Daniel 9:18

18 Inclina, oh Dios mío, tu oído, y oye; abre tus ojos, y mira nuestros asolamientos, y la ciudad sobre la cual es llamado tu nombre: porque no derramamos nuestros ruegos ante tu acatamiento confiados en nuestras justicias, sino en tus muchas miseraciones.

Daniel 9:18 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 9:18

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" F11; as Jerusalem was, being called the city of our God, the city of the great King, ( Psalms 48:1 Psalms 48:2 ) 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" F12; 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.


FOOTNOTES:

F11 (hyle Kmv arqn rva) "super quam invocatum est nomen tuum", Vatablus, Pagninus, Calvin; "super qua nomen tuum nuncupatum est", Cocceius.
F12 (Mylypm) "nos cadere facientes", Montanus; "nos cadere facimus", Gejerus, Michaelis.

Daniel 9:18 In-Context

16 Oh Señor, según todas tus justicias, apártese ahora tu ira y tu furor de sobre tu ciudad Jerusalem, tu santo monte: porque á causa de nuestros pecados, y por la maldad de nuestros padres, Jerusalem y tu pueblo dados son en oprobio á todos en derredor nuestro.
17 Ahora pues, Dios nuestro, oye la oración de tu siervo, y sus ruegos, y haz que tu rostro resplandezca sobre tu santuario asolado, por amor del Señor.
18 Inclina, oh Dios mío, tu oído, y oye; abre tus ojos, y mira nuestros asolamientos, y la ciudad sobre la cual es llamado tu nombre: porque no derramamos nuestros ruegos ante tu acatamiento confiados en nuestras justicias, sino en tus muchas miseraciones.
19 Oye, Señor; oh Señor, perdona; presta oído, Señor, y haz; no pongas dilación, por amor de ti mismo, Dios mío: porque tu nombre es llamado sobre tu ciudad y sobre tu pueblo.
20 Aun estaba hablando, y orando, y confesando mi pecado y el pecado de mi pueblo Israel, y derramaba mi ruego delante de Jehová mi Dios por el monte santo de mi Dios;
The Reina-Valera Antigua (1602) is in the public domain.