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Daniel 9

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In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

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In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

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And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

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And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

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We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments:

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Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

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O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

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O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

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To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

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Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

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Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

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And he hath confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.

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As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

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Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice.

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And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

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O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

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Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications, and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.

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O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

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O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.

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And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God;

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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.

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And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

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At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

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Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

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Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

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And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

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And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

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Daniel 9

Daniel 9 presents Daniel's penitential prayer and Gabriel's revelation of "seventy weeks" (of years), a cryptic prophecy claiming that seventy weeks are "decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness." Gabriel's interpretation divides the weeks into periods: seven weeks (49 years) for Jerusalem's restoration, sixty-two weeks (434 years) after which "the Anointed One will be put to death," and a final week in which a desolating abomination appears until judgment consummates the age. This prophecy became central to Christian eschatology, with interpreters identifying the "Anointed One" with Jesus and the seventy weeks with the period from exile to messianic advent, though Jewish interpretation read it as structural theology of history moving toward restoration. The chapter's framing—Daniel's study of Jeremiah's prophecy of seventy years (Jer. 25:11-12), leading to prayer for understanding, leading to Gabriel's revelation—establishes a hermeneutical model where sacred texts are interpreted through prayer and divine revelation, not mere historical analysis. The theology here emphasizes that covenant community can calculate God's purposes through careful attention to Scripture and intercession, that the future is knowable (at least in broad structural outline) because God has predetermined the sequence of history. The vision grants David's covenant (restoration to the holy city and its temple) an eschatological fulfillment through messianic advent and kingdom, linking personal restoration with cosmic transformation. Daniel 9 represents the height of apocalyptic calculation and interpretation, attempting to read in Scripture itself the predetermined timetable of redemption.

Daniel 9:27

"He shall make a strong covenant with many for one week; and for half of the week he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease; and on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out upon the desolator"—describing the final week as involving a covenant-breaker, cessation of temple sacrifice, and abomination until divine judgment falls on the desolator. This verse's interpretation has generated centuries of scholarly debate regarding the identity of the covenant-maker and the timing of end-time events. The structure parallels Antiochus's desecration while extending toward ultimate eschatological fulfillment. The certainty that judgment falls on the desolator affirms final divine vindication of the righteous.

Daniel 9:1

In the first year of Darius the Mede, Daniel discerns from the books that Jerusalem's desolation would last seventy years according to Jeremiah's prophecy—establishing the theological practice of scriptural interpretation and prayer as response to prophecy. The reference to Jeremiah connects the Babylonian crisis to earlier divine word and demonstrates that God's prophetic word remains constant across changing circumstances. Daniel's study of scripture models how believers appropriate prophetic tradition to their own situations.

Daniel 9:2

Recognizing that the appointed time nears completion, Daniel directs his face to the Lord God, seeking favor through prayer, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes—expressing appropriate response to approaching fulfillment of promise and beginning his intercession for the city and people. The physicalized expressions of repentance and mourning demonstrate the depth of Daniel's covenant concern for Jerusalem. His initiatives in prayer exemplify how believers may actively seek divine fulfillment of promised restoration.

Daniel 9:3

Daniel seeks the Lord with prayer and petition, fasting, sackcloth, and ashes—emphasizing the totality of his devotion and the seriousness with which he approaches the threshold of prophetic fulfillment. The enumeration of practices (prayer, petition, fasting, sackcloth, ashes) demonstrates comprehensive engagement of body, spirit, and will in intercession. These practices signal recognition that access to divine response requires appropriate spiritual preparation and humility.

Daniel 9:4

Daniel addresses the Lord as the great and awesome God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments—acknowledging the conditional nature of covenant blessing while affirming God's faithfulness to his commitments. This opening establishes the theological framework for Daniel's intercession: God's covenant character guarantees responsiveness to faithful prayer. The invocation reminds both God and Daniel of the relational basis for petition.

Daniel 9:5

Daniel confesses: "We have sinned and done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, and turned aside from your commandments and ordinances"—adopting corporate identity with the exiled community and accepting responsibility for collective sin that brought divine judgment. His use of "we" rather than "they" demonstrates prophetic solidarity with sinners and rejection of self-righteous separation. The enumeration of sins (sinned, wrong, wickedness, rebellion, disobedience) expresses comprehensive moral failure.

Daniel 9:6

Daniel continues: "We did not listen to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land"—emphasizing the rejection of prophetic witness as central Israel's sin and the reason for exile. The chain of authority (God > prophets > kings/princes/fathers > people) demonstrates how rejection of prophetic word represented refusal of God's authority itself. The inclusivity ("all the people") affirms collective responsibility for spiritual failure.

Daniel 9:7

"Righteousness belongs to you, O Lord, but to us open shame; shame covers our faces—kings, princes, fathers, and all Israel, both those near and far, because of the treacheries we committed against you"—confessing God's justice in judgment and acknowledging Israel's deserved shame from exile. The enumeration of shamed groups emphasizes the totality of judgment spanning all ranks and locations. The attribution of righteousness to God establishes the ethical basis for accepting judgment as just.

Daniel 9:8

"O Lord, to us belongs open shame, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against you"—reiterating the confession of comprehensive guilt and shame, emphasizing that no category of society escapes responsibility for the communal sin. The repetition underscores the completeness of Israel's moral failure and the corresponding universality of judgment. Reiteration also demonstrates the depth of Daniel's penitential emotion and commitment to honest self-assessment.

Daniel 9:9

"To the Lord our God belongs mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against him"—pivoting from confession of guilt to affirmation of God's merciful character, establishing that forgiveness remains possible despite rebellion. This verse articulates the crucial theological transition from accusation to intercession: God's mercy transcends human desert. The contrast between human rebellion and divine forgiveness frames the basis for expecting restoration.

Daniel 9:10

"We have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God by walking in his laws which he set before us through his servants the prophets"—identifying disobedience to covenant law as the specific sin requiring restoration, measured against the explicitly revealed divine will. Law-keeping emerges as the criterion for covenant blessing, and its neglect as the cause of exile. This identification grounds judgment in the clarity of revealed expectations rather than ambiguity.

Daniel 9:11

"All Israel has transgressed your law and turned aside, refusing to obey your voice. And so the curse and oath written in the law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out upon us, because we sinned against him"—connecting specific exile to the covenant curses outlined in Deuteronomy, establishing that judgment follows logically from violated conditions. The reference to Moses grounds the curse in the foundational covenant document and divine authority. Recognition of inevitable consequences demonstrates covenant understanding rather than resentment.

Daniel 9:12

"He has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us and against our rulers, by bringing upon us a great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has not been done the like of what has been done against Jerusalem"—acknowledging that the exile's severity exceeds normal military defeat, suggesting divine orchestration beyond natural causes. The comparison to nothing done "under the whole heaven" indicates the catastrophe's unique magnitude. This acknowledgment underscores that only divine judgment could produce such comprehensive destruction.

Daniel 9:13

"As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come upon us, yet we have not entreated the favor of the Lord our God, turning from our iniquities and giving attention to your truth"—expressing recognition that even amid calamity, Israel failed to repent properly, perpetuating separation from God. The reference to written law establishes that judgment followed revealed stipulations, leaving no excuse for surprise. The admission that repentance had not occurred prior to this moment emphasizes the present prayer as a turning point.

Daniel 9:14

"Therefore the Lord has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is righteous in all the works which he has done, and we have not obeyed his voice"—affirming God's righteous character demonstrated through judgment and accepting the equation between disobedience and consequence. The phrase "kept in store" emphasizes the deliberate and measured nature of judgment, executed at appointed time. Complete vindication of God's righteousness establishes the ethical foundation for Daniel's intercession.

Daniel 9:15

"And now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and made yourself a name, even to this day—we have sinned, we have been wicked"—shifting from confession to petition by invoking God's redemptive history with Israel and his demonstrated power, appealing to his revealed character as deliverer. The reference to the Exodus establishes the precedent for God to restore the exiled people as he restored them from Egypt. This historical appeal grounds petitionary theology in documented divine action.

Daniel 9:16

"O Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, let your anger and your wrath turn away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a mockery to all those around us"—requesting that divine justice (already demonstrated through judgment) now manifest as mercy, and that God's honor requires restoration of his city. The reference to Jerusalem becoming a mockery suggests that continued desolation dishonors God's name among nations. Appeal to divine honor represents a crucial intercession mechanism.

Daniel 9:17

"Now therefore, O our God, listen to the prayer of your servant and his supplications, and for your own sake cause your face to shine upon your desolate sanctuary"—entreating God to attend to petition and to restore his sanctuary motivated by divine interest in his own honor and the temple's rededication. "Face to shine" represents divine favor and presence; the desolate sanctuary embodies both judgment and the need for restoration. This appeal to God's own interests acknowledges that restoration serves divine purposes.

Daniel 9:18

"O my God, incline your ear and hear; open your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by your name; for we do not present our supplications before you on account of any righteous acts of our own, but on account of your great mercy"—pleading for divine attention to Jerusalem's ruined state and explicitly denying that any human merit warrants response, basing the appeal entirely on God's mercy. The rhetorical appeal to divine senses (ear, eyes) emphasizes the directness of supplication. The disclaimer about human merit establishes grace as the sole basis for forgiveness.

Daniel 9:19

"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and take action, do not delay—for your own sake, O my God, because your city and your people are called by your name"—final urgent petition combining imperatives for hearing, forgiveness, and action with the ultimate appeal that God's own reputation and commitment to his people demand response. The repetition of "O Lord" reflects the intensity of intercession. Three times of petition (hear, forgive, listen/act) invoke the totality of divine response.

Daniel 9:20

As Daniel speaks in prayer, Gabriel approaches him "in swift flight" at the time of the evening offering—indicating divine responsiveness to faithful intercession through angelic messenger appearing at the symbolic time of temple worship (evening sacrifice). Gabriel's swift flight emphasizes urgency and divine eagerness to respond. The timing at the evening offering connects the response to the covenant worship that continued in exiled form, maintaining connection to the temple service.

Daniel 9:21

Gabriel states he has come to give Daniel wisdom and understanding, addressing him by name and explaining that Daniel is greatly beloved—establishing the basis for the subsequent revelation as divine favor toward the faithful prophet. "Greatly beloved" affirms Daniel's standing before God despite his human limitations and doubt. This affirmation motivates the prophet to receive and act upon the revelation with full commitment.

Daniel 9:22

Gabriel instructs Daniel to consider the message and understand the vision—preparing him to receive complex eschatological chronology that will explain the timeline of restoration. The exhortation to "understand" emphasizes that revelation requires active cognitive engagement, not merely passive reception. This sets the framework for the highly structured prophecy of seventy weeks to follow.

Daniel 9:23

"At the beginning of your supplications a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter and understand the vision"—indicating that God determined to respond to Daniel's prayer before Gabriel's arrival, establishing prayer as effective and divine answer as assured. The reiteration of "greatly beloved" reinforces the personal relationship underlying the revelation. This assurance transforms the subsequent prophecy from mere information into response to passionate intercession.

Daniel 9:24

"Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint the most holy place"—prophesying a period (typically interpreted as 490 years, though debated) during which God will accomplish the ultimate restoration including removal of sin, inauguration of eternal righteousness, and fulfillment of prophetic promises. The six objectives enumerate the comprehensive spiritual restoration that God purposes to achieve. This verse provides the theological framework interpreting the entire seventy-weeks prophecy as directed toward redemptive completion.

Daniel 9:25

"Know therefore and understand: from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it shall be built with squares and moat, even in times of trouble"—identifying the starting point (authorization to rebuild Jerusalem) and initial period of seven weeks (49 years) of rebuilding, followed by sixty-two weeks (434 years) of relatively stable existence until Messiah's appearance. The temple's construction "in times of trouble" acknowledges that post-exilic restoration occurs amid ongoing opposition and difficulty. The specific division into three segments (7 + 62 + 1 week) structures the eschatological timetable.

Daniel 9:26

"After the sixty-two weeks, an Anointed One shall be cut off and shall have nothing; and the troops of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood; and to the end there shall be war, desolations are decreed"—prophesying Messiah's death ("cut off") after the 62-week period and the subsequent destruction of Jerusalem by Roman forces (70 CE), introducing a decisive eschatological turning point. The reference to a "prince who is to come" (likely referring to the Roman general leading the siege) distinguishes between Messiah and the eschatological adversary. Desolations decreed indicate that even destruction serves divine purposes predetermined.