Daniel 9:1

1 In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of Medes, that was emperor on the realm of Chaldees, (In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, or of Xerxes, of Media/a Mede, who was the emperor over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,)

Daniel 9:1 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 9:1

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 Xenophon ^F25 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 Usher ^F26 and Mr. Whiston ^F1, was in the year of the world 3467 A.M. and 537 B.C. Dean Prideaux ^F2 places it in the year 538; and Mr. Bedford ^F3 in the year 536.

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FOOTNOTES:

F25 Cyropaedia, l. 8. c. 36.
F26 Annales Vet. Test. A. M. 3467.
F1 Chronological Tables, cent. 10.
F2 Connexion part 1. p. 125, 128.
F3 Scripture Chronology, p. 711.

Daniel 9:1 In-Context

1 In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of Medes, that was emperor on the realm of Chaldees, (In the first year of Darius, the son of Ahasuerus, or of Xerxes, of Media/a Mede, who was the emperor over the kingdom of the Chaldeans,)

2 in the first year of his realm, I, Daniel, understood in books the number of years, of which number the word of the Lord was made to Jeremy, the prophet, that seventy years of (the) desolation of Jerusalem should be [ful]filled. (in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by books the number of years, of which number the word of the Lord was made to the prophet Jeremiah, yea, the seventy years of the desolation of Jerusalem that would be fulfilled.)

3 And I setted my face to my Lord God, to pray and beseech in fastings, in sackcloth, and ashes. (And I set my face before the Lord my God, to pray and to beseech him, with fasting, in sackcloth, and ashes.)

4 And I prayed my Lord God, and I acknowledged, and said, I beseech, thou Lord God, great and fearedful, keeping covenant and mercy to them that love thee, and keep thy commandments. (And I prayed to the Lord my God, and I acknowledged, and said, I beseech thee, O Lord God, great and fearful, keeping covenant and giving mercy to those who love thee, and who obey thy commandments.)

5 We have sinned, we have done wickedness, we did unfaithfully, and went away, and bowed away from thy commandments and dooms. (We have sinned, we have done wickedness, we did unfaithfully, and rebelled, and turned away from thy commandments and thy judgements/and thy laws.)