Daniel 9:15-27
Daniel Asks for Jerusalem
Read the passage
15Now, O Lord our God, who brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and who made for Yourself a name renowned to this day, we have sinned; we have acted wickedly.
16O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all around us.
17So now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of Your servant. For Your sake, O Lord, cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate sanctuary.
18Incline Your ear, O my God, and hear; open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your name. For we are not presenting our petitions before You because of our righteous acts, but because of Your great compassion.
19O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.”
20While I was speaking, praying, confessing my sin and that of my people Israel, and presenting my petition before the LORD my God concerning His holy mountain—
21while I was still praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
22He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.
23At the beginning of your petitions, an answer went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are highly precious. So consider the message and understand the vision:
24Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
25Know and understand this: From the issuance of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of distress.
26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.
27And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.”
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
Daniel remembers the LORD's mighty acts in bringing Israel out of Egypt and asks God to turn away anger from Jerusalem. He does not appeal to Israel's righteousness; he asks because the city and people are called by God's name.
While Daniel is praying, confessing sin, and presenting his plea before the LORD, Gabriel comes in swift flight. He says Daniel is greatly loved and has come to give him insight and understanding.
Gabriel speaks of seventy weeks decreed for Daniel's people and holy city: to finish transgression, put an end to sin, atone for iniquity, bring everlasting righteousness, seal vision and prophet, and anoint a most holy place. The vision then describes the coming and cutting off of an anointed one, the destruction of the city and sanctuary, and desolation until the decreed end.
Daniel's appeal rests on God's mighty act in the exodus and on the honor of God's name, not on a claim that Israel deserves a quick restoration. He asks for mercy while confessing that the people have no righteousness to leverage. That combination keeps prayer from becoming either self-defense or hopeless self-condemnation.
Gabriel's answer is larger than a timetable for returning to normal. It speaks of ending transgression, atoning for iniquity, and bringing everlasting righteousness, while also naming the painful cutting off of an anointed one and the destruction of city and sanctuary. The vision carries hope through suffering, but it should make us cautious about forcing every detail into a confident forecast. Wait for God's redemption without pretending to possess the whole schedule.
How We Know
Daniel's prayer looks back to the exodus, confesses Israel's sin, and asks God to act for Jerusalem and the city called by His name. The answer then speaks of a coming anointed ruler, atonement for iniquity, and the fulfillment of God's purposes. After His resurrection, Jesus explains to His disciples how Moses and all the Prophets speak about Him; the New Testament therefore reads Daniel's hope within the larger prophetic witness to Christ, while the precise chronology remains a matter that requires humility.
Questions
1 What does Daniel base his request on?
AnswerHe remembers God's rescue from Egypt and asks for mercy because Jerusalem and the people bear God's name. He does not present Israel's righteousness as the reason for restoration.
2 What does Gabriel call Daniel?
AnswerGabriel calls him greatly loved and comes to give him insight. The message is delivered to a person who has been praying honestly rather than claiming spiritual superiority.
3 What do the seventy weeks concern?
AnswerThey concern Daniel's people and holy city and include an end to sin, atonement, everlasting righteousness, and the fulfillment of vision. The passage should be handled carefully rather than reduced to a date chart.
4 What difficult events appear in the vision?
AnswerAn anointed one is cut off, the city and sanctuary are destroyed, and desolation continues until a decreed end. Hope here does not deny judgment and devastation.
What This Means for Us
Daniel's prayer is answered with a promise, but the answer is not a simple timetable. The vision contains restoration, suffering, judgment, and mystery together.
The phrase “greatly loved” comes while Daniel is confessing. God's love is not a reward for pretending the past is clean; it meets a person who tells the truth about sin.
When you ask God to repair what is broken, be prepared for an answer larger and slower than the immediate relief you imagined. Keep praying for the people and places you love without forcing prophecy into certainty.
Prayer
God of mercy, remember the places and people we bring before You. Help us receive difficult answers without losing hope, confess honestly, and trust Your righteousness when the way forward remains unclear. Amen.