Daniel 9:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator."

NIV: He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. "

NASB: And he will confirm a 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 the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.'

CSB: He will make a firm covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering. And the abomination of desolation will be on a wing of the temple until the decreed destruction is poured out on the desolator."

NLT: The ruler will make a treaty with the people for a period of one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration, until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him.'

KJV: And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst 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 upon the desolate.

NKJV: Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.”

The angel Gabriel (Daniel 9:21–23) predicted the arrival of the Messiah, using an anchor point in history. His message indicated sixty-nine "groups of seven," to begin with a decree about rebuilding Jerusalem, and ending with the arrival and sudden "cut[ting] off" of the promised Anointed One (Daniel 9:25–26). Using simplified prophetic "years," this adds up to 173,880 days. Artaxerxes Longimanus made an edict allowing Israelites to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2:1–8) on March 4, 444 BC. Jesus likely made His triumphal entry (Matthew 21:9–11) into Jerusalem on March 30, AD 33. The difference between those two dates is exactly 173,880 days.

After this comes a gap. The counting of "weeks" will begin again with the arrival of a destroying ruler. This person will make some contract with Israel. However, in the middle of this seven-year agreement, the leader will turn against them, forbidding worship and insisting they bow to him, instead (Revelation 13:11–15). Jesus predicted a partial fulfillment of this event as "the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place" (Matthew 24:15).

However, the desolator will not be allowed to continue his evil works indefinitely. The Lord will pour out His judgment on him (Revelation 19:11–21). Christ will return, destroy the armies of the desolator and the false prophet, and cast these two evil henchmen alive into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

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.

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.

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.