THE PROPHECY OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS In the first year of -Darius the Mede," Daniel, considering that the 70 years of desolation prophesied by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11; cf. Jeremiah 25:12_; Jeremiah 29:10_) were drawing to their close, implores God to forgive His people's sin, and to look favourably u... [ Continue Reading ]
_Darius_ i.e. -Darius the Mede," Daniel 5:31: cf. Daniel 6:1 ff. The date is fixed suitably: the first year after the conquest of Babylon would be a time when, in view of the promises of Jeremiah and the second Isaiah (e.g. Isaiah 44:28; Isaiah 45:13), thoughts of restoration would naturally be stir... [ Continue Reading ]
_by_ THE _books_ i.e. the sacred books, the Scriptures. The neglect of the Heb. article in the A.V. obscures here an important point; for - _the_books" can only be naturally understood as implying that, at the time when the passage was written, some definite collection of sacred writings already exi... [ Continue Reading ]
_set my face_ i.e. directed myself: cf. 2 Chronicles 20:3 (lit. - _set his face_to seek unto Jehovah"). _to_ SEEK PRAYER, &c. i.e. to apply myself to prayer, &c. _with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes_ marks of mourning, and the usual accompaniments of supplication, penitence, and confession. Cf.... [ Continue Reading ]
Daniel's prayer, consisting (1) of a confession of national transgression, and of the justice of God's punishment (Daniel 9:4), and (2) of a supplication for mercy and restoration (Daniel 9:15). The prayer evinces great depth and fervour of religious feeling. In style it is Deuteronomic; in fact, it... [ Continue Reading ]
_and_ MADE CONFESSION] Leviticus 5:5; Leviticus 16:21; Leviticus 26:40, Num 5:7, 2 Chronicles 30:22; and in a context similar to the present one, Ezra 10:1; Nehemiah 1:6; Nehemiah 9:2-3, as well as below, Daniel 9:20. _O Lord_ AH, NOW! _Lord_, beginning with a [ Continue Reading ]
_We have sinned, and have_ DEALT PERVERSELY, _and have done wickedly_ from 1 Kings 8:47, with extremely slight differences, indicated in R.V. by the substitution of _done_for _dealt_, and of _dealt_for _done_. Psalms 106:6 is based similarly on 1 Kings 8:47. AND HAVE TURNED ASIDE _from thy_ COMMANDM... [ Continue Reading ]
The guilt is the greater, because Israel had been warned, but had not listened to the warning. _neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets_ A reminiscence of Jeremiah 26:5; cf. Jeremiah 7:25; Jeremiah 25:4; Jeremiah 29:19; Jeremiah 35:15; Jeremiah 44:4 (all containing the expression -... [ Continue Reading ]
Thus righteousness belongs only to God: to the sinful people only confusion and shame. With Daniel 9:7 _b_, cf. Bar 1:15-17. _confusion of faces_, &c. Cf. Ezra 9:7, -and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered … to confusion of face, as (it is) this day." Lit. -shame o... [ Continue Reading ]
_to our kings_, &c. Cf. Jeremiah 44:17 (quoted on Daniel 9:6).... [ Continue Reading ]
_mercies_ The word often rendered -tender mercies" (Psalms 25:6; Psalms 40:11, &c.). The cognate verb and adj. are often rendered by _have compassion on_(e.g. Isaiah 49:15), and _full of compassion_(e.g. Psalms 78:38). COMPASSION would be the best word to adopt uniformly for this word and its cognat... [ Continue Reading ]
_obeyed_(lit. _hearkened to) the voice_, &c. So Exodus 15:26; Exodus 19:5; and especially in Deut. (as Deuteronomy 4:30; Deuteronomy 9:23; Deuteronomy 28:1-2; Deuteronomy 28:15), and Jer. (as Jeremiah 3:13; Jeremiah 9:13;... [ Continue Reading ]
_even by departing_ AND HAVE TURNED ASIDE, as Daniel 9:5. SO AS NOT TO _obey_(_hearken to) thy voice_ as Jeremiah 18:10; Jeremiah 42:13 (Heb.). AND SO THERE HATH BEEN _poured out upon us_ THE CURSE AND THE OATH, _that is written_, &c. -Poured out," as Jeremiah 42:18; Jeremiah 44:6 (of anger): -the... [ Continue Reading ]
_confirmed his words_ The phrase as Nehemiah 9:8; cf. Deu 9:5, 1 Kings 8:20, _al._with this verse, cf. Bar 2:1-2. _judges_ apparently a general term for rulers, as Psalms 2:10. _by bringing_, &c. to -bring evil upon" is a phrase common in Jer., as Jeremiah 35:17; Jeremiah 36:31 (where -pronounced... [ Continue Reading ]
_As_it is _written_, &c. Cf. Deuteronomy 28:15 _b_, Deuteronomy 30:1. _yet_ HAVE _we not_ INTREATED THE FAVOUR OF (R.V.)] lit. _made the face sweet_(i.e. gracious), the idiom used with reference to a human object in Job 11:19; Psalms 45:12; Proverbs 19:6, and frequently with reference to God, as Exo... [ Continue Reading ]
AND (so) JEHOVAH HATH WATCHED OVER] The same expression in Jeremiah 1:12; Jeremiah 31:28; Jeremiah 44:27 (-I watch over them for evil and not for good"), the meaning being that Jehovah is _wakeful_or _vigilant_over the evil, that it may duly be brought when the right moment arrives. Cf. Bar 2:9. i... [ Continue Reading ]
The confession passes now gradually into a supplication for help. Cf. Bar 2:11-12 _a_, 13 _a_, 14 _a_, 16 _b_, 17 _a_, 19.... [ Continue Reading ]
_that hast brought_, &c. Deuteronomy 6:21; Deuteronomy 9:26; Deuteronomy 26:8; cf. Jeremiah 32:21. _and hast_ MADE THEE A NAME, _as at this day verbatim_(in the Heb.), though not quite _literatim_, as Jeremiah 32:20 and Nehemiah 9:10; _to make oneself a name_(i.e. to gain renown), also, Genesis 11:4... [ Continue Reading ]
_according to all thy righteousness_ The plural, of righteousness exhibited in deeds, or, in other words, of acts of righteousness: so Judges 5:11; 1 Samuel 12:7; Micah 6:5; Psalms 103:6. God's deliverance of His people, according to His covenant-promise, when and in so far as it deserves it, is reg... [ Continue Reading ]
HEARKEN UNTO _the prayer_, &c. A reminiscence of 1 Kings 8:28 (2 Chronicles 6:19). Similarly Nehemiah 1:6; Nehemiah 1:11 (from 1 Kings 8:29). _cause thy face to shine upon_ i.e. be favourable to: Numbers 6:25; Psalms 68:1; Psalms 80:3;... [ Continue Reading ]
The supplication becomes more urgent, especially in Daniel 9:18.... [ Continue Reading ]
_incline … and behold_(lit. _see_)] Almost exactly the words in Hezekiah's prayer, 2 Kings 19:16 (Isaiah 37:17). _desolations_ Daniel 9:26: cf. Isaiah 49:19; Isaiah 61:4 (twice). OVER WHICH _thy name_ HATH BEEN CALLED] i.e. of which Thou art the Owner. The sense of the expression appears from 2 Sam... [ Continue Reading ]
_hear … forgive_ The combination is, no doubt, suggested by 1 Kings 8:30 _b_, 1 Kings 8:34; 1 Kings 8:36; 1 Kings 8:39. _hearken_ ATTEND, as the word is often rendered in the Psalms 17:1; Psalms 55:2; Psalms 61:1; Psalms 86:6;... [ Continue Reading ]
_whiles_ So Daniel 9:21. See on Daniel 5:2. _confessing_ Daniel 9:4. _for the holy mountain of my God_ cf. Daniel 9:16.... [ Continue Reading ]
Daniel's prayer heard; and the angel Gabriel sent with the answer.... [ Continue Reading ]
_even the man_ -even" arises from an incorrect apprehension of the syntax, and should be omitted (as is done in R.V.). _in the vision at the beginning_ Daniel 8:16. _being caused to fly swiftly_ The Hebrew is peculiar, and has been variously understood. The first word may be derived equally from tw... [ Continue Reading ]
_and he informed_me] better, MADE (me) TO UNDERSTAND, as in Daniel 8:16. But the pron. is (in the Heb.) much desiderated; and very probably we should read, with LXX, Pesh., AND HE CAME (ויבא for ויבן): so Bevan, Behrm., Marti. _to give thee skill and understanding_ R.V. (from A.V. _marg.) to_ MAKE... [ Continue Reading ]
_the commandment came forth_ A WORD WENT FORTH (cf. Esther 7:8; Isaiah 55:11). The reference is not to the commandment given to Gabriel to go to Daniel, but to the Divine declaration contained in Daniel 9:24. _to shew thee to_ DECLARE (it): cf. on Daniel 2:2. _greatly beloved_ GREATLY DESIRED, or ... [ Continue Reading ]
The 70 years foretold by Jeremiah are to be understood as 70 weeks of years (i.e. 490 years); at the end of that period sin will be done away with, and the redemption of Israel will be complete. Jeremiah's promises, which, while the city and nation are being made the prey of Antiochus, seem a dead l... [ Continue Reading ]
The 7 weeks and the following 62 weeks. _understand_ R.V. DISCERN, the Hebrew word being the same as that rendered _have discernment_in Daniel 9:13 (R.V.), and different from the one rendered _understand_in Daniel 9:2_; Daniel 9:23_. _the going forth of the_ WORD] cf. (for the expression) Daniel 9:... [ Continue Reading ]
The 70 weeks are now broken up into three periods of 7, 62, and 1 week, respectively; and the events by which each of these periods is to be marked are signalized.... [ Continue Reading ]
_And after_ THE _threescore and two weeks shall_ AN ANOINTED ONE _be cut off_, AND SHALL HAVE NO …] The -anointed one" cannot be the same as the -anointed one" of Daniel 9:25; for he lives 62 -weeks" (i.e. 434 years) after him. The language is intentionally allusive and ambiguous. The term -anointed... [ Continue Reading ]
The 70th week (b.c. 171 to 164).... [ Continue Reading ]
_And he shall_ MAKE A FIRM _covenant with many for one week_ Lit. _make mighty_a covenant. The expression is a peculiar one; but apparently (the Heb. being late) _make mighty_is used in the weakened sense of _make strong_or _confirm_; cf. Psalms 103:11; Psalms 117:2 (where -is great" ought rather to... [ Continue Reading ]