Daniel 9

1-19 Daniel’s Prayer for the People

1-2 In Darius’s first year, Daniel looks at Jeremiah’s prophecy and determines they would be in Babylon for 70 years.

From Jamieson, Fausset and Brown:

Cyaxares II, in whose name Cyrus, his nephew, son-in-law, and successor, took Babylon, 538 B.C. The date of this chapter is therefore 537 B.C., a year before Cyrus permitted the Jews to return from exile, and sixty-nine years after Daniel had been carried captive at the beginning of the captivity, 606 B.C.

3-6 He begins a prayer to God with confession of Israel’s sins.

7-10 Righteousness is with God; shame with his people.

11-14 Israel has transgressed God’s law, so the oath and curse in the law of Moses has come upon us, just as it was written.

15-19 Let your anger turn away from Jerusalem – not on the grounds of our righteousness, but because of your great mercies.

Note: Daniel speaks of these sins as if he were among the unfaithful. It’s not “they” but “we.” it’s hard for me to imagine he was among those Jews who were idolatrous, seeing that from the beginning of his service to Nebuchadnezzar he was not swayed by those in power.

20-27 The Seventy Weeks

20-23 While Daniel prays, Gabriel comes to him to give him wisdom and understanding.

24-27 Seventy weeks are decreed for Israel:

• to finish the transgression
• put an end to sin
• atone iniquity
• bring in everlasting righteousness
• seal both vision and prophet
• anoint a most holy place

The time will be divided up as follows:

• 7 weeks until the time of an anointed prince
• 62 weeks – the city will be rebuilt, but in a troubled time
• Then an anointed prince will be cut off, and the troops of the prince to come will destroy the city and sanctuary, first a flood and then war.
• He will make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half a week will make sacrifice and offering cease, replaced by an abomination of desolation.

Note: Commentators agree that this is a Messianic prophecy. The 70 weeks is interpreted not as 490 days but as 490 years, referring both to the coming of the Messiah and to the final destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The 1599 Geneva Study Bible gives the most concise explanation.