Hippolytus of Rome : And so confessing from the face of the people, he describes these things, declaring the sins of the people and of their fathers, who did not obey his slaves the prophets, who were sent to them to speak in the name of the Lord. And when he was proclaiming every supplication in humility and fastings and sackcloth, the angel Gabriel was sent forth to him, in order to cause him to understand what was sought by him. For Daniel speaks in this way, "And while I was still speaking and praying and declaring my sins and the sins of my people, prostrating my pitiful case before the Lord my God concerning the holy Mountain, and while I was still speaking in prayer, behold, the man Gabriel, whom I saw in the vision in the beginning, came flying and he touched me around the evening sacrifice and he caused me to understand and spoke with me and said, 'Daniel, now I have come to teach you understanding. In the beginning of your supplication the word went out and I myself came to proclaim to you that you are cherished man.'" [Daniel 9:20-23] — Commentary on Daniel 4.29.1-3 Jerome : Verse 20. "Now while I was yet speaking and praying and confessing my sins and the sins of my people, Israel, so as to present (Vulg.: and was presenting) my petitions in the presence of my God on behalf of the holy mountain of my God..." And so, as we have pointed out above, he not only thought upon the sins of the people but also upon his own sins, as being one of the people. Or else it was by way of humility, although he had not personally committed sin; his purpose being to obtain pardon by reason of his humility. Observe what he said here: "I was confessing my sins." For there are many passages in Scripture where confession does not imply an expression of repentance so much as an expression of praise to God. — St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER NINE