his book De modo Usurarum, p. 446, proves from Hesychius. Many shall run to and fro - Many shall endeavour to search out the sense; and knowledge shall be increased by these means; though the meaning shall not be fully known till the events take place: Then the seal shall be broken, and the sense become plain. This seems to be the meaning of this verse, though another has been put on it, viz., "Many shall run to and fro preaching the Gospel of Christ, and therefore religious knowledge and true wisdom shall be increased." This is true in itself; but it is not the meaning of the prophet's words.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Daniel 12:1-4

The conclusion of the vision of the Scriptures of truth. (Dn 12:1-4) The times of the continuance of these events. (Dn 12:5-13) Verses 1-4 . Michael signifies, "Who is like God," and his name, with the title of "the great Prince," points out the Divine Saviour. Christ stood for the children of our people in their stead as a sacrifice, bore the curse for them, to bear it from them. He stands for them in pleading for…

Read the full comment on Daniel 12:1-4 →

Daniel 12:4 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וְאַתָּ֣הve.'a.Tahand youH859

דָֽנִיֵּ֗אלda.ni.YelO DanielH1840

סְתֹ֧םse.Tomkeep secretH5640

הַדְּבָרִ֛יםha.de.va.Rimthe wordsH1697

וַחֲתֹ֥םva.cha.Tomand seal upH2856

הַסֵּ֖פֶרha.Se.ferthe scrollH5612

עַד\־'ad-untilH5704

עֵ֣ת'et[the] time ofH6256

קֵ֑ץKetz[the] endH7093

יְשֹׁטְט֥וּye.sho.te.Tuthey will rove aboutH7751

רַבִּ֖יםra.Bimmany [people]H7227

וְתִרְבֶּ֥הve.tir.Behso it may increaseH7235

הַדָּֽעַת\׃ha.Da.'at<the> knowledgeH1847

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Daniel 12:4

Daniel 12:9
And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
Revelation 22:10
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.
Daniel 8:26
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.
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.
Revelation 10:4
And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
Daniel 12:13
But go thou thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, and stand in thy lot at the end of the days.
Isaiah 32:3
And the eyes of them that see shall not be dim, and the ears of them that hear shall hearken.
Isaiah 8:16
Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples.
Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Zechariah 14:6-10
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the light shall not be clear, nor dark: But it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord, not day, nor night: but it shall come to pass, that at evening time it shall be light. And it shall be in that day, that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the former sea, and half of them toward the hinder sea: in summer and in winter shall it be. And the Lord shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name one. …
Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 29:18-19
And in that day shall the deaf hear the words of the book, and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity, and out of darkness. The meek also shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

shut.
8:26; Re 10:4; 22:10
to the.
9; 8:17; 10:1; 11:40
many.
11:33; Isa 11:9; 29:18,19; 30:26; 32:3; Zec 14:6-10; Mt 24:14
Ro 10:18; Re 14:6,7

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Daniel 12:3
And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Daniel 12:4
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Daniel 12:5
Then I Daniel looked, and, behold, there stood other two, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river.

Read all of Daniel 12

Daniel 12:4 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Tú empero Daniel, cierra las palabras y sella el libro hasta el tiempo del fin: pasarán muchos, y multiplicaráse la ciencia.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Et toi, Daniel, cache les paroles et scelle le livre jusqu’au temps de la fin. Plusieurs courront çà et là; et la connaissance sera augmentée.
German Elberfelder 1871	Und du, Daniel, verschließe die Worte und versiegele das Buch bis zur Zeit des Endes. Viele werden es durchforschen, und die Erkenntnis wird sich mehren.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Tu autem Daniel, claude sermones, et signa librum usque ad tempus statutum: plurimi pertransibunt, et multiplex erit scientia.