First Sixty-Nine Weeks
The first sixty-nine “weeks” laid the groundwork for the tumultuous events of the final or “seventieth week” – Daniel 9:25.
The threefold division corresponds to the three
divisions of time allotted to the “little horn” - “Time”
(“seven weeks”), “times” (“sixty-two weeks”),
and “part of a time” (“one week”). This is one of
several verbal links between the “seventy weeks” prophecy and the vision
of the “fourth beast” with the “little horn” in chapter 7.
- (Daniel 9:25) - “Know, then, and understand; from the going forth of the word to return and to build Jerusalem until an anointed one, the leader, will be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks the broad place and the ditch will again be built, even in troublesome times.”
At the end of the first subdivision, the “seven
weeks,” an “anointed one, a leader” will appear. Precisely who and
what this figure remains unclear at this point. No further information about
his identity or activities is provided.
The start of the “seventy weeks” is
the “word to return and to build Jerusalem,” a reference to the prophecy
of Jeremiah that Daniel was contemplating at the start of chapter 9 – (Jeremiah
25:1-14, Daniel 9:1-2).
The “anointed one” appears only after
the first “seven weeks,” presumably, at the end of the first 49 years.
The syntax of the Hebrew clause makes this clear. It reads, “from
the going forth of the word to return…until an anointed one, a leader
– seven weeks.”
The Hebrew preposition rendered “from”
is prefixed to the term translated “going forth”; likewise, the
preposition for “until” is prefixed to the noun “anointed.”
Neither preposition can be applied to any other part of the sentence except to
the word to which it is prefixed.
In the Hebrew clause, there is no “the”
or definite article with the noun rendered “anointed one.” In Daniel’s
time, “messiah” was not used in an absolute sense for the future king who
would sit on the throne of David. Both
kings and high priests were called “anointed ones.” Without further
evidence from the passage, it is precarious to assume this refers to THE
Messiah - (Leviticus 4:3-5, 6:22, 1 Samuel 12:3, Psalm 18:50).
The Hebrew term rendered “leader,”
or nagid, is generic and refers to one who leads, a “ruler,
captain, leader.” Most often in the Hebrew Bible, it is applied to military and
civil leaders - (1 Samuel 9:16, 1 Chronicles 9:20, Nehemiah 11:11, Jeremiah
20:1).
Whoever this figure is, he cannot be
identical to the “anointed one” who appears in the final or “seventieth
week” of the prophecy. The two figures are separated by several centuries, assuming
each “week” represents a period of seven years. If he can be identified
from history depends on the “start date” that the interpreter selects for the “seventy
weeks.”
If the seventy “weeks” began hundreds of years before his birth, then this “anointed one” cannot be Jesus. Whoever he is, according to Daniel, he appears at the end of the first segment of “seven sevens,” regardless of how long that period is.
The second subdivision consists of “sixty-two
weeks,” presumably, a total of 434 years (7 x 62). During this period, Jerusalem
was “built again, with street and moat, even in troublesome times.” The
rebuilding process began with the arrival of the first exiles around 538 B.C.,
but this was a gradual process that continued sporadically for decades, and it
took several centuries before the city once again began to resemble its former grandeur
and position in the Near East - (Ezra
4:1-5).
The “broad place” refers to a
central square or plaza typical of ancient near eastern cities, and not to a specific
street name. Typically, the place where the marketplace was located. Most
likely, in the context of Jerusalem, it refers to the wide space located before
the gate of the temple - (Ezra 10:9, Nehemiah 8:16).
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| Jerusalem by Sander Crombach on Unsplash |
The word rendered “ditch” occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible. Some English versions render it as “moat.” However, Jerusalem did not have any moats. The noun is derived from a verbal root that has the sense of “cut, sharpen, mutilate” (haruts), and abstractly, “to decide, determine, judge.” The verbal form is the same word that is rendered “determined” in verses 26-27.
The word translated “ditch” does NOT
mean “wall,” and it is not a reference to the city’s walls. Possibly, it refers
to defensive trenches that were dug below the walls of the city. More likely, it
refers to the narrower streets of the city. Thus, “broad place”
and “ditch” provide a contrast between the wide and narrow spaces
of the city. Used together, they portray a rebuilt and economically functioning
city.
“Troublesome” translates a noun
meaning “pressure, distress, constraint” - (tsoq - Proverbs 1:27,
Isaiah 30:6, Isaiah 8:22). In the context of Daniel, it may refer to
the “time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation.”
Regardless, the books of Ezra and Nehemiah attest to the
struggles Judea experienced while rebuilding the city over many years – (Daniel
12:1-4).
Again, the passage provides minimal
information about the first sixty-nine “weeks” of the prophetic period.
The climax of the entire prophecy is the final or “seventieth week.” The
events of the first two subdivisions are preparatory for the pivotal events of
that “week.” Additionally, the first sixty-nine “weeks” provide chronological
and historical contexts for the prophecy.
A relevant question is whether the first two subdivisions
run consecutively or concurrently. Do both begin with the “word to restore
and rebuild Jerusalem,” or does the second subdivision commence when the
first one ends? At this point, this remains unclear.
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