9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of a Ahasuerus, of the
seed of the Medes, which was made king over the b realm of
the Chaldeans;
(a) Who was also called Astyages.
(b) For Cyrus led with ambition, and went about wars in
other countries, and therefore Darius had the title of
the kingdom, even though Cyrus was king in effect.
9:2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by c
books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD
came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish
seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
(c) For even though he was an excellent Prophet, yet he daily
increased in knowledge by the reading of the scriptures.
9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to d seek by prayer
and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
(d) He does not speak of that ordinary prayer, which he used
in his house three times a day, but of a rare and
vehement prayer, lest their sins should cause God to
delay the time of their deliverance prophesied by
Jeremiah.
9:4 And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession,
and said, O Lord, the e great and dreadful God, keeping
the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them
that keep his commandments;
(e) That is, has all power in yourself to execute your
terrible judgments against obstinate sinners, as you are
rich in mercy to comfort those who obey your word and
love you.
9:7 O Lord, f righteousness [belongeth] unto thee, but unto us
confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and
to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, [that
are] near, and [that are] far off, through all the countries
whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass
that they have trespassed against thee.
(f) He shows that whenever God punishes, he does it for just
cause: and thus the godly never accuse him of rigour as
the wicked do, but acknowledge that in themselves there
is just cause why he should so treat them.
9:8 O Lord, to us [belongeth] confusion of face, to our g
kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have
sinned against thee.
(g) He does not excuse the kings because of their authority,
but prays chiefly for them as the chief occasions of
these great plagues.
9:10 Neither have we obeyed the h voice of the LORD our God,
to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants
the prophets.
(h) He shows that they rebel against God, who do not serve
him according to his commandment and word.
9:11 Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by
departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore
the i curse is poured upon us, and the oath that [is]
written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we
have sinned against him.
(i) As in (De 27:15), or the curse confirmed by an oath.
9:16 O Lord, according to all thy k righteousness, I beseech
thee, let thine anger and thy fury be turned away from thy
city Jerusalem, thy holy mountain: because for our sins,
and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and thy
people [are become] a reproach to all [that are] about us.
(k) That is, according to all your merciful promises and
the performance of them.
9:17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant,
and his supplications, and cause thy face to l shine upon
thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the m Lord's sake.
(l) Show yourself favourable.
(m) That is, for your Christ's sake, in whom you will
accept all of our prayers.
9:18 O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and
behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy
name: for we do not present our supplications before thee
for our n righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.
(n) Declaring that the godly flee only to God's mercies,
and renounce their own works, when they seek for
remission of their sins.
9:19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, o hearken and do;
defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and
thy people are called by thy name.
(o) Thus he could not content himself with any vehemency of
words: for he was so led with a fervent zeal,
considering God's promise made to the city in respect
of his Church, and for the advancement of God's glory.
9:24 Seventy p weeks are determined upon q thy people and
upon thy holy city, to finish the r transgression, and to
make an end of sins, 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.
(p) He alludes to Jeremiah's prophecy, who prophesied that
their captivity would be seventy years: but now God's
mercy would exceed his judgment seven times as much,
which would be 490 years, even until the coming of
Christ, and so then it would continue forever.
(q) Meaning Daniel's nation, over whom he was careful.
(r) To show mercy and to put sin out of remembrance.
9:25 Know therefore and understand, [that] from s the going
forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven t weeks, and
u threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built
again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
(s) That is, from the time that Cyrus gave them permission
to depart.
(t) These weeks make forty-nine years, of which forty-six
are referred to the time of the building of the temple,
and three to the laying of the foundation.
(u) Counting from the sixth year of Darius, who gave the
second commandment for the building of the temple are
sixty-two weeks, which make 434 years, which comprehend
the time from the building of the temple until the
baptism of Christ.
9:26 And after threescore and two x weeks shall Messiah be cut
off, but y not for himself: and the people of the z
prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and
unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
(x) In this week of the seventy, will Christ come and
preach and suffer death.
(y) He will seem to have no beauty, nor to be of any
estimation; (Isa 53:2).
(z) Meaning Titus, Vespasians's son, who would come and
destroy both the temple, and the people, without any
hope of recovery.
9:27 And he a 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 b cease, c and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate,
even until the consummation, and that determined shall be
poured upon the desolate.
(a) By the preaching of the Gospel he affirmed his promise,
first to the Jews, and after to the Gentiles.
(b) Christ accomplished this by his death and resurrection.
(c) Meaning that Jerusalem and the sanctuary would be
utterly destroyed because of their rebellion against
God, and their idolatry: or as some read, that the
plague will be so great, that they will all be
astonished at them.
