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Daniel Chapter
Nine
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 9
This
chapter contains a prayer of Daniel, and the answer to it. The time, occasion,
and manner of his prayer, or circumstances of it, are observed, Daniel 9:1, the
parts of it, an address unto God, under various suitable epithets and
characters, Daniel 9:4
confession of sin, of his own, of the inhabitants of the land, kings, princes,
and people, which are largely dwelt upon and exaggerated, Daniel 9:5 and
petitions for mercy, Daniel 9:16, then
the answer follows; the time when it was ordered and given, and the person by
whom it was sent, are expressed, Daniel 9:20 who
delivered to him the vision of the seventy weeks to be considered by him; in
which both the work of the Messiah, and the time of his coming, are clearly
pointed out, Daniel 9:24.
Daniel 9:1 In the first
year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made
king over the realm of the Chaldeans—
YLT 1In the first year of
Darius, son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who hath been made king
over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of
the Medes,.... This is the same with Darius the Median, that took the kingdom
after the death of Belshazzar; so called, to distinguish him from Darius the
Persian; and yet Porphyry has the gall to assert that this was Darius the
Persian, under whom the temple was built, that Daniel might appear to live
later than he did: Ahasuerus, whose son he was, is not he that was the husband
of Esther, and was many years later than this; but the same with Astyages king
of the Medes, and who is called Ahasuerus, in the Apocrypha:
"But
before he died he heard of the destruction of Nineve, which was taken by
Nabuchodonosor and Assuerus: and before his death he rejoiced over Nineve.' (Tobit 14:15)
the
father of Cyaxares, the same with this Darius, who was uncle to Cyrus that
conquered Babylon, and made him king of it, and of the whole empire; for this
was not the first year of his reign over Media, where he had reigned many years
before, but over Chaldea, as follows:
which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; by Cyrus his
nephew; who having taken Babylon, and settled his affairs, undertook a journey
to Persia, and made Media in his way; where he met with his uncle Cyaxares, the
same with this Darius, and delivered the kingdom of Babylon to him, and married
his daughter, with whom he had for her dowry the kingdom of Media, as XenophonF25Cyropaedia,
l. 8. c. 36. relates. Now it was in the first year of his reign over the
Chaldeans that Daniel had the following vision of the seventy weeks; which, according
to Bishop UsherF26Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3467. and Mr. WhistonF1Chronological
Tables, cent. 10. , was in the year of the world 3467 A.M. and 537 B.C. Dean
PrideauxF2Connexion, &c. part 1. p. 125,128. places it in the
year 538; and Mr. BedfordF3Scripture Chronology, p. 711. in the year
536.
Daniel 9:2 2 in
the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of
the years specified by the word of the Lord through
Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations
of Jerusalem.
YLT 2in the first year of his
reign, I, Daniel, have understood by books the number of the years, (in that a
word of Jehovah hath been unto Jeremiah the prophet,) concerning the fulfilling
of the wastes of Jerusalem -- seventy years;
In the first year of his reign,.... Which was also the
first of Cyrus, who was partner with him in the kingdom; in which year ended
the seventy years' captivity of the Jews, and proclamation was made to have
their liberty to go up to Jerusalem, and build the temple, Ezra 1:1, reckoning
from the third, or the beginning of the fourth, of Jehoiakim king of Judah,
when the desolation of the land began, and Daniel himself was carried captive;
and which was the first year of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, during whose
reign, and that of his son, and son's son, the Jews were to be detained
captives, Daniel 1:1.
I Daniel understood by books; the sacred Scriptures,
which, though a prophet, he was not above reading; and, though a prime minister
of state, yet found time to look into these divine oracles; which he read,
studied, thoroughly considered, and well weighed in his mind; whereby he came
to have knowledge of
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 might possibly have heard this prophecy of Jeremiah from
his own mouth, before he went to Babylon; since the first intimation of it was
in the first year of Jehoiakim, Jeremiah 27:1, and
after this the prophecy might be sent to Babylon for the use of the captive
Jews there; and indeed a copy of all his prophecies was no doubt brought
thither at the last captivity of the people; so that it is easy to account for
it how Daniel came by it; and it is plain it was now before him; for he uses
the very word, חרבות, "desolations", which
Jeremiah does, Jeremiah 25:9, the
prophecy of the seventy years' captivity, and of deliverance from it at the
expiration of that term, stands in Jeremiah 25:12,
which Daniel carefully read over, thoroughly considered, and as he full well
knew what was the epoch of them, or when they begun, he found that they were
just ready to expire; and this set him to the work of prayer, as in the
following verses. From hence it is manifest that the law was not burnt, nor the
Scriptures lost, in the Babylonish captivity; so that none knew what were or
would be done by the Lord, as is falsely asserted in the Apocrypha:
"For
thy law is burnt, therefore no man knoweth the things that are done of thee, or
the work that shall begin. &c.' (2 Esdras 14:21)
Daniel 9:3 3 Then
I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications,
with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.
YLT 3and I set my face unto the
Lord God, to seek [by] prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth,
and ashes.
And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications,.... He set apart some time on purpose for this service, distinct
from his usual stated times of prayer, as well as from his civil business and
employment; and he not only set his face toward Jerusalem, as he used to do, Daniel 6:10, the
more to affect his mind with the desolations the city and temple lay in; but
towards the Lord God, the sovereign Lord of all, who does according to his will
in heaven and in earth, the Governor of the universe, the one true God, Father,
Son, and Spirit: and this denotes the intenseness of his spirit in prayer; the
fixedness of his heart; the ardour of his mind; the fervency of his soul; his
holy confidence in God; the freedom and boldness he used in prayer, and his
constancy and continuance in it; which is a principal means, and a proper
manner of seeking God. The Septuagint version, agreeably to the Hebrew textF4לבקש תפלה ותחנונים
του εκζητησαι προσευχην και δεησεις,
Sept; "ad quaerendum orationem et deprecationes", Montanus; "ad
quaerendam orationem et supplicationem", Cocceius. , renders it, "to
seek prayer and supplications"; such as were suitable and pertinent to the
present case; most beneficial and interesting to him and his people, and most
acceptable to the Lord:
with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes; as was usual
on extraordinary occasions, in times of public mourning; and this he did, to
show his sense of the divine Being, and of his own unworthiness to ask or
receive anything of him; his great humiliation for the sins of the people; and
to distinguish this prayer of his from ordinary ones, and to affect his own
heart in it, with the sad condition his nation, city, and temple were in; and
therefore abstained from food for a time, put sackcloth on his loins, and ashes
on his head, or sat in them.
Daniel 9:4 4 And
I prayed to the Lord
my God, and made confession, and said, “O Lord, great and awesome God, who
keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep
His commandments,
YLT 4And I pray to Jehovah my
God, and confess, and say: `I beseech Thee, O Lord God, the great and the
fearful, keeping the covenant and the kindness to those loving Him, and to
those keeping His commands;
And I prayed unto the Lord my God,.... Not to idols, nor to
angels or saints departed; but to the Lord God of heaven and earth, who is
omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent, &c.: a God hearing and answering
prayer; and to whom he directed his prayer, not only as the God of nature and
providence, but as his own covenant God and Father; thereby encouraging his
faith in him, and using his interest with him: and made my confession; of his
own sins, and of the sins of his people; of the favours bestowed on him and
them; of his justice in afflicting them, and his mercy in appointing a time for
their deliverance; of his own faith in him, love to him, and submission to his
will:
and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God; great in his
being and perfections, and in all his works of nature, providence, and grace;
"and dreadful" in his threatenings and judgments, in his wrath and
vengeance: or, to be "feared"F5הנורא
"reverendus", Vatablus; "summe reverende", Junius &
Tremellius; "metuende", Cocceius. ; and reverenced by all men,
especially by his saints; and particularly when they draw near unto him, as
Daniel now did; and that because of his greatness and goodness: this Daniel
observes to raise in his mind a proper awe and reverence of God, whose presence
he was now approaching:
keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them
that keep his commandments; faithful to his word of promise; large and
liberal in the distribution of his grace and mercy to such that love him
sincerely and heartily; and, as an evidence of it, observe his precepts from a
principle of love, and with a view to his glory: respect seems to be had to Exodus 20:6, this
is observed, by the prophet, to encourage his own faith, and that of others, as
to the fulfilment of the promise of their deliverance from captivity at the end
of the seventy years; and to raise, in his mind and theirs, love to God, who
was thus merciful; and to show the obligations they lay under, in gratitude, to
keep his commandments.
Daniel 9:5 5 we
have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by
departing from Your precepts and Your judgments.
YLT 5we have sinned, and done
perversely, and done wickedly, and rebelled, to turn aside from Thy commands,
and from Thy judgments:
We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done
wickedly, and have rebelled,.... Some think there is a gradation in
these words; that they had committed some sins through error and ignorance;
others through infirmity and obliquity, or in the perverseness of their
spirits, and the crookedness of their ways; and others wilfully and in malice,
in the wickedness of their hearts; and others were open acts of hostility
against God, casting off his yoke, and refusing obedience to him, and
obstinately persisting therein. Jacchiades refers them to sins of actions,
words, and thoughts, which they proudly and presumptuously committed. This heap
of phrases seems to be used to take in all kind of sin committed by them, and
rather to exaggerate than to extenuate them, and to confess them with all their
aggravated circumstances; and Daniel puts in himself among the body of the
people, as being a member of it, and as well knowing he was not without sin;
and therefore willingly took his part in the blame of it, in confession of it,
and confusion for it:
even by departing from thy precepts, and from thy judgments; both of a
moral and positive nature, which were enjoined by the law of Moses, as the rule
of their conduct; but from this they swerved.
Daniel 9:6 6 Neither
have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings
and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land.
YLT 6and we have not hearkened
unto Thy servants, the prophets, who have spoken in Thy name unto our kings,
our heads, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.
Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets,.... To their
explanations of the laws and judgments of God; to their admonitions, reproofs,
and counsels; these they did not attentively listen to, nor give credit to
them, nor yield obedience to them; but despised and rejected them, though they
were the true prophets and servants of the Lord; such as Hosea, Isaiah,
Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and others:
which spake in thy name; they came by the
authority of God, being sent by him; they delivered their message in his name,
being his ambassadors; and which as it was an honour done to this people to
have such men sent unto them, so it was an aggravation of their sin that they
showed no respect to them; since their words were not their own, but the
Lord's, which they spoke to all sorts of persons:
to our kings; one after another, as to Ahaz, Manasseh,
Jehoiakim, Jeconiah, and Zedekiah; kings of the house of David, and over the
land of Judah:
our princes; princes of the blood, nobles, and courtiers:
and our fathers; meaning not only their immediate ancestors,
but their subordinate rulers, civil magistrates, judges or elders of the
people, as Jacchiades interprets it:
and to all the people of the land: of Judea; the common
people, as distinguished from persons of rank and figure before expressed.
These several persons are named, partly to observe how faithful the prophets
were in delivering their message to all sorts of persons, high and low, not
fearing the faces of any; and partly to show that none could plead ignorance,
or excuse themselves with that, since all had had sufficient warning and
instruction: as also to observe, that the sin of rejecting the true prophets of
the Lord was universal among them, all were guilty of it.
Daniel 9:7 7 O
Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is
this day—to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel,
those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven
them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You.
YLT 7`To Thee, O Lord, [is] the
righteousness, and to us the shame of face, as [at] this day, to the men of
Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near,
and who are far off, in all the lands whither Thou hast driven them, in their
trespass that they have trespassed against Thee.
O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee,.... It is
essential to him, it is his nature, and appears in all his works; he is
perfectly pure, holy, and righteous; he is just, and without iniquity; and
there is no unrighteousness in him, nor any to be charged upon him, on account
of anything done by him: punitive justice belongs to him; nor is he to be
complained of because of his judgments, which are righteous altogether; nor had
the prophet, or any of his countrymen, just reason to complain of the evils
brought on them; the desolations of their land, city, and temple, and their captivity
in a strange land; by all which no injustice was done, nor could they charge
the Lord with any: and with him also is righteousness wrought out by his Son,
to justify sinners that believe in him; he has accepted of it, and imputes it
without works.
But unto us confusion of face, as at this day; both on
account of their sins, which stared them in the face, loaded their consciences
with guilt, and filled them with shame; and on account of their punishment, the
miserable condition in which their country was and they themselves were at that
day; which declared to all the world what sinners they had been, and what sins
they had committed, which had brought this ruin upon them, and them into such
sad circumstances:
to the men of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem; or, "man
of Judah"F6לאיש יהודה
"vire Judae", Cocceius. ; to every man of the tribes of Judah and
Benjamin; who once dwelt in that land flowing with milk and honey, and now in a
strange land for their sins; and to every inhabitant of that renowned city of
jerusalem, the metropolis of the nation, the seat, of the kings of Judah; yea,
the city of the great King, where the temple stood, and divine worship was
performed, but now lay in ruins, through the iniquity of its inhabitants, and
therefore had just reason to be ashamed:
and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are afar off, through
all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of the trespass that
they have trespassed against thee; shame and confusion of
face also belonged to the ten tribes of Israel; to such of them as were mixed
with the Jews in Babylon, or were in those parts of Assyria that lay nearest to
it; and to those that were at a greater distance, in Media, Iberia, Colchis,
and other places; yea, in all kingdoms and countries where they were dispersed
for their trespass against the Lord; particularly in worshipping the calves at
Dan and Bethel, and other acts of idolatry and impiety.
Daniel 9:8 8 “O
Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers,
because we have sinned against You.
YLT 8`O Lord, to us [is] the
shame of face, to our kings, to our heads, and to our fathers, in that we have
sinned against Thee.
O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face,.... Which is
repeated, to show how much the mind of the prophet was affected with it, and to
fix a sense of it in the minds of others; as well as to suggest that he wanted
words fully to express that shame that everyone ought to take to themselves;
and also in order to introduce what follows, and that to observe that all ranks
and degrees of men were concerned in it:
to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have
sinned against thee; these had each of them sinned against the Lord, by not
hearkening to his prophets, who reproved them for their sins, and warned them
of their danger, Daniel 9:6 and
therefore had reason to be ashamed of them before him; as well as to observe
the low estate in which the royal family, princes, elders, and people in
Babylon, were, being exposed to shame and reproach before all the world.
Daniel 9:9 9 To
the Lord our God belong mercy and forgiveness, though we have rebelled
against Him.
YLT 9`To the Lord our God [are]
the mercies and the forgivenesses, for we have rebelled against Him,
To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses,.... Mercy is
his nature, and what he delights in; it is abundant, and he is plenteous in it
the fountain of mercy is with him, and numerous are the streams which flow from
it, called "the multitude of his tender mercies"; all temporal
favours spring from hence, and so do all spiritual blessings, the sure mercies
of David; and particularly the forgiveness of sin, which is the Lord's
prerogative, and is according to the tender mercies of our God, and the riches
of his grace; and is of all sins, and of all sorts of sinners; he doth
abundantly pardon all that apply to him for it, and forgives all trespasses;
see Psalm 130:4,
though we have rebelled against him: there is mercy with the
Lord, and forgiveness with him, even for rebellious ones; which is an
exaggeration and illustration of his pardoning grace and mercy: or, "for
we have sinned against him"F7כי מרדנו "quia rebellavimus", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Polanus, Cocceius, Michaelis. ; so that it is a plain
case that he is merciful and has forgiven our iniquities, since he has spared
us, and not destroyed us, and now is about to put an end to our captivity,
according to his promise; and if he had not mercy on us, and did not forgive
our sins, we must perish in them, and there would be no hope of salvation for
us.
Daniel 9:10 10 We
have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in His
laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.
YLT 10and have not hearkened to
the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in His laws, that He hath set before us
by the hand of His servants the prophets;
Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God,.... Speaking
in the law, and by his prophets; for what was spoken there, and by them, should
have been considered, not as the word of man, but as the word of God, and
should have been attended to and obeyed; for despising that and them was interpreted
as despising the Lord, and refusing to hearken to him, and obey his voice;
which was a sin highly provoking to him, and resented by him:
to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the
prophets; by Moses and others; for it seems to include the system of laws
which were delivered by Moses, and were many; and the doctrines of the
prophets, which were explications and enforcements of them: and these the Lord
set before them by both, as a rule to walk by, and a path to walk in; and not to
do this was very sinful in them, and greatly displeasing to him.
Daniel 9:11 11 Yes,
all Israel has transgressed Your law, and has departed so as not to obey Your
voice; therefore the curse and the oath written in the Law of Moses the servant
of God have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against Him.
YLT 11and all Israel have
transgressed Thy law, to turn aside so as not to hearken to Thy voice; and
poured on us is the execration, and the oath, that is written in the law of
Moses, servant of God, because we have sinned against Him.
Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law,.... Even
God's professing people, on whom he had bestowed distinguishing favours and
blessings, and gave them such a law as no other people had, and yet they
transgressed it; not a few, or the greatest part only, but the whole body of
them: and indeed there is no man that lives without sin, or the transgression
of the law, in thought, word, or deeds; no, not a just man; but these
transgressed the law in a very heinous manner, both the first as well as the
second table of it, committing idolatry, and all manner of impiety, in which
they continued:
even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; by departing
from the law, and the precepts of it; from God and his worship; from the temple
of God, and the service of it; and from the tribes of Judah and Benjamin: it
seems to have some respect to the separation of the ten tribes under Jeroboam,
who set up the calves at Dan and Bethel, that the people might not obey the voice
of the Lord, in going to worship at the solemn feasts in Jerusalem:
therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is
written in the law of Moses the servant of God: that is, the just
punishment of their sins was inflicted on them; or the curse the law threatened
the transgressors of it with was come upon them in its large extent, and
overflowed them like a flood; which God swore he would bring upon them, if they
transgressed his law; or which they by an oath imprecated and pronounced upon themselves,
should they not hearken to it, but transgress and disobey it:
because we have sinned against him; and therefore this curse
was not a causeless one; sin, the transgression of the law, was the cause of
it.
Daniel 9:12 12 And
He has confirmed His words, which He spoke against us and against our judges
who judged us, by bringing upon us a great disaster; for under the whole heaven
such has never been done as what has been done to Jerusalem.
YLT 12`And He confirmeth His
words that He hath spoken against us, and against our judges who have judged
us, to bring in upon us great evil, in that it hath not been done under the
whole heavens as it hath been done in Jerusalem,
And he hath confirmed his words which he spake against us,.... That is,
he hath made good his threatenings of wrath and vengeance, in case of
disobedience to his law:
and against our judges that judged us; kings, and
inferior governors, that ruled over them, who perverted justice, and did not
execute righteous judgment; and against them the Lord performed what he
threatened:
by bringing upon us a great evil; the desolation of the
whole land, the destruction of Jerusalem; the death of many by the sword,
famine, and pestilence, and the captivity of the rest; all which was a great
punishment considered in itself, but, when compared with their offences, was
less than they deserved:
for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done
upon Jerusalem; its walls broken down, its houses burnt with fire, even the
palaces of the king and nobles, and the temple of the Lord itself; and all its
inhabitants destroyed, dispersed, or carried captive; see Lamentations 1:12.
Daniel 9:13 13 “As
it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us;
yet we have not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that
we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.
YLT 13as it is written in the law
of Moses, all this evil hath come upon us, and we have not appeased the face of
Jehovah our God to turn back from our iniquities, and to act wisely in Thy
truth.
As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon
us,.... As it is there threatened it should, and as it is there
foretold it would come upon them, so it has; even the selfsame things, in the
same manner, and with the same circumstances, as there foretold; which is a
proof of the omniscience, omnipotence, and faithfulness of God, and an evidence
of the truth of divine revelation; see Leviticus 26:1,
yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God; during the
seventy years captivity, they might have prayed, and doubtless did, in a
lifeless, formal manner; but not sincerely and heartily, in faith and with
fervency, under a sense of sin, with confession of it, and true repentance for
it, and so as to forsake it, as follows:
that we might turn from our iniquities; for since
they did not pray against sin, and entreat the Lord to enable them to turn from
it, and forsake it, but continued in a course of disobedience, their prayer was
not reckoned prayer:
and understand thy truth; either the truth and
faithfulness of God, in fulfilling both his promises and his threatenings; or
his law, which is truth, as Jacchiades interprets it; for, had they prayed
aright, they would have had an understanding given them of divine truths, both
with respect to doctrine and practice; of which they were ignorant, as
prayerless persons usually are.
Daniel 9:14 14 Therefore
the Lord
has kept the disaster in mind, and brought it upon us; for the Lord our God is
righteous in all the works which He does, though we have not obeyed His voice.
YLT 14And Jehovah doth watch for
the evil, and bringeth it upon us, for righteous [is] Jehovah our God
concerning all His works that He hath done, and we have not hearkened to His
voice.
Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon
us,.... The evil of punishment; he watched the fit and proper time
to bring it upon them; indeed, he watches over the evil of sin, to bring upon
men the evil of chastisement or punishment, Job 14:16, but the
latter is here meant; see Jeremiah 31:28, the
word used has the signification of hastening; and so Jarchi and Saadiah explain
it, "he hath hastened"F8ישקוד
"festinavit", Paguinus, Vatablus. : the almond tree, as the latter
observes, has its name from hence, because it prevents other trees, and is
quicker in putting out its blossom than they, Jeremiah 1:11 and
so this may denote the purity of the Lord; his displicency at sin; his strict
justice in punishing it; and his diligence and activity in executing judgment
for it, which slumbers not, as some imagine:
for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth; the prophet
is all along careful to clear God from any imputation of injustice in any of
his works, even in his strange work, punitive justice; though he watches over
the evil to bring it, yet he is righteous in so doing; no charge of
unrighteousness is to be exhibited against him on this account:
for we obeyed not his voice; neither in his word, nor
in his providences; neither by his prophets, nor by his judgments; and being
guilty of the evil of fault, it was but just they should bear the evil of
punishment.
Daniel 9:15 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, as it is this day—we have sinned,
we have done wickedly!
YLT 15And now, O Lord our God,
who hast brought forth Thy people from the land of Egypt by a strong hand, and
dost make for Thee a name as at this day, we have sinned, we have done
wickedly.
And now, O Lord our God,.... The Lord of the
whole earth in general, the sovereign Ruler of the universe, and the God of
Israel in a special and peculiar manner; which is used to encourage faith in
prayer, and carries in it a tacit argument or plea with God to be heard, in
what he was about to say in behalf of Israel; and to which purpose also is the
following description of God, from an ancient benefit he had granted to that
people:
that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a
mighty hand; which though it may be considered as an aggravation of their
sin, that after this they should behave so wickedly, as to be carried captive
for their sins, out of the land they were brought into; yet it seems to be
mentioned to put the Lord in mind of his former favours to them, and of his
promise that he would bring them out of Babylon, as he had brought them out of
Egypt, Jeremiah 16:14,
and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; by the many
wonders wrought in Egypt, and at the Red sea, when Israel was brought from
thence; as particularly by slaying the firstborn of Egypt, dividing the waters
of the sea, and destroying the Egyptians in it, as Saadiah observes; the memory
and fame of which continued to that day, and will continue throughout all ages:
and the prophet suggests, that he would also get a name or renown in the world,
and among his people, should he deliver them from their present captivity; but
for this they had nothing to plead but his promise and mercy; for, as for them,
they were obliged to confess themselves sinners, and unworthy of such a favour:
we have sinned, we have done wickedly; the prophet
knows not how to leave off confessing sin; there had been so much committed,
and there was so much need of confessing it.
Daniel 9:16 16 “O
Lord, according to all Your righteousness, I pray, let Your anger and Your fury
be turned away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; because for our
sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are
a reproach to all those around us.
YLT 16`O Lord, according to all
Thy righteous acts, let turn back, I pray Thee, Thine anger and Thy fury from
Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mount, for by our sins, and by the iniquities of
our fathers, Jerusalem and Thy people [are] for a reproach to all our
neighbours;
O Lord, according to all thy righteousness,.... Or
"righteousnesses"F9צדקותיך
"justitias tuas", Vatablus, Calvin, Gejerus, Cocceius, Michaelis. ;
which he had been used to exercise in the world, in all ages of it; either
punishing wicked men according to their deserts, to which respect may be had
here; since turning away wrath from his people would issue in turning it upon
their enemies, which would be in righteous judgment or in fulfilling his
promises; and so it signifies his faithfulness, of which there had been so many
instances in times past, and gave encouragement to believe the performance of
those not yet accomplished: or this may be understood of his goodness, and
kindness, which is sometimes meant by his righteousness see Psalm 31:1 and so
the Septuagint and Arabic versions render it, "in all thy mercy"; and
Jacchiades paraphrases the words thus,
"O
Lord, according to all the multitude of thy righteousness, and of thy kindness,
which thou dost in the world:'
I beseech thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from
thy city Jerusalem; the city of the great King, which he chose for his residence, in
which the temple, was, and where he was worshipped; and the prophet earnestly
entreats, that the marks of divine displeasure, which were upon it, might be
removed; that the punishments or judgments inflicted, as the effects of the anger
and wrath of God, might cease, and the city be rebuilt, and restored to its
former glory:
thy holy mountain; the temple, devoted to the worship and
service of God; or Mount Moriah, on which it stood:
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; their
neighbours, the Edomites, Moabites, Ammonites, Tyrians, and Philistines; who
rejoiced at their destruction, and jeered at them and their religion, and
scoffingly said, where were their temple of which they boasted, and their God
in whom they trusted? the cause of all this is owned to be their own sins, and
the sins of their ancestors, which they their posterity continued in; and
therefore do not lay the fault wholly upon them, but take the blame to
themselves.
Daniel 9:17 17 Now
therefore, our God, hear the prayer of Your servant, and his supplications, and
for the Lord’s sake cause Your face to shine on Your sanctuary, which is
desolate.
YLT 17and now, hearken, O our
God, unto the prayer of Thy servant, and unto his supplication, and cause Thy
face to shine on Thy sanctuary that [is] desolate, for the Lord's sake.
Now therefore, O our God,.... This being our
miserable case, and the seventy years' captivity being at an end, and thou
still our covenant God, whom we profess and worship:
hear the prayer of thy servant, and his supplications; which he had
put up in an humble manner, consisting of various petitions for grace and mercy
before expressed:
and cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate; the temple;
its walls demolished, its altars thrown down, and the whole in ruins; a
melancholy scene! the Lord, suffering these things, seemed to frown upon it,
and upon his people, that used to serve him there; wherefore it is entreated
that he would smile upon it again, and upon them, and cause it to be rebuilt,
and his worship restored in it: and this is asked
for the Lord's sake: that is, for Christ's
sake, who is Lord of all, especially of his chosen people, by creation,
redemption, and marriage, as well as by their own consent and profession; and
for whose sake, and in whose name, all requests are to be made to God, he being
the only Mediator between God and man; and for the sake of whose blood, righteousness,
and mediation, all the blessings of goodness are given unto men; and who also
was Lord and proprietor of the temple, and was to come into it, as well as was
the antitype of it.
Daniel 9:18 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 because of our righteous deeds, but because of Your great mercies.
YLT 18`Incline, O my God, Thine
ear, and hear, open Thine eyes and see our desolations, and the city on which
Thy name is called; for not for our righteous acts are we causing our
supplications to fall before Thee, but for Thy mercies that [are] many.
O my God, incline thine ear, and hear,.... The
petitions now put up, for Christ's sake:
open thine eyes, and behold our desolations; the city and
temple a heap of rubbish, and the whole land forsaken of its inhabitants, and
lying waste and uncultivated, or, however, at most possessed by enemies; and
things being thus, it seemed as if the Lord shut his eyes to them, and
therefore is desired to open them, and look with pity and compassion on the
case of his people, and deliver them out of all their troubles:
and the city which is called by thy name; or, "on
which thy name is called"F11אשר נקרא שמך עליה
"super quam invocatum est nomen tuum", Vatablus, Pagninus, Calvin;
"super qua nomen tuum nuncupatum est", Cocceius. ; as Jerusalem was,
being called the city of our God, the city of the great King, Psalm 48:1 and in
which also his name was called upon, both by the inhabitants of it in their
private houses, and by the priests and Levites, and others, in the temple,
which stood in it:
for we do not present our supplications before thee; or,
"cause them to fall before thee"F12מפילים
"nos cadere facientes", Montanus; "nos cadere facimus",
Gejerus, Michaelis. ; expressing the humble and lowly manner in which they
presented their petitions to God, and respecting the gesture they used in
prayer, bowing themselves to the ground, and falling prostrate upon it; and as
was the custom of the eastern people when they supplicated their princes: and
this Daniel, in the name of his people, did; not, says he,
for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies; not pleading
their good works and righteous actions, and the merits of them, which had none
in them, and were no other than as filthy rags, and could not recommend them to
God, or be used as a plea and argument to obtain any good thing from him; but
throwing themselves upon the abundant grace and mercy of God in Christ, mercy
they pleaded, and not merit; and made mention of the righteousness of Christ,
and not their own; as all good men, who are truly sensible of themselves, and
of the grace of God, will do.
Daniel 9:19 19 O
Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and act! Do not delay for Your own
sake, my God, for Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”
YLT 19O lord, hear, O Lord,
forgive; O Lord, attend and do; do not delay, for Thine own sake, O my God, for
Thy name is called on Thy city, and on Thy people.'
O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive,.... That is, hear the
prayers and supplications that have been presented, and forgive the sins that
have been confessed; show both, by removing present calamities, and restoring to
former prosperity and privileges:
O Lord, hearken, and do; not only listen to what
has been said, and give an answer by speaking, but work salvation and
deliverance:
defer not, for thine own sake, O my God; these words
seem to be directed to Christ the Son of God, and who is the true God, and the
God of his people; who is three times in this verse before called Adonai, for
whose sake prayer and supplication were made, Daniel 9:17 and
here again, for his own sake, he is entreated not to "defer" the
fulfilment of the promise of delivering the Jews from their captivity in
Babylon, the seventy years being now up, or just expiring; and also that he
would not defer his own coming for the redemption of his people, which no doubt
Daniel had in his mind, and was wishing and waiting for:
for thy city and thy people are called by thy name; Jerusalem,
the city of the great King, Christ, and a type of his church and people, who
are also called by his name, and call upon him.
Daniel 9:20 20 Now
while I was speaking, 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,
YLT 20And while I am speaking,
and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and
causing my supplication to fall before Jehovah my God, for the holy mount of my
God,
And while I was speaking and praying,.... Speaking
to God in prayer; for it seems his prayer was vocal, and not mental only:
and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel; Daniel,
though so holy and good a man, was not without sin, and thought it his duty to
confess it before the Lord; and which he did in the first place, and then the
sin of his people; which is the way to succeed with the Lord for the
application of pardoning grace, and the enjoyment of other mercies and
blessings:
and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy
mountain of my God; for the temple, and the service of God in it; which was the
first and principal thing that lay upon the heart of the prophet, and he was
most importunate and solicitous for.
Daniel 9:21 21 yes,
while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the
vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time
of the evening offering.
YLT 21yea, while I am speaking in
prayer, then that one Gabriel, whom I had seen in vision at the commencement,
being caused to fly swiftly, is coming unto me at the time of the evening
present.
Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer,.... Which is
repeated, that it might be observed, that while he was in prayer, before he had
finished it, or got off of his knees, an answer was sent him; see Isaiah 65:24,
even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the
beginning; either at the beginning of Belshazzar's reign, in the third year
of it, Daniel 8:1, or
rather "before", as the Syriac version renders it; before this time,
in the vision of the ram and he goat, Daniel 8:16, when
he saw this angel Gabriel that appeared in a human form, and he knew this to be
his name, by a man's voice calling him by it; and now he knew him to be the
same angel by his appearance and voice; at the sight of whom he does not seem
to be terrified, as before, having had free conversation with him, and being
made acquainted by him with many secrets; and no doubt inwardly rejoiced to see
him again, as hoping and believing he had something to communicate to him:
being caused to fly swiftly; having an order from the
Lord, and being strengthened by him to make quick dispatch to Daniel, which is
signified by flying swiftly; and for which reason angels are represented as
having wings, to denote their celerity and quick dispatch of business: or
"flying with weariness"F13מעף ביעף "volans in lassitudine", Montanus; "cum
lassitudine, vel fatigatione", so some in Vatablus; "cum,
lassitudine", as others in Michaelis. , as some render it; he made such
haste as to be weary with it; as he appeared in the form of a man, he looked like
one out of breath, and panting for it, occasioned by his swift flight; and
which expresses the haste he made, according to his orders, and his eagerness
to bring to Daniel the welcome tidings of the coming of the Messiah, and the
time of it, which angels desired to look into:
touched me about the time of the evening oblation; the time of
offering the evening sacrifice; which, though not now offered, the altar being
destroyed, and the Lord's people in a foreign land; yet the time was observed
by them, and which was the time of prayer, being about the ninth hour of the
day, or three o'clock in the afternoon, see Acts 3:1, as the
time of the morning sacrifice was another hour of prayer; at which time very
likely Daniel began, and continued till now, since he was fasting, Daniel 9:3 and this
was the time when Christ, the antitype of the daily sacrifice, was offered up;
of the time of whose coming, sufferings, and death, the angel here brings an
account: and, in order to excite the attention of Daniel to it, "touched
him"; for he, being on his knees, and intent in prayer, might not at first
observe him; and therefore gives him a gentle touch, to let him know he was
present, and had something to say to him; and to suggest to him to break off
his prayer, to which he had brought an answer, as well as to lift him up, and
encourage familiarity with him.
Daniel 9:22 22 And
he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come
forth to give you skill to understand.
YLT 22And he giveth
understanding, and speaketh with me, and saith, `O Daniel, now I have come forth
to cause thee to consider understanding wisely;
And he informed me, and talked with me,.... He
informed him, by talking with him, of the will of God, to restore the captivity
of his people, to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple, and of the coming of the Messiah:
or, "he caused me to attend"F14ויבן
"attendere fecit", Michaelis. , "and talked with me"; he
excited his attention to what he had to say, and caused him to advert to his
discourse, in order to understand it:
and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth; just now come
from heaven, from the presence of God, and by his order:
to give thee skill and understanding; or, "to
instruct thee in understanding"F15להשכילך
בינה "ad imbuendum te intelligentia",
Piscator; "ad docendum te intelligentiam", Micaelis. ; to teach thee
the knowledge and give thee the understanding of secret things, which otherwise
could not be known; such as particularly the time of the coming of Christ,
which the angels themselves knew not till it was revealed; and being made
acquainted with it, one of them is employed to make it known to Daniel; who is
the only prophet that fixes the exact time of it, and was favoured with this
divine and heavenly skill of knowing it, and of being the publisher of it to
others.
Daniel 9:23 23 At
the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to
tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the
matter, and understand the vision:
YLT 23at the commencement of thy
supplications hath the word come forth, and I have come to declare [it], for
thou [art] greatly desired, and understand thou concerning the matter, and
consider concerning the appearance.
At the beginning of thy supplications,.... As soon
as ever he began to pray. This circumstance shows how ready the Lord is to hear
the prayers of his people; and yet it was not owing to the prayers of the
prophet, and to any intrinsic virtue or merit in them that the Lord did what he
afterwards declares should be done; and, besides, more is revealed and promised
than Daniel asked for:
the commandment came forth; either the order from
the Lord to the angel, dispatching him on this errand to the prophet, to
acquaint him with his mind and will; or the proclamation of Cyrus, to let the
people of the Jews go free, and go up to Jerusalem to build their city and
temple, published that morning, just about the time Daniel began to pray, the
seventy years' captivity being completely finished; see Daniel 9:25,
and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved; or, "art
desires"F16חמודות
"desideria", Michaelis; "vir desideriorum", Pagninus,
Munster, Piscator; so Ben Melech. ; all desire, exceedingly desired; very
lovely, amiable, and delightful, in the sight of God, and all good men: or,
"that thou art greatly beloved"F17כי
"quod dilectus tu sis", Cocceius; "quod desideria tu sis",
Michaelis. ; thus the angel came from God, out of heaven, to show it to him, to
make it appear that he was highly in the favour of God, in that he made known
his secrets to him:
therefore understand the matter; or "word"F18בדבר "in verbo", Montanus; "verbum",
Pagninus; "ipsum verbum", Junius & Tremellius;
"sermonem", Cocceius. ; attend to the word; advert to the form of
speaking used, and labour to get the knowledge of it:
and consider the vision; this vision, as Japhet;
the following vision or prophecy of the seventy weeks; think of it well, as
being a matter of great importance and consequence.
Daniel 9:24 24 “Seventy
weeks[a] are
determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression,
To make an end of[b] sins, To
make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To
seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy.
YLT 24`Seventy weeks are
determined for thy people, and for thy holy city, to shut up the transgression,
and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and to bring in righteousness
age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of
holies.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and upon thy holy
city,..... Or, "concerning thy people, and concerning thy holy
city"F19על עמך
"de populo tuo", Helvicus. ; that is, such a space of time is fixed
upon; "cut out"F20נהתך
"decisae", Pagninus: Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator,
Cocceius, Michaelis. , as the word signifies; or appointed of God for the
accomplishment of certain events, relative to the temporal good of the city and
people of the Jews; as the rebuilding of their city and temple; the continuance
of them as a people, and of their city; the coming of the Messiah to them, to
obtain spiritual blessings for them, and for all the people of God; who also
were Daniel's people and city in a spiritual sense, to which he belonged; and
likewise what was relative to the utter ruin and destruction of the Jews as a
people, and of their city: and this space of "seventy" weeks is not
to be understood of weeks of days; which is too short a time for the fulfilment
of so many events as are mentioned; nor were they fulfilled within such a space
of time; but of weeks of years, and make up four hundred and ninety years;
within which time, beginning from a date after mentioned, all the things
prophesied of were accomplished; and this way of reckoning of years by days is
not unusual in the sacred writings; see Genesis 29:27. The
verb used is singular, and, joined with the noun plural, shows that every week
was cut out and appointed for some event or another; and the word, as it
signifies "to cut", aptly expresses the division, or section of these
weeks into distinct periods, as seven, sixty two, and one. The first events
mentioned are spiritual ones, and are not ascribed to any particular period;
but are what should be done within this compass of time in general, and were
done toward the close of it; and are first observed because of the greatest
importance, and are as follow:
to finish the transgression; not the transgression of
Adam, or original sin, which, though took away by Christ from his people, yet
not from all men; nor the actual transgression of man in general, which never
more abounded than in the age in which Christ lived; but rather the
transgressions of his people he undertook to satisfy for, and which were laid
on him, and bore by him, and carried away, so as not to be seen more, or to
have no damning power over them. The word used signifies "to
restrain"F21לכלא
"cohibendo", Junius & Tremellius; "ad cohibendum",
Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "ad coercendum", Cocceius. ; now,
though sin greatly abounded, both among Jews and Gentiles, in the age of the
Messiah; yet there never was an age in which greater restraints were laid on it
than in this, by the ministry of John the Baptist, and of Christ in Judea and
by the apostles in the Gentile world:
and to make an end of sins; so that they shall be no
more, but put away and abolished by the sacrifice and satisfaction of Christ
for them, as to guilt and punishment; so that those, for whose sins
satisfaction is made, no charge can be brought against them, nor the curse of
the law reach them, nor any sentence of it be executed, or any punishment
inflicted on them; but are entirely and completely saved from all their sins,
and the sad effects of them. Our version follows the marginal reading; but the
textual writing is, "to seal up sins"F23לח־תאם "obsignando", Junius & Tremellius;
"ad sigilandum", Montanus; "ut obsignet", Piscator. ; which
is expressive of the pardon of them procured by Christ; for things sealed are
hid and covered, and so are sins forgiven, Psalm 32:1,
and to make reconciliation for iniquity: to expiate
it, and make atonement for it; which was made by the sacrifice of Christ, by
his sufferings and death; whereby the law and justice of God were fully
satisfied, full reparation being made for the injury done by sin; and this was
made for all kind of sin, expressed here by several words; and for all the
sins, iniquities, and transgressions of the Lord's people; to do which was the
grand end of Christ's coming into the world; see Hebrews 2:17, and
to bring in everlasting righteousness; which is true only of the righteousness
of Christ, by which the law is magnified and made honourable, justice
satisfied, and all that believe in him justified from all their sins: this
Christ, by his obedience, sufferings, and death, has wrought out, and brought
into the world; and which phase designs, not the manifestation of it in the
Gospel; nor the act of imputation of it, which is Jehovah the Father's act; nor
the application of it, which is by the Spirit of God; but Christ's actual
working of it out by obeying the precept and bearing the penalty of the law: and
this may be truly called "everlasting", or "the righteousness of
ages"F24צדק עולמים
"justitiam seculorum", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis. , of
ages past; the righteousness by which the saints in all ages from the beginning
of the world are justified; and which endures, and will endure, throughout all
ages, to the justification of all that believe; it is a robe of righteousness
that will never wear out; its virtue to justify will ever continue, being
perfect; it will answer for the justified ones in a time to come, and has
eternal life connected with it:
and to seal up the vision and prophecy; not to shut
it up out of sight; rather to set a mark on it, by which it might be more
clearly known; but to consummate and fulfil it: all prophecy is sealed up in
Christ, and by him; he is the sum and substance of it; the visions and
prophecies of the Old Testament relate to him, and have their accomplishment in
him; some relate to his person and office; others to his coming into the world,
the time, place, and manner of it; others to the great work of redemption and
salvation he came about; and others to his miracles, sufferings, and death, and
the glory that should follow; all which have been fulfilled: or, "to seal
up the vision and prophet"F25ונביא
"et prophetam", Pagninus, Montanus, Munster, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis. ; the prophets were until John, and then to
cease, and have ceased ever since the times of Jesus; there has been no prophet
among the Jews, they themselves do not deny it; Christ is come, the last and
great Prophet of all, with a full revelation of the divine will, and no other
is to be expected; all that pretend to set up a new scheme of things, either as
to doctrine or worship, through pretended vision or prophecy, are to be
disregarded:
and to anoint the most Holy; not literally the most
holy place in the temple; figuratively, either heaven itself, anointed, and
prepared for his people by the Messiah's ascension thither, and entrance into
it; or rather most holy persons, the church and people of God, typified by the
sanctuary, the temple of God; and in a comparative sense are most holy, and
absolutely so, as washed in the blood of Christ, clothed with his
righteousness, and sanctified by his Spirit; and by whom they are anointed,
some in an extraordinary and others in an ordinary way, and all by the grace of
Christ: or it may be best of all to understand this of the Messiah, as Aben
Ezra and others do; who is holy in his person, in both his natures, human and
divine; sanctified and set apart to his office, and holy in the execution of
it; equal in holiness to the Father and the Spirit; superior in it to angels
and men, who have all their holiness from him, and by whom they are sanctified;
and of whom the sanctuary or temple was a type; and who was anointed with the
Holy Ghost as man, at his incarnation, baptism, and ascension to heaven; and
Abarbinel owns it may be interpreted of the Messiah, who may be called the Holy
of holies, because he is holier than all other Israelites.
Daniel 9:25 25 “Know
therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To
restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be
seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street[c] shall be
built again, and the wall,[d] Even in
troublesome times.
YLT 25And thou dost know, and
dost consider wisely, from the going forth of the word to restore and to build
Jerusalem till Messiah the Leader [is] seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks:
the broad place hath been built again, and the rampart, even in the distress of
the times.
Know, therefore, and understand,.... Take notice and
observe, for the clearer understanding of these seventy weeks, and the events
to be fulfilled in them, what will be further said concerning them, the
beginning of them, their distinct periods, and what shall be accomplished in
them:
that from the time of the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem; this commandment is the beginning of the
seventy weeks or four hundred and ninety years, and from it they are to be
reckoned; and which designs not the proclamation of Cyrus in the first year of
his reign, which was only to rebuild the temple, and not the city of Jerusalem,
Ezra 1:1, nor the
decree of Darius Hystaspes, which also only regards the temple, and is only a
confirmation of the decree of Cyrus, Ezra 6:1 and for
the same reasons it cannot be the decree in the seventh year of the reign of
Artaxerxes; which only confirmed what his predecessors had granted concerning
the temple, and provision for sacrifices, and exemption of the priests from
toll, tribute, or custom, Ezra 7:7, but has
not a word of building the wall and streets of Jerusalem, as that has, which
was made in the twentieth year of his reign; and seems therefore to be the
commandment or decree here referred to, Nehemiah 2:1, and
this is the general epoch of the seventy weeks, and where the first seven
begin; though GussetiusF1Ebr. Comment. p. 177, 329. thinks that the
word דבר does not signify any edict or decree, but a
"thing"; and designs the thing itself, restoring and rebuilding
Jerusalem; and that the following date is to be reckoned, not from any order to
rebuild that city, but from the thing itself, from the moment when it first
began to be rebuilt: and as singular is the notion of TirinusF2Chronolog.
Sacr. p. 44. , who is of opinion that this is to be understood of the going
out, or the end of the word; not whereby the holy city was ordered to be built,
but when it was really built; and so begins the account from the dedication of
the new city, in the twenty third year of Artaxerxes, Nehemiah 12:27.
There are others who suppose that not any human word, decree, commandment, or
order, is here meant, but a divine one; either the word of the Lord to
Jeremiah, foretelling the seventy years' captivity of the Jews, and their
deliverance from it; and reckon these four hundred and ninety years from the
destruction of the first temple, to the destruction of the second temple, as
Jarchi, Saadiah, Jacchiades, and others; but between these two destructions was
a course of six hundred and fifty six or six hundred and fifty seven years:
others take the beginning of the seventy weeks to be from the going forth of
the commandment to the angel, at the beginning of Daniel's prayers, as Aben
Ezra; and to end at the destruction of the second temple; but, for a like
reason, this must be rejected as the other; since this space of time will
outrun the seventy weeks near one hundred and twenty years: it is best
therefore to interpret this of a royal edict, the order or commandment of a king
of Persia to rebuild Jerusalem; and it seems correct to reckon the number
given, either from the seventh, or rather from the twentieth, of Artaxerxes
Longimanus before mentioned; and either these reckonings, as Bishop ChandlerF3Answer
to the Grounds and Reasons, &c. p. 139. observes, are sufficient for our
purpose, to show the completion of the prophecy in Christ:
"the
commencement of the weeks (as he remarks) must be either from the seventh of
Artaxerxes, which falls on 457 B.C. or from the twentieth of Artaxerxes; (add
to 457 B.C., twenty six years after Christ, which is the number that four
hundred and eighty three years, or sixty nine weeks, exceeds four hundred and
fifty seven years); and you are brought to the beginning of John the Baptist's
preaching up the advent of the Messiah; add seven years or one week to the
former, and you come to the thirty third year of A.D. which was the year of
Jesus Christ's death or else compute four hundred and ninety years, the whole
seventy weeks, from the seventh of Artaxerxes, by subtracting four hundred and
fifty seven years (the space of time between that year and the beginning of
A.D.) from four hundred and ninety, and there remains thirty three, the year of
our Lord's death. Let the twentieth of Artaxerxes be the date of the seventy
weeks, which is 455 B.C. and reckon sixty nine weeks of Chaldean years; seventy
Chaldee years being equal to sixty nine Julian; and so four hundred and seventy
eight Julian years making four hundred and eighty three Chaldee years, and they
end in the thirty third year after Christ, or the passover followingF4See
these seventy weeks more largely considered, in a Treatise of mine, concerning
the prophecies of the Old Testament respecting the Messiah, &c. p. 64-78.
';
the
several particulars into which these seventy weeks are divided:
unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore
and two weeks; by whom is meant, not Cyrus, as Jarchi and Jacchiades; who,
though called Messiah or anointed, Isaiah 44:28,
cannot be intended; for this prince was to be cut off after seven, and sixty
two weeks, or four hundred and eighty three years; whereas Cyrus died ages
before this, and even died before the expiration of the seven weeks, or forty
nine years; nor Joshua the high priest, or Zerubbabel, as Ben Gersom and others
nor Nehemiah as Aben Ezra; nor Artaxerxes, which R. AzariahF5Meor
Enayim, c. 41. fol. 134. 2. thinks probable; for to none of these will this
character agree, which denotes some eminent person known by this name; nor the
work ascribed to him, Daniel 9:24, nor
can it be said of either of them that they were cut off, and much less at such
a period as is here fixed: it is right to interpret it of the promised and
expected Saviour, whom the Psalmist David had frequently spoken of under the
name of the Messiah, and as a King and Prince; see Psalm 2:2 and who
is David, the Prince Ezekiel before this had prophesied of, Ezekiel 34:24, and
is the same with the Prince of peace in the famous prophecy of him in Isaiah 9:6. The
Syriac version, though not a literal one, gives the true sense of the passage,
rendering it,
"unto
the coming of the King Messiah;'
unto
which there were to be seven, and sixty two weeks, or sixty nine weeks, which
make four hundred and eighty three years; and these being understood of eastern
years, used by the Egyptians, Chaldeans, and Persians, consisting of three
hundred and sixty days, reckoning thirty days to a month, and twelve months to
a year, there were just four hundred and eighty three of these from the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes to the thirty third of the vulgar era of Christ,
and the nineteenth of Tiberius Caesar, in which he suffered. Sir Isaac NewtonF6Observations
on Daniel, p. 132, 133, 134. thinks the seven weeks unto Messiah, which he
detaches from the sixty two, respects the second coming of Christ, when he
shall come as a Prince, and destroy antichrist, and that it takes in the
compass of a jubilee; but when it will begin and end he does not pretend to
say; but the true reason of the sixty nine weeks being divided into seven, and
sixty two, is on account of the particular and distinct events assigned to each
period, as follows:
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
times; that is, within the space of seven weeks, or forty nine years,
reckoning from the twentieth of Artaxerxes; when the Jews had a grant to
rebuild their city and wall, and were furnished with materials for it; and
which was done in very troublesome times; Nehemiah, and the Jews with him, met
with much trouble from Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem the Arabian, while they
were setting up the wall of the city, and filling the streets with ranges of
houses, Nehemiah chapters four and five for which the space of seven weeks, or
forty nine years, were cut out and appointed; and that this event belongs
solely to this period is clear from the Messiah's coming being appropriated to
the period of the sixty two weeks; which leaves this entirely where it is
fixed.
Daniel 9:26 26 “And
after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And
the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the
war desolations are determined.
YLT 26And after the sixty and two
weeks, cut off is Messiah, and the city and the holy place are not his, the
Leader who hath come doth destroy the people; and its end [is] with a flood,
and till the end [is] war, determined [are] desolations.
And after threescore and two weeks,.... To be reckoned from
the end of the seven weeks, or forty nine years, which, added to them, make
four hundred and eighty three years:
shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; by whom is
designed the same with Messiah the Prince in Daniel 9:25, not
Onias the high priest, as a late writerF7Scheme of literal Prophecy,
&c. p. 183. would have it, an upright person, and of great holiness, taken
off by an unjust death; since he was dead many years before the expiration of
these weeks; nor Hyrcanus the high priest, slain by Herod, as EusebiusF8Demonstrat.
Evangel. l. 8. p. 396, 397. thinks; in whom the succession of the ancient
priests terminated, and with whom the priestly unction perished; which indeed
bids fairer than the former; but he was not a person of so much note as to be
pointed at in such a prophecy; besides, the priesthood continued much longer:
nor is King Agrippa intended, as Jarchi and Abarbinel, who, they say, was the
last king of the Jews, and was slain by Vespasian at the destruction of
Jerusalem; which is not true; he was not properly king of the Jews, having only
Galilee for his jurisdiction; was not slain by Vespasian; was a confederate of
the Romans, lived some years after the destruction of the city, and at last
died in peace; but Jesus the true Messiah is intended, with whom the character,
dates, and death, and the manner of it, entirely agree: now to his death were
to be four hundred and eighty three years; which years ended, as we have observed,
in the thirty third year of the vulgar era of Christ, and the nineteenth of
Tiberius; when Jesus the true Messiah was cut off in a judicial way; not for
any sins of his own, but for the sins of his people, to make satisfaction for
them, and to obtain their redemption and salvation; see Isaiah 53:8, or
"he is not", as Jarchi, no more in the land of the living, is dead;
see Jeremiah 31:15, or
"there is", or "will be, none for him", or "with
him"F9ואין לו
"et non erit ei", Pagninus; "et nullus erit pro
co", Vatablus. , to help and assist him in his great work, Isaiah 63:5. The
Vulgate Latin version is, "they shall not be his people"; the Jews
rejecting him shall have a "loammi" upon them, and be no more the
people of God. GussetiusF11Comment. Ebr. p. 33. better renders it,
"he hath not"; or he has nothing, so Cocceius; all things were wanted
by him, that is, by Christ; he had neither riches, nor clothes, nor any to
stand by him, or to accompany him:
and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary; that is, the people of the Romans, under Vespasian their prince,
emperor, and general, should, in a little time after the cutting off of the
Messiah, enter into the land of Judea, and destroy the city of Jerusalem, and
the temple that stood in it; though some understand this of Messiah the Prince
that should come in his power, and in a way of judgment upon the Jewish nation,
and destroy them for their rejection of him; whose people the Romans would be,
and under whose direction, and by whose orders, all these judgments should be
brought upon the Jews; but many of the Jewish writers themselves interpret it
of Vespasian, as Aben Ezra, Jarchi, Abarbinel, and Jacchiades:
and the end thereof shall be with a flood: the end of
the city and temple, and of the whole nation, should be by the Roman army,
which, like a flood, would overspread the land, and carry all before it. It
denotes the number, power, and irresistible force of the enemy, and the sad
devastation made by them:
and unto the end of the war desolations are determined; from the
beginning of the war by the Romans with the Jews, to the end of it, there would
be nothing but continual desolations; a dreadful havoc and ruin everywhere; and
all this appointed and determined by the Lord, as a just punishment for their
sins.
Daniel 9:27 27 Then
he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the
week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of
abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation,
which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”
YLT 27And he hath strengthened a
covenant with many -- one week, and [in] the midst of the week he causeth
sacrifice and present to cease, and by the wing of abominations he is making
desolate, even till the consummation, and that which is determined is poured on
the desolate one.'
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week,.... Sixty
nine of the seventy weeks being accounted for, and the several events observed
to be fulfilled in them; the angel proceeds to take notice of the remaining
"one" week, or seven years, and what should be done within that space
of time: a covenant should be confirmed with many; which is not to be
understood of the Messiah's confirming the covenant of grace with many, or on
account of all his people, by fulfilling the conditions of it, and by his blood
and sacrifice, through which all the blessings of it come to them; for this is
not for one week only, but for ever; but this is to be interpreted of the Roman
people, spoken of in the latter part of the preceding verse; who, in order to
accomplish their design to destroy the city and temple of Jerusalem, made peace
with many nations, entered into covenant and alliance with them, particularly
the Medes, Parthians, and Armenians, for the space of one week, or seven years;
as it appears they did at the beginning of this weekF12See
Marshall's Chron. Treat. p. 271. :
and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease; the daily sacrifice of the Jews, and all their other offerings;
and which was literally fulfilled "in the half part"F13וחצי השבוע "et in dimidio
hebdomadis", Montanus, Michaelis; "dimidio septimanae",
Cocceius. of this week, as it may be rendered; towards the close of the latter
half of it, when the city of Jerusalem, being closely besieged by Titus, what
through the closeness of the siege, the divisions of the people, and the want
both of time and men, and beasts to offer, the daily sacrifice ceased, as
JosephusF14De Bello, Jud. l. 6. c. 2. says, to the great grief of
the people; nor have the Jews, ever since the destruction of their city and
temple, offered any sacrifice, esteeming it unlawful so to do in a strange
land:
and at the same time, in the same half part of the week,
for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate; that is, the
Roman people shall make the land of Judea desolate, for the overspreading of
their abominations or idolatries in it. The words may be rendered, as by some,
"upon the wing", the battlements of the temple,
shall be the abominations, or "idols of the
desolator", or "of him that makes desolate"F15ועל כנף שקצים
משומם "desolator", Piscator, Gejerus;
"desolans", Covveius; "stupefaciens", Montanus. ; so Bishop
Lloyd; meaning either the ensigns of the Roman army, which had upon them the
images of their gods or emperors; and being set up in the holy place, and
sacrificed to, nothing could be a greater abomination to the Jews; or else the
blood of the zealots slain on these battlements, by which the holy place was
polluted; see Matthew 24:15,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured
upon the desolate; that is, either these abominations shall continue in the place
where they are set until the utter destruction of the city and temple; or the
desolation made there should continue until the consummation of God's wrath and
vengeance upon them; until the whole he has determined is poured out on this
desolate people; and which continues unto this day, and will till the times of
the Gentiles be fulfilled, Luke 21:24. Some,
as Bishop Lloyd, render it, "upon the desolator"F16על שומם "super
obstupescentem", Montanus; "in stupendem", Cocceius, ; meaning
the Romans; and the sense they take to be is, that this vengeance shall
continue upon the Jews until it is turned upon the head of those who have made
them desolate: now this "one week", according to the sense given,
must begin in the sixty third year of the vulgar era of Christ, about thirty
years after the expiration of the sixty nine weeks; since it ends in the
seventieth year of the same era, in which was the destruction of Jerusalem, the
grand event assigned to it in this famous prophecy; when it might have been
expected it should have begun at the end of the sixty nine weeks, and run on in
a direct line from them. The true reason of its being thus separated from them
is the longsuffering and forbearance of God to the people of the Jews, who gave
them, as to the old world, space to repent; but his grace and goodness being
slighted, things began to work at the beginning of this week towards their
final ruin, which, in the close of it, was fully accomplished: from the whole
of this prophecy it clearly appears that the Messiah must be come many hundred
years ago. The Jews are sensible of the force of this reasoning; so that, to
terrify persons from considering this prophecy, they denounce the following
curse, "let them burst, or their bones rot, that compute the times"F17T.
Bab. Sanhedrin. fol. 97. 2. . R. Nehemiah, who lived about fifty years before
the coming of Christ, declared the time of the Messiah, as signified by Daniel,
could not be protracted longer than those fifty yearsF18Apud Grotium
de Ver. Rel. Christ l. 5. sect. 14. . The Jews also say the world is divided
into six parts, and the last part is from Daniel to the MessiahF19Caphtor
Uperah, fol 17. 2. .
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)