Daniel 9

Daniel's Prayer for His People

1 In the first year of ¹Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans -

2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to ²Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, ³seventy years.

3 So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.

4 I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the ⁴great and awesome God, who ⁵keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,

5 ⁶we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and ⁷rebelled, even ⁸turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.

6 "Moreover, we have not ⁹listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.

7 "¹⁰Righteousness belongs to You, O Lord, but to us ¹¹open shame, as it is this day -to the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in ¹²all the countries to which You have driven them, because of their unfaithful deeds which they have committed against You.

8 "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes and our fathers, because we have sinned against You.

9 "To the Lord our God belong ¹³compassion and forgiveness, for we have ¹⁴rebelled against Him;

10 nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He ¹⁵set before us through His servants the prophets.

11 "Indeed ¹⁶all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice; so the ¹⁷curse has been poured out on us, along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against Him.

12 "Thus He has ¹⁸confirmed His words which He had spoken against us and against our ¹⁹rulers who ruled us, to bring on us great calamity; for under the whole heaven there has ²⁰not been done anything like what was done to Jerusalem.

13 "As it is written in the ²¹law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us; yet we have ²²not sought the favor * of the LORD our God by ²³turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.

14 "Therefore the LORD has ²⁴kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is ²⁵righteous with respect to all His deeds which He has done, but we have not obeyed His voice.

15 "And now, O Lord our God, who have ²⁶brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have ²⁷made a name for Yourself, as it is this day -we have sinned, we have been wicked.

16 "O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your ²⁸anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your ²⁹holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a ³⁰reproach to all those around us.

17 "So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, ³¹let Your face shine on Your ³²desolate sanctuary.

18 "O my God, ³³incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and ³⁴see our desolations and the city which is ³⁵called by Your name; for we are not ³⁶presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.

19 "O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, listen and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, ³⁷do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."

Gabriel Brings an Answer

20 Now while I was ³⁸speaking and praying, and ³⁹confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God,

21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man ⁴⁰Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the ⁴¹evening offering.

22 He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with ⁴²understanding.

23 "At the ⁴³beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell you, for you are ⁴⁴highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain ⁴⁵understanding of the vision.

Seventy Weeks and the Messiah

24 "Seventy ⁴⁶weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to ⁴⁷make atonement for iniquity, to bring in ⁴⁸everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

25 "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a ⁴⁹decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until ⁵⁰Messiah the ⁵¹Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two * weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

26 "Then after the sixty-two * weeks the Messiah will be ⁵²cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will ⁵³destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a ⁵⁴flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

27 "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of ⁵⁵abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a ⁵⁶complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate."

Daniel 9 Commentary

Chapter 9

Daniel considers the time of the captivity. (1-3) His confession of sin, and prayer. (4-19) The revelation concerning the coming of the Messiah. (20-27)

Verses 1-3 Daniel learned from the books of the prophets, especially from Jeremiah, that the desolation of Jerusalem would continue seventy years, which were drawing to a close. God's promises are to encourage our prayers, not to make them needless; and when we see the performance of them approaching, we should more earnestly plead them with God.

Verses 4-19 In every prayer we must make confession, not only of the sins we have been guilty of, but of our faith in God, and dependence upon him, our sorrow for sin, and our resolutions against it. It must be our confession, the language of our convictions. Here is Daniel's humble, serious, devout address to God; in which he gives glory to him as a God to be feared, and as a God to be trusted. We should, in prayer, look both at God's greatness and his goodness, his majesty and mercy. Here is a penitent confession of sin, the cause of the troubles the people for so many years groaned under. All who would find mercy must thus confess their sins. Here is a self-abasing acknowledgment of the righteousness of God; and it is evermore the way of true penitents thus to justify God. Afflictions are sent to bring men to turn from their sins, and to understand God's truth. Here is a believing appeal to the mercy of God. It is a comfort that God has been always ready to pardon sin. It is encouraging to recollect that mercies belong to God, as it is convincing and humbling to recollect that righteousness belongs to him. There are abundant mercies in God, not only forgiveness, but forgivenesses. Here are pleaded the reproach God's people was under, and the ruins God's sanctuary was in. Sin is a reproach to any people, especially to God's people. The desolations of the sanctuary are grief to all the saints. Here is an earnest request to God to restore the poor captive Jews to their former enjoyments. O Lord, hearken and do. Not hearken and speak only, but hearken and do; do that for us which none else can do; and defer not. Here are several pleas and arguments to enforce the petitions. Do it for the Lord Christ's sake; Christ is the Lord of all. And for his sake God causes his face to shine upon sinners when they repent, and turn to him. In all our prayers this must be our plea, we must make mention of his righteousness, even of his only. The humble, fervent, believing earnestness of this prayer should ever be followed by us.

Verses 20-27 An answer was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one. We cannot now expect that God should send answers to our prayers by angels, but if we pray with fervency for that which God has promised, we may by faith take the promise as an immediate answer to the prayer; for He is faithful that has promised. Daniel had a far greater and more glorious redemption discovered to him, which God would work out for his church in the latter days. Those who would be acquainted with Christ and his grace, must be much in prayer. The evening offering was a type of the great sacrifice Christ was to offer in the evening of the world: in virtue of that sacrifice Daniel's prayer was accepted; and for the sake of that, this glorious discovery of redeeming love was made to him. We have, in verses ( 24-27 ) , one of the most remarkable prophecies of Christ, of his coming and his salvation. It shows that the Jews are guilty of most obstinate unbelief, in expecting another Messiah, so long after the time expressly fixed for his coming. The seventy weeks mean a day for a year, or 490 years. About the end of this period a sacrifice would be offered, making full atonement for sin, and bringing in everlasting righteousness for the complete justification of every believer. Then the Jews, in the crucifixion of Jesus, would commit that crime by which the measure of their guilt would be filled up, and troubles would come upon their nation. All blessings bestowed on sinful man come through Christ's atoning sacrifice, who suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God. Here is our way of access to the throne of grace, and of our entrance to heaven. This seals the sum of prophecy, and confirms the covenant with many; and while we rejoice in the blessings of salvation, we should remember what they cost the Redeemer. How can those escape who neglect so great salvation!

Cross References

• 1. Daniel 5:31; Daniel 11:1
• 2. 2 Chronicles 36:21; Ezra 1:1; Jeremiah 25:11, 12; Jeremiah 29:10; Zechariah 7:5
• 3. 2 Chronicles 36:21; Ezra 1:1; Jeremiah 25:11, 12; Jeremiah 29:10; Zechariah 7:5
• 4. Deuteronomy 7:21; Nehemiah 9:32
• 5. Deuteronomy 7:9
• 6. 1 Kings 8:48; Nehemiah 9:33; Psalms 106:6; Isaiah 64:5-7; Jeremiah 14:7
• 7. Lamentations 1:18, 20
• 8. Psalms 119:176; Isaiah 53:6; Daniel 9:11
• 9. 2 Chronicles 36:16; Jeremiah 44:4, 5
• 10. Jeremiah 23:6; Jeremiah 33:16; Daniel 9:18
• 11. Psalms 44:15; Jeremiah 2:26, 27; Jeremiah 3:25
• 12. Deuteronomy 4:27
• 13. Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 130:4
• 14. Psalms 106:43; Jeremiah 14:7; Daniel 9:5, 6
• 15. 2 Kings 17:13-15; 2 Kings 18:12
• 16. Isaiah 1:3, 4; Jeremiah 8:5-10
• 17. Deuteronomy 27:15-26
• 18. Isaiah 44:26; Jeremiah 44:2-6; Lamentations 2:17; Zechariah 1:6
• 19. Job 12:17; Psalms 82:2-7; Psalms 148:11
• 20. Lamentations 1:12; Lamentations 2:13; Ezekiel 5:9
• 21. Leviticus 26:14-45; Deuteronomy 28:15-68; Daniel 9:11
• 22. Job 36:13; Isaiah 9:13; Jeremiah 2:30; Jeremiah 5:3
• 23. Jeremiah 31:18
• 24. Jeremiah 31:28; Jeremiah 44:27
• 25. Psalms 51:14; Daniel 9:7
• 26. Deuteronomy 5:15
• 27. Nehemiah 9:10; Jeremiah 32:20
• 28. Jeremiah 32:31, 32
• 29. Psalms 87:1-3; Daniel 9:20; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 8:3
• 30. Ezekiel 5:14
• 31. Numbers 6:24-26; Ps 80:3, 7, 19
• 32. Lamentations 5:18
• 33. Isaiah 37:17
• 34. Psalms 80:14
• 35. Jeremiah 7:10-12
• 36. Jeremiah 36:7
• 37. Psalms 44:23; Psalms 74:10, 11
• 38. Psalms 145:18; Isaiah 58:9; Daniel 9:3; Daniel 10:12
• 39. Isaiah 6:5
• 40. Daniel 8:16; Luke 1:19, 26
• 41. Exodus 29:39; 1 Kings 18:36; Ezra 9:4
• 42. Daniel 8:16; Daniel 10:21; Zechariah 1:9
• 43. Daniel 10:12
• 44. Daniel 10:11, 19
• 45. Matthew 24:15
• 46. Leviticus 25:8; Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:5, 6
• 47. 2 Chronicles 29:24; Isaiah 53:10; Romans 5:10
• 48. Isaiah 51:6, 8; Isaiah 56:1; Jeremiah 23:5, 6; Romans 3:21, 22
• 49. Ezra 4:24; Ezra 6:1-15; Nehemiah 2:1-8; Nehemiah 3:1
• 50. John 1:41; John 4:25
• 51. Isaiah 9:6; Daniel 8:11, 25
• 52. Isaiah 53:8; Mark 9:12; Luke 24:26
• 53. Matthew 24:2; Mark 13:2; Luke 19:43, 44
• 54. Nahum 1:8
• 55. Daniel 11:31; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20
• 56. Isaiah 10:23; Isaiah 28:22

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "set my face"
• [b]. Lit "the shame of face"
• [c]. Lit "The shame of face"
• [d]. Or "though"
• [e]. Or "laws"
• [f]. Lit "judges who judged us"
• [g]. Lit "softened the face of"
• [h]. Or "having insight into"
• [i]. Lit "watched over the evil"
• [j]. Lit "righteousnesses"
• [k]. Lit "the sake of the Lord"
• [l]. Lit "causing to fall"
• [m]. Lit "our righteousnesses"
• [n]. Lit "causing to fall"
• [o]. Lit "at the beginning"
• [p]. Lit "was reaching;" or "touching"
• [q]. Lit "wearied with weariness"
• [r]. Lit "word went out"
• [s]. Lit "desirable;" or "precious"
• [t]. Or "units of seven," and so throughout the ch
• [u]. Or "restrain"
• [v]. Another reading is "seal up sins"
• [w]. Lit "prophet"
• [x]. Lit "word"
• [y]. Or "an anointed one"
• [z]. Or "streets"
• [aa]. Or "anointed one"
• [ab]. Or "no one"
• [ac]. Or "his"
• [ad]. Or "war will be decreed for desolations"
• [ae]. Or "detestable things"
• [af]. Or "causes horror"
• [ag]. Or "causes horror"

Chapter Summary

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, Da 9:1-3, the parts of it, an address unto God, under various suitable epithets and characters, Da 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, Da 9:5-15 and petitions for mercy, Da 9:16-19, then the answer follows; the time when it was ordered and given, and the person by whom it was sent, are expressed, Da 9:20-23 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, Da 9:24-27.