Bible Strands

Daniel 9:24

Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to stop their transgression, to put an end to sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — An angel addresses Daniel, delivering the answer to his prayers (v.23). This is the moment the vision is unpacked.

The words — נֶחְתַּךְ (nech'takh), "it has been decreed," is the nif'al of חָתַךְ, literally "to cut off" or "sever." The decree is framed as a severing, not a gentle appointment.

The thread — The six purposes echo the atoning work of Christ (Romans 5:10), His entry as high priest into the true holy place (Hebrews 9:11), and the coming righteous king (Jeremiah 23:5).

Why it lands — The verse presents sin's end and righteousness' arrival as a single, bounded, divinely cut-off unit—not a gradual drift but a decisive act. It asks the reader to hold the specificity of each purpose without collapsing them into a vague "God will fix things."

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.

The Hebrew words

שָׁבֻעִ֨יםsha.vu.'Imsevensשִׁבְעִ֜יםshiv.'Imseventyנֶחְתַּ֥ךְnech.Takhit has been decreedעַֽל־'al-onעַמְּךָ֣׀'a.me./Khapeople/ yourוְעַל־ve./'al-and/ onעִ֣יר'ir[the] city ofקָדְשֶׁ֗ךָkod.She./chaholiness/ yourלְכַלֵּ֨אle./kha.Le'to/ put an end toהַפֶּ֜שַׁעha./Pe.sha'the/ transgressionוּלְהָתֵ֤םu./la/ch.tomand/ to/ completeחַטָּאת֙cha.ta.'otsinוּלְכַפֵּ֣רu./le./kha.Perand/ to/ atone forעָוֹ֔ן'a.Voniniquityוּלְהָבִ֖יאu./le./ha.Vi'and/ to/ bringצֶ֣דֶקTze.dekrighteousness ofעֹֽלָמִ֑ים'o.la.Mimperpetuityוְלַחְתֹּם֙ve./la/ch.Tomand/ to/ seal upחָז֣וֹןcha.Zonvisionוְנָבִ֔יאve./na.Vi'and/ prophetוְלִמְשֹׁ֖חַve./li/m.Sho.achand/ to/ anointקֹ֥דֶשׁKo.desha holy place ofקָֽדָשִֽׁים׃Ka.da.Shimholy places

King James Version

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.

Cross-references