Daniel 9:24: At a Glance
The question: What are the “seventy weeks” of Daniel 9:24, what are the six accomplishments promised, and how does the prophecy point to the Messiah --- given that faithful interpreters have disagreed for centuries on the starting date and the nature of the seventieth week?
Key Scripture: Daniel 9:24
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the 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.” --- Daniel 9:24 (KJV)
The SCAR Analysis:
| Component | Key Finding |
|---|---|
| Scripture | Gabriel reveals a period of seventy “weeks” (Hebrew shabuim, sevens) --- 490 years --- determined upon Israel and Jerusalem. Six redemptive accomplishments are promised: finishing transgression, ending sins, making reconciliation, bringing everlasting righteousness, sealing vision and prophecy, and anointing the Most Holy. The timeline divides into 7 + 62 + 1 weeks. The Messiah appears after the 69th week and is “cut off” (killed). The city and sanctuary are destroyed. |
| Christocentrism | Jesus Christ fulfills the six accomplishments at the cross --- reconciliation for iniquity, everlasting righteousness, the sealing of prophecy. The New Testament identifies Jesus as the promised Messiah. His death, resurrection, and the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 correspond to the prophetic sequence. The early church unanimously read this prophecy as pointing to Christ. |
| Antiquity | The church fathers universally identified the “Anointed One” as Christ. They differed on the starting decree (Cyrus, Artaxerxes) and on the precise arithmetic, but agreed on the Christocentric reading. Jewish tradition (Seder Olam, Talmud) acknowledged the messianic import but compressed the chronology. Jerome, Hippolytus, Eusebius, and Africanus all left detailed calculations. |
| Reality | Modern scholarship offers three main starting points: the decree of Cyrus (539/538 BC), Artaxerxes’ seventh year (458/457 BC), or Artaxerxes’ twentieth year (445/444 BC or 455/456 BC depending on chronology). The 70th week is debated: past (fulfilled at the cross and AD 70) or future (postponed tribulation). Eclipse data and Babylonian tablets (BM 32234) provide astronomical anchors for Artaxerxes’ reign. |
Major views:
- Artaxerxes 20, 360-day years (Anderson/Hoehner): 69 weeks = 173,880 days from Nisan 445 BC to Palm Sunday AD 32/33. The classic dispensational calculation. Depends on 360-day “prophetic years.”
- Artaxerxes 7, solar years (SDA/traditional): 457 BC + 483 solar years = AD 27, the baptism of Jesus. The 70th week spans AD 27-34. No need for prophetic year adjustment.
- Artaxerxes 20, revised chronology: If Xerxes died in 475 BC (per eclipse/tablet evidence), Artaxerxes’ 20th year shifts to 455/456 BC rather than the conventional 445 BC. This is an active area of research.
- Cyrus decree, symbolic reading: The seventy weeks begin with Cyrus (539 BC) and the numbers are theologically symbolic rather than precise chronological predictions. Minority but serious position.
Common ground: All Christian interpreters agree that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Daniel 9:24-27, that the six accomplishments are fulfilled in his person and work, and that the prophecy validates the gospel. The differences concern starting points, calendar systems, and the 70th week --- secondary questions that do not affect the Christocentric core.
For every believer: The prophecy of Daniel 9:24 is ultimately about God’s faithfulness. He announced his redemptive plan centuries before the cross and fulfilled it in Christ. Hold the center --- Christ and the six accomplishments --- with conviction. Hold the edges --- dates, calendars, the 70th week --- with humility and charity. The passage is meant to strengthen faith, inspire worship, and support the gospel, not to divide believers over chronological details.