Matthew 24:15

the abomination of desolation i. e. "the abomination that maketh desolate," "the act of sacrilege, which is a sign and a cause of desolation." What special act of sacrilege is referred to cannot be determined for certain. The expression may refer (1) to the besieging army; cp. the parallel passage in Luke, "When ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies." Lightfoot, Hor. Hebr., translates Daniel 9:27 in this sense: "Until the wing (or army) of abominations shall make desolate." (2) The Roman eagles; the E.V. margin, Daniel 9:27, reads: "Upon the battlements shall be the idols of the desolator." (3) The excesses of the Zealots. See Josephus, B.J. iv. 6. 3, "They (the Zealots) caused the fulfilment of the prophecies against their own country; for there was a certain ancient saying that the city would be taken at that time … for sedition would arise, and their own hands would pollute the Temple of God."

in the holy place i. e. within the Temple area.

whoso readeth, let him understand These words are almost beyond a doubt an insertion of the Evangelist, and not part of our Lord's discourse.