Daniel 10:6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

His body resembled chrysolite. The term "Tharsis," which is one of the twelve stones mentioned on the high priest's breastplate, is what the Hebrew text refers to, and both Theodotion and Symmachus translated it similarly (Pharsis). The Septuagint rendered it as the sea, in alignment with the passage from the Psalms, "With a stormy spirit shatter the ships of Pharsis" (Psalms 47:8), indicating the vessels of the sea. Jonah was not intended to escape to Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, as is commonly misinterpreted in a literal sense, nor to the region of India, according to Josephus, but rather to the sea broadly speaking.

His body resembles that of Pharsis. The term "waddim" in Greek signifies linen. Thus, the Prophet declares that the one who appeared was adorned in a linen robe, accompanied by a golden girdle of the purest gold. "His body was like Pharsis” indicates that it was compared to gold free from any blemish, sourced from Pharsis, as Solomon also procured the finest gold from there. His countenance resembled the brilliance of lightning. The Prophet states that his face emitted rays of light. His eyes appeared as fiery lamps, his arms and legs shone like polished brass, and the sound of his utterances was akin to the roar of a crowd. The Prophet describes his eyes as flames, his limbs as fine brass, and anyone who listened to him speak would perceive a voice akin to that of a vast multitude.