Daniel 9 Study Notes: Daniel’s Prayer and the Seventy Weeks
Reading Jeremiah’s prophecy that Jerusalem would lie desolate for seventy years, Daniel turns to God with fasting and a long prayer confessing Israel’s sin. He pleads for mercy for the sake of God’s name, and the angel Gabriel arrives with a message about seventy weeks decreed for his people and city.
General
On what basis does Daniel say he brings his requests to God (Daniel 9:18)?
Answer: On God’s great compassion, not on the people’s righteous acts
Daniel says plainly that he is not bringing his requests because of any righteous deeds the people had done, but because of God’s great compassion (9:18). He has already confessed that the people, their kings and their fathers had all sinned (9:8), so he has no record of goodness to point to. He leans on mercy alone. The New Testament teaches the same truth about salvation: God saves people because of His mercy, not because of the good things they have done (Titus 3:5). Isaiah confessed that even the people’s good deeds are stained with sin (Isaiah 64:6), and Jesus said it was the tax collector who begged for mercy who went home right with God (Luke 18:13-14).
- Daniel 9:18 (BSB)“Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.”Daniel grounds his requests in God’s great compassion rather than in anything the people had done.
- Titus 3:5 (BSB)“He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”Paul says God saved us because of His mercy, not for any righteous works of ours, the same ground Daniel pleads.
- Isaiah 64:6 (BSB)“Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.”Isaiah confesses that even the people’s righteous acts are unclean, so they cannot be a basis for favor with God.
- Luke 18:13-14 (BSB)“But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””Jesus says the tax collector who simply begged for mercy went home justified.
Theological
On what ground does Daniel present his petitions in 9:18?
Answer: On God’s great compassion, not on the people’s righteous acts
Daniel explicitly disclaims any merit: the petitions are presented not on account of the people’s righteous acts but on account of God’s abundant compassion (9:18). Having confessed the guilt of kings, princes, fathers and people alike (9:8), he rests his whole plea on grace. This is the same ground on which God saves sinners in the gospel, not by works of righteousness but by His mercy (Titus 3:5). Even Israel’s best works are like unclean rags before Him (Isaiah 64:6), and it is the sinner who casts himself on mercy who goes home justified (Luke 18:13-14). Prayer, like justification, rests on God’s mercy alone.
- Daniel 9:18 (BSB)“Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.”Daniel grounds his requests in God’s great compassion rather than in anything the people had done.
- Titus 3:5 (BSB)“He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.”Paul says God saved us because of His mercy, not for any righteous works of ours, the same ground Daniel pleads.
- Isaiah 64:6 (BSB)“Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.”Isaiah confesses that even the people’s righteous acts are unclean, so they cannot be a basis for favor with God.
- Luke 18:13-14 (BSB)“But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’ I tell you, this man, rather than the Pharisee, went home justified. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.””Jesus says the tax collector who simply begged for mercy went home justified.
General
According to Daniel, why had such great disaster come on Jerusalem (Daniel 9:11-13)?
Answer: Israel broke God’s law, and the curse Moses recorded fell on them
Daniel says all Israel broke God’s law and turned aside, unwilling to obey Him, so the sworn curse recorded by Moses was poured out on them (9:11). God did what He had said He would do against them and their rulers, bringing a disaster unlike anything done anywhere under heaven (9:12). Yet even then the people had not sought God’s favor by turning from their sins (9:13). Moses had warned that the curses would overtake Israel if they disobeyed (Deuteronomy 28:15) and that God would scatter them and leave their land desolate (Leviticus 26:33). The same chapter of the Law also promised that if the scattered people confessed their sin, God would remember His covenant (Leviticus 26:40-42), and Daniel is doing just that.
- Daniel 9:11-13 (BSB)“All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth.”Daniel traces the disaster to Israel’s disobedience and the curse Moses had already recorded in the Law.
- Deuteronomy 28:15 (BSB)“If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”Moses warned that all the covenant curses would overtake Israel if they refused to obey the LORD.
- Leviticus 26:33 (BSB)“But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.”The Law foretold that God would disperse Israel among other peoples and leave their land desolate.
- Leviticus 26:40-42 (BSB)“But if they will confess their iniquity and that of their fathers in the unfaithfulness that they practiced against Me, by which they have also walked in hostility toward Me— and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”The same chapter promised that if the scattered people confessed their sin, God would remember His covenant.
Theological
How does Daniel account for the calamity on Jerusalem (Daniel 9:11-13)?
Answer: Israel broke God’s law, and the curse Moses recorded fell on them
Daniel reads the exile as covenant judgment: all Israel transgressed God’s law and refused His voice, so the sworn curse recorded by Moses was poured out (9:11). God confirmed His words against them and their rulers by a disaster without parallel under heaven (9:12), exactly as Moses had recorded, yet the people still had not entreated His favor by repenting (9:13). The sanctions of Deuteronomy 28:15 and Leviticus 26:33 had come to pass in full. But Leviticus 26 also holds out a promise: if the scattered people confessed their iniquity, God would remember His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Leviticus 26:40-42). Daniel’s prayer stands on that promise.
- Daniel 9:11-13 (BSB)“All Israel has transgressed Your law and turned away, refusing to obey Your voice; so the oath and the curse written in the Law of Moses the servant of God has been poured out on us, because we have sinned against You. You have carried out the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing upon us a great disaster. For under all of heaven, nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem. Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquities and giving attention to Your truth.”Daniel traces the disaster to Israel’s disobedience and the curse Moses had already recorded in the Law.
- Deuteronomy 28:15 (BSB)“If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:”Moses warned that all the covenant curses would overtake Israel if they refused to obey the LORD.
- Leviticus 26:33 (BSB)“But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.”The Law foretold that God would disperse Israel among other peoples and leave their land desolate.
- Leviticus 26:40-42 (BSB)“But if they will confess their iniquity and that of their fathers in the unfaithfulness that they practiced against Me, by which they have also walked in hostility toward Me— and I acted with hostility toward them and brought them into the land of their enemies—and if their uncircumcised hearts will be humbled and they will make amends for their iniquity, then I will remember My covenant with Jacob and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.”The same chapter promised that if the scattered people confessed their sin, God would remember His covenant.
General
True or False: Daniel asks God to act for His own sake, because Jerusalem and His people are called by His name (Daniel 9:17-19).
Answer: True
This is true. Daniel reminds God that He brought His people out of Egypt and made a name for Himself that is still known (9:15). Then he asks God, for the Lord’s own sake, to look with favor on His ruined sanctuary, to see the city called by His name, and to hear, forgive and act without delay, because both city and people bear His name (9:17-19). Daniel’s deepest appeal is God’s own honor. The psalmist prays the same way, asking God to help and forgive for His name’s sake (Psalm 79:9), and God Himself says He holds back His anger and restores His people for His holy name’s sake (Isaiah 48:9; Ezekiel 36:22).
- Daniel 9:15 (BSB)“Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly.”Daniel recalls the exodus, by which God made a name for Himself.
- Daniel 9:17-19 (BSB)“So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary. Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.””Daniel asks God to hear, forgive and act for His own sake, because the city and people are called by His name.
- Psalm 79:9 (BSB)“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.”The psalmist likewise asks God to deliver and forgive for the glory and sake of His name.
- Isaiah 48:9 (BSB)“For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.”God Himself says He restrains His anger to protect His own name and praise.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God declares that He will restore Israel not for their sake but for His holy name.
Theological
True or False: Daniel’s closing appeal asks God to act for His own sake, since His city and His people are called by His name (Daniel 9:17-19).
Answer: True
This is true. Recalling the exodus, by which God made Himself a renowned name (9:15), Daniel asks God for His own sake to make His face shine on the desolate sanctuary, to behold the city called by His name, and to hear, forgive and act without delay, because city and people alike bear His name (9:17-19). The final motive of the prayer is God’s glory. The same plea for God’s name’s sake appears in Psalm 79:9, and God Himself declares that He restrains His wrath and restores Israel for His own name’s sake, not for theirs (Isaiah 48:9; Ezekiel 36:22). God’s mercy toward His people serves the display of His own glory.
- Daniel 9:15 (BSB)“Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly.”Daniel recalls the exodus, by which God made a name for Himself.
- Daniel 9:17-19 (BSB)“So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary. Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion. O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.””Daniel asks God to hear, forgive and act for His own sake, because the city and people are called by His name.
- Psalm 79:9 (BSB)“Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; deliver us and atone for our sins, for the sake of Your name.”The psalmist likewise asks God to deliver and forgive for the glory and sake of His name.
- Isaiah 48:9 (BSB)“For the sake of My name I will delay My wrath; for the sake of My praise I will restrain it, so that you will not be cut off.”God Himself says He restrains His anger to protect His own name and praise.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God declares that He will restore Israel not for their sake but for His holy name.
General
What did Gabriel tell Daniel about the answer to his prayer (Daniel 9:23)?
Answer: It had gone out as soon as Daniel began to plead
While Daniel was still speaking, confessing his own sin and his people’s sin and pleading for Jerusalem, Gabriel came to him in swift flight near the hour of evening sacrifice (9:20-21). Daniel had seen Gabriel before, when he was sent to explain the earlier vision (8:16). Gabriel said he had come to give Daniel insight and understanding. As soon as Daniel began to plead, an answer was sent, and Gabriel came to deliver it, because Daniel was highly precious (9:22-23). God had promised to answer His people before they call out and to hear them even as they are still talking (Isaiah 65:24). In the New Testament Gabriel again appears as one who stands before God and is sent with a message (Luke 1:19).
- Daniel 9:20-21 (BSB)“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— 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.”While Daniel is still praying and confessing, Gabriel arrives swiftly near the hour of the evening offering.
- Daniel 9:22-23 (BSB)“He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding. 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:”Gabriel says a reply was sent as soon as Daniel began to plead, and he calls Daniel highly precious.
- Daniel 8:16 (BSB)“And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.””Gabriel is the one Daniel had already met when he was sent to explain the earlier vision.
- Isaiah 65:24 (BSB)“Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”God promised to answer His people before they call on Him and to hear them while they are still talking.
- Luke 1:19 (BSB)““I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.”In the New Testament Gabriel again says he stands before God and has been sent to bring a message.
Theological
What did Gabriel say about the timing of the answer to Daniel’s petitions (Daniel 9:23)?
Answer: It had gone out as soon as Daniel began to plead
Gabriel arrived while Daniel was still confessing his own sin and Israel’s and pleading for God’s holy mountain, coming in swift flight near the hour of evening sacrifice (9:20-21). He is the same messenger commissioned to interpret the earlier vision (8:16). He came to give insight: at the very beginning of Daniel’s petitions a word went forth, and he was sent to declare it, for Daniel was highly precious (9:22-23). The answer went out before the prayer was finished, in keeping with God’s pledge to answer before His people call and to hear them even as they are still talking (Isaiah 65:24). Gabriel reappears in the New Testament as the one who stands in God’s presence and is sent with His message (Luke 1:19).
- Daniel 9:20-21 (BSB)“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— 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.”While Daniel is still praying and confessing, Gabriel arrives swiftly near the hour of the evening offering.
- Daniel 9:22-23 (BSB)“He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding. 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:”Gabriel says a reply was sent as soon as Daniel began to plead, and he calls Daniel highly precious.
- Daniel 8:16 (BSB)“And I heard the voice of a man calling from between the banks of the Ulai: “Gabriel, explain the vision to this man.””Gabriel is the one Daniel had already met when he was sent to explain the earlier vision.
- Isaiah 65:24 (BSB)“Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.”God promised to answer His people before they call on Him and to hear them while they are still talking.
- Luke 1:19 (BSB)““I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.”In the New Testament Gabriel again says he stands before God and has been sent to bring a message.
General
How does Daniel address God at the start of his confession (Daniel 9:4)?
Answer: As the great, fearsome God who stays faithful to His covenant
Daniel begins with praise before he confesses. He calls on the Lord as great and fearsome, the God who stays true to His covenant (His binding promise to His people) and shows loving devotion to all who love and obey Him (9:4). Then he owns Israel’s guilt plainly: the people had sinned, done evil, rebelled, turned from God’s commands, and refused to listen to the prophets God sent to their kings and people (9:5-6). Daniel echoes the words Moses used to describe God’s faithfulness (Deuteronomy 7:9), and Nehemiah later prays the same way (Nehemiah 1:5). Solomon had asked God to hear exiles who would confess their sin in a foreign land, and Daniel’s prayer is exactly such a confession (1 Kings 8:47-49).
- Daniel 9:4-6 (BSB)“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.”Daniel praises God’s covenant faithfulness and then confesses Israel’s sin and refusal to heed the prophets.
- Deuteronomy 7:9 (BSB)“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.”Moses described the LORD as the faithful, covenant-keeping God, the description Daniel echoes.
- Nehemiah 1:5 (BSB)“Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,”Nehemiah opened his own prayer for Jerusalem with nearly identical praise of God’s greatness and covenant faithfulness.
- 1 Kings 8:47-49 (BSB)“and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name, then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold their cause.”Solomon asked God to hear exiles who would confess their sin while held captive abroad, which is exactly what Daniel does.
Theological
With what description of God does Daniel open his confession (Daniel 9:4)?
Answer: As the great, fearsome God who stays faithful to His covenant
Daniel’s prayer begins with adoration: the Lord is great and fearsome, faithful to His covenant and its loving devotion toward all who love and obey Him (9:4). Only then does he confess Israel’s sin in a cascade of terms: they have sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly, rebelled, departed from God’s precepts, and refused the prophets who brought His word (9:5-6). The covenant formula is drawn from Moses (Deuteronomy 7:9) and recurs in Nehemiah’s prayer (Nehemiah 1:5). Daniel’s confession also answers Solomon’s dedication prayer, which asked God to hear exiles who acknowledged their sin in captivity (1 Kings 8:47-49). God’s unchanging covenant faithfulness is the ground on which a guilty people dare to pray.
- Daniel 9:4-6 (BSB)“And I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed, “O, Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant of loving devotion to those who love Him and keep His commandments, we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. We have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, leaders, fathers, and all the people of the land.”Daniel praises God’s covenant faithfulness and then confesses Israel’s sin and refusal to heed the prophets.
- Deuteronomy 7:9 (BSB)“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God, the faithful God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion for a thousand generations of those who love Him and keep His commandments.”Moses described the LORD as the faithful, covenant-keeping God, the description Daniel echoes.
- Nehemiah 1:5 (BSB)“Then I said: “O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God who keeps His covenant of loving devotion with those who love Him and keep His commandments,”Nehemiah opened his own prayer for Jerusalem with nearly identical praise of God’s greatness and covenant faithfulness.
- 1 Kings 8:47-49 (BSB)“and when they come to their senses in the land to which they were taken, and they repent and plead with You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong; we have acted wickedly,’ and when they return to You with all their heart and soul in the land of the enemies who took them captive, and when they pray to You in the direction of the land that You gave to their fathers, the city You have chosen, and the house I have built for Your Name, then may You hear from heaven, Your dwelling place, their prayer and petition, and may You uphold their cause.”Solomon asked God to hear exiles who would confess their sin while held captive abroad, which is exactly what Daniel does.
General
In 9:7-8, what two things does Daniel set side by side?
Answer: The Lord’s righteousness and the people’s shame
Daniel says that righteousness belongs to the Lord, but shame belongs to the people: everyone in Judah and Jerusalem and every Israelite, whether close by or far off, including their kings, leaders and fathers, because of their unfaithfulness (9:7-8). He adds that the LORD was right in everything He did when He brought this calamity on them (9:14). Daniel does not accuse God of being harsh. He agrees that God was right and the people were wrong. Ezra and the Levites in Nehemiah’s day prayed the same way (Ezra 9:15; Nehemiah 9:33), and David confessed his sin so that God would be shown right in His judgment (Psalm 51:4).
- Daniel 9:7-8 (BSB)“To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You. O LORD, we are covered with shame—our kings, our leaders, and our fathers—because we have sinned against You.”Daniel contrasts the righteousness of the Lord with the shame that covers every part of Israel.
- Daniel 9:14 (BSB)“Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.”Daniel confesses that the LORD was righteous in bringing the calamity.
- Ezra 9:15 (BSB)“O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.””Ezra makes the same confession, declaring God righteous while the people stand guilty before Him.
- Nehemiah 9:33 (BSB)“You are just in all that has befallen us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.”The Levites in Nehemiah’s day confess that God was just in everything that happened to them.
- Psalm 51:4 (BSB)“Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.”David confesses his sin so that God is shown to be right in His verdict, the same stance Daniel takes.
Theological
What contrast does Daniel draw in 9:7-8?
Answer: The Lord’s righteousness and the people’s shame
Daniel ascribes righteousness to the Lord and open shame to the whole people, Judah and Jerusalem and every Israelite scattered abroad, together with their kings, princes and fathers, on account of their unfaithfulness (9:7-8). He later vindicates God outright: the LORD is just in all His works, including the calamity He held ready and then sent (9:14). True confession justifies God and condemns oneself; it does not plead innocence or blame the Judge. Ezra and the post-exilic Levites confess in the same terms (Ezra 9:15; Nehemiah 9:33), as David did, so that God is proved right when He judges (Psalm 51:4). Daniel, though himself a faithful man, includes himself among the guilty.
- Daniel 9:7-8 (BSB)“To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You. O LORD, we are covered with shame—our kings, our leaders, and our fathers—because we have sinned against You.”Daniel contrasts the righteousness of the Lord with the shame that covers every part of Israel.
- Daniel 9:14 (BSB)“Therefore the LORD has kept the calamity in store and brought it upon us. For the LORD our God is righteous in all He does; yet we have not obeyed His voice.”Daniel confesses that the LORD was righteous in bringing the calamity.
- Ezra 9:15 (BSB)“O LORD, God of Israel, You are righteous! For we remain this day as a remnant. Here we are before You in our guilt, though because of it no one can stand before You.””Ezra makes the same confession, declaring God righteous while the people stand guilty before Him.
- Nehemiah 9:33 (BSB)“You are just in all that has befallen us, because You have acted faithfully, while we have acted wickedly.”The Levites in Nehemiah’s day confess that God was just in everything that happened to them.
- Psalm 51:4 (BSB)“Against You, You only, have I sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You may be proved right when You speak and blameless when You judge.”David confesses his sin so that God is shown to be right in His verdict, the same stance Daniel takes.
General
True or False: After learning of the seventy years from Jeremiah, Daniel turned to seek the Lord in prayer, fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes (Daniel 9:3).
Answer: True
This is true. Knowing God’s promise about the seventy years did not make Daniel sit back and wait. Instead he looked to the Lord in prayer and pleading, fasting and putting on sackcloth (rough cloth worn in mourning) and ashes (9:3). The same letter of Jeremiah that set the seventy years also promised that God’s people would call on Him and pray, and that He would listen and be found when they sought Him wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 29:12-13). God’s sure promise is a reason to pray, not a reason to stop praying: the God who planned the return also planned for His people to ask for it. Nehemiah and Ezra show the same pattern of fasting and prayer in times of need (Nehemiah 1:4; Ezra 8:21).
- Daniel 9:3 (BSB)“So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”Daniel responds to the promise by seeking God in prayer, fasting and mourning.
- Jeremiah 29:12-13 (BSB)“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”The same letter that promised the seventy years also promised that God would hear His people when they called on Him.
- Nehemiah 1:4 (BSB)“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”Nehemiah likewise answered news about Jerusalem with mourning, fasting and prayer.
- Ezra 8:21 (BSB)“And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.”Ezra called the returning exiles to fast and humble themselves as they asked God to protect them on the road.
Theological
True or False: Having understood Jeremiah’s prophecy of the seventy years, Daniel sought the Lord with prayer and pleading, fasting and wearing sackcloth and ashes (Daniel 9:3).
Answer: True
This is true. Daniel’s grasp of the divine timetable drove him to intercession: he sought the Lord with prayer and petition, fasting in sackcloth and ashes (9:3). The decree and the prayer are not rivals. The same letter that fixed the seventy years also ordained that the exiles would call on God, pray, and find Him when they sought Him wholeheartedly (Jeremiah 29:12-13). God ordains the means as well as the end, and the prayers of His people are among the means by which He brings His promises to pass. Nehemiah and Ezra show the same response of fasting and humble prayer (Nehemiah 1:4; Ezra 8:21).
- Daniel 9:3 (BSB)“So I turned my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and petition, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”Daniel responds to the promise by seeking God in prayer, fasting and mourning.
- Jeremiah 29:12-13 (BSB)“Then you will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”The same letter that promised the seventy years also promised that God would hear His people when they called on Him.
- Nehemiah 1:4 (BSB)“When I heard these words, I sat down and wept. I mourned for days, fasting and praying before the God of heaven.”Nehemiah likewise answered news about Jerusalem with mourning, fasting and prayer.
- Ezra 8:21 (BSB)“And there by the Ahava Canal I proclaimed a fast, so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask Him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.”Ezra called the returning exiles to fast and humble themselves as they asked God to protect them on the road.
General
Which of these does 9:24 list among the purposes of the seventy weeks decreed for Daniel’s people and city?
Answer: To deal fully with sin and usher in lasting righteousness
Gabriel says that a span of seventy weeks is decreed for Daniel’s people and holy city. Their purposes are to halt rebellion, finish with sin, atone for wrongdoing, usher in a righteousness that lasts forever, set a seal on vision as well as prophecy, and consecrate the Most Holy Place by anointing (9:24). He then speaks of a decree to rebuild Jerusalem, of the Messiah (God’s Anointed One), who is called the Prince, and of the city being rebuilt in troubled times (9:25). Once those sixty-two weeks have passed, the Messiah is to be cut off, left with nothing; the people of a coming prince will destroy city and sanctuary, and war and desolation are decreed. A covenant is confirmed for one week, sacrifice is stopped halfway through it, and a desolating abomination comes until the destruction that has been decreed is poured out (9:26-27). Readings of these weeks differ, both in how the periods are counted and in who the coming prince is. Many Christians have seen the cutting off of the Messiah fulfilled in the death of Jesus. Related passages speak of the Servant struck down for the sins of God’s people (Isaiah 53:8) and of Christ’s single sacrifice that does away with sin (Hebrews 9:26; 10:14).
- Daniel 9:24 (BSB)“Seventy weeks 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.”Gabriel lists what the seventy weeks decreed for Daniel’s people and holy city are meant to accomplish.
- Daniel 9:25-27 (BSB)“Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, 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. Then after the sixty-two weeks 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. And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, 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, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.””Gabriel describes the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the cutting off of the Messiah, and destruction and desolation to come.
- Isaiah 53:8 (BSB)“By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.”Isaiah describes the Servant taken away from life and struck down for the rebellion of God’s people.
- Hebrews 9:26 (BSB)“Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”Hebrews says Christ appeared a single time, as the ages reached their end, to remove sin by offering Himself.
- Hebrews 10:14 (BSB)“because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.”Hebrews teaches that Christ’s single offering has made His people perfect forever.
Theological
According to 9:24, which of these is among the purposes of the seventy weeks Gabriel announces?
Answer: To deal fully with sin and usher in lasting righteousness
A span of seventy weeks is decreed for Daniel’s people and holy city, with six stated aims: to halt transgression, finish with sin, atone for iniquity, usher in a righteousness that lasts forever, set a seal on vision as well as prophecy, and consecrate the Most Holy Place by anointing (9:24). Gabriel then speaks of a decree to restore Jerusalem, of the Messiah, who is called the Prince, and of rebuilding in troubled times (9:25); of the Messiah being cut off when those sixty-two weeks have passed, left with nothing, while the people of a coming prince ruin city and sanctuary amid decreed desolations (9:26); and of a covenant confirmed for one week, sacrifice halted in its midst, and a desolating abomination until the destruction that has been decreed is poured out (9:27). Readings of these weeks differ, both in the reckoning of the periods and in the identity of the coming prince. Many Christians have seen the cutting off of the Messiah fulfilled in the death of Jesus. Related passages describe the Servant struck down for the sins of God’s people (Isaiah 53:8) and Christ’s once-for-all sacrifice that puts away sin and perfects His people forever (Hebrews 9:26; 10:14).
- Daniel 9:24 (BSB)“Seventy weeks 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.”Gabriel lists what the seventy weeks decreed for Daniel’s people and holy city are meant to accomplish.
- Daniel 9:25-27 (BSB)“Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, 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. Then after the sixty-two weeks 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. And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, 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, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.””Gabriel describes the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the cutting off of the Messiah, and destruction and desolation to come.
- Isaiah 53:8 (BSB)“By oppression and judgment He was taken away, and who can recount His descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; He was stricken for the transgression of My people.”Isaiah describes the Servant taken away from life and struck down for the rebellion of God’s people.
- Hebrews 9:26 (BSB)“Otherwise, Christ would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But now He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”Hebrews says Christ appeared a single time, as the ages reached their end, to remove sin by offering Himself.
- Hebrews 10:14 (BSB)“because by a single offering He has made perfect for all time those who are being sanctified.”Hebrews teaches that Christ’s single offering has made His people perfect forever.
General
What did Daniel come to understand from the sacred writings early in the reign of Darius (Daniel 9:1-2)?
Answer: Jerusalem would lie in ruins for a span of seventy years
Early in the reign of Darius the Mede, Daniel was reading the sacred writings and understood from the LORD’s message through the prophet Jeremiah that Jerusalem would lie desolate for seventy years (9:1-2). Jeremiah had warned that the whole land would become a wasteland and that these nations would serve Babylon’s king for seventy years, after which God would punish Babylon’s king and nation (Jeremiah 25:11-12). He had also promised that once Babylon’s seventy years were over, God would turn to His people and keep His promise to bring them back to their land (Jeremiah 29:10). Daniel treated these written words as God’s own promise. Later Scripture records that the seventy years ran their full course just as Jeremiah had said (2 Chronicles 36:21).
- Daniel 9:1-2 (BSB)“In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.”Early in Darius’s reign, Daniel learns from Jeremiah’s written prophecy how long Jerusalem’s ruin will last.
- Jeremiah 25:11-12 (BSB)“And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”Jeremiah foretold seventy years of serving Babylon’s king, after which God would punish Babylon.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”Jeremiah promised that once Babylon’s allotted years were over, God would turn to His people and restore them to their land.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 (BSB)“So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.”The Chronicler records that the land lay desolate for the full seventy years Jeremiah had foretold.
Theological
What did Daniel discern from the sacred writings in Darius’s first year (Daniel 9:1-2)?
Answer: Jerusalem would lie in ruins for a span of seventy years
In the first regnal year of Darius the Mede, Daniel discerned from the books that, according to the LORD’s word through Jeremiah, Jerusalem’s desolation was fixed at seventy years (9:1-2). He reads Jeremiah as Scripture, the authoritative word of God already in written form. Jeremiah had announced seventy years of servitude to Babylon followed by judgment on Babylon itself (Jeremiah 25:11-12), and had promised that when those years were over God would attend to His people and confirm His promise to bring them back (Jeremiah 29:10). The Chronicler later records the land keeping its desolate rest for the whole seventy years, just as Jeremiah had announced (2 Chronicles 36:21).
- Daniel 9:1-2 (BSB)“In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes, a Mede by descent, who was made ruler over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the sacred books, according to the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.”Early in Darius’s reign, Daniel learns from Jeremiah’s written prophecy how long Jerusalem’s ruin will last.
- Jeremiah 25:11-12 (BSB)“And this whole land will become a desolate wasteland, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.”Jeremiah foretold seventy years of serving Babylon’s king, after which God would punish Babylon.
- Jeremiah 29:10 (BSB)“For this is what the LORD says: “When Babylon’s seventy years are complete, I will attend to you and confirm My promise to restore you to this place.”Jeremiah promised that once Babylon’s allotted years were over, God would turn to His people and restore them to their land.
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 (BSB)“So the land enjoyed its Sabbath rest all the days of the desolation, until seventy years were completed, in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken through Jeremiah.”The Chronicler records that the land lay desolate for the full seventy years Jeremiah had foretold.