Question 1

Why does Daniel start praying when he understands the seventy years of desolation?

Accepted Answer

Daniel has been reading the writings that speak of seventy years of Jerusalem’s desolation. When he realizes that this time is almost over, he does not sit back and wait. He turns to God with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. He understands that God’s promises are meant to move people to pray, not to make them lazy. So he confesses sin, asks for mercy, and pleads that God will now do what he has said and restore His city and people.

Question 2

What is the main focus of Daniel’s prayer in this passage?

Accepted Answer

Daniel’s prayer is mostly confession and pleading for mercy. He openly says, “We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly.” He includes himself with the people and does not blame only the kings or the fathers. He admits that God is right and they are wrong, that they ignored God’s commands and His prophets. Then he asks God to turn His anger away from Jerusalem, forgive His people, and cause His face to shine again on His ruined sanctuary.

Question 3

What does this passage teach about God’s character?

Accepted Answer

This passage shows God as both righteous and merciful. Daniel says that righteousness belongs to God, and that the disaster on Jerusalem came because the people broke His law and would not listen. So God’s judgment is not random but just. At the same time, Daniel says that to the Lord belong “mercies and forgivenesses.” He bases his prayer not on the people’s goodness, but on God’s great mercy, His covenant, and His past saving work in bringing Israel out of Egypt with a mighty hand.

Question 4

Who is Gabriel in this passage and why does he come to Daniel?

Accepted Answer

Gabriel is described as a man that Daniel had seen in an earlier vision, but he is actually an angel sent by God. While Daniel is still praying, Gabriel comes quickly and touches him around the time of the evening sacrifice. Gabriel tells Daniel that he has come to give him skill and understanding. From the start of Daniel’s prayer, a word went out from God, and Gabriel is sent to show Daniel what will happen, because Daniel is greatly loved. He then explains the vision of the seventy weeks.

Question 5

What are the “seventy weeks” that are determined for Daniel’s people and city?

Accepted Answer

The seventy weeks are a set period God has fixed for Daniel’s people and Jerusalem. The wording points to weeks of years, adding up to a long span. In that time God will finish transgression, put an end to sins, make reconciliation for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the most Holy. It stretches from a command to rebuild Jerusalem until the coming of the Messiah, His being “cut off,” and later the destruction of the city and sanctuary.

Question 6

Why does the passage say the Messiah will be “cut off, but not for himself”?

Accepted Answer

The wording shows that the Messiah will be rejected and cut off, not because of His own guilt. He does not die for His own sins, but for others. This fits with the larger promise in the passage: making an end of sins and making reconciliation for iniquity. The Messiah’s being cut off is the way God deals with sin and brings in everlasting righteousness. The words also hint that, from a human point of view, He will seem to have little value, yet His death brings great benefit.

Question 7

What does it mean that sacrifice and offering will cease in the middle of the final week?

Accepted Answer

The passage says that in the last week a covenant will be confirmed with many, and in the middle of that week sacrifice and offering will stop. This has been understood in more than one way, but a main reading is that by His death and resurrection the Messiah brings the old sacrificial system to its real end. Once reconciliation for iniquity is made, those offerings lose their purpose. Later, the destruction of the city and sanctuary makes those sacrifices physically stop as well.

Question 8

Why is this passage sometimes hard to understand, especially the timing of the weeks?

Accepted Answer

The numbers and phrases in this passage are packed and not all details are explained. The weeks, the starting command, and how each part lines up with later events have been read in different ways by faithful readers. Still, the main line is clear: God tells Daniel there is a set plan for his people and city, leading to the coming of the Messiah, His being cut off, the ending of sin, the bringing in of everlasting righteousness, and a later ruin of Jerusalem because of ongoing rebellion.

Question 9

How can Daniel’s prayer in this passage guide how I pray today?

Accepted Answer

Daniel’s prayer gives a simple pattern. He starts with who God is, great and faithful to His covenant. He then openly admits sin, without excuses, and says God is right to judge. After that, he asks for mercy based on God’s character and promises, not on any goodness in himself or the people. He prays for the good of God’s city and name, not just for comfort. You can follow this by confessing honestly, trusting God’s mercy, using His promises as the ground of your requests, and caring about His honor.

Question 10

What was happening to Jerusalem and Israel when Daniel prayed this prayer?

Accepted Answer

At this time many from Judah and Israel are scattered in foreign lands because of their sins. Jerusalem has been destroyed, the sanctuary is in ruins, and the people are a shame among the nations around them. Daniel is living under the rule of Darius over the former Babylonian lands. He knows from what he has read that the seventy years of desolation are almost ended, yet the city still lies waste. So he prays that God would turn away His anger, restore the city, and show mercy to His people again.

Daniel 9:1

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

Gabriel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

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Daniel 9:1

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

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Daniel’s Prayer for His People

Gabriel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

Daniel’s Prayer for His People

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