Question: Please discuss Daniel 10:13. Who was this “Prince of Persia” and how could he withstand a divine messenger?
Answer: I will first insert the full text of Daniel 10:13. “But 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; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”
For several verses prior to this, Daniel had set himself to mourn in total fasting and prayer before God over a certain thing that had been revealed to him by God (Verse 1). He chastened himself in this manner taking no food or water for three full weeks (21 days). Then at the end of this time, a divine messenger appeared unto him in a vision (verse 12) and announced to him that his words had been heard on the very first day and he had come on account of his words. Then in verse 13 he explained why he had been so long getting there; the Prince of Persia withstood him for one and twenty days.
When he had finished his mission with Daniel, he said down in verse 20, “…now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia:…” From this verse and verse 13 and other related scriptures and incidents, it appears evident that this Prince of Persia is a very important person in the drama that is being enacted here; and indeed he is. So let us see a little how he fits in the picture and it will help us in explaining and understanding some other points in the question.
The first four verses of the 45th chapter of Isaiah are very revealing of Cyrus who is declared in Daniel 10:1 to be the king (Prince) of Persia. Though he was a heathen king, God called him His anointed. God chose this man and put His hand on him and he was dedicated by God and set apart for a specific and definite purpose: His work to liberate the children of Israel who were held captive by the Babylonians. God had judged them for their disobedience and decreed that they would be captives in Babylon for 70 years. Now the time of their captivity was about up and God was arranging and maneuvering for their deliverance and He had chosen the Prince of Persia and anointed him to accomplish this project. He told him that He would hold his hand, subdue nations before him, go before him, break in pieces the gates of brass and the gates would not be shut. This was certainly a sure guarantee of victory. Read Isaiah 45:1-3. Then in verse 4 we get a little insight into how close God actually got with this man, Cyrus, in that He called him by his name and gave him a surname, etc. And He explained that this was all for the sake of Jacob His servant and for Israel His elect. This makes it altogether clear that all His relationship and work with Cyrus was in behalf of the children of Israel and their deliverance. He was to conquer the Babylonish kingdom and liberate the children of Israel.
This Cyrus did, but at the same time the divine messenger (probably Gabriel) came to Daniel (Daniel 10:13) and announced that he had been withstood 21 days by the Prince of Persia. It appears that Cyrus perhaps was halting in his decision and hesitating and perhaps thinking it to be a massive undertaking, which it certainly was, and he needed the presence and encouragement and support of the divine messenger with him to help him to decide to carry out the plan of God for him. But when Michael came, he left him with Cyrus and he went on to Daniel to answer his prayer. Adam Clarke expresses this same thought in general in his comments on Daniel 10:13. Then on the basis of this reasoning and conclusion it would seem that from the thought stated in Daniel 10:13 of the Prince of Persia WITHSTANDING the heavenly messenger, we would get the thought of him DETAINING him. The urgency of the need, in the face of the halting indecision of Cyrus, demanded that he stay with him until Michael arrived to take charge of him and relieve the first heavenly messenger to go to Daniel. Therefore we are not to suppose that Cyrus actually rose up to oppose conflict or combat with him to try to turn him back but just had the need of his presence to bolster him and encourage him in what the will of God was for him.
That was a magnanimous undertaking that lay before him there could be no possible question. Babylon, the seat of government of the Babylonish kingdom, was surrounded by a massive, impregnable wall with gates of solid brass. This must be overcome and the city taken. This was surely sufficient to cause even men of strong spirit and courage to have second thoughts about attacking such a formidable fortress. But with the divine inspiration and anointing of the Almighty God upon him and Michael with him, he undertook the venture. The Euphrates River flowed under the wall and through the city. There was no other possible entrance but this. Cyrus and his engineers, by the inspiration of Almighty God, conceived the idea of diverting the channel for the river. Then he cut it through into the main channel and turned the course of the water. When the water in the river had flowed on down to expose the river bed, Cyrus’ army rushed through into the city and up to the palace gates. Adam Clarke says that when the king heard the tumult outside, he ordered the gates to be opened to see what was going on and when the gates were opened, Cyrus’ men rushed in and took charge of the palace, slew the king and victory was theirs.
Cyrus was now master of all the nations of the world. (II Chronicles 36:23.) He said the Lord God of heaven who gave him all this, had told him to build Him an house in Jerusalem. He made a proclamation that all of God’s people among them could go up for this project, and he issued a decree in writing (Ezra 1:1-4) which was entered in the record books. Seventeen years later in the sixth chapter of Ezra, Darius, the king at that time, found the decree of Cyrus in the records and he made another decree that even extended Cyrus’ and made more provisions. About 62 years later, when Artaxerxes was king he made a more generous decree yet in favor of the Jews. And finally in Nehemiah the command was to rebuild the wall and restore the streets of Jerusalem and to adopt laws and establish their nation.
All this was accomplished under God through the Prince of Persia, Cyrus, whom God had anointed and dedicated to this purpose.
