Daniel 9:26 - Printer Friendly

What does Daniel 9:26 mean?

ESV: And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed.

NIV: After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.

NASB: Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

CSB: After those sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the coming ruler will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come with a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations are decreed.

NLT: After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end.

KJV: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

NKJV: “And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Verse Commentary:

Starting with the prior verse (Daniel 9:25), the angel Gabriel (Daniel 9:21–23) establishes a timeline for the appearance of the "anointed one." This uses the term translated into English as "Messiah;" this predicts when Jesus Christ will declare Himself to the world. This event is timed from a proclamation about rebuilding Jerusalem. This would be fulfilled on March 4, 444 BC when Artaxerxes Longimanus authorized Israelites to rebuild the walls of their city (Nehemiah 2:1–8). Counting from there are sixty-two plus seven (Daniel 9:25) "weeks"—literally, "groups of seven"—which can be taken as prophetic years. The prophetic year is simplified: twelve months of thirty days. This adds up to 173,880 days.

According to this verse, this timespan ends at the arrival and "cutting off" of this Anointed One. Counting from Artaxerxes' declaration, this would target March 30, AD 33. Many scholars suggest this was the precise day of Jesus' "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, where He first publicly embraced His role as Messiah (Matthew 21:9–11). Shortly after this, Jesus would be killed and left with nothing, without friends or possessions. The nation had turned and rejected Him, and His disciples had forsaken Him. He did not have a kingdom. Even His garments and tunic were taken from Him by Roman soldiers (John 19:23). Yet He would be resurrected (Matthew 16:21; Luke 18:31–33; John 20:11–18).

None of the six divine purposes for Israel listed by Gabriel (Daniel 9:24) were fulfilled when Jesus died and arose. Some commentators believe the immediate reference to "the prince who is to come" applies to Titus, the Roman leader who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70. The city was also subject to desolations under Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century BC (Daniel 8:9–14). Either as an alternative explanation, or a prophecy of dual fulfillment, is the predicted destruction of Jerusalem by the head of the ungodly worldwide government of the end-times tribulation. Revelation 11:2 describes Jerusalem as trampled by the nations for forty-two months: the second half of the tribulation.

The "flood" mentioned here seems to be a poetic reference to overwhelming force (Nahum 1:8, Daniel 11:10, 40).

The last "week" has not yet been accounted for. The next verse relates Gabriel's prediction about that period, which will not come immediately after the first sixty-nine weeks (Daniel 9:27).

Daniel 9:24–27 is a divine look into the future. This is the Lord's timetable for making all things right pertaining to Israel. It comes in response to Daniel's heartfelt prayers on behalf of his people (Daniel 9:3–19). What's recorded in this passage is among the more important and often-examined prophecies in all of Scripture. This section includes famous references to the "seventy weeks" which relate to the appearance of the Messiah and to the schedule of the end times.

Chapter Summary:

Darius became king when Babylon fell to Medo-Persia. Daniel compared this to writings from Jeremiah, and realized the exile of Israel was almost over. As he prayed for God's intervention, the angel Gabriel arrived to provide further explanation. Gabriel's prophecy ties the arrival of an "anointed one," or "Messiah," or "Christ," to a moment in history followed by a set interval of time. This prediction includes dire moments for Israel and Jerusalem.

Chapter Context:

This chapter forms part of the prophetic section of Daniel's writing. After confessing the sins of both Israel and his own life, Daniel received a visit from the angel Gabriel. Gabriel revealed a message about Israel's then-future. This includes reference to the arrival of Christ and information about the still-future end times. Chapter 10 begins the last of Daniel's prophetic messages.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.

Accessed 1/25/2025 4:45:40 PM