Daniel 8:26 (KJV)

What does Daniel 8:26 mean?

Daniel 8:26 records the angel Gabriel’s assurance that the vision’s account of evenings and mornings is true. Gabriel tells Daniel to keep the vision secure because its fulfillment lies many days ahead.

“Shut thou up” pictures putting a record away for safekeeping. The instruction follows Gabriel’s explanation of the vision, but Daniel still struggles to understand what he has seen, as verse 27 shows.

The Hebrew behind Daniel 8:26

• “shut thou up” — סָתַם (satam): This means to close or seal something. Here the word suggests securing the vision as a record, not merely bringing the conversation to an end.
• “vision” — חָזוֹן (chazon): This refers to a vision or a message received through one. The verse uses this word when Gabriel tells Daniel to shut up the vision, after affirming the account of the evenings and mornings.

Why Daniel 8:26 matters

• The evenings and mornings point back to a specific question about the vision. In verse 13, a speaker asks how long the events will last; verse 14 gives the answer as 2,300 evenings and mornings.
• The assurance of truth applies to what Daniel was told about that period. Gabriel says the vision of the evening and morning “is true,” giving Daniel reason to treat that account as reliable.
• The time reference places the vision beyond Daniel’s immediate circumstances. Gabriel says “it shall be for many days,” without giving Daniel a calendar date in this verse.