Albert Barnes Commentary Daniel 9

In the first year of Darius - See the notes at (Daniel 5:31), and Introduction to (Daniel 6:0) Section II. The king here referred to under this name was Cyaxares II, who lived between Astyages and Cyrus, and in whom was the title of king. He was the immediate successor of Belshazzar, and was the predecessor of Cyrus, and was the first of the foreign princes that reigned over Babylon.

On the reasons why he is called in Daniel Darius, and not Cyaxares, see the Introduction to (Daniel 6:0), Section II. Of course, as he preceded Cyrus, who gave the order to rebuild the temple (Ezra 1:1), this occurred before the close of the seventy years of the captivity.

The son of Ahasuerus - Or the son of Astyages. See Introduction to (Daniel 6:0) Section II. It was no unusual thing for the kings of the East to have several names, and one writer might refer to them under one name, and another under another.

Of the seed of the Medes - Of the race of the Medes. See as above.

Which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans - By conquest. He succeeded Belshazzar, and was the immediate predecessor of Cyrus. Cyaxares II ascended the throne of Media, according to the common chronology, 561 b.c. Babylon was taken by Cyrus, acting under the authority of Cyaxares, 538 b.c., and, of course, the reign of Cyaxares, or Darius, over Babylon commenced at that point, and that would be reckoned as the first year of his reign.

He died 536 b.c., and Cyrus succeeded him; and as the order to rebuild the temple was in the first year of Cyrus, the time referred to in this chapter, when Daniel represents himself as meditating on the close of the captivity, and offering this prayer, cannot long have preceded that order. He had ascertained that the period of the captivity was near its close, and he naturally inquired in what way the restoration of the Jews to their own land was to be effected, and by what means the temple was to be rebuilt.

I Daniel understood by books – By the sacred books, and especially by the writings of Jeremiah. It has been made a ground of objection to the genuineness of Daniel that he mentions “books” in this place (ספרים s^ephârı̂ym) as if there were at that time a collection of the sacred books, or as if they had been enrolled together in a volume.

The objection is that the writer speaks as if the canon of the Scriptures was completed, or that he uses such language as the Hebrews did when the canon of the Scriptures was finished, and thus betrays himself. See Bertholdt, “Commentary,” p. 78. Compare DeWette, “Einl.” Section 13. This objection has been examined by Hengstenberg, “Beitrag,” pp. 32-35.

It is sufficient to reply that there is every probability that the Jews in Babylon would be in possession of the sacred books of their nation. Furthermore, though the canon of the Scriptures was not yet completed, private collections of those writings would have existed. The word Daniel uses here is precisely what he would employ on the supposition that he referred to a private collection of the prophets' writings. Compare Lengerke, in loc. See the Introduction, where the objection is examined.

The number of the years, about which the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah – This refers to the number of years concerning which the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah; that is, the years which He had revealed to Jeremiah. The “books” referred to, therefore, were evidently a collection of the writings of Jeremiah, or a collection that embraced his writings.

That He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem – This means that Jerusalem would lie waste for so long. This was expressly declared by Jeremiah (Jeremiah 25:11–12): And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, etc.

So also Jeremiah (Jeremiah 29:10): For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon, I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. The time of the desolation and of the captivity, therefore, was fixed and positive, and the only difficulty in determining when it would close was in ascertaining the exact year when it commenced. There were several occurrences that might, perhaps, be regarded as the beginning of the desolations and the captivity—the terminus a quo—and, as one or another of them was fixed upon, the close would be regarded as nearer or more remote.

Daniel, it seems, by close study, had satisfied his own mind on that subject. He had been able to fix upon a period that was undoubtedly the proper beginning and, therefore, to compute the time when it would close. The result showed that his calculation was correct, for, at the time he expected, the order was given by Cyrus to rebuild the city and temple. When he instituted this inquiry and engaged in this solemn act of prayer, it would have been impossible to conjecture how this could be brought about.

The reigning monarch was Cyaxares II, or, as he is called here, Darius. There was nothing in his character, or in anything that he had done, that could have been a basis for calculating that he would favor the return of the Jews and the rebuilding of the city.

Furthermore, there was then no probability that Cyrus would so soon come to the throne. There was also nothing in his character, as known, that could be a ground of hope that he would voluntarily intervene and accomplish the divine purposes and promises regarding the holy city.

It was probably such circumstances as these that produced the anxiety in Daniel’s mind and led him to offer this fervent prayer.

His fervent supplications should lead us to trust in God that He will accomplish His purposes and should induce us to pray with fervour and faith when we see no way in which He will do it. In all cases, He can as easily devise a way in answer to prayer as He could remove Cyaxares from the throne and incline the heart of Cyrus to undertake the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple.

And I set my face to the Lord God – Probably the meaning is that he turned his face toward Jerusalem, the place where God had dwelt; the place of his holy abode on earth. (See the notes at Daniel 6:10). The language, however, would not be inappropriate to denote prayer without such a supposition. We turn to one whom we address, and so prayer may be described by “setting the face toward God.” The essential idea here is that he engaged in a set and formal prayer; he engaged in earnest devotion. He evidently set apart a time for this, for he prepared himself by fasting and by putting on sackcloth and ashes.

To seek by prayer and supplications – To seek his favor; to pray that he would accomplish his purposes. The words “prayer and supplications,” which are often found united, would seem to denote “earnest” prayer, or prayer when mercy was implored—the notion of “mercy” or “favor” implored entering into the meaning of the Hebrew word rendered “supplications.”

With fasting – In view of the desolations of the city and temple, the calamities that had come upon the people, their sins, etc., and also so that the mind might be prepared for earnest and fervent prayer. The occasion was one of great importance, and it was proper that the mind should be prepared for it by fasting. It was Daniel’s purpose to humble himself before God and to recall the sins of the nation for which they now suffered, and fasting was an appropriate means of doing that.

And sackcloth – Sackcloth was a coarse kind of cloth, usually made of hair, and employed for the purpose of making sacks, bags, etc. As it was dark, coarse, and rough, it was regarded as a proper badge of mourning and humiliation, and was worn as such usually by passing or girding it around the loins. (See the notes at Isaiah 3:24; Job 16:15).

And ashes – It was customary to cast ashes on the head in a time of great grief and sorrow. The principles on which this was done seem to have been:

1. that the external appearance should correspond with the state of the mind and the heart, and
2. that such external circumstances would have a tendency to produce a state of heart corresponding to them—or would produce true humiliation and repentance for sin.

(Compare the notes at Job 2:8). The practical truth taught in this verse, in connection with the preceding, is that the fact that a thing is certainly predicted, and that God means to accomplish it, is an encouragement to prayer and will lead to prayer. We could have no encouragement to pray except in the purposes and promises of God, for we ourselves have no power to accomplish the things for which we pray, and all must depend on his will. When that will is known, it is the very thing to encourage us in our approaches to him and is all the assurance that we need to induce us to pray.

And I prayed to the Lord my God - Evidently a set and formal prayer. It would seem probable that he offered this prayer, and then recorded the substance of it afterward. We have no reason to suppose that we have the whole of it, but we have doubtless its principal topics.

And made my confession - Not as an individual, or not of his own sins only, but a confession on behalf of the people, and in their name. There is no reason to suppose that what he says here did not express their feelings. They had been long in captivity—far away from their desolate city and temple. They could not help but be aware that these calamities had come upon them on account of their sins; and they could not help but feel that the calamities could be removed only by confessing their sins and acknowledging the justice of the divine dealings toward them.

When we have been afflicted—when we are called to pass through severe trials—and when, borne down by trial, we go to God and pray that the evil may be removed, the first thing that is demanded is that we should confess our sins and acknowledge the justice of God in the judgments that have come upon us. If we attempt to vindicate and justify ourselves, we can have no hope that the judgment will be averted. Daniel, therefore, in the name of the people, began his prayer with the humble and penitent acknowledgment that all that they had suffered was deserved.

O Lord, the great and dreadful God - A God great, and to be feared or venerated—הנורא hanôrâ'. This does not mean dreadful in the sense that there is anything stern or unpleasant in his character, but mainly that he is to be regarded with veneration.

Keeping the covenant and mercy - Keeping his covenant and showing mercy. This is often ascribed to God: that he is faithful to his covenant; that is, he is faithful to his promises to his people, or to those who sustain a certain relation to him and who are faithful to their covenant vows. If there is alienation and estrangement, and lack of faithfulness on either side, it does not begin with him. He is faithful to all his promises, and his fidelity may always be assumed as a basis in all our intercourse with him.

See the word covenant in Cruden’s Concordance. The word mercy seems to be added here to denote that mercy enters into his dealings with us even in keeping the covenant. We are so sinful and unfaithful ourselves that if he is faithful to his covenant, it must be by showing mercy to us.

To them that love him ... - The conditions of the covenant extend no further than this, since, in a compact of any kind, one is bound to be faithful only while the terms are maintained by the other party. So God binds himself to show favor only while we are obedient. We can plead his covenant only when we are obedient—when we confess our sins and plead his promises in this sense: that he has assured us that he will restore and receive us if we are penitent. It was this that Daniel pleaded on this occasion. He could not plead that his people had been obedient and thus had any claims to divine favor; but he could cast himself and them on the mercy of a covenant-keeping God, who would remember his covenant with them if they were penitent, and who would graciously pardon.

We have sinned - Though Daniel was alone, he spoke in the name of the people in general - doubtless recounting the long series of crimes in the nation which had preceded the captivity, and which were the cause of the ruin of the city and temple.

And have committed iniquity ... - These varied forms of expression are designed to give “intensity” to what he says. It is equivalent to saying that they had sinned in every way possible. The mind, in a state of true repentance, dwells on its sins, and recounts the various forms in which iniquity has been done, and multiplies expressions of regret and sorrow on account of transgression.

From your precepts - Your commands; your laws.

Your judgments - Your laws - the word “judgments” in the Scripture denoting what God judges to be right for us to do, as well as what it is right for him to inflict.