Daniel 9

Daniel 9 contains the prophecy of the seventy weeks (sevens) of years, which total 490 years (as discussed in the chapter on chronology). Daniel received this information concerning the seventy weeks from the angel Gabriel after he had offered prayer and supplication to God. Daniel was in exile at this time and was considering Jeremiah 25:11, which had foretold that the land was to lay desolate for threescore and ten years (seventy years). That period of time was coming to a close, and the Jews would soon be allowed to return to their homeland. The period of the seventy years and the prophecy of the seventy weeks must not be confused as they address two different time periods. The Jews were back in their cities in the seventh month in 538 BCE. (Ezra 3:1) They had been lead away captive by Nebuchadnezzar in 608 BCE. This is the time period (608 BCE - 538 BCE) for the seventy years mentioned in verses 1 and 2. It was in 539 BCE that Daniel received the prophecy of the seventy weeks of years, which was just before Cryus had issued his decree for the Jews to return home.

Please Note . . .

Most of the information I provide is from my own publications, and the commentary for verses 24 through 27 is paraphrased from my book, Selected Studies in Daniel. Some information provided in this commentary may appear redundant from chapter to chapter. This is because some Bible prophecies apply to the same events, and some of the circumstances leading up to, and following these events, overlap and interrelate with other prophecies.

The Seventy Weeks

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

 Seventy weeks are decreed upon thy people and upon thy holy city, - Seventy weeks of years (70 times 7 years), which total four hundred and ninety years. These seventy weeks must not be confused with the seventy years.

to finish transgression, - Just as the tree of the knowledge of good and evil revealed what was in the heart of a perfect man, so also the law covenant brought out what was in the hearts of imperfect men, thereby demonstrating the need for a redeemer. And as the apostle said, "For if, by the trespass of the one [Adam], death reigned through the one; much more shall they that receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one, even Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:17.

 and to make an end of sins, - Paul explains, "So then as through one trespass the judgment came unto all men to condemnation; even so through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life." - Romans 5:18.

 and to make reconciliation for iniquity, - Paul continues, "For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous." - Romans 5:19.

 and to bring in everlasting righteousness, - Paul went on to say, ". . . that, as sin reigned in death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." - Romans 5:21.

 and to seal up vision and prophecy, - Peter adds, "Concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what time or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that should follow them." - 1 Peter 1:10, 11.

 and to anoint the most holy. - The writer to the Hebrews explains, "But Christ having come a high priest of the good things to come, through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation, nor yet through the blood of goats and calves, but through his own blood, entered in once for all into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption . . . For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us . . ." - Hebrews 9:11, 12, 24.

 25 Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.

 Know therefore and discern, - Knowledge is not independent of experience, nor is it ignorant of faith. It is gained through the experience of learning God's word and living according to its instructions while maintaining faith in him who spoke it. (Matthew 4:4) Discernment enables a person to resolve the various aspects of a circumstance with clear objectivity, it keeps a person from acquiring that which is falsely called knowledge. (1 Timothy 6:20) How these two qualities interact with wisdom and understanding is best explained by Solomon, "My son, if thou wilt receive my words, And lay up my commandments with thee; So as to incline thine ear unto wisdom, And apply thy heart to understanding; Yea, if thou cry after discernment, And lift up thy voice for understanding; If thou seek her as silver, And search for her as for hid treasures: Then shalt thou understand the fear of Jehovah, And find the knowledge of God." - Proverbs 2:1-4.

 that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem - The word went forth from Artaxerxes in 455 BCE. - Nehemiah 2:1-8.

 unto the anointed one, the prince, - Jesus Christ — anointed at his baptism, when the heavens opened and the spirit of God descended upon him in the form of a dove and the voice came from the Father saying, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." - Matthew 3:13-17.

 shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: - It was after a total of sixty nine weeks of years (483 years), which ended in 29 CE, that Jesus Christ was anointed by God. This period of the sixty nine weeks of years and the period of the seven symbolic times, both of which end in 29 CE, serve as two chronological witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15) for the establishment of the date for the anointing of the messiah.

 it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times. - The work of rebuilding the city began when Nehemiah ordered the repair of the wall at Jerusalem in 455 BCE. (Nehemiah 2:11-18) The wall itself was completed in 52 days. (Nehemiah 6:15) However, Nehemiah records that during the rebuilding work the Jews met with resistance from the Samaritans under Sanballat. He also records that there was internal resistance from within the Jewish community itself. And, in addition, he writes that mixed marriages had served as a snare for the people. Thus, the work of rebuilding the city was completed, but in troublesome times.

 26 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, and shall have nothing: 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 even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.

 And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one be cut off, - The threescore and two weeks, in addition to the first seven, yield a total of sixty nine weeks. It was after the sixty ninth week, and in the middle of the seventieth, in 33 CE, that Jesus Christ was executed just as the prophet Isaiah had foretold, "By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who among them considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? And they made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death; although he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth." - Isaiah 53:8, 9.

 and shall have nothing: - Isaiah prophesied, "He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and as one from whom men hide their face he was despised; and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." - Isaiah 53:3-5.

 and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; - These are the armies of the Romans, under General Titus, who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 CE.

 and the end thereof shall be with a flood, - The destruction which brought about the end of the Jewish system came with all the devastating force of a flood.

 and even unto the end shall be war; - Steep valleys surrounded Jerusalem on all sides except for the north; where the Jews fought against the Romans from behind the three layers of walls that protected her on that side; but to no avail, the Romans took one wall at a time, while the people in the city died from famine and from the atrocities that ensued within her because of the madness of the masses in distress.

 desolations are determined. - Yahweh exacted a heavy price from those responsible for the death of his beloved son. Those responsible made the following statements, "And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children." (Matthew 27:25), "They therefore cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him! Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar." - John 19:15.

 27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate.

 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: - The adjective is absent here in the Hebrew. The text in Hebrew literally reads "and he will have caused to be confirmed a covenant for the many one week." I understand this to mean that Jesus Christ, by his death and resurrection, caused a covenant to be confirmed between him and his Father, for all of those who believe that he died for their sins. (Matthew 26:27, 28) This is in harmony with his words to Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:16) and to Thomas, "Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed." (John 20:29) The period of this week ended in 36 C.E. when Christ poured out holy spirit from heaven on the Gentiles; thereby demonstrating that this covenant would include those of non-Jewish ancestry, just as he had fortold when he said, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice: and they shall become one flock, one shepherd." - John 10:16.

 and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; - In the middle of the 70th week (33 CE), after the death of Christ, the sacrifices required under the law were no longer valid. Paul explained this in his letter to the Colossians, when he said that Christ, ". . . blotted out the bond written in ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us: and he hath taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross;" - Colossians 2:14.

 and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; - The phrase in Hebrew means "abominations causing desolation." Jesus instructed his followers saying, "When therefore ye see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him that readeth understand), then let them that are in Judaea flee unto the mountains:" (Matthew 24:15, 16) Luke gives us the understanding, "But when ye see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that her desolation is at hand." (Luke 21:20) The Roman armies first surrounded Jerusalem under Cestius Gallus in 66 CE. But their stay was brief and they withdrew for no apparent reason. Some of the Jews then followed them all the way to Antipatris, attacking and killing over five thousand Roman soldiers as they fled. It was during this time that the Christians fled Jerusalem for the city of Pella. While the Christians fled, the Jews were preparing themselves for war with the Romans. This marked the beginning of the tribulation prophesied by Jesus in Matthew 24:15-20, Mark 13:14-17, and Luke 21:20, 21.

 When Nero learned of the losses he had incurred at the hands of the Jews he ordered Vespasian to gather forces from Syria and Alexandria for an assault against the Jews. Vespasian marched into Galilee and fortified all the strategic locations around Jerusalem, taking several cities on the way. During this time many of the Jews stayed within Jerusalem as the Romans had subdued much of the land. There was also a great deal of internal strife within the city itself. As Vespasian was preparing to attack Jerusalem he learned of the death of Nero. He then ordered that the attack be delayed while he saw to the affairs of the empire. There was also a great deal of turmoil within the empire at this time, due to the deaths of three emperors between the years 68 - 69 CE (see footnote 1). As Vespasian departed for Rome, to secure his position as emperor (see footnote 2), he ordered his Son, Titus, to march on Jerusalem. The coming of Titus to take Jerusalem marked the beginning of the fulfillment of Matthew 24:21 - 30, Mark 13:18 - 26 and Luke 21:22-27 (see footnote 3).

 and even unto the full end, - The Jews were celebrating the Passover when Titus laid siege to the city. The siege had lasted less then five months, during which time there was great distress within the city. The figurative language (see footnote 4) used by Christ: "the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken," describe the destruction of the city and the temple, and with them the end of the Jewish system of that age. - Matthew 24:29.

 and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate. - Josephus records that during the siege 1,100,000 died and 97,000 were taken as captives at the end. Thus, the days were "cut short" or else the devastation would have continued throughout all the land and no flesh would have been saved. All these things came upon that generation. (Matthew 24:34; Mark 13:30; Luke 21:32.) This was the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and those who had pierced (see footnote 5) him had seen his coming on the clouds (see footnote 6). (Revelation 1:7) Prior to these events (66 through 70 CE), the work of gathering the elect of the Lord had begun, as was foretold. - Matthew 24:31; Mark 13:27.

• 1 - After Nero had died, Galba was slain in a Roman marketplace, Otho slew himself after a loss to Vitellius, and Vitellius was slain about eight months later.
• 2 - Daniel 7:7, 8 describes the development of the Roman Empire. It also mentions ten horns, which are the following ten kings: 1st Julius Caesar, 2nd Marcus Antonius (Mark Antony), 3rd Octavian (Augustus), 4th Tiberius, 5th Caligula, 6th Claudius, 7th Nero, 8th Galba, 9th Otho, 10th Vitellius. It then goes on to describe the rise of an 11th, from before which three of the former were plucked up. This 11th king is Vespasian. Daniel 7:24, 25; and 12:7 credit him with breaking the power of the holy people. He is also the mouth mentioned in Revelation 13:5-7. The 3 and 1/2 times are all parallel in the following scriptures: Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 11:2; 13:5. This is the period described in Luke 21:24 as the "times of the Gentiles," which was from 67 CE to 70 CE.
• 3 - The "times of the Gentiles," mentioned in Luke 21:24, must not be confused with the seven symbolic times mentioned in Daniel chapter 4.
• 4 - Similar figurative language is used in scripture to describe the destruction of Babylon and Egypt. - Isaiah 13:9-11, 13; Ezekiel 32:7, 8.
• 5 - It was the Jews who pierced Jesus by the hand of the Romans. - Acts 2:22, 23; 3:13-15; 7:52.
• 6 - The clouds denote his invisible presence. - John 14:19; Matthew 24:30; Exodus 13:21; 19:9; Psalms 97:2; 104:3; Isaiah 19:1. That Christ was "seen'' means that his presence was understood mentally by the sign of the destruction.

An Error in Translation

The New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures, published by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society of New York, INC., renders Daniel 9:27 as:

"And he must keep [the] covenant in force for the many for one week; . . ."

The Tanakh The Holy Scriptures, published by the Jewish Publication Society, translates it:

"During one week he will make a firm covenant with many."

The Hebrew word gabar means "be strong" or "mighty." It appears in the Hebrew as a hiphfil (causative) verb in the perfect tense (action complete), and according to Gesenius it means "confirm a covenant." Some translations apply an adjective before the word covenant to stress that it will be a strong or firm covenant.

The Holy Bible the New King James Version, published by Thomas Nelson, INC., translates the text without the adjective:

"Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;"

Whether or not the adjective is added does not change the sense of the original meaning. The meaning is clear with or without the adjective. The anointed one will confirm a [strong] covenant. If one wanted to pay strict attention to the causative nature of the verb, he could say, "And he will have caused confirmation of a covenant for the many . . ."

What the Witnesses have done changes the meaning of the original text. They have inserted another verb, keep, which would equate to a Hebrew qal (simple action) verb, then they add a preposition, in, and a noun, force, which are not in the original text. In short, they have corrupted the text. Why? Because they say that the covenant here spoken of is the Abrahamic covenant, which they claim Christ remained open to the Jews until 36 CE. It is not the business of translators to interject their doctrine into the translation of the Holy Scriptures. What the covenant means should be left to the mind of the person reading the text. The text just says a covenant, and the original language syntax leaves it open as to whether or not the covenant was already in existence or not. Could it be a new covenant for many, Jew or Gentile, for eternal life? Could there be various aspects of the covenant regarding a place of residence - heaven for some, earth for others?

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