“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
My Notes
What Does Daniel 9:26 Mean?
Daniel receives one of the most specific messianic prophecies in the Old Testament: after sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off — but not for himself. The Messiah will die, and the death will not be for his own benefit. It will be substitutionary — for others.
"Cut off" (karath) means to be killed, to be destroyed. The language is violent. The Messiah's death is not peaceful or natural. He is cut off.
"But not for himself" is the theological key. The Messiah's death is not punishment for his own sins. He dies for a purpose that serves others. The sacrifice is substitutionary — innocent suffering for the guilty.
The prophecy continues: the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary — fulfilled in 70 AD when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. The timeline and the events match with remarkable precision.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does 'cut off but not for himself' reveal about the nature of the Messiah's death?
- 2.How does this prophecy, written centuries before the crucifixion, strengthen your confidence in Scripture?
- 3.What does it mean to you personally that the Messiah was cut off 'not for himself' — for you?
- 4.How does Daniel's precision about the timeline affect your view of biblical prophecy?
Devotional
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. The Messiah will die. And his death will not be for his own sake. It will be for yours.
Cut off. Not gently passing. Cut off — violently, publicly, deliberately. The language is brutal because the event was brutal.
But not for himself. Those four words carry the entire theology of substitutionary atonement. He had no sin to die for. His death served someone else's need. He was cut off so that you would not be.
Daniel wrote this centuries before the cross. He described the Messiah's violent death and its substitutionary nature before the Messiah was born. The prophecy was so specific that when it was fulfilled, those who knew the Scriptures should have recognized what was happening.
The Messiah was cut off. Not for himself. For you. The violence of the cross was not random. It was prophesied. And the purpose was not punishment of the innocent — it was rescue of the guilty.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
And after threescore and two weeks,.... To be reckoned from the end of the seven weeks, or forty nine years, which,…
And after threescore and two weeks - After the completion of the last period of four hundred and thirty-four years. The…
And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary - By the "prince" Titus, the son…
We have here the answer that was immediately sent to Daniel's prayer, and it is a very memorable one, as it contains the…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture