Dan 9:24. Seventy weeks: these weeks are weeks of days, and these days are so many years; though neither days, nor months, nor years are expressed, (which makes it somewhat the more obscure,) but weeks only. It is yet plain and obvious that the angel useth the number seventy to show the favour of God towards them, that they might have so much liberty and joy as their seventy years' bondage and sufferings amounted to. Yet was this but a type of the time of grace which was to follow after by the coming of Christ. Upon thy people, and upon thy holy city. Why doth he call them Daniel's people? 1. Because they were his by nation, blood, laws, and profession. 2. Thine because thou dost own them, and art so tender of them, and so zealous for them. To finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity. Note, 1. The angel discovers first the disease, in three several words, h)#h Nw( (#p which contain all sorts of sin, which the Messiah should free us from by his full redemption, see Exod 34:6-7; Matt 1:21 viz. original, actual, of ignorance, presumption, etc.; also fault and punishment, which we may prove by Scripture. 2. The angel shows us also the cure of this disease in three words, le callee, le chatem, le capper: 1. To finish transgression; 2. To make an end of sin; 3. To make reconciliation: all which words are very significant in the original, and signify to pardon, to blot out, mortify, expiate. To bring in everlasting righteousness, i.e. to bring in justification by the free grace of God in Jesus Christ the Lord our Righteousness, Isa 53:6; Jer 23:6; Jer 33:16; 1 Cor 1:30; called everlasting because Christ is eternal, and he and his righteousness is everlasting. Christ brings this in, 1. By his merit; 2. By his gospel declaring it; 3. By faith applying and sealing it by the Holy Ghost. To seal up the vision and prophecy; to abrogate the former dispensation of the laws, and to fulfil it, and the prophecies relating to Christ, and to confirm and ratify the new testament or gospel covenant of grace. The Talmud saith, all the prophecies of the prophets related to Christ. To anoint the most Holy; by which alluding to the holy of holies, which was anointed, Exod 30:25-31; Exod 40:9-16. This typified the church, which is called anointed, 2 Cor 1:21, and heaven, into which Christ is entered, Heb 8:1; Heb 9:24; Heb 10:19; but chiefly Christ himself, who is the Holy One, Acts 3:14. He received the Spirit without measure, John 3:34. His human nature is therefore called the temple, John 2:19, and tabernacle, Heb 8:2; Heb 9:11: moreover Christ is he that held the law, by which the will of God is revealed; the propitiatory, appeasing God; the table, that nourisheth us; the candlestick, that enlightens; the altar, that sanctifies the gift and offering. All these were anointed and holy: by this word anointing he alludes to his name Messiah and Christ, both which signify anointed. Christ was anointed at his first conception and personal union, Luke 1:35; in his baptism, Matt 3:17; to his three offices by the Holy Ghost, (1.) King, Matt 2:2, (2.) Prophet, Isa 61:1, (3.) Priest, Ps 110:4.
Dan 9:25. Know therefore and understand, i.e. by deep consideration, upon a due search of reason, and comparing of things, and minding what the angel saith. Seven weeks from the publication of the edict, whether of Cyrus or Darius, to restore and to build, we shall see anon. Even in troublous times; noting the enemy should create them much trouble in the building and reparations of the wall, city, and temple, which they did many ways, as we read in Nehemiah, which the Spirit of God doth premonish them of, lest they should think this their chief deliverance and redemption. These seven weeks are therefore mentioned by themselves, and repeated no more, because they contained the time of building the wall, city, and temple of Jerusalem, at the end of which seem to begin the sixty-two weeks.
Dan 9:26. After the threescore and two weeks, i.e. after the seven before, and after the sixty-two that followed them, which all make up sixty-nine, referring the angel's seventy weeks, which is nothing though no week more be described, because it makes up the number a round number, after the Jewish manner of calculation, and there might be some fragments in the particular reckoning to make up the sum, or it might be finished in the seventieth week, and that was enough to call it seventy weeks, Dan 9:24. Shall Messiah be cut off; which word hrk signifies cutting off, or cutting down, as a tree, Isa 44:14; Jer 10:3. Secondly, it is used for cutting off by capital punishment, Exod 12:15; Exod 30:33,38; whether this be by the signal hand of God, or by the magistrate, for some heinous offence, Lev 18:29; Lev 20:17; Ps 37:34. This foreshows that the death of Christ should be as of a condemned malefactor sentenced to death, and that justly. So did the Jews, Christ's executioners, proclaim that he died for blasphemy, and that he was a devilish impostor, etc. Yea, God himself charged sin upon him and the curse, Isa 53:4; 2 Cor 5:21; Gal 3:13. But not for himself; wl Ny)w which being abrupt, is variously rendered and read; some referring it to Christ, and some to the people: and others to both, and all with very probable conjectures, Ps 22:6-7; Isa 53:3: i.e. not to him: There was none to succour him; or that they would none of him for their Messiah; they set him at nought, and would not have him live, and therefore he would not own them for his people, but cast them off, for thus dying is expressed in short, not to be. Thus Enoch, Gen 5:24, Joseph, Gen 42:36, and Rachel's children, Jer 31:15; Matt 2:17-18. But our English translation seems to hit the truest sense, i.e. not for himself. He was innocent and guiltless, he died for others, not for himself, but for our sakes and for our salvation. The people of the prince that shall come; the Romans under the conduct of Titus Vespantianus. Some will include Christ's people here, whom he should chiefly gather out of the Roman empire, should ruin that church, and polity, and worship. Desolations are determined; God hath decreed to destroy that place and people by the miseries and desolations of war, i.e. sword, famine, sickness, scattering. All this is signified by shomemoth: also the profaning of the temple by idols, which are called abominations that make desolate; this was done by the Greeks and Jews before, and the Romans at their siege, and after. Question. But some will query, why the angel who was sent to comfort Daniel should insert here this tragical business of destruction and desolation, being beyond the space of seventy weeks? Answer 1. That Daniel might be informed of the judgments of God upon that place and people, and the reasons of it, viz. their rejecting and killing Christ. 2. That the spirit of God's people should not fail when these tragedies were acted; being foretold, thereby they were prepared and fortified against it, and to expect it, and not to be surprised by it when it came.
Dan 9:27. He: this he is not Titus making truce with the Jews, which he did not, though he endeavoured to persuade them that he might spare them. I say then with Graser, Mede, and others, that this he is the Messiah, and the covenant he confirms is the new testament or covenant, called therefore the covenant of the people, Isa 42:6; Isa 49:8; and the Angel of the covenant, Mal 3:1; and the Surety of the covenant, Heb 7:22; and the ancient rabbins called the Messias Mygyg #y) a middle man, or middle man between two. Question. How did Christ confirm the covenant? Answer 1. By testimony, (1.) Of angels, Luke 2:10; Matt 28; (2.) John Baptist; (3.) Of the wise men; (4.) By the saints then living, Luke 1:2; (5.) Moses and Elias, Matt 17:3; (6.) Pharisees, as Nicodemus, John 3:2; (7.) The devils that confessed him. 2. By his preaching. 3. By signs and wonders. 4. By his holy life. 5. By his resurrection and ascension. 6. By his death and blood shed. Shall confirm the covenant; rybgh he shall corroborate it, as if it began before his coming to fail and be invalid. With many; noting hereby the paucity of the Jewish church and nation, compared with the great increase and enlargement by believing Gentiles throughout all nations and ages of the world, Isa 11:9; Isa 49:6; Isa 53:11-12; Isa 54:2-3; Mark 16:15; Acts 13:46: q.d. With many Jews first and last, and with many more of the nations, yea, with the many whom the rabbins and Pharisees despise as the rabble, the common people, Isa 42:3; Matt 21:31; John 7:48-49; 1 Cor 1:26-27. For one week; by a figure, take the greater part of the whole, he shall, though rejected by the chief and bulk of the Jewish nation, yet make the new testament prevail with many in that time, i.e. at the latter end of the seventy weeks. The sacrifice and the oblation to cease; zebach and mincha, bloody and unbloody, to cease, i.e. all the Jewish rites, and Levitical ceremonious worship, i.e. by the burning of the temple before the city was taken, for they were only to offer sacrifice in the temple, nor had they wherewithal in the siege. Yet is there more in it than this, viz. that the Lord Jesus, by his death, and by the execution of his wrath, and abrogate and put an end to this laborious service, and made it to cease for ever. For the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate; desolate for the wing, for the manifold and great abominations stretching, and our text hath it well overspreading. This abomination was the Roman army with their eagles, and with their superstitious rites in approaching to besiege and subdue any place; and this is executed by Christ upon them, Matt 22:7, when he is called a King sending forth his armies, and destroying the murderers that destroyed him, and burning their city, and their coming is Christ's coming, Mal 3:1-2; John 21:22; James 5:7; therefore it is said here, he shall make it desolate. Even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate: here all this is made the effect of God's decree, and therefore irrevocable. This word shomen notes that this people were bewitched, sottishly superstitious, wanderers, banished, the astonishment and scorn of the world; all which did justly and dreadfully befall them, and they verify it to this day.
They that will curiously search further into the seventy weeks and other numbers in Daniel, and have leisure and skill, let them read Graserus, L'Empereur, Wasmuth, Mede, Willet, Wichmannus, Sanctius, Rainoldus, Pererius, Derodon, Broughton, Liveleius, Helvicus, Calovius, Geierus, etc. Read also Joseph Med., p. 861, etc., and Bail., p. 180, etc. This scripture shows the coming of the Messiah so clearly, his sufferings, and the wrath of God so severely upon the Jews for it, that it thoroughly confutes their unbelief; and fully confirms our faith in Jesus Christ.
