Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.
The man Gabriel, whom I had seen in a vision at the beginning - namely, in the former vision by the river Ulai (Daniel 8:1; Daniel 8:16).
Being caused to fly swiftly - or else, 'to come with weariness,' i:e., to move swiftly, as one breathless and wearied out with quick running (Gesenius). Maurer and others object to the English version that, except the seraphim and cherubim, the angels generally are not represented with wings in the Old Testament. But the fact that the seraphim have six wings assigned to them, and the cherubim four wings, and also the distinct mention of an angel lying, in Revelation 14:6, proves that the English version is better (Isaiah 6:2; Ezekiel 1:6). х mu`aap (H3286) is from `uwp (H5774), to fly (Buxtorf); and biy`aap (H3288) is probably from the same root; so that the two words together mean 'being caused to fly swiftly'-literally, with a flight. Others take the latter word from yaa`ap (H3286), weariness: so margin] Vulgate, Syriac, and Theodotion support the English version.
Time of the evening oblation - the ninth hour, three o'clock (cf. 1 Kings 18:36). As formerly, when the temple stood, this hour was devoted to sacrifices, so now to prayer. Daniel, during the whole captivity to the very last, with pious patriotism, never forgot God's temple worship, but speaks of its rites, long abolished, as if still in use. The connection of the answer to prayer with the evening sacrifice is marked here, in order to teach us that it is only in virtue of the one sacrifice, of which the law sacrifices were but types, that God will hear prayer and give an answer of peace.