9:1–19 Chapter 9 occurs during the first year of Darius (see ch. 6). Here, Daniel comes across a passage in the book of Jeremiah that speaks of the restoration of the Jews from exile. Daniel pleads with God for forgiveness on behalf of his people. He appeals to the great name of God and His covenant faithfulness in hopes that He will return the captives to Jerusalem.

9:1 the first year The vision takes place somewhere within the time frame of ch. 6.

Darius, the son of Ahasuerus See 5:31 and note.

9:2 I Daniel writes in the first person (compare ch. 7 and Dan 8).

the scrolls The Prophets of the ot.

Yahweh This is the first instance in the book of Daniel where “Yahweh,” the proper Hebrew name of God, is used. The other occurrences of the divine name in Daniel appear in the prayer in Dan 9:4–19.

seventy years Jeremiah prophesied that Judah would be captive in Babylon for 70 years (see Jer 25:11 and note; compare Jer 29:10–14).

9:3 fasting and in sackcloth and ashes A customary sign of grief (see Esth 4:1, 3; Jonah 3:6). Here, Daniel is confronted by the reality of Israel’s sin; his actions preface the prayer that follows.

9:4 keeping the covenant In contrast to rebellious Israel—for whom Daniel seeks forgiveness and restoration—God keeps His covenant and is faithful concerning His promises. It is this sense of faithfulness to which Daniel can confidently appeal.

loyal love The Hebrew word chesed is used throughout the ot to describe God’s loyal love to His people and His covenant.

Chesed Word Study

9:5 we have sinned Daniel identifies with his people.

from your commandments and from your ordinances Israel rebelled against God’s proscription on idolatry and also failed to observe the Sabbath rest for the land (see Lev 25; 2 Chr 36:20–22; Jer 25:6–7).

9:6 We have not listened to your servants the prophets A common theme in Jeremiah, the book that prompts Daniel’s prayer (see Dan 9:2; Jer 26:5; 29:19; 35:15; 44:4–5).

9:7 Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord God acted within His covenant stipulations and is therefore justified in punishing Israel for disobedience (see Dan 9:11 and note). Daniel recognizes this and juxtaposes God’s righteousness with Israel’s shame.

they displayed against you Because of God’s identification with His people, the misdeeds committed against them are likewise committed against Him. Those who identify themselves with Israel are shamed because their God has been disgraced (see 1:2 and note).

9:8 we have sinned against you God is the offended party in this situation. Since He is the covenant maker, Israel sins against Him directly (compare with v. 11, “against him”).

9:9 Compassion and forgiveness In antiquity, offending parties often appealed to the charity of their offended overlords with the hope of having mercy shown to them.

9:10 we have not listened to the voice of Yahweh Daniel is appealing to a common aspect of Deuteronomistic theology: obey God and live, or fail to do so and perish.

9:11 all Israel transgressed your law Demonstrates corporate guilt (see 6:24 and note).

so as not to listen to your voice The Israelites acted with stubborn defiance; they knew the right thing to do, but intentionally chose the opposite.

the curse and the oath which was written References the curses found in Deut 28:15–68.

has been poured out A common expression associated with the distribution of God’s wrath in judgment (see Isa 1:24; Jer 7:20; 10:25; 42:18; 44:6; Ezek 7:8).

we have sinned against him Israel has not sinned against Moses but against the Law associated with him. The Law represents the Lawgiver—God; Israel violated God’s Law. However, Moses represents the Law since it was given to Israel through him.

9:12 he has carried out As opposed to Israel, God has proven faithful to the covenant.

was not done Hyperbolic language used to communicate the extent of divine wrath against Israel.

9:13 faithfulness The Law. If the Israelites had read and obeyed the Law, they would have avoided Babylonian captivity.

9:14 the calamity Since Daniel is likely reading Jeremiah, this may be a reference to Jer 31:28; 44:27.

righteous concerning all his works See Dan 9:7 and note.

9:15 from the land of Egypt Appealing to the exodus foreshadows Daniel’s forthcoming request for restoration through forgiveness.

for yourself a name An allusion to Jeremiah (see Jer 32:20). The might of the God of Israel was well known. By the time Daniel prayed, Babylon had already been judged and God was setting the stage for the exiles to return to Jerusalem.

9:16 your righteousness Daniel entreats Yahweh to subdue His wrath and forgive on the basis of His righteous acts—His legacy of saving works (see 1 Sam 12:7; Psa 103:6).

the iniquities of our ancestors The Israelites are in captivity because of their ancestors’ sin (see Jer 25:6–9).

all of our neighbors Babylon and the nations that surround Palestine. If the temple associated with the God of Israel has been disgraced, so too has God and the nation to whom it belonged (see Dan 9:7 and note; 1:2 and note).

9:17 Shine your face An expression connoting favor and benevolence (see Num 6:25; Psa 67:1).

your desolate sanctuary Daniel’s reference to the desolate sanctuary would have resonated with those living in the days of Antiochus (compare Dan 8:13; 9:26; 11:31; 12:11).

9:18 city that is called by your name Jerusalem, the location of the temple (Jer 7:10–11; Deut 12:5; 1 Kgs 8:29).

9:19 Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, pay heed and act Daniel’s prayer reaches its peak with four imperatives asking Yahweh to forgive and take swift action.

are called by your name The condition of God’s city—the temple—and His people reflects on Him. Daniel pleads for their restoration so that the greatness of God’s name might be restored, not defamed. Daniel is concerned with God’s reputation among the nations; he does not want to bring any reproach on His name.

9:20–23 While Daniel is still praying, the angel Gabriel appears. He announces his mission and God’s favor to the aging prophet.

9:20 the sin of my people Israel Daniel functions representatively in this passage: He identifies himself with sinful Israel and prays on their behalf. Normally, Israel is identified as “Your people,” with God as the possessor (see Dan 9:15).

the holy mountain of my God Jerusalem, the location of the temple. See v. 17 and note, v. 18 and note.

9:21 man Gabriel Elsewhere, Gabriel is identified as an angel (Luke 1:19, 26). He has the form or appearance of a human (see Dan 7:13 and note; 8:15–16).

I had seen in the vision previously Identified explicitly in 8:16 as the revelator and perhaps implicitly in 7:16 (“one of the attendants”).

the time of the evening offering See 8:11–14. As in ch. 8, Daniel is concerned about the disruption in sacrifice.

9:22 to teach you understanding Gabriel fulfilled the same function in 8:16.

9:23 for you are highly esteemed Daniel’s prayer will not be answered in the way he wants. However, Gabriel will give him an explanation because of his favor with Yahweh.

consider the word and understand the vision Gabriel structures his speech around this phrase, which identifies the two parts of his revelation: word and vision. The word is the revelation that follows in v. 24. After explaining it, he tells Daniel to know and understand the vision he is about to give in vv. 25–27.

9:24–27 Gabriel elaborates on the word and vision from v. 23. He tells Daniel what God has decreed: a set time frame for judgment that will not be altered. In ch. 7, Daniel learned about the rise and fall of four kingdoms and the little horn. In ch. 8, the conflict between Persia and Greece was elaborated upon, as was the profaning activities of the little horn. In this chapter, Daniel gets a glimpse into the desolating actions of the one previously identified as the little horn. This sets up the final vision in chs. 10–12. This prophecy about the 70 sevens (or weeks) is notoriously difficult to understand. The main interpretive issue is identifying the time when the prophecy is to be fulfilled. The most common suggestions relate the fulfillment to the time of Antiochus, the time of Christ, the destruction of the second temple in ad 70, or some unspecified future eschatological event. Any attempt at interpretation must grapple with the text’s message for Daniel’s original audience—the Jews in exile. The book of Daniel—and the prophecies contained in it—is “hope literature,” meant to inspire a suffering people and instruct them about how to live righteously under oppressive foreign rule. 70 Weeks ZEB Q—Z Daniel 9:24–27 Daniel (Hermeneia)

9:24 Seventy weeks The Hebrew phrase used here (“70 sevens”) is sometimes translated “70 weeks” (see v. 2 and note). These words together likely represent “weeks” of years—70 periods of seven, or 490 years (e.g., Lev 25:8).

to put an end to the transgression The six consecutive infinitives describe what will take place by the end of the 70 weeks. While some believe the events refer to Jesus and His first and second comings, others argue that these events took place before the time of Christ.

to anoint the most holy place In the context of Antiochus’ offense and the ensuing rebellion, this phrase likely refers to the cleansing and rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabeus in 164 bc (see 1 Maccabees 4:36–59). Others take this as a foreshadowing of an eschatological event.

9:25 the word This likely refers to the “word” from Dan 9:23, 24—not a later decree in the era of Ezra and Nehemiah (see v. 23 and note).

to restore and build Jerusalem The Hebrew word translated here as “to restore” can also be translated “to return”—a reference to the fact that the Israelites will return from captivity. The resulting concept of returning and rebuilding Jerusalem reflects Daniel’s requests in his prayer. In Daniel’s request that God remove His wrath and anger from His city, Daniel also implies his hope that Judah can return to Jerusalem (see v. 16). Also, his request that God’s face shine upon His sanctuary expresses Daniel’s hope that God’s temple will be rebuilt (see v. 17 and note). Alternatively, others apply this hope to an eschatological temple.

an anointed one—a leader Likely refers to Joshua, the postexilic high priest. He and Zerubbabel are identified as anointed ones (see Zech 4:14). Joshua and Zerubbabel led the rebuilding efforts in Jerusalem and restored temple worship. Others believe this language and imagery refers to the messianic arrival of Jesus, the great high priest of New Testament theology.

seven weeks In the traditional Hebrew Masoretic Text, punctuation clearly separates the seven weeks from the 62 weeks. This would require that the two periods of weeks not be read together—the anointed one does not come after a total of 69 weeks (thus identifying him with the same anointed one in Dan 9:26); rather, he comes after the first seven weeks. There are, therefore, two anointed ones in this passage.

sixty-two weeks A round figure—as opposed to an exact chronological indicator—leading up to the time of Antiochus in the immediate context.

with streets and a moat Indicates fortification and highlights the troubled times ahead.

a time of oppression This likely represents the postexilic period up until the time of Antiochus. Although the spiritual plight of the nation was vastly improved following its return to Jerusalem and the reconstruction of the temple (see Jer 29:10–14), the social-political situation remained turbulent.

9:26 an anointed one The identification of the anointed one depends on how the timing of the 70 weeks is interpreted. In the second century bc context, the anointed one could be the high priest Onias III, who was murdered in 171 bc (see 2 Maccabees 4:30–38). This murder removed the legitimate high priest; the office was then given to the highest bidder (e.g., 2 Maccabees 4:7–10, 23–29). Alternatively, grouping the two periods (Dan 9:25) allows that the end of the 69th or 70th week may refer to the culmination of Christ’s ministry at the cross.

leader Antiochus.

its end Best understood as “his end,” referring to Antiochus (see 11:45).

9:27 he will make a strong covenant Between Antiochus and the Hellenizing Jews (see 1 Maccabees 1:11–15).

he will let cease sacrifice and offering Antiochus commanded regular sacrifices in the temple to be stopped in 1 Maccabees 1:41–50.

a desolating abomination See Dan 8:13 and note.

is poured out on the desolator See 8:25; 11:45.