Daniel 12:4

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, etc.] Of the book, in which he had wrote the visions and prophecies delivered to him: this he is bid to “shut up”, to keep it from the common and profane people, who would only burlesque it; and to keep it to himself, as a peculiar treasure committed to his care; and though it was not kept from the saints and people of God, from their reading it, yet he was not to interpret and explain it to them; it was to remain a secret until the time of its accomplishment was come, or, however, near at hand; so that this denotes the obscurity of the prophecy, and the great difficulty of understanding it; it being like a book that is shut and sealed, as follows, (see…”

“shut up . . . seal the book--John, on the contrary, is told (Rev 22:10) not to seal his visions. Daniel's prophecy refers to a distant time, and is therefore obscure for the immediate future, whereas John's was to be speedily fulfilled (Rev 1:1, Rev 1:3; Rev 22:6). Israel, to whom Daniel prophesied after the captivity, with premature zeal sought after signs of the predicted period: Daniel's prophecy was designed to restrain this. The Gentile Church, on the contrary, for whom John wrote, needs to be impressed with the shortness of the period, as it is, owing to its Gentile origin, apt to conform to the world, and to forget the coming of the Lord (compare Mat 25:13, Mat 25:19; Mar 13:32-37;…”

“But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words - To wit, by sealing them up, or by closing the book, and writing no more in it. The meaning is, that all has been communicated which it was intended to communicate. The angel had no more to say, and the volume might be sealed up. And seal the book - This would seem to have been not an unusual custom in closing a prophecy, either by affixing a seal to it that should be designed to confirm it as the prophet’s work - as we seal a deed, a will, or a contract; or to secure the volume, as we seal a letter. Compare the notes at Daniel 8:26; Isaiah 8:16. Even to the time of the end - That is, the period when all these things shall be accomplished. Then (a) the…”

“Seal the book - The book was command to be sealed, because it would be long before the words would be fulfilled, whereas those that were shortly to be fulfilled, were forbidden to be sealed. Shall run - Shall diligently search these prophecies; and they shall know the signs of the times, and wait upon God in the way of his judgments: he means chiefly in gospel - times. Daniel 12:5”

“12:4 Daniel was to keep the prophecy a secret (cp. 7:28; 8:26); it would be unveiled at God’s proper time, the time of the end.”

“shut: Dan 8:26; Rev 10:4, Rev 22:10 to the: Dan 12:9, Dan 8:17, Dan 10:1, Dan 11:40 many: Dan 11:33; Isa 11:9, Isa 29:18, Isa 29:19, Isa 30:26, Isa 32:3; Zac 14:6-10; Mat 24:14; Rom 10:18; Rev 14:6, Rev 14:7 Daniel 12:5”

“The Close of the Revelation of God and of the Book As the revelation in Daniel 8 closes with the direction, "Wherefore shut thou up the vision" ( Dan 8:26), so this before us closes with the command ( Dan 12:4), "But thou Daniel shut up these words;" and as in the former case החזון denotes the vision interpreted to him by the angel, so here הדּברים can only be the announcements of the angel, Daniel 11:2-12:3, along with the preceding appearance, Daniel 10:2-11:1, thus only the revelation designated as דּבר, Dan 10:1. Accordingly, also, סתן is obviously to be interpreted in the meaning illustrated and defended under Dan 8:25, to shut up in the sense of guarding; and thus also חתם, to seal.…”