Daniel 12:4 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Daniel is told to seal up the words until the end, when many will search and knowledge will grow.
What Does Daniel 12:4 Mean?
The vision's instructions now turn personal. Daniel is to 'shut up' and 'seal' what he has been shown, preserving it intact for a later age, 'the time of the end.' The words are not lost but kept, waiting for the moment when they will be needed and understood.
Sealing a scroll guarded its contents and authenticated them for the right time. The promise that 'knowledge shall be increased' assures Daniel that what is obscure now will one day open. This is the patience of faith: trusting that God's purposes unfold on His timetable, not ours, and that what He has hidden He will reveal in season. The believer can rest in mysteries unsolved, confident that the Author of the book knows exactly when its seal will be broken.
Daniel 12:4 in the Original Language
qets (קֵץ), 'end' -- the appointed close of an era, the term toward which the whole vision presses.
Frequently Asked Questions About Daniel 12:4
What does Daniel 12:4 mean?
Daniel is told to seal up the words until the end, when many will search and knowledge will grow.