Daniel 9:4I prayed to Yahweh my God, and made confession, and said, Oh, Lord, the great and dreadful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with those who love him and keep his commandments,
The setting
Babylon, 539 BC. Daniel kneels in ashes, beginning the most important prayer of his life. Modern-day Iraq.
The emotion here: trembling before infinite majesty while clinging to promised mercy
The original word
nôrā' (נוֹרָא) — fearsome, awesome, inspiring reverential dread, not casual respect
Why it matters
Daniel addresses God with the same titles Moses used, showing continuity across 900 years
Read with care
What most readers miss in Daniel 9:4
Daniel starts with confession before asking for anything — the opposite of most prayers
Common misconceptionPeople think 'dreadful' means scary or bad. It means 'awesome' — so holy and powerful that you tremble in worship, not terror.
The thread continues
Verses that echo Daniel 9:4
Bible Genome reading
Daniel 9:4 — Bible Genome reading
Emotional genome
Daniel 9:4 comes from the book of Daniel, written during the Exile period. These words are attributed to Daniel. The dominant emotion in this verse is worship, with a comfort power of 60% and a tone that is reverent. It belongs to the prayer genre of biblical literature. Key themes include worship, God's attributes, covenant faithfulness. Notable phrases: great and dreadful God; keeps covenant; loving kindness. This verse is a prayer.
Emotionally similar
Verses that meet the same worship
“Hear, Israel: Yahweh is our God; Yahweh is one:”
— Deuteronomy 6:4
“and you shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.”
— Deuteronomy 6:5
“For everything there is a season, and a time for every purpose under heaven:”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1
“Jesus said to him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.”
— John 14:6
“Jesus said to them, "Most certainly, I tell you, before Abraham came into existence, I AM."”
— John 8:58
Your reflection
What does Daniel 9:4 mean to you, today?
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