3. Daniel 9:24-27

“Seventy weeks [490 years] are determined on thy people and on your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks [49 years], and sixty two weeks [434 years] the street shall be built again and the wall even in troublous times. 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 of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. Then he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation which is determined shall be poured out on the desolate.” (Daniel 9:24-27).This is an extremely important prophecy relating to the time period of the Messiah. The key for this presentation, is to establish that the passage is Messianic in nature and that it points to the time period of Jesus Christ.The basic exegesis of this passage is as follows: The word “weeks” (Daniel 9:24) comes from the Hebrew term “shavuim,” which is rendered as “heptads” meaning “units or periods of seven.” 34 It is describing a period of 70 units of seven or 490 years. There is not much argumentation from Hebrew scholars that this is correct understanding of the terms “weeks” and even the Jewish polemicists referred to here agree on this point.The prophecy asserts that this 490 year time span will begin with the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (verse 25).There are four dates that have been suggested as the starting point referred to in this prophecy: The decree of Cyrus – 539 BC; the decree of Darius – 519 BC; The decree of Artaxerxes of Ezra – 457 BC; The decree of Artaxerxes of Nehemiah – 444 BC. There is at this point some question as to which decree Daniel is referring as the “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25a). The two most feasible dates are the decrees given by Artaxerxes in 457 BC and 444 BC. The decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457 BC is found in Ezra 7:11-16 and the decree to Nehemiah in 444 BC is found in Nehemiah 2:1-8. When these passages are examined, the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem is the decree given to Nehemiah in 444 BC. All of the other decrees refer to the rebuilding only of the Temple. None give permission to repair or restore the city except the Nehemiah decree in 444 BC. Therefore, the proper starting date should be 444 BC.The Christian exegesis of Daniel 9:24-27 is as follows. The 490 years are divided up into three time segments: seven weeks (49 years), 62 weeks (434 years), and one week (seven years).The first seven weeks in verse 25 refers to the time span used to restore the city. Biblical scholar Adam Clarke states,“To the first period of seven weeks the restoration and repair of Jerusalem are referred, and so long were Ezra and Nehemiah employed in restoring the sacred constitutions and civil establishments of the Jews, for this work lasted forty-nine years after the commission was given by Artaxerxes.” 35This time segment of seven weeks (49 years) is then added to 62 weeks (434 years) and together refer to the time period of the coming of the Messiah. Daniel 9:25 says, “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and sixty two weeks…”By subtracting the 483 years (49 + 434) from the starting date set in this prophecy (444 BC), the time period of Jesus (AD 30) becomes the obvious prophetic intention.Harold Hoehner, a Biblical scholar, provides a logical step by step approach demonstrating the means by which this is done.“Multiplying the sixty-nine weeks by seven years for each week by 360 days [length of a prophetic year] gives a total of 173,880 days. The difference between 444 BC [the decree to Nehemiah] and AD 33 [Jesus entry into Jerusalem] then is 476 solar years. By multiplying 476 by 365.24219879 or by 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45,975 seconds, one comes to 173,855 days, 6 hours, 52 minutes, 44 seconds or 173,855 days. This leaves only 25 days to be accounted for between 444 BC and AD 33. By adding the 25 days to March 5 (of 444 BC), one comes to March 30 (of AD 33) which was Nisan 10 in AD 33. This is the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.” 36There are, of course, some Biblical scholars who feel that the decree to Ezra in 457 BC is the date Daniel refers to here and not the decree to Nehemiah of 444 BC used by Mr. Hoehner for this calculation. This understanding also has solid Scriptural support and could possibly be correct. Different calendars may also be used along with different culmination points, but both of the starting dates conclusively point to the time period of Christ. Whether Christ’s birth, baptism, or crucifixion is used as the finalization event, both dates lead to the time of Christ without manipulating or forcing any of the factors.The last week referred to in this passage (verse 27), has some variation in interpretation. However, a particularly astute opinion is that verbalized by Adam Clarke; he says,“From the coming of our Lord, the third period is to be dated, viz. ‘He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week,’ that is seven years. This confirmation of the covenant must take in the ministry of John the Baptist with that of our Lord, comprehending the term of seven years during the whole of which he might be well said to confirm or ratify the new covenant with mankind. Our Lord says, ‘The law was until John,’ but from his first public preaching of the Kingdom of God, or Gospel dispensation commenced. These seven years, added to the four hundred and eighty-three, complete the four hundred and ninety years, or seventy prophetic weeks, so that the whole of this prophecy, from the times and corresponding events has been fulfilled to the very letter.” 37 Daniel 9:27 states,“And he [the Messiah] shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: but in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured out on the desolate.”Clarke states regarding this:“… in the latter three years and a half in which he exercised himself in the public ministry, he caused by the sacrifice of himself, all other sacrifices and oblations to cease, which were instituted to signify his.” 38On this basis, all three time segments were fulfilled in the coming of Jesus the Messiah.Verse 24 speaks of six events that will transpire in the coming of the Messiah. Clarke expounds on each of these events and their significance in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.In verse 24, there are six events mentioned which should be the consequences of the incarnation of our Lord.To finish (lechalle; to restrain) the transgression which was effected by the preaching of the Gospel and pouring out of the Holy Ghost among men.To make an end of sins; rather (ulehathem chataoth) to make an end of sin offerings; which our Lord did when he offered his spotless soul and body on the cross once for all.To make reconciliation; (ulechapper), to make an atonement or expiation for iniquity; which he did by the once offering up of himself.To bring in everlasting righteousness (tsedek olamin); that is, the righteousness or the righteous One of the ages; that person who had been the object of the faith of mankind, and the subject of the predictions of the prophets through all the ages of the world.To seal up (velachtom; to finish or to complete the vision and the prophecy; that is, to put an end to the necessity of any further revelations by completing the canon of Scriptures, and fulfilling the prophecies which related to His person, sacrifice, and the glory that should follow.And to anoint the most Holy (kodesh, kodashim-the Holy of Holies; mashiach “to anoint” which comes from mashiach, the Messiah, “the anointed one”) signifies in general to consecrate or appoint to some special office. Here it means the consecration or appointment of our blessed Lord, the Holy One of Israel, to be the Prophet, Priest, and King of mankind. 39The total of these six events were uniquely completed by the Messiah, the Lord Jesus.

• “to finish the transgression,” – Matthew 11:13, Jeremiah 31:31-34
• “to make an end of sin [sin offerings],” – Hebrews 9:25-28
• “to make reconciliation for iniquity,” – 2Corinthians 5:17-21
• “to bring in everlasting righteousness,” – Romans 10:1-13; 3:20-28
• “to seal up the vision and the prophecy,” – Galatians 1:6-9
• “to anoint the most Holy,” – Hebrews 9:1-15

There are two factors found in verses 26 and 27 that also confirm that this passage has found fulfillment in Jesus. Daniel 9:26a states, “And after sixty two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [an idiom For His death], but not for himself.”Daniel asserts that the coming of the Messiah will be climaxed by His death. The New Testament teaches this very truth regarding the life and ministry of Jesus. Christ’s death on the cross was the redemptive price paid for the sin and iniquity of mankind. His death (and resurrection) was the climax of His life just as Daniel predicted in Daniel 9:24-27 (Matthew 26:28; Acts 2:22-39; 1 Peter 2:20-25).In verse 26, the second factor which indicates that this prophecy is referring to Jesus is stated.“… and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end of it shall be with a flood, and until the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:26b).This verse refers to another prince whose people will destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. The fulfillment to this occurred in AD 70 when the Roman ruler, Titus sent his armies into Jerusalem and destroyed the city and the Temple, a little less than forty years after Christ’s death and resurrection.In summary, the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27, finds the following fulfillments in Jesus of Nazareth.The prophecy establishes that the time period from “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty two weeks (total 69 weeks or 483 years).” From either of the two possible starting dates of 457 BC or 444 BC, this points directly into the time period of Christ.The six events characterizing this messianic event in Daniel 9:25 were all uniquely fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth.The death of the Messiah, which is one of the key elements mentioned in Daniel 9:24-27, corresponds to the centrality of the death on the cross of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 16:21; Luke 9:51).The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple is said to be an event related to the time period of the Messiah, and in AD 70, the city and the Temple were destroyed.On these factors, the Christian exegesis of this passage rests. None other than the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth is the intended fulfillment.

Jewish Objections

Of all the arguments raised by Jewish polemicists examined here, this is by far the most unconvincing. The Jewish argument concerning Daniel 9:24-27 and its reference to Jesus has three main parts. A) The passage is not Messianic in nature. B) The time period is divided into two segments. The first seven weeks culminate in a prince and the second threescore and two weeks refer to the time in which the city remains built. C) Jesus does not fit the description of the prince referred to.

A. “The passage is not Messianic in nature.”

The first Jewish argument maintains that this passage is not Messianic in nature. Gerald Sigal argues, “The original Hebrew text does not read, ‘the Messiah the Prince,’ but having no article, it is to be rendered ‘a mashiach’ (an anointed one, messiah) a prince, i.e. Cyrus (Isaiah 45:1, 13; Ezra 1:1-2). The word ‘mashiach’ is nowhere used in Scripture as a proper name, but as a title of authority of a King or high priest. Therefore, a correct rendering of the original Hebrew should be: ‘an anointed one, a prince.” 40 In response to this argument, it should be said that the correct reading of the text is just as is stated here. It does not read “the Messiah” but rather “an anointed one, a prince.” However, this does nothing in proving that the passage is not Messianic in nature. Dr. E.W. Hengstenberg affirms regarding this,“An Anointed One, in accordance with the whole character of the prophecy, is intentionally left indefinite, with no article to indicate his identity with the Messiah, a Prince. It was the less necessary to point out this identity, because the careful and unprejudiced reader might easily determine this from the context. As an Anointed One of itself implied a king of Israel; as this designation was made still clearer by its being opposed to a Prince who was to come; so the reader would necessarily be led at once to think of the Messiah, because prophecy knows no other king of Israel after the exile”. 41 The entire context of the passage along with all that is related in verses 24-27 affirm that this Anointed One is king of Israel. The 70 weeks are applied to “thy people” (Israel) and “thy holy city” (Jerusalem). To say that this Prince is someone not related to Israel violates the entire context of the prophecy. Since no one in Israel held the position of king after the exile, this clearly points to the King-Messiah, the only one who could possibly culminate all that is said to occur here. The Jewish objection that this passage is not Messianic has no basis. The reference to the Jewish King-messiah is the obvious intention of the writer.

B. “The time period is divided into two segments. The first seven weeks (49 years) culminate in a first anointed prince and the sixty two weeks (434 years) refers to the time of a second anointed prince.”

A second position espoused by Jewish polemicists asserts that there is a division in the outline of time (49 years and 434 years) in Daniel 9:24-27. In verse 25, the first seven weeks are set over against the last 62 weeks. Concerning this Sigal says,“The ‘atnah’ is the approximate equivalent of the semicolon in the modern system of punctuation. It thus has the effect of separating the seven weeks from the sixty-two weeks … By treating the sixty-two weeks as a distinct period, this verse, in the original Hebrew, shows that the sixty-two weeks mentioned in verse 25 are correctly separated from the seven weeks by the ‘atnah.’ Hence, two anointed ones are spoken of in this chapter, one who comes after seven weeks, and the other after a further period of sixty-two weeks.” 42 There is no point in arguing over Hebrew punctuation at this point. It is true that verse 25 has two separate periods of time (seven weeks and 62 weeks). Nevertheless, verse 26 ascribes the totality of this time to the “cutting off” of the Messiah. Any attempt to validate a theory of two Messiahs proves worthless when verse 25 is examined in the light of verse 26. Dr. Hengstenberg gives a very satisfactory explanation for the two time segments in verse 25.“Accordingly he, [Daniel] here designates the whole distance ‘from the going forth of the word, until the Anointed One,’… by a two-fold determination of time. Sixty-nine weeks in all, shall elapse. Seven until the completed restoration of the city, sixty-two from that time until the Anointed One, the Prince. …. according to our interpretation of the words, ‘from the going forth,’ etc., the two-fold division of the time period is already contained in these words, and therefore, a two-fold determination of the time must naturally by expected.” 43The theory of two Messiahs forces and twists the evident intent of this passage. Isaac Troki recognizes this and interprets this passage differently. He says,“The seventy weeks and evidently a given period of time elapsing from the destruction of the first to the destruction of the second temple.” 44Rather than seeing two Messiahs as Mr. Sigal does, Isaac Troki interprets the seven weeks as first referring to an “anointed one,” whom he names as Cyrus (Isaiah 45:6) and the 62 weeks as the time in which the Temple remains built. With its destruction in AD 70 by Titus, the 62 weeks or 434 years finds an approximate fulfillment. He says,“If the Christians take an impartial view of this chapter of Daniel, they cannot possibly imagine that it alludes to Jesus, who suffered on the cross nearly a half a century before the exile of Israel.” 45The problem with both of these two Jewish interpretations is that neither one of them considers or even refers to verse 26. This verse states what the 62-week period refers to. “And after sixty two weeks shall Messiah be cut off …” (Daniel 9:26a)rnThe culmination of these time periods is found in the coming of the Messiah. This is the express reading of the context of Daniel 9:24-27. Throughout this passage the theme that is repeated is the “Messiah.”

C. “Jesus does not fit the description of the prince referred to.”

The last argument advanced against this passage and its reference to Jesus is given by Gerald Sigal: “The words ‘v’ayn lo’ (9:26) are incorrectly translated by the King James Version as “but not for himself.’ It should be translated as ‘he has nothing’ or ‘he shall have nothing.’ How can Christian missionaries apply this verse and Isaiah 53:12 where ‘God’s servant receives a portion with the great’ to Jesus? …rnOne who has nothing’ (Daniel 9:26) does not receive ‘a portion with the great’ (Isaiah 53:12), does not rise bodily to heaven (Acts 1:9) and does not sit at the ‘right hand of the throne of the Majesty’ (Hebrews 8:1). It is precisely with his death that Jesus was allegedly able to attain his rewards. Therefore, ‘he shall have nothing’ cannot refer to the Jesus of Christian missionary theology”. 46It has long been acknowledged by scholars that a literal reading of verse 26 should be “shall have nothing” instead of “not for himself.” On this there is solid agreement between both the Christian and Jewish scholarship. However, to go from this more literal reading of verse 26 to establishing that Jesus therefore could not possibly be the “anointed one” who is “cut off” or “killed,” is a very weak argument.W.E. Biederwolf says regarding this,“Verse 26 ‘and shall have nothing’- all Hebrew scholars agree with this reading. The meaning is that He shall then possess nothing; He shall not possess the kingdom or be the acknowledged King.” 47In other words, the passage simply refers to the fact that the Messiah will not establish His earthly kingship and authority at the time referred to in Daniel 9:24-27. His earthly ruler-ship will not be recognized and He “shall have nothing.” This is exactly what transpired with the fulfillment of this prophecy in the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 17:20-37; Acts 1:6-9). The second coming of Jesus is what will bring the realization of His earthly kingship and rule (Matthew 24:27-31; 2 Thessalonians 1:5-12; Revelation 20). Isaiah 53:12 refers to a spiritual reality (non-physical world) and the exaltation of the Messiah by His accomplishments on the cross, and in no way contradicts the phrase “he shall have nothing.” (Daniel 9:24-27).

3. Summary

When each of the objections raised by Jewish polemicists are examined, the shallowness of their positions becomes clear. No effort is made to examine the passage carefully because the obvious conclusion is that the time period of 490 years leads to the Messiah who was “cut off” (killed). 48 Who else but Jesus fits into the time period and then satisfies all six descriptive events spoken of in verse 24? If this prophecy referred to someone else, he would have had to live in the same period as Jesus, been killed and then satisfied all that verse 24 attributes to him.“… to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins [sin offerings], and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Daniel 9:24).In other words, he would have to be identical to Jesus, in his time period, in his death, and in his accomplishments. Yet there is no one but Jesus of Nazareth who can possibly be referred to by Daniel. History is silent of any other claimant during AD 30-50 who could possibly have met the criteria mentioned in Daniel 9:24-27. As history has clearly demonstrated, this prophecy points to none other than the carpenter of Galilee – the Lord Jesus Christ.