Daniel 9's Seventy Weeks

Verse 24 - Seventy Weeks Decreed

In Daniel 9:24, Gabriel begins the prophecy by stating there are seventy “sevens” decreed for Israel. The word “sevens” comes from the Hebrew word "Sabuim” which is the plural form of the Hebrew word “shabua”. This word is more directly translated as “sets of seven time periods” used much in the same way we might use the word “dozen” but in the context of time. The english word “heptad” has the same meaning though not commonly used and not limited to speaking of time.

Since we've already established above that the context is Daniel's insight to the years related to the Jews we can deduce that these seventy sevens are 490 years. Therefore, Gabriel is declaring that 490 years are appointed for Israel and Jerusalem the result of which will involve the end of sin's various forms, fulfillment of all vision and prophecy, and the anointing of the Most Holy Place. Since this marks the completion of all vision and prophecy, the chapter presents a key prophetic timeline for the end of God's work throughout human history, culminating in the eternal, sinless state.

Amazingly, this give us insight to realize that from the creation of the world to the end of this prophetic period God has been doing a creative work to bring about an ultimate eternal sinless state of mankind. This puts the entirety of human existence and the question of why an omnipotent God doesn't destroy sin and evil immediately. We see that the destruction of sin, evil, and death are all on God's agenda and that there's a scheduled end coming.

Verse 25 - The Decree to Rebuild Jerusalem

In verse 25 we get the starting point to count the 490 years — when a decree is issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. There are three decrees at the end of the Babylonian captivity to be found in the Bible, but we find the most directly aligned decree mentioned in Nehemiah 2:1-8. In verse 5, Nehemiah’s specific request is to go back and rebuild the city — a direct match to what Daniel 9:25 says to look for.

To evaluate the prophecy’s fulfillment, we must identify the date of the decree. Nehemiah 2:1 places it in Nisan of the 20th year of King Artaxerxes. Based on Babylonian records, historians date his reign from August 465 BC, making his 20th year 446-445 BC. With no exact day given, we start from the Hebrew date Nisan 1 which converts to March 14th, 445 BC. This is confirmed by the Royal Observatory and detailed in Sir Robert Anderson’s The Coming Prince. This date aligns with the prophecy’s fulfillment, as I explain below.

With the decree dated to March 14th, 445 BC, Daniel 9:25 states that 69 heptads (483 years) will pass from that decree to the arrival of the Messiah. Using solar years, this points to 39 AD — too late for Jesus’s ministry. However, using prophetic years (360 days), 483 x 360 = 173,880 days. Counting from March 14th, 445 BC, this lands on April 6th, 32 AD — Palm Sunday, the 10th of Nissan—the day of Jesus’s triumphal entry. This aligns with Exodus 12:3, where the Passover lamb is chosen on the 10th of Nissan. Daniel’s prophecy precisely points to Jesus, the true Passover Lamb (see John 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:7).

Some may scoff at using prophetic years despite it being established in the Biblical texts, but in this case even using solar years offers confirmation. Another decree in Ezra 7:11–26 was issued in Artaxerxes' 7th year—spring of 457 BC. Adding 483 solar years (accounting for no year zero) brings us to 27 AD, the year of Jesus’s baptism and anointing. Either way, the prophecy points to the same Messiah — at the start or end of His ministry.

Verse 26 - The Messiah Killed, The City & Temple Destroyed

Daniel 9:26 confirms this interpretation: the Messiah will be “cut off,” and a future ruler’s people will destroy the city and sanctuary. Jesus was crucified exactly 483 prophetic years after Artaxerxes’ decree, and in 70 AD, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple—fulfilling the prophecy precisely. This also hints at the identity of the coming “prince,” later known as the Antichrist, which I explore in more detail elsewhere on this site.

Verse 27 - The 70 Week / Tribulation

In Daniel 9:27, we learn that the “prince who is to come” will confirm a covenant for one final week (seven years), but midway through, he will halt sacrifices and offerings at the Jewish temple. This seven year period is commonly known as the Tribulation, a term drawn from passages like Matthew 24:21 and Revelation 7:14. Since verse describes the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple, and verse shows the temple functioning again, a gap of time must exist between them. This gap is best understood as the Church Age—spanning from Jesus’s crucifixion to the end of the Tribulation.

The verse concludes with a reference to the “abomination of desolation,” a future desecration of the temple by the one who makes desolate. This leads to his final destruction, the complete fulfillment of all vision and prophecy, and the final ushering in of the eternal, sinless state of mankind. Therefore, according to Daniel 9:24–27, we now live in the gap between verses 26 and 27, awaiting the seven-year covenant that will begin the final chapter of God’s redemptive timeline.

More Information

I cover the timeline of the various ages of mankind including the Church Age, Tribulation and others on the Millennial Days page. I also provide an overview of the scriptural structure for the seven year Tribulation Period's timeline here.