Study notes

Daniel 9

Introducing DanielWho wrote it, when, why, and what to look for as you read

7:1–12:13 Section

These chapters record visions and messages that God gave Daniel. They are recorded as apocalyptic writing. They were mysteries that confused Daniel. Daniel had explained dreams and mysteries to Babylonian kings. In the same way, Gabriel and other angels explained these mysteries to Daniel. Even then Daniel still didn’t understand the visions and messages completely.

The animals that Daniel saw were signs for governments. Hundreds of years later animals were also signs for governments in John’s visions. John’s visions were recorded in Revelation chapters 13, 16 and 19. The animals Daniel saw were signs for Babylonia, Persia, Greece, Egypt and Syria. The animals’ horns were signs for the leaders of those governments. The actions of those leaders were described in chapter 11. Some of these leaders were like the man of sin Paul described many years later.

The visions were about events after Daniel’s time. Some events described in these visions took place during the rule of Antiochus IV. He was a Greek king in Syria. He ruled over the Jews in the land of Judah and Israel. At one point he stopped them from worshipping God in the temple. This seemed like the end of the Jews being God’s people. That is one reason these visions are about a time called the time of the end. But the Jews firmly opposed Antiochus IV and won the victory over him. Jews recorded this story in books that aren’t included in the Old Testament.

Daniel’s visions bring hope and comfort. They remind God’s people that God will stop the evil actions of human rulers. God will take care of his people even when they face suffering. The angel Michael’s work made that clear. Michael helped God’s people in spiritual fights. Daniel read Jeremiah’s prophecy about the exile lasting for 70 years. Daniel recognised that the exile was God’s judgement against the people of the southern kingdom. He prayed and asked God to take action to end the exile. He trusted that God would have mercy on them. He believed this not because the Jews were godly and obeyed God. He believed it because God loved them. Daniel wanted all people to know that God is the one true God. He believed this would happen if God allowed Jerusalem and the temple to be rebuilt.

New Testament writers understood something about the visions and messages God gave Daniel. They understood that parts of them came true through Jesus’ life and work. This was the case with the son of man and the Eternal God. It was also the case with life that will never end. Jesus had this life when God raised him from the dead. His resurrection means that all who believe in Jesus will have eternal life.

9:1

  • Darius … a Mede: See study note on Daniel 5:31.

  • Ahasuerus is the Hebrew version of a Persian word, translated into Greek as “Xerxes.” The father of Darius the Mede was likely a different Xerxes than Xerxes I, who ruled from 486 to 465 BC (see Esther 1:1). This vision occurred in 539 BC. Some suggest that Xerxes/Ahasuerus was an ancient throne name for Persian kings.

9:2

  • according … Jeremiah: Daniel likely had a copy of Jeremiah’s prophecies.

  • the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years: Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 BC (see 2 Kings 25:8), and the first return happened in 538 BC. This was about 48 years later. They began rebuilding the city almost immediately (see Ezra 3:1–13; Isaiah 44:28), and the rebuilt temple was completed in 515 BC. This was about 71 years after its destruction (Ezra 6:15). Daniel might have considered Jerusalem’s “destruction” as starting with his own exile in 605 BC (see Jeremiah 25:11–12), with 67 years between 605 and 538 BC.

9:3

  • Daniel realized the seventy years were almost over, so he asked the Lord God to restore his people and Jerusalem.

  • People who were mourning often wore rough burlap clothing and placed ashes on themselves as a sign of sorrow (compare Nehemiah 9:1; Esther 4:1; Lamentations 2:10; Luke 10:13).

  • Focused prayer often included fasting to prioritize spiritual concerns over physical needs.

9:4

9:4–11

God's faithfulness was very different from his people's unfaithfulness and rebellion. When Daniel confessed his people's sins, he included himself (Daniel 9:5), even though he lived a praiseworthy life (see “Community Identity” Theme Note).

Daniel prayed a high priestly prayer for his people, using many quotes and references from the Torah (the instructions God gave through Moses), the prophets (God’s messengers), and the psalms (songs and prayers used in worship).

9:5

Daniel used four different words for sin:

  • we have sinned (literally missed the mark),

  • done wrong (as in, committed a bent or twisted act),

  • acted wickedly and rebelled (against the covenant), and

  • turned away from Your commandments and ordinances.

9:12

God sending Israel into exile for breaking his covenant was a unique historical event. Israel's exodus from Egypt, their exile, and their return from Babylon remain unmatched (see also Jeremiah 29:10).

9:15

God could bring lasting honor to his name by rescuing his people from exile in Babylonia, just as he did when he saved them from Egypt (compare Ezekiel 36:19–24).

9:15–19

Daniel pleaded with God to save his people and end the exile in Babylon. He depended on God's mercy and God's wish to honor his name. Daniel’s prayer is one of the great intercessory prayers in which someone speaks to God on behalf of the people in the Old Testament (see also Exodus 32:11–14; Ezra 9:1–15; Nehemiah 9:1–37).

9:16

Mocking Jerusalem and its people dishonored God's name. When enemies ridiculed God's chosen city and people, it seemed like their God was powerless (Daniel 9:19; compare Ezekiel 36:19–20).

9:19

  • hear and act! … do not delay: Daniel prayed this prayer in 539 BC (see study note on Daniel 9:1). Shortly after, in 538 BC, King Cyrus issued a decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Judea (Ezra 1:1–4).

    The new temple in Jerusalem was completed in 515 BC (Ezra 6:15). God brought the Israelites back from exile in Babylon because of their prayers and repentance. The exile had been God's response to their sins and rebellion.

  • Your city and Your people bear Your name: God's reputation was associated with Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:9) and his people, Israel (Exodus 5:22–6:1).

9:20–27

God answered Daniel's prayer right away by sending Gabriel, his messenger, to explain Daniel's vision. Gabriel's explanation included both the near and distant future of Daniel's people.

9:21

  • Gabriel … earlier vision: See Daniel 8:15–16.

  • evening sacrifice: Before the temple's destruction, Israel offered two sacrificial lambs daily. They offered one in the morning and one in the evening (Exodus 29:41). Daniel likely prayed at these times each day (Daniel 6:10, 13; compare Psalm 55:17).

9:22

In the book of Daniel, insight and understanding often refer to the meaning of God's revelation (compare Daniel 1:4; 9:13, 25; 11:33, 35). God did not promise Daniel answers to all his questions. Instead, God gave him a basic understanding of the issues. God controls history.

9:23

  • an answer when out: This command might have been God's order to end the exile in Babylon and bring his people back to Jerusalem and Judea. It could also have been the command to reveal the future to Daniel (Daniel 9:24–27).

  • you are highly precious: Also in Daniel 10:11, 19.

  • It is unclear what the vision refers to:

    • It could be the restoration of Jerusalem and God's people that Daniel read about in Jeremiah and envisioned in his prayer (Daniel 9:2–20), or

    • one of the earlier visions (for example, Daniel 8; compare 8:27).

9:24

  • Many people interpret the seventy sets of seven as seventy "weeks of years," meaning 490 years. However, the Hebrew text does not call them "years," making it hard to match this period to a historical 490 years. So, many believe these numbers symbolize time periods needed to fulfill the visions. Just as Jerusalem faced a long period of desolation (Daniel 9:2; see study note on Jeremiah 25:11), the city would also have many periods of restoration.

  • The time period was for the Jewish people and Jerusalem. The six purposes listed seem to focus on restoring the Jews and Jerusalem. Some think these purposes show God's work of redemption worldwide.

  • God would end the rebellion of the Israelites and also the rebellions of rulers who defy him and attack his people (Daniel 7:8, 22, 25–26; 8:13–14; 11:29–45).

  • To confirm the prophetic vision means to fulfill the answer to Daniel's prayer.

  • the Most Holy Place (or the Most Holy One; literally a most holy): Some think this refers to the restored Most Holy Place in the temple in 164 BC. Others believe it refers to the anointing of Christ and his church as God's temple (Matthew 12:6; Ephesians 2:19–22).

9:24–27

Gabriel further explained the meaning of Daniel’s vision (Daniel 9:22–23). Since the vision in Daniel 8 ends with Antiochus IV (see Daniel 8:23–25; compare 11:21–39), many interpreters think this explanation also refers to Antiochus. Others believe it ends with the death of Christ, followed by the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the arrival of the antichrist.

9:25

  • The command to rebuild Jerusalem and its temple starts the seventy sets of seven. The event that best matches this is Cyrus the Great's decree in 538 BC, which allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem and start rebuilding (see Daniel 5:31; 9:1; Ezra 1:2–4). Less likely are the decrees of Artaxerxes I in 458 BC (see Ezra 7:12–26) and 445 BC (see Nehemiah 2:5–8).

  • the Messiah, the Prince: Many interpreters believe Christ fulfills this prophecy, viewing this passage as covering history from Daniel's time to Christ's time.

    However, a Messiah can refer to any of Israel’s kings or priests, who were anointed with oil. If fulfilled during Antiochus IV's time, the anointed one was likely the high priest then, Onias III (compare Daniel 11:22).

  • a trench: The vision describes Jerusalem being physically rebuilt. The Jews finished rebuilding the temple's in 515 BC (Ezra 3:1–6:22). In 445 BC, Nehemiah completed Jerusalem's wall (Nehemiah 2–6).

  • The times of distress may refer to Jerusalem and its temple's history from the decree's publication until the end of the seventy sets of seven (see Daniel 11:2–45).

9:26

  • the Messiah (literally an anointed): Those who see this prophecy fulfilled in the time of Antiochus IV point to the murder of the high priest Onias III in 171 BC as its fulfillment (see study note on Daniel 11:22). Those who see the fulfillment in the time of Christ understand this prophecy to refer to the crucifixion of the Messiah in AD 30 or 33.

  • The ruler who will arise might refer to Antiochus IV. He tried to destroy the Jewish people and their temple worship between 171 and 164 BC (see 1 Maccabees 1:20–40). However, many think the destruction of the city and the temple refers to Jerusalem's destruction by the Romans in AD 66–70.

  • The end refers to the completion of the seventy sets of seven. The text suggests that the very end is a later time and that the war would continue into the future (compare Matthew 24:4–8; Mark 13:5–8).

  • The image of a flood often represents an invading army (compare Daniel 11:10, 22, 40; Nahum 1:8) or devastating destruction.

9:27

  • he: Most interpreters think this pronoun refers to the ruler in Daniel 9:26. Some believe it refers to the anointed one in Daniel 9:25–26, suggesting a prophecy about Christ. They say Christ made a covenant and ended the need for sacrifices through his death.

    However, the term for making a treaty implies forcing a covenant, likely through intimidation. Antiochus IV forced a covenant with Judea's people when he began ruling in 175 BC (compare Daniel 11:23; see 1 Maccabees 1:10–15). Other interpreters think this prophecy was fulfilled in AD 66–70. Some believe it refers to a future ruler.

  • The phrase put an end means a destructive action, not an act of salvation like the Messiah's death. In 167 BC, Antiochus IV ordered Judea's people to stop Jewish worship in the temple and practice pagan worship under threat of death (see 1 Maccabees 1:41–63). Similarly, Roman general Titus ended sacrifices in the temple by destroying it in AD 70.

  • the abomination that causes desolation (literally an abomination of desolation): Compare Daniel 8:13; 11:31; 12:11. This term (Hebrew shiqqutsim meshomem) might mock the Semitic name for Zeus (Ba‘al Shamayim, “Lord of the Heavens”). Idol-gods are often called shiqquts, “abomination,” “desolation,” in the Bible (see Deuteronomy 29:17; 2 Chronicles 15:8; Isaiah 66:3; Jeremiah 32:34; Ezekiel 20:7), and the sound similarity between shomem, “devastation, destruction, desolation,” and shamayim is clear.

    In December 167 BC, Antiochus IV placed a Zeus statue on the temple altar and sacrificed unclean animals there. The same phrase (abomination of desolation) describes that altar and its sacrifices in 1 Maccabees 1:54. Jesus and several New Testament authors predicted a future desolating sacrilege (Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:3–4).

    After Titus destroyed the Jerusalem temple in AD 70, the Romans placed their idols in the temple area and made sacrifices to their gods (see Josephus, War 6.6.1). The apostle John noted that many antichrists had appeared (1 John 2:18–23) and that the antichrist's spirit was active in the world (1 John 4:3).

  • The time of destruction is under God's control, and the fate of this defiler is certain (compare Daniel 7:11; 8:25; 11:45). This is true for every ruler who opposes God and tries to destroy God's people.

Verse notes: Adapted by Mission Mutual (Aquifer Open Study Notes) from Tyndale Open Study Notes © 2023 Tyndale House Publishers. CC BY-SA 4.0. Section notes: Biblica Study Notes © 2023 Biblica, Inc. CC BY-SA 4.0, via BibleAquifer. About the sources