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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)