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 Anointed one - Our Messiah: This is the same "Anointed One" that is mentioned in Dan.9:25 (the previous verse). In verse 25 He is mentioned as the Anointed one and also given the title of ruler (prince). Here in verse 26, He is again referred to as the Anointed One in the first part of the verse. After that, reference is made to a different ruler (prince) that will be coming to destroy the city of Jerusalem.
The "Anointed One" mentioned at the beginning of the verse is in direct reference to the Messiah. The verse is saying that after the time decreed by God, the Messiah would be "cut off'" or would die. The Anointed One is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The word translated anointed one is the origin of our term “Messiah.”(1)
Some believe that the Anointed One in this verse refers to Antiochus Epiphanes of the second century B.C., because he did not destroy the Temple in Jerusalem or the city of Jerusalem.
An anointed one, a prince: here the word prince refers to a ruler or leader, and not the son of a ruler, which is the normal meaning of the English rendering.(1)
Verses 25 and 26 are about two different princes who should not be confused: the first is named Messiah the Prince (v25) referred to by Isaiah as the Prince Of Peace and the second is described as the prince that shall come (v26).(2)
From The Talmud:
This prophecy concerning the death of the Messiah before the destruction of the Second Temple (70 A.D.) is complemented by this passage written a little bit later found in the Talmud "All deadlines for the coming of Moshiach have come and gone (Sanhedrin 97b)." This is powerful evidence toward the true expected timetable of Messiah's first arrival, along with the respected (even considered legally binding by some) extra biblical writings of the Talmud confirming that if Messiah did come, they missed Him.
The "Coming Prince" - concerning the destruction of the Temple is believed to be the "Little Horn" of Daniel 7:8, 24-26. He will head the restored Roman empire in the end times. His people (His Roman ancestors) destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D. (2)
Here are some links that have been created to help move around inside of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.
Other links of interest include:
1). Pter-Contesse, Ren. Ellington, John: A Handbook on the Book of Daniel. New York : United Bible Societies, 1993 (UBS Handbook Series; Helps for Translators), S. 254.
2). Miscellaneous commentary contribution - exact author unknown.
