Daniel 9: The Seventy Weeks
Daniel 9: The Seventy Weeks
v1-v19: Daniel prayed for Israel.
This prayer happened during the first year of King Darius of Mede, who took over the throne from Belshazzar of Babylon. This is around 539/538 BC.
Daniel read the book of Jeremiah, and discovered that 70 years must pass before the end of the desolation of Jerusalem. (Jeremiah 25:11-13 and Jeremiah 29:10) In other words, the exile of the Jews will end after 70 years. At the time of this vision, the 70 years have not expired yet. (See Q&A on 70 year calculation).
Daniel believe that God will end the exile as Jeremiah prophesied. But at the same time he realised that all these happen was due to the sin of Israel, just as Jeremiah had warned them. Daniel felt profound regret and remorse of what they have done against God.
Daniel turned to God and prayed for forgiveness and mercy, and fasted in sackcloth and ashes. In those days, wearing sackcloth and ashes represents remorse and mourning. Daniel included himself into the sin of the nation, though he was very young when the exile happened. Daniel was now 82 years old, assuming he was exiled when he was 16.
These are what Daniel prayed for.
a) v4-15: Confession on Israel's Behalf.
- He started by praising God. “O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments," (v4)
- He confessed that they have acted wickedly and rebelled against God's commandments and rules, and did not listen to the prophets. He admitted that "we" should be ashamed by the treachery committed against God. (v5-v10)
- He recognized that all the curse and oath written in the law of Moses had been poured out on Israel as a consequence of their transgression against the law and refused to obey His voice. (v11-12)
- He said that instead of turning away and repent from iniquities and gaining insight by God's truth, we took God for granted. Therefore, God has allowed the calamity upon Israel. (v13-14)
- He summarized what he said, that they have sinned and done wickedly, and did not honor and appreciate God who brought them out of slavery in Egypt.
- Daniel asked that God turns away his anger and wrath against Jerusalem. Daniel called upon God's character of righteousness that He had shown in the past, to remove his anger from the Jews. He admitted that God was righteous and the nation was wrong.
- God's city of Jerusalem and his people has become a "byword" among the people. I believe this means that everyone is ridiculing the Jews for losing their homes and were exiled, and that their God is not helping them. Daniel continued to ask God to listen to his prayer for His own sake, as his people and their God is being ridiculed.
- Daniel asked God to consider his own temple and his own city that is called by His name (known everywhere by His name) that were desolated. Daniel is saying that Jerusalem belongs to God, and it's prosperity will honor God.
- Daniel said he is asking not because of their own righteousness, but because of God's great mercy. This is emphasizing God's character as a merciful God.
- In his conclusion, he asked that God do not delay the prophecy and do it as quick as possible.
v16-27: Gabriel Brings an Answer
Gabriel came to Daniel in "swift flight", and Daniel recognize Gabriel from his previous visions before. Gabriel told him that when his prayer for mercy went out, he was sent to tell Daniel that he is greatly loved.
Wow, this is a precious thing for Daniel to hear, that he is greatly loved! God loves all of us, and even sent in only Son to be sacrificed on the cross to save all of us! We should always remind each other of this "great love" of God for us!
Gabriel started to give him an insight of the future. He told him:
“Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place." (v24)
In Hebrew, the "seventy weeks" means “a period of seven” and can apply to days or years. A more literal translation of Daniel 9:24 would be "Seventy seven are determined." Genesis 29:15-28 is an example of using this ancient Hebrew word (shabuwa) for both seven days and seven years in the same context. The total number of years for "seventy weeks" are 490. However, as discussed later, it is not a continuous 490 years.
To "finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, and to make atonement for iniquity" refers to the end of sin and the atonement for iniquity through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. "To bring in everlasting righteousness" means the establishment of an era of righteousness that will last forever. "To seal up vision and prophecy" suggests the fulfillment of all visions and prophecies about the Messiah's first coming. To "anoint the most holy place" could be the anointing of the new temple in Israel or the anointing of Jesus Christ, the "Most Holy One".
Gabriel further break down the 70 years:
"Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble." (v25)
The last phrase about building the streets and trench in times of trouble probably refer to the difficulty for the Jews to rebuild the city in the first "seven times seven years" (49) years. (Read the book of Nehemiah. Note that the time taken to complete the city and walls was never given in biblical text). The sixty-two 'sevens' if after the city being built. So the total is the seven "sevens" plus sixty-two "sevens" (ie 69 sevens, equal to 483 years) will pass after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given.
While king Cyrus allowed the Jews to go back home to Israel, his command was to rebuild the temple. (Ezra 1:1-4; 5:13-17). Only during the reign of Artaxerxes, that he allowed Nehemiah to return to Israel in order to rebuild the city and the walls. (Neh 2:1-8). This happened in 444 BC.
Adding 483 prophetic years (360 day years) to 444 BC will be 33AD. (See the formula in Appendix) This was when Gabriel said that the Messiah ("the Anointed One, the ruler") will enter into Jerusalem and was crucified.
Gabriel continued:
"After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing." (v26a)
When Gabriel said sixty-two 'sevens' (434 years), he meant that this time is after the building of the city, which took 49 years. So it's the same as above, that after the 483 years, Jesus will be put to death in 33AD.
Isaiah 53:5 also prophesied that the messiah will be "pierced for out transgression". and Psalms 22:16 also said "they pierced by hands and my feet." The phrase "will have nothing" likely refers to Jesus did not leave any assets behind when he died, including money or even friends for they all forsook him when he was captured.
"The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary." (v26b) This prophecy had been fulfilled when the Romans burn down the temple and put salt on the city so nothing can grow there. The Jews were scattered all over the world from 70 AD onwards. They essentially have lost their land.
However, this prophecy will repeat itself again in the end days, when the antichrist will try to do the same to the Jews.
Gabriel concluded the chapter with this sentence:
The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. (v26c - v27)
Gabriel went ahead from the death of Christ (v26a) right into future during the end times, and skipped all the years in between, which no one knows how long is that gap. However, the gap provides an opportunity for gentiles to be saved through faith in Christ.
Gabriel said that the end will come suddenly and wars will continued until the end. The phrase "desolations have been decreed" seems to be saying that the "ruler" in v26b will set a decree to desolate the city and the temple.
But first, the antichrist will make a treaty with Israel and Israel enemies and perhaps other countries. In the middle of the 7 years, ie 3.5 years later, the antichrist stopped the Jewish worship and will cause an abomination in the temple. (See Matt 24:25 and 2 Thess 2:3-4)
This is similar to what Antiochus of Greece (the small horn) had done as prophesied in Daniel 8:9-13, and confirmed by secular history. One thing to note that some of the bible's prophecies will have a parallel fulfilment in the past as well as in the future. Take note of this to avoid confusion.
At the end of the 7 years, the antichrist will be defeated by Jesus on his second coming. The same was also mentioned in Daniel 7:26.
This breakdown of the years met the total of 490 years that Gabriel said in v24: “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city," i.e. 483 years until Jesus time + 7 years of the Tribulation time. Gabriel purposely left out the period of the Church, as the prophecy is specifically meant for Jews only.
Note that only Daniel provide us the picture of a 7 year tribulation. Revelation only focus on the second 3.5 years when the anti-Christ went against Israel. We can't tell from Revelation how long the tribulation started before then.
Q&A
1. How is the 70 years of "desolation of Jerusalem" calculated?
The calculation of the 70 years of Babylonian exile is a topic of much discussion among theologians and scholars. Here are some interpretations:
Babylonian Servitude: Some believe the 70 years started in 608 BC, when Judah became a vassal of Babylon, and ended in 539 BC with the fall of Babylon1. This interpretation considers the period of servitude to Babylon, rather than the physical destruction and desolation of Jerusalem.
Desolation of Jerusalem: Others interpret the 70 years as the period of Jerusalem’s desolation. This period is calculated from the destruction of the temple to the completion and dedication of the second temple, i.e., from 586 BC to 516 BC.
Phased Exile: Another interpretation suggests that the 70 years prophecy given to Jeremiah in 605 BC was already underway, marking the beginning of Judah’s phased exile to Babylon
2. Note on Verse 25
In NIV, verse 25 says: "“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble."
We used this version for the quote above. It is also translated the same in KJV and NKJ version.
However, in ESV, it says "Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time."
The ESV seems to indicate that it will take 49 years for the anointed one to come; and that it will take 434 years for the building of Jerusalem. This doesn't have any correspondence to history. However ESV also made a footnote that it could be interpreted the NIV way.
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