The Prophecy - Daniel 9:24-27 - Daniel's 70 Weeks |
Old Testament Prophecy |
24) Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25) So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26) 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. 27) And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. |
The opening two words of this prophecy, Seventy weeks or Seventy sevens (Shavoeem Sheeveem) are understood by most biblical scholars to refer to a designation of a prophetic period of time measured by the number seven. (Also known as a heptad or septets) Almost all interpretations (both Jewish and Christian) agree that these periods of seven are equal to 70 sets of seven years (70 X 7) equaling a total of 490 prophetic years. A week in this prophecy is a week of years meaning each week is equal to seven years of actual time. Daniel was already thinking in terms of years back in Daniel 9:2.
Broken down even further, the 70 Sevens or Weeks are divided into three different amounts of time in the following order.
Number Of Sevens Or Weeks |
Number Of Years |
Biblical Reference |
Seventy Sevens or Seventy Weeks |
490 Years (70 X 7 = 490) (or 70 Weeks) |
Daniel 9:24 |
Seven Sevens or Seven Weeks |
49 Years (7 X 7 = 49) First Seven Weeks |
Daniel 9:25 |
Sixty Two Sevens or Three Score and Two Weeks or 62 Weeks |
434 Years (62 X 7 = 434) Next 62 Weeks |
Daniel 9:25 |
One Seven or One Week |
7 Years (1 X 7 = 7) Final Week |
Daniel 9:27 |
Total of 70 Sevens or 70 Weeks |
49 + 434 + 7 = 490 Years |
Daniel 9:24-27 |
There are different interpretations regarding the specifics of this prophecy such as which Royal Decree caused the 490 year prophecy to begin, when the prophecy is finally over and if all of the years are consecutive years or is there a break somewhere during the 490 years.
Most Christians believe that in between week 69 and week 70 there is an unspecified length of time which is like a time out or intermission in the prophecy. This Gap In-between Week 69 And Week 70 is a biblical principle used other places in scripture. 69 of the 70 weeks have been fulfilled. The last week, week 70, has not come to pass yet and will begin sometime in the future and will consist of 1 consecutive 7 year period that will include what's known as The Time Of Jacob's Trouble. At the end of the 70th week the Millennial Kingdom is established.
This prophetic 70 weeks may actually be a duel prophecy meaning that it may be have both a short term and long term fulfillment. Some prophecies have both a short term fulfillment and a longer 
term fulfillment built into the same prophecy. For example, in Ezekiel 37 a prophetic word is offered about Israel returning to her homeland. Some believe the short term fulfillment of this prophecy occurred in 1948 when Israel became a state. Jews from anywhere in the world can now return home. There is an even greater prophetic plan to bring Jews to Israel during the days when the Messiah will reign as king over all the earth from Jerusalem. This is considered a longer term fulfillment to God's promise to re-gather Jews from the four corners of the world and bring them back to Israel.
In the case of this prophecy, since the time of Jacob's Trouble has not occurred yet, we know that it is partially fulfilled (it's short term objective), but that its completed fulfillment is still to come after the end of the 70th week.
Weeks Of Years:
Weeks of years was already an understood measurement of time to Israel. A similar measurement of time is found in Leviticus 25:8 in dealing with the year of Jubilee.
Count off seven sabbaths of years-- seven times seven years-- so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years. Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land. Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each one of you is to return to his family property and each to his own clan. (Leviticus 25:8-10)
Israel was to allow the land to rest every 7th year. They did not. Over a period of 490 years the land of Israel was shorted 70 years of sabbath rests. This led to Israel being forced to leave the land for 70 years so that the land could obtain the sabbath rest that it was due. At the end of the 70 years is when Daniel was given the vision of his prophetic 490 years. Although both prophecies are related to a 490 year time interval - they are two different periods of prophetic time. (See Jeremiah 25:11 and 29:10)
Jewish commentators Abarbanel and Malbim understand the angel's reference to seventy weeks as an additional interpretation of the seventy years of Jeremiah.(1)
In addition to the sin of desecrating sabbatical years, the Jews had committed other sins (Yoma 96 specifies idolatry, licentiousness, and bloodshed), throughout the period occupied by these sabbatical years (490). For this, 70 years of exile would not suffice, and the full period of 490 years was needed for atonement.(1)
The Expression "week of years" occurs in the Mishna (Sanh.v.1.)(2)
490 years may be a block of time that is used in other areas of the Bible.
These "70 Weeks" were determined or "cut out" by God and are directed primarily at the nation of Israel.
In calculating years from B.C. to A.D., one must always be omitted. (From B.C.1 to A.D.1 is one year not two years). B.C. 1 is calculated as B.C. 0 by astronomers. Therefore what is commonly referred to as 445 B.C. is referred to as 444 B.C. by astronomers.(3)
Whereas people today think in units of tens (decades), Daniel’s people thought in terms of sevens (heptad's).(4)
Some believe that the 490 years represent the time from the destruction of the first Temple to the destruction of the second Temple.
Here are links that have been created to help move around inside of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.
Other links of interest include:
1). Artscroll Tanach Series on Daniel p.259
2). The Soncino Books of the Bible; Daniel-Ezra-Nehemiah p.77
3). The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson p.128.
4). Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1361
