Daniel 9 consists of two parts: Daniel’s prayer and the vision that he received while still praying. The prayer and vision form a unit:
Through Jeremiah, God promised to restore Jerusalem after 70 years.
Babylon fell in the year before Daniel prayed (539 BC; cf. Dan 9:1). Babylon’s reign of 70 years (Jer 25:9, 11) has come to an end.
In response, Daniel prayed to God to fulfill His promise to restore Israel.
Through the 70-week prophecy, God answered Daniel’s prayer and assured him that He will fulfill Jeremiah’s prophecy. The prophecy promised what Daniel prayed for.
As discussed, even more persuasive evidence for the unity of Daniel 9 is the fact that God’s covenant with Israel is the thread that unites prayer and prophecy:
The exile to Babylon was the penalty for unfaithfulness prescribed by the covenant. The duration of the exile, 70 years, was also determined by the covenant. In the covenant, the exile would be one year for every Sabbath year not observed.
Daniel’s prayer was Israel’s confession of guilt, as required by the covenant for covenant renewal.
Through the prophecy, God promised to renew the covenant.
Other Articles
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- All articles on Daniel 9
- Summary of all articles on Daniel 9
- All articles on this Site
- The Mark of the Beast
- The Trinity doctrine – MP3
- The True Origin of the Trinity Doctrine
- The Sabbath was part of the Arian Controversy – MP3
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For general theology, I recommend Graham Maxwell.