“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 9:25 Mean?
This is one of the most precise messianic prophecies in the Old Testament — a timeline given to Daniel that counts the years until the Messiah's arrival. "Know therefore and understand" — Gabriel is commanding Daniel to pay attention. What follows isn't a vague prediction. It's a calculation.
"From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" — the starting point is a specific historical decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Most scholars identify this with Artaxerxes' decree to Nehemiah in 445 BC (Nehemiah 2:1-8). The clock starts when the rebuilding is authorized.
"Unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks" — seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks equals sixty-nine weeks. In prophetic language, these are weeks of years — 69 × 7 = 483 years. Counting 483 years from 445 BC, using the prophetic calendar of 360-day years, brings you remarkably close to approximately AD 30-33 — the period of Christ's public ministry and crucifixion. The precision has stunned scholars for centuries.
"The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times" — the first seven weeks (49 years) cover the rebuilding period. Jerusalem will be restored — streets and defenses — but under difficulty. This matches exactly what Nehemiah describes: rebuilding with a trowel in one hand and a sword in the other (Nehemiah 4:17).
The verse gives Israel — and the world — a countdown to the Messiah. The clock is specific, the starting point is historical, and the terminus is a person: the Messiah, the Prince.
Reflection Questions
- 1.The precision of this prophecy spans centuries. How does its mathematical fulfillment in Christ affect your confidence in Scripture's reliability?
- 2.God gave a countdown, not just a vague promise. What does that level of specificity reveal about how intentionally God orchestrates history?
- 3.The rebuilding happened 'in troublous times.' Where in your life is God building something real in the middle of difficulty and opposition?
- 4.This prophecy gave Israel the information to recognize the Messiah. They had the math. Why do you think many still missed Him when He came?
Devotional
God gave Daniel a countdown. And it landed on Jesus.
The prophecy is mathematical — 69 weeks of years, 483 years from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the Messiah the Prince. And when you do the calculation, starting from the historical decree of Artaxerxes in 445 BC, the timeline brings you to approximately the year Jesus entered Jerusalem and was crucified. The precision isn't accidental. It's supernatural.
God didn't leave the Messiah's arrival to guesswork. He gave Daniel a number. He anchored it to a historical event (the decree to rebuild). He named the person it pointed to (the Messiah, the Prince). And He embedded the prophecy in a book that Israel would carry through the centuries, so that when the time came, those paying attention could do the math.
"The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times." The rebuilding happened exactly as predicted — Nehemiah's generation restored Jerusalem under constant threat, in difficulty, with opposition at every step. The first seven weeks of the prophecy were fulfilled in the Nehemiah narrative. The remaining sixty-two weeks stretched forward across the centuries toward a manger in Bethlehem and a cross outside Jerusalem.
This verse is the reason the Magi knew to look. It's why Simeon was waiting in the temple. It's why there was an expectation in Israel during the first century that the Messiah was near. Daniel's prophecy had been ticking. And when Jesus arrived, the clock reached its appointed time.
If you've ever wondered whether the Bible can be trusted — whether its promises are precise or just vague — this verse is the test case. God gave a number. History fulfilled it. The Messiah came when He was counted to come.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Know, therefore, and understand,.... Take notice and observe, for the clearer understanding of these seventy weeks, and…
Know, therefore, and understand - Hengstenberg renders this, “and thou wilt know and understand;” and supposes that the…
From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem - The foregoing events being all accomplished…
We have here the answer that was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one, as it contains the…
The 70 weeks are now broken up into three periods of 7, 62, and 1 week, respectively; and the events by which each of…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture