Daniel 9

Translator Notes

1. The identification of this Darius remains one of the most debated historical questions in Daniel. He is called 'son of Ahasuerus' and 'of the seed of the Medes,' yet no Median king named Darius son of Ahasuerus appears in extant Persian records. Various proposals identify him with Gubaru (a governor under Cyrus), Cyrus himself, or treat the figure as a literary composite. The Hebrew homiakh ('was made king') uses the passive Hophal stem, suggesting he received kingship rather than seizing it.

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew binoti ('I discerned, I understood') suggests careful study, not casual reading. The 'writings' (sepharim) likely refers to a collection of prophetic scrolls that Daniel had access to in exile. The reference is to Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10, which prophesied seventy years of Babylonian dominance. The word charbot ('desolations') is plural, intensifying the devastation. Daniel's engagement with earlier scripture within scripture itself is a rare and significant moment of inner-biblical interpretation.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'I turned my face' (va'ettenah et panai) indicates deliberate orientation toward God — a posture of focused, whole-body intention. The word tachanumim ('pleas for mercy, supplications') comes from the root ch-n-n ('to be gracious') and carries an inherent admission of dependence on undeserved favor. Fasting, sackcloth, and ashes together constitute the full penitential posture in ancient Israel — bodily participation in grief and humility.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb va'etvaddeh ('I made confession') is Hithpael of y-d-h, meaning to confess or acknowledge openly — a public, voluntary declaration of wrongdoing. The phrase shomer ha-berit veha-chesed ('who keeps the covenant and faithful love') echoes Deuteronomy 7:9 and Nehemiah 1:5, placing Daniel's prayer squarely in the Deuteronomic tradition. The adjective nora ('awe-inspiring, fearsome') is rendered with its full force — this is not mere respect but trembling awareness of God's overwhelming power.

Translator Notes

1. Daniel uses four distinct terms for wrongdoing in an escalating sequence: chatanu ('we sinned' — missing the mark), avinu ('we committed iniquity' — twisted what is right), hirshanu ('we acted wickedly' — declared guilty by conduct), and maradnu ('we rebelled' — actively defied authority). This fourfold confession covers the full spectrum from inadvertent failure to deliberate revolt. Daniel uses first-person plural throughout — he includes himself in the nation's guilt despite his personal faithfulness.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'spoke in your name' (dibberu beshimkha) indicates prophetic authority — the prophets were not sharing private opinions but delivering words carrying divine authorization. The list of addressees — kings, officials, ancestors, and all the people — emphasizes that the prophetic message reached every level of society. No one can claim ignorance. The word sarim ('officials, princes') refers to the ruling class beneath the king.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The contrast between God's tsedaqah ('righteousness') and Israel's boshet ha-panim ('shame of face') is the structural axis of the prayer. The phrase boshet ha-panim is vivid — faces burning with shame, unable to look up. The word ma'al ('treachery, unfaithfulness') is used specifically for covenant betrayal, often of a sacred trust violated. Daniel encompasses both diaspora communities — 'near and far' — in the confession.

Translator Notes

1. This verse intensifies verse 7's confession by stripping it to its essentials. The shame belongs not just to the common people but to the leadership class — kings and officials who should have guided the nation in covenant faithfulness. The verb chatanu ('we sinned') returns to the most basic term for wrongdoing from verse 5.

Translator Notes

1. The Hebrew rahamim ('compassion') is related to rechem ('womb'), carrying the sense of deep, visceral tenderness — the compassion a mother feels for her child. The plural selichot ('forgivenesses') suggests repeated, abundant acts of pardon, not a single transaction. The conjunction ki ('because, though') creates a striking paradox: God's compassion and forgiveness exist precisely in the context of rebellion, not despite it.

Translator Notes

1. The word torotav ('his instructions') is the plural of torah. Here it refers not to the Torah as a single book but to God's teachings delivered through multiple prophetic voices over centuries. The phrase 'set before us' (natan lefaneynu) echoes the Deuteronomic motif of God placing the covenant choice before the people (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19).

Translator Notes

1. The verb avru ('transgressed') literally means 'crossed over' — they crossed the boundary of Torah. The word alah ('curse') is specifically the covenant curse, the sworn penalty for violation. The word shevu'ah ('oath, sworn judgment') reinforces that these consequences were not arbitrary but were the penalties Israel swore to accept at covenant ratification. Moses is called eved ha-Elohim ('servant of God'), a title of highest honor in the Hebrew Bible.

Translator Notes

1. The verb vayyaqem ('he carried out, confirmed') means God made good on his word — the covenant curses were not empty threats. The word shofeteynu ('our rulers/judges') may refer to the line of leaders from judges through kings. The phrase 'under all of heaven' is a superlative expressing the unprecedented scale of Jerusalem's destruction — a claim echoed in Lamentations 1:12 and 2:13.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The phrase chilinu et peney ('we sought the favor of') literally means 'we softened the face of' — an idiom for entreating God's mercy through prayer and repentance. The Hebrew amittekha is often rendered 'your truth' but in covenantal context carries the stronger sense of 'your faithfulness, your reliability.' The verb lehaskil ('to attend to, to gain insight') implies more than intellectual understanding — it means to discern and act wisely in response.

Translator Notes

1. The verb vayyishqod ('he kept watch') uses the same root as the almond branch (shaqed) vision in Jeremiah 1:11-12, where God says 'I am watching over my word to carry it out.' Here the watching is ominous — God vigilantly ensured that the covenant curses were fulfilled. The adjective tsaddiq ('righteous') reaffirms verse 7's claim: God's punishment was just, not excessive. The word ra'ah here means 'disaster, calamity' — a consequence, not divine malice.

Translator Notes

1. The prayer pivots from confession to appeal with ve'attah ('and now'). Daniel invokes the Exodus — the foundational act of divine rescue — as the precedent for what he is about to ask. The phrase 'made a name for yourself' (vatta'as lekha shem) echoes Nehemiah 9:10 and Jeremiah 32:20. The reputation God earned through the Exodus is the implicit argument: 'You did it once; your name is at stake.'

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Daniel appeals to God's tsidqot ('righteous acts') — the plural refers to God's historical acts of deliverance and justice. The argument is sophisticated: because God is righteous, and because he has a track record of righteous intervention, he should act again. The word cherpah ('reproach, scorn') describes the humiliation of God's people before the nations — and implicitly, the humiliation of God's reputation among them.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'let your face shine' (ha'er panekha) echoes the Aaronic blessing of Numbers 6:25 — it is a request for restored divine favor and presence. The sanctuary (miqdash) is described as shamem ('desolated, made desolate') — the same root that appears in the 'abomination of desolation' later in this chapter (v. 27) and in 11:31. The crucial phrase lema'an Adonai ('for your own sake, Lord') shifts the argument from Israel's merit to God's reputation — Daniel asks God to act not because Israel deserves it but because God's own name is bound to this place.

Translator Notes

1. The anthropomorphic language — inclining the ear, opening eyes — is not naive theology but urgent rhetorical entreaty, pressing God to engage with Israel's suffering. The phrase 'the city that bears your name' (asher niqra shimkha aleha) means God's reputation is publicly linked to Jerusalem's fate. The theological climax of the prayer arrives here: the appeal rests entirely on God's rahamim ('compassion'), not on Israel's tsidqot ('righteous acts'). This is pure grace theology within the Hebrew Bible — salvation is asked for on the basis of who God is, not who Israel is.

Translator Notes

1. The prayer reaches its rhetorical peak with three urgent imperatives, each preceded by the divine address Adonai — shema'ah, selachah, haqshivah va'aseh ('hear, forgive, attend and act'). The staccato rhythm conveys desperation. The plea al te'achar ('do not delay') introduces the theme of divine timing that Gabriel's response will address with the seventy-sevens chronology. The final argument is again God's own stake: his name (shem) is publicly attached to both city and people.

Translator Notes

1. The narrative transition indicates that God's response came while Daniel was still praying — the answer was dispatched before the prayer was finished (cf. Isaiah 65:24, 'Before they call, I will answer'). Daniel again takes personal ownership, confessing 'my sin' alongside 'the sin of my people.' The phrase har qodesh ('holy mountain') refers to Mount Zion, the temple mount, which is the geographic focus of Daniel's entire petition.

Translator Notes

1. Gabriel is called ha-ish ('the man'), even though he is an angelic being — this reflects the human-like appearance of angelic messengers in the Hebrew Bible. The phrase mu'af bi'af is debated: it could mean 'caused to fly swiftly' or 'wearied with weariness' (from the root y-'-f, 'to be weary'). We follow the more common reading of swift flight. The 'evening offering' (minchat erev) indicates the late afternoon sacrifice time — approximately 3 PM — which continued to mark Daniel's prayer schedule even in exile where no sacrifice could be offered. Gabriel appeared previously in 8:16.

Translator Notes

1. The verb vayyaven ('he gave understanding') and the noun binah ('comprehension') both come from the root b-y-n ('to discern, understand'). Gabriel's mission is explicitly pedagogical — he comes to help Daniel comprehend what has been revealed. The verb lehaskilekhah ('to give you insight') is the Hiphil of s-k-l, meaning to cause to understand or act wisely.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase chamudot attah ('you are treasured') indicates Daniel's special standing before God — the word chamud means 'desired, precious, treasured.' This is not flattery but a statement of Daniel's covenantal status. The 'word' (davar) that went out at the beginning of Daniel's prayer suggests that God responded immediately — the answer was dispatched the moment Daniel began praying. Gabriel commands Daniel to 'understand the vision' (haven bammar'eh), preparing him for the difficult revelation that follows.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. Shavu'im shiv'im ('seventy sevens') is the foundational phrase. The Hebrew shavu'a means a unit of seven — it could refer to weeks of days (490 days), weeks of years (490 years), or symbolic periods. Most interpreters read 'weeks of years.' The verb nechtakh ('are decreed, cut off') appears only here in the Hebrew Bible, making its precise meaning uncertain — 'decreed, determined, cut off' are all possibilities. The six infinitival purposes divide into two triads: the first three are negative (ending transgression, sin, iniquity) and the second three are positive (bringing righteousness, sealing prophecy, anointing). The phrase qodesh qodashim ('most holy') could refer to the most holy place in the temple, a most holy object, or a most holy person — the Hebrew is genuinely ambiguous. We render 'a most holy place' as the most natural reading of the construct but note the ambiguity. This verse is the most debated chronological prophecy in the Hebrew Bible, interpreted variously as fulfilled in the Maccabean period (Antiochus IV), in the time of Jesus, or in a still-future eschatological fulfillment.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Masoretic accents place a major disjunctive accent (atnach) after shavu'im shiv'ah ('seven sevens'), separating it from the sixty-two sevens that follow. This means the anointed leader (mashiach nagid) arrives after seven sevens, not after sixty-nine. Some interpreters disregard the Masoretic punctuation and connect all sixty-nine sevens to the anointed leader's arrival. We follow the Masoretic accentuation in our rendering. The term mashiach nagid ('anointed leader') does not carry the later technical meaning of 'the Messiah' — mashiach in the Hebrew Bible refers to anyone anointed for a role (kings, priests, even Cyrus in Isaiah 45:1). The word nagid ('leader') is the standard term for a designated ruler. The phrase rechov vecharuts ('plaza and moat') describes the rebuilt city's infrastructure — rechov is an open square or broad street, and charuts likely refers to a trench or moat, though some read it as 'wall' or 'decision.'

Translator Notes

1. The verb yikkaret ('will be cut off') is the same verb used for being cut off from the covenant community (e.g., Genesis 17:14) and for making/cutting a covenant (karat berit). The phrase ve'ein lo is extremely compressed Hebrew — literally 'and nothing to him' or 'and there is not for him.' Interpretive options include: 'and will have nothing' (destitution), 'and there will be no one for him' (abandonment), 'and not for himself' (vicarious suffering). We render the most literal option. The 'people of a coming leader' (am nagid habba) who destroy the city and sanctuary have been identified with Antiochus Epiphanes's forces (167 BCE), the Roman legions under Titus (70 CE), or a future eschatological army. The word shomemot ('desolations') connects to the 'abomination of desolation' in verse 27 and in 11:31.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb higbir ('he will make strong, enforce') is unusual for covenant-making — the normal verb is karat ('to cut'). This suggests an imposed or forced covenant rather than a mutually ratified one. The phrase 'on the wing of abominations' (al kenaf shiqqusim) is one of the most difficult phrases in the Hebrew Bible. Kenaf ('wing') could mean 'extremity,' 'pinnacle,' or 'wing' — possibly referring to the pinnacle of the temple. Shiqqusim ('abominations, detestable things') is the standard term for idolatrous objects. The phrase meshomem ('one who makes desolate' or 'causing desolation') combined with shiqqusim forms the famous shiqquts meshomem ('abomination of desolation') referenced by Jesus in Matthew 24:15 and Mark 13:14. Historically, this has been connected to Antiochus Epiphanes's desecration of the temple in 167 BCE (1 Maccabees 1:54), the Roman destruction of 70 CE, or a future eschatological event. The final clause promises that the destruction decreed (necharatsah) will ultimately fall on the desolator himself — judgment is not the last word; the one who desolates will himself be destroyed.