Daniel 9:16

16 "O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts, let now Your ¹anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your ²holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a ³reproach to all those around us.

Daniel 9:16 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 9:16

O Lord, according to all thy righteousness
Or "righteousnesses" ^F9; 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 ( Psalms 31:1 ) ( 143:1 ) 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

F9 (Kytwqdu) "justitias tuas", Vatablus, Calvin, Gejerus, Cocceius, Michaelis.

Daniel 9:16 In-Context

14 "Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it on us; for the LORD our God is righteous 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 brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made 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 anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach 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 , let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.

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 are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any merits of our own, but on account of Your great compassion.

Cross References

• 1. Jeremiah 32:31, 32
• 2. Psalms 87:1-3; Daniel 9:20; Joel 3:17; Zechariah 8:3
• 3. Ezekiel 5:14

Footnotes

• [a]. Lit "righteousnesses"