The Seventy Weeks: How One Prophecy Became Five Interpretations
An exploration of Daniel 9:24–27
Welcome to your first paid post! As promised, we’re diving deeper than the free posts allow. This will be a full exploration of one of the most contested, debated, and theologically significant prophecies in all of Scripture. Daniel 9:24-27, the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, has shaped Jewish-Christian debate, sparked denominational divisions, and continues to ignite passionate disagreement among scholars today.
Why? Because the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint tell different versions of this story. And depending on which text you read— and how you interpret it —you’ll arrive at radically different conclusions about when the Messiah came, whether He’s already completed His work, and what’s still to come.
I love the book of Daniel. It’s so rich with history, prophecy, and theological meaning that continues to echo through the centuries. We’re about to see why this single passage has captivated (and divided) readers for over two millennia.
Buckle up. This is going to be a ride.
This exposition is quite long, so if you’re reading in email, be aware that the text will cut off without warning. For a smoother reading experience and all the features Substack has to offer, I suggest getting yourself a nice mug of something hot before you settle in and you can read the full post HERE or by downloading the app for Android or iOS.
The Text Itself
Before we can discuss what Daniel 9:24-27 means, we need to establish what it actually says. And this is our first point of fascination. You see, the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Greek Septuagint don’t quite agree.
The Prayer and the Promise
Daniel is in Babylon. It’s the first year of Darius the Mede’s reign (around 539 B.C.), and Daniel has been reading Jeremiah’s prophecy about the seventy years of exile (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10). He realizes the time is almost up. So he prays— one of the most beautiful, penitential prayers in Scripture —confessing Israel’s sins and pleading for God’s mercy on Jerusalem.
While he’s still praying (before he’s finished, really), the angel Gabriel arrives with an answer. But it’s not the answer Daniel expected.
Instead of “yes, the seventy years are ending and you’re going home,” Gabriel says: “Actually, Daniel, there are seventy weeks decreed for your people and your holy city.”
Seventy weeks. Not seventy years.
This is where it begins.
One textual note before we go any further. It has been well established and documented by scholars that, although it is unfamiliar to most modern understandings, biblically, a week didn’t always refer to seven days. There is a Hebrew expression that refers to a week of months, but what matter for our purposes is the week of years.
In the Hebrew, it becomes very clear that what is in sight here are seventy weeks of years. So if we assume seventy contiguous weeks, that gives us a timeframe of 490 years.
But remember that in the Bible years are a measurement of 360 days, so what we’re really talking about is 176,400 days, which by our modern calendar is 482 years, 11 months, and 16 days.
The Masoretic Text: Daniel 9:24-27
Here’s the passage as it appears in the Hebrew Masoretic Text (the basis for most English translations):
Daniel 9:24 (MT)
“Seventy weeks (שָׁבֻעִים שִׁבְעִים, shavu’im shiv’im) 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.”
Daniel 9:25 (MT)
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment (דָּבָר, davar - word/decree) to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince (מָשִׁיחַ נָגִיד, mashiach nagid) shall be seven weeks (שָׁבֻעִים שִׁבְעָה, shavu’im shiv’ah), and threescore and two weeks (שָׁבֻעִים שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם, shavu’im shishshim ush’nayim): the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
Daniel 9:26 (MT)
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (יִכָּרֵת מָשִׁיחַ, yikkaret mashiach), 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.”
Daniel 9:27 (MT)
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week (וַחֲצִי הַשָּׁבוּעַ, va-chatzi ha-shavu’a - and the half of the week) he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
The Septuagint Text: Daniel 9:24-27 (Old Greek)
As I alluded to earlier, the Greek Septuagint— translated by Jewish scholars more than a century before Christ —reads differently in several key places. There are actually two Greek versions of Daniel: the “Old Greek” (OG) and “Theodotion.” We’ll focus primarily on the Old Greek, which is earlier and more divergent from the MT.
Daniel 9:24 (LXX - Old Greek)
“Seventy weeks (ἑβδομήκοντα ἑβδομάδες, hebdomēkonta hebdomades) were rendered concise (συνετμήθησαν, synetmēthēsan - literally ‘shortened’ or ‘cut short’) upon your people and upon the holy city, to finish off sin, and to set a seal upon sins, and to wipe out the lawless deeds, and to atone for iniquities, and to bring eternal righteousness, and to set a seal upon vision and prophecy, and to anoint a holy of holies.”
Daniel 9:25 (LXX - Old Greek)
“And you shall know and understand: from the going forth of the word (λόγος, logos) to respond and to build Jerusalem until an anointed one, a leader (χριστὸν ἡγούμενον, christon hēgoumenon) - seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. And it will return and be built, street and wall, in the distress of the times.”
Daniel 9:26 (LXX - Old Greek)
“And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be removed (ἐξολεθρευθήσεται χρῖσμα, exolethreuthēsetai chrisma - literally ‘the anointing will be utterly destroyed’), and there is no judgment in him. And the city and the sanctuary, a people of a leader who is coming will destroy. And they will be cut off in a flood, and until the end of war, which will be cut short in desolations.”
Daniel 9:27 (LXX - Old Greek)
“And the covenant will be made strong for many, and it will recover again, and it will be built up in breadth and length. And at the end of the appointed times, and after seven periods of seventy appointed times and sixty-two years during the set time of the consummation of war, then the desolation will be taken away when the covenant prevails for many weeks. And at the completion of the period of seven (ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος, en tō hēmisei tēs hebdomados - in half of the week), offering and drink-offering will be taken away, and upon the holy place there will be an abomination of desolation until the end. And a determined final destruction will be rendered upon the one making desolate.”
Key Textual Differences to Note
Before we dive into interpretation, let’s identify the major textual variants between MT and LXX:
1. “Determined” vs. “Rendered Concise” (v. 24)
MT: שָׁבֻעִים (shavu’im) - “determined” or “decreed”
LXX: συνετμήθησαν (synetmēthēsan) - “shortened” or “cut short”
The Septuagint’s choice of “shortened” suggests the seventy weeks are less time than expected, perhaps implying urgency or mercy.
2. Punctuation and Division of the Weeks (v. 25)
MT: Places a disjunctive accent (atnach) after “seven weeks,” separating the 7 from the 62
LXX: Does not separate them; reads as one continuous period of 69 weeks
This is huge. The MT’s punctuation suggests two distinct periods: 7 weeks (49 years) followed by 62 weeks (434 years). The LXX reads it as one period: 69 weeks (483 years) total. This is a significant change in how you calculate the timeline.
3. “Cut Off” vs. “The Anointing Will Be Destroyed” (v. 26)
MT: יִכָּרֵת מָשִׁיחַ (yikkaret mashiach) - “Messiah will be cut off”
LXX: ἐξολεθρευθήσεται χρῖσμα (exolethreuthēsetai chrisma) - “the anointing will be utterly destroyed”
The Hebrew clearly refers to a person (Messiah). The Greek could refer to the anointing itself (eg: the priesthood, the temple cult, or the sacred office). Some scholars argue the LXX reading points to the abolition of the entire sacrificial system, not just the death of an individual.
4. “In the Midst of the Week” vs. “In Half of the Week” (v. 27)
MT: וַחֲצִי הַשָּׁבוּעַ (va-chatzi ha-shavu’a) - “in the midst/middle of the week”
LXX: ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος (en tō hēmisei tēs hebdomados) - “in half of the week”
Both say essentially the same thing, but some interpreters use the MT’s “midst” to argue for flexibility (could mean anytime during the week), while the LXX’s “half” is more precise.
5. Additional “Seventy” in LXX (v. 27)
The Old Greek version includes an additional reference to “seven periods of seventy appointed times” in verse 27, which does not appear in the MT. This has led some scholars to suggest the LXX translator added seventy years on top of the seventy weeks, pushing the fulfillment further into the future.
Why These Differences Matter
You might be thinking: “Okay, there are some textual variants. So what?”
Here’s why it matters: depending on which text you use and how you interpret it, you will arrive at completely different conclusions about:
When does the seventy weeks begin? (Which decree? Cyrus in 538 B.C.? Artaxerxes in 457 B.C.? Or 444 B.C.?)
When does it end? (Antiochus Epiphanes in 167 B.C.? Jesus’ crucifixion in 30-33 A.D.? The destruction of the temple in 70 A.D.? Or a future tribulation?)
Who is the “Messiah” who is cut off? (Jesus? A high priest like Onias III? A symbolic figure?)
Who is the “he” in verse 27 who confirms a covenant? (Is it the Messiah? Or is it the “prince who is to come,” typically interpreted to be a future antichrist?)
Is there a “gap” between the 69th and 70th week? (The MT’s punctuation suggests maybe. The LXX’s reading suggests no.)
When does the Messiah die? (In the middle of the 70th week? Or at the end of the 69th week?)
These aren’t minor questions. These are the questions that determine your entire eschatological framework.
And the text itself doesn’t give us easy answers.
Historical Context.
What Was Daniel Even Talking About?
Before we get into competing interpretations, let’s establish what Daniel himself likely understood when Gabriel gave him this prophecy. Context matters.
Daniel’s Situation
It’s 539 B.C. Daniel is an old man, very likely in his eighties. He’s been in Babylon since he was a teenager, carried away in Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation around 605 B.C. He’s lived through the entirety (or sixty-seven years of it, at least—once we account for the Bible measuring time in 360-day years) of the seventy-year exile that Jeremiah prophesied.
And now, reading Jeremiah 25 and 29, Daniel realizes: the time is almost up.
Jeremiah had said:
“This whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. Then it will come to pass, when seventy years are completed, that I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity.” (Jeremiah 25:11-12)
Daniel knows Babylon has fallen. Cyrus the Persian now rules. The seventy years are ending. So Daniel prays— fervently, desperately —for God to restore Jerusalem.
Gabriel’s Answer
Gabriel shows up and says, essentially: “Daniel, you’re thinking too small.”
The seventy years are indeed ending. But God’s plan for Israel involves seventy weeks of years (490 years total). This isn’t just about the exile ending. This is about God finishing what He started with Israel: dealing with sin, bringing in everlasting righteousness, and anointing the Most Holy.
This is bigger than Babylon. This is cosmic.
The Six Goals of the Seventy Weeks (v. 24)
Gabriel outlines six things that will be accomplished in these seventy weeks:
To finish the transgression (לְכַלֵּא הַפֶּשַׁע, le-khalle ha-pesha) - Bring rebellion to an end
To make an end of sins (וּלְהָתֵם חַטָּאת, ul-hatem chattat) - Seal up or put an end to sin offerings (or sins themselves)
To make reconciliation for iniquity (וּלְכַפֵּר עָוֺן, ul-khapper avon) - Atone for guilt
To bring in everlasting righteousness (וּלְהָבִיא צֶדֶק עֹלָמִים, ul-havi tzedek olamim) - Establish permanent righteousness
To seal up vision and prophet (וְלַחְתֹּם חָזוֹן וְנָבִיא, ve-lakhtom chazon ve-navi) - Complete or confirm prophetic revelation
To anoint the Most Holy (וְלִמְשֹׁחַ קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁים, ve-limshoch kodesh kodashim) - Anoint the Holy of Holies (or the Most Holy One)
These six goals are enormous. They’re not just about rebuilding a city. They’re about ending sin itself, establishing eternal righteousness, and inaugurating a new order.
This is why Christians have always read this passage as messianic. These goals can’t be accomplished by Cyrus, Ezra, Nehemiah, or any human leader. They require divine intervention.
The Decree to Restore Jerusalem
Gabriel says the seventy weeks begin “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (v. 25).
But which decree?
There are several candidates:
