Daniel 9:20-27

Gabriel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

20 While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—

21 while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.

22 He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.

23 At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:

24 Seventy weeks ^[a] are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. ^[b]

25 Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, ^[c] the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.

26 Then after the sixty-two weeks ^[d] the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.

27 And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, ^[e] but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, ^[f] until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him. ^[g]”

Daniel 9:20-27 Meaning and Commentary

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.

Footnotes

• [a] Or Seventy sevens; also twice in verse 25 and once in verse 26
• [b] Or the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy One; literally the Most Holy
• [c] Or the Anointed One; also in verse 26
• [d] Hebrew Then after sixty-two sevens
• [e] Or for one seven; similarly again in this verse
• [f] Literally And on the wing (will come) the abomination that causes desolation, or And on the wing of abominations (will come) one who causes desolation,
• [g] Literally until the decreed consummation is poured out upon (him who) is desolate.