English · KJV

Daniel 9

Listen to this chapter
0:00 0:00

Daniel Studies Jeremiah's Prophecy 1–2

1
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; ​
2
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. ​

Daniel's Prayer of Confession 3–19

3
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes: ​
4
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; ​
5
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: ​
6
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.
7
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.
8
O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.
9
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;
10
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.
11
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. ​
12
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.
13
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.
14
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. ​
15
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. ​
16
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.
17
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.
18
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. ​
19
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.

Gabriel Appears to Daniel 20–23

20
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;
21
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. ​
22
And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
23
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. ​

The Prophecy of Seventy Weeks 24–27

24
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. ​
25
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. ​
26
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. ​
27
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. ​

Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain

Study Notes for Daniel 9

Verse 1

Darius the son of Ahasuerus — 'Darius' (Daryavesh) and 'Ahasuerus' are Persian royal titles rather than personal names. 'Was made king' is a passive verb: the realm was conferred on him, as Dan 5:31 says, 'Darius the Median took the kingdom'. The year falls as the seventy years near their end.

Verse 2

understood by books — Bin, to discern; the 'books' (sepher) are the writings that held Jeremiah's word: 'seventy years' (Jer 25:11; 29:10). 'Desolations' is chorbah, the word of Jer 25:11, 'a desolation'. The Chronicler reads the same seventy years as a sabbath rest for the land (2 Chr 36:21).

Verse 3

I set my face — Natan panim, to fix the face resolutely toward God. 'Fasting' (tsom), 'sackcloth' (saq, coarse sacking) and 'ashes' (epher) accompany the prayer, as with Nehemiah, who 'fasted, and prayed' over the same city (Neh 1:4). The LORD had promised, 'ye shall seek me, and find me' (Jer 29:13).

Verse 4

the great and dreadful God — 'Dreadful' is yare, to be feared, revered. 'Covenant and mercy' (berith, chesed) recall the words of the law: 'shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me and keep my commandments' (Deut 5:10; Ex 20:6). The prayer rests on that covenant name before any confession.

Verse 5

We have sinned — Four verbs pile up: chata (to miss the mark), avah (to make crooked), rasha (to act wickedly), marad (to rebel), then sur, 'departing' from 'precepts' (mitsvah) and 'judgments' (mishpat). The first three echo Ps 106:6, 'We have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.'

Verse 11

the curse is poured upon us — 'Curse' (alah) and 'oath' (shebuah) name the sworn sanctions of the law of Moses: 'if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God' (Deut 28:15); 'all the curses that are written in this book' (Deut 29:20). 'Poured' is nathak, to flow forth; the verb returns in v.27.

Verse 14

the LORD watched upon the evil — Shaqad, to be wakeful, on the alert; the LORD kept watch over the judgment until it fell. He had said, 'I will watch over them for evil, and not for good' (Jer 44:27). The reason is given at once: tsaddiq, 'righteous in all his works', and 'we obeyed not his voice'.

Verse 15

a mighty hand — The plea turns to the Exodus. 'Mighty' is chazaq, strong; 'renown' is shem, name: the LORD made himself a name by that deliverance, as he promised, 'I have gotten me honour upon Pharaoh' (Ex 14:18). Ps 106:8 gives the same ground: 'he saved them for his name's sake'.

Verse 18

for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies — 'Mercies' is rachamim, compassion or tender love, a plural form. 'Present' is naphal, literally to fall: supplications laid down before him. 'Incline thine ear… open thine eyes' repeats Hezekiah's plea (2 Kings 19:16). The city is 'called by thy name'.

Verse 21

the man Gabriel — The name means 'man of God'. He is the one 'seen in the vision at the beginning' (Dan 8:16, 'Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision'); he later says, 'I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God' (Luke 1:19). The 'evening oblation' is the evening lamb (Ex 29:39).

Verse 23

greatly beloved — Chemdah, delight, what is desired. The same designation returns in 'a man greatly beloved' (Dan 10:11, 19). 'At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth': the word (davar) went out when he began to pray, and Gabriel now comes to explain 'the vision'.

Verse 24

Seventy weeks — Shabua, 'sevened', a week, here of years, as in the sabbath-year count of Lev 25:8, 'seven sabbaths of years… forty and nine years'. Seventy times seven answers the seventy years of v.2. 'Determined' is chathak, cut off. Six aims follow, ending in 'anoint the most Holy'; reckonings differ.

Verse 25

Messiah the Prince — Mashiach nagid: an anointed one, a leader. The count starts from the 'commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem', and runs 'seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks'. 'Troublous times' (tsoq, distress) recall Nehemiah's builders, each 'had his sword girded by his side, and so builded' (Neh 4:18).

Verse 26

Messiah be cut off — Karath, to cut off; Isa 53:8 has the same thought, 'he was cut off out of the land of the living' (there gazar). The 'people of the prince that shall come' destroy 'the city and the sanctuary', as Christ foretold (Matt 24:2) and as Luke 21:20 describes, 'Jerusalem compassed with armies'. 'Flood' is sheteph, an overflowing.

Verse 27

he shall confirm the covenant — Gabar, to strengthen; 'many' share it 'for one week'. In its midst 'the sacrifice and the oblation' (zebach, minchah) cease, and 'abominations' (shiqquts) bring desolation. Christ cites this as 'the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel' (Matt 24:15); Dan 12:11 repeats it.