Daniel 12:4
New International Version
But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. Many will go here and there to increase knowledge.”

New Living Translation
But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”

English Standard Version
But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

Berean Standard Bible
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.”

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

New American Standard Bible
But as for you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal up the book until the end of time; many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

NASB 1995
“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

NASB 1977
“But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the time of the end; many will go to and fro, and knowledge will increase.”

Amplified Bible
But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the scroll until the end of time. Many will go back and forth and search anxiously [through the scroll], and knowledge [of the purpose of God as revealed by His prophets] will [greatly] increase.”

Christian Standard Bible
“But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

American Standard Version
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.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But you, Daniel, seal these words and be silent and seal this book until the time of the end. Many shall seek and knowledge shall be multiplied

Brenton Septuagint Translation
And thou, Daniel, close the words, and seal the book to the time of the end; until many are taught, and knowledge is increased.

Contemporary English Version
Daniel, I now command you to keep the message of this book secret until the end of time, even though many people will go everywhere, searching for the knowledge to be found in it.

Douay-Rheims Bible
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time appointed: many shall pass over, and knowledge shall be manifold.

English Revised Version
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.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"But you, Daniel, keep these words secret, and seal the book until the end times. Many will travel everywhere, and knowledge will grow."

Good News Translation
He said to me, "And now, Daniel, close the book and put a seal on it until the end of the world. Meanwhile, many people will waste their efforts trying to understand what is happening."

International Standard Version
Now as for you, Daniel, roll up your scroll and seal your words until the time of the end. Many will rush around, while knowledge increases.'"

JPS Tanakh 1917
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.'

Literal Standard Version
“And you, O Daniel, hide the things, and seal the scroll until the time of the end, many go to and fro, and knowledge is multiplied.”

Majority Standard Bible
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.”

New American Bible
“As for you, Daniel, keep secret the message and seal the book until the end time; many shall wander aimlessly and evil shall increase.”

NET Bible
"But you, Daniel, close up these words and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will dash about, and knowledge will increase."

New Revised Standard Version
But you, Daniel, keep the words secret and the book sealed until the time of the end. Many shall be running back and forth, and evil shall increase.”

New Heart English Bible
But you, Daniel, close up these words, and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall roam here and there, and knowledge shall increase."

Webster's Bible Translation
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.

World English Bible
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.”

Young's Literal Translation
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.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Michael's Deliverance and the End Times
3Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever. 4But 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.” 5Then I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank.…

Cross References
Revelation 5:1
Then I saw a scroll in the right hand of the One seated on the throne. It had writing on both sides and was sealed with seven seals.

Revelation 10:4
When the seven thunders had spoken, I was about to put it in writing. But I heard a voice from heaven saying, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said, and do not write it down."

Revelation 22:10
Then he told me, "Do not seal up the words of prophecy in this book, because the time is near.

Isaiah 8:16
Bind up the testimony and seal the law among my disciples.

Isaiah 11:9
They will neither harm nor destroy on all My holy mountain, for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD as the sea is full of water.

Isaiah 29:11
And the entire vision will be to you like the words sealed in a scroll. If it is handed to someone to read, he will say, "I cannot, because it is sealed."

Isaiah 29:18
On that day the deaf will hear the words of the scroll, and out of the deep darkness the eyes of the blind will see.


Treasury of Scripture

But you, 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.

shut.

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.

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.

Revelation 22:10
And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

to the.

Daniel 12:9
And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

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.

Daniel 10:1
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: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

many.

Daniel 11:33
And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.

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…

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Daniel 12
1. Michael shall deliver Israel from their troubles.
5. Daniel is informed of the times.














(4) Shut up the words.--The revelation, which commenced in Daniel 10:20, now draws towards a close, and the prophet receives a further revelation respecting the time of the end. The revelation continues to be called by the same name, "the words," as in Daniel 10:1; and now the prophet is told that the book in which this revelation is written must be placed in a safe and sure place, for the need of it will be felt in "the time of the end," that is, in the time when the fulfilment makes the meaning of the prophecy clear and unambiguous.

Many shall run to and fro.--The verb "to run" is used in Jeremiah 5:1 of searching after knowledge. In this sense it is used of "the eyes of the Lord" (Zechariah 4:10; comp. Amos 8:12). In the same sense it is used in this verse. Many will anxiously search in this book for knowledge of the manner of God's dealings with His people, and will derive comfort and understanding therefrom. . . .

Verse 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. The Septuagint rendering in the last portion of the verse is totally different from the Masserotic recension, which is correctly rendered in our English version, "And thou, Daniel, hide the commands and seal the book till the time of the end, till many shall rave violently (ἀπομανῶσιν) and the earth be filled with unrighteousness." It is possible that יְשֻׁגּעוּ (yeshoogg'oo), "were mad," was read instead of יִּשׂטְטוּ (yishoetoo), "ran to and fro." In the older script מ. was not unlike ע. Professor Bevan has suggested that instead of הַדָּעַת (hadda'th), "the knowledge," the Septuagint translator has read הָרָעֹת (hara'oth), "the evils," and thinks that this gives the Septuagint Greek. Were one, however, to render the Greek back into Hebrew, that would not be the form the words would take. It may, however, be regarded as a paraphrase. Theodotion's version is closer to the Massoretic, "And thou, Daniel, shalt guard (ἕμφραζον, ('make a fence round') the words, and seal the book till the time of the end, till many shall be taught, and knowledge shall be fulfilled." Theodotion here takes שיט as meaning, not "run to and fro," but "peruse carefully." The last clause somewhat justifies Professor Bevan's suggestion: רָבָה used to mean "fulfil" or "fill out." The Peshitta renders, "And thou, then, Daniel, seal these commands, render silent, and seal this book till the time of the end, and many shall inquire, and knowledge shall be increased." The Vulgate agrees on the whole with the Massoretic text. Shut up the words. The exact rendering of the words is "close up;" hence Theodotion's rendering "put a rampart round," the סָתַם (satham), means generally "to stop up a well;" e.g. 2 Kings 3:19; 2 Chronicles 32:30; Genesis 26:15. In Nehemiah 4:1 (7) it is used of stopping the breaches in the wall; only in Ezekiel 28:3 and Psalm 8 (6) is the word rendered, even in the English versions, "hidden;" but even in these cases that is not the necessary or even the natural meaning of the woful. These remarks apply also to Daniel 8:26. Seal the book. There is a question as to the force of this phrase. Does it mean, as Hitzig, Bevan, and the critical school generally maintain it means, that the book was to be hidden and concealed? This view, if correct, would certainly give a plausibility to the contention that the book of Daniel is the work of a falsarisu. We have seen, however, that the real meaning of the verb translated "shut up" is not "conceal," but "to shut up" with the view certainly of hindering access to them, but not at all with the intention of concealment. So the "sealing" here does not necessarily indicate concealment, but rather the conclusion of the matter with further idea of confirmation. The oracles of God are regarded as a spring of water; if we follow the figure implied in the first word used, the flow is stopped now; so far as this message is concerned, nothing more is to be drawn from the fountain. But a fountain may also be sealed (see Song of Solomon 4:12, "A garden enclosed, a fountain sealed"). In that case there is no idea of concealment. The book, then, of the prophecy is to be sealed against any change or addition. Even take the view of the critics, there is here no elaborate directions as to the concealment of the vision as we find in the case of the 'Assumption of Moses.' But further, we have no account of the finding of the book. Daniel was not like the 'Assumption of Moses,' the esoteric possession of a single sect, it was on the critical hypothesis soon known all over Palestine and Egypt. We know that the finding of the book of the Law in the reign of Josiah is narrated in 2 Kings 22. and 2 Chronicles 34; but neither 1 Maccabees nor 2 Maccabees says a word about the finding of the Book of Daniel. Josephus also has no word of the discovery of Daniel, although he relates the finding of the book of the Law in the days of Josiah. There must have been no tradition of such a thing taking place, yet two centuries was not so long as to obliterate tradition. The sealing had metaphorical meaning - a book sealed, though it was visible to the eye, and was not hidden away - could not be read. If the key by which to interpret it is not granted, a book in cipher cannot be read (comp. Isaiah 29:11, 12, "And the vision of all is become unto you as a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot, for it is sealed. And the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I am not learned." If the book were sealed that it could not be opened, the delivering of the book and the request to read it would be meaningless). Prophecy was delivered frequently in enigmatic language, and the meaning of it could only be grasped when circumstance supplied the key. To the time of the end. The end is not the end of the persecution of the days of Antiochus - that is already past; we have now reached the consummation of all things. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. This is to be looked upon as a description of the last time, when circumstance shall remove the seal from the book. The translator of the Septuagint has been led away by the idea of the time as one of sorrow. The verb, however, translated "going to and fro" may be rendered, as it is by Ewald, as "to peruse." The veil then shall be removed, the seals broken when men peruse the prophecy carefully, and knowledge is increased.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
But you,
וְאַתָּ֣ה (wə·’at·tāh)
Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular
Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you

Daniel,
דָֽנִיֵּ֗אל (ḏā·nî·yêl)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 1840: Daniel -- 'God is my judge', the name of several Israelites

shut up
סְתֹ֧ם (sə·ṯōm)
Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 5640: To stop up, to repair, to keep secret

these words
הַדְּבָרִ֛ים (had·də·ḇā·rîm)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

and seal
וַחֲתֹ֥ם (wa·ḥă·ṯōm)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Imperative - masculine singular
Strong's 2856: To seal, affix a seal, seal up

the book
הַסֵּ֖פֶר (has·sê·p̄er)
Article | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5612: A missive, document, writing, book

until
עַד־ (‘aḏ-)
Preposition
Strong's 5704: As far as, even to, up to, until, while

the time
עֵ֣ת (‘êṯ)
Noun - common singular construct
Strong's 6256: Time, now, when

of the end.
קֵ֑ץ (qêṣ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 7093: An extremity, after

Many
רַבִּ֖ים (rab·bîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 7227: Much, many, great

will roam to and fro,
יְשֹׁטְט֥וּ (yə·šō·ṭə·ṭū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 7751: To push forth, to lash, to row, to travel

and knowledge
הַדָּֽעַת׃ (had·dā·‘aṯ)
Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 1847: Knowledge

will increase.”
וְתִרְבֶּ֥ה (wə·ṯir·beh)
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 7235: To be or become much, many or great


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OT Prophets: Daniel 12:4 But you Daniel shut up the words (Dan. Da Dn)
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