Daniel 9:27

My Notes

What Does Daniel 9:27 Mean?

Daniel 9:27 is one of the most debated verses in biblical prophecy, closing the vision of the seventy weeks (9:24-27). "He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week" — the final "week" (shavua — a unit of seven, likely seven years) involves a covenant made with "the many" (rabbim). "In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease" — halfway through the seven-year period, sacrificial worship is terminated.

"For the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate" — the Hebrew al kenaph shiqquts meshomem (upon the wing of abominations, desolation) is the phrase Jesus quotes in Matthew 24:15 as "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet." The shiqquts (abomination, detestable thing) is installed in the place of worship, and it produces shemamah (desolation, horror, devastation). Something utterly profane is placed where the holy should be, and the result is the destruction of everything sacred.

The verse has been interpreted through multiple historical lenses: Antiochus Epiphanes' desecration of the temple in 167 BC (1 Maccabees 1:54), the Roman destruction in 70 AD, and a future eschatological fulfillment. The phrase "until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" indicates a fixed endpoint — the desolation isn't permanent. The destruction has an expiration date, and what has been "determined" (neheratsah — decreed, decided) will be completed. The chaos has a conclusion that God has already written.

Reflection Questions

• 1.The abomination of desolation is something profane installed where the holy should be. What has occupied the 'sacred space' in your life that doesn't belong there?
• 2.When sacrifice ceases and worship is replaced, desolation follows. Where has the absence of genuine worship produced a barrenness you can feel?
• 3.Jesus told His disciples to watch for this sign (Matthew 24:15). How alert are you to the patterns of sacred things being replaced by profane counterfeits — in your culture, your church, your heart?
• 4.The desolation has a determined endpoint. What current desolation in your life needs to hear that God has already written its conclusion?

Devotional

In the middle of the week, the sacrifice stops. Something abominable is placed where something holy should be. And desolation follows. Daniel is describing the most traumatic spiritual scenario imaginable: the sacred space invaded by the profane, the worship replaced by the abomination, the holy ground made desolate. Jesus said to watch for it (Matthew 24:15). It happened more than once in history. It may happen again.

The abomination of desolation isn't just a historical event. It's a pattern: something detestable installed in the place reserved for the holy. It happened physically in the temple. It happens spiritually in the human heart. Whenever something profane occupies the space God designed for worship — when an idol sits where devotion should live, when a counterfeit replaces the genuine — desolation follows. The worship ceases. The sacred becomes barren. The place that was designed for God's presence becomes a wasteland because something else moved in.

The ending matters: "that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." The desolation has a conclusion. It's been determined — decreed, decided in advance. God wrote the end of the desolation before the desolation began. The abomination is real. The desolation is real. And the expiration date is real. Whatever profane thing has occupied your sacred space — whatever has replaced genuine worship with something counterfeit — it doesn't last forever. The determination of God outlasts the desecration of the enemy. The chaos has a conclusion. God already wrote it.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture