Charles Ellicott Commentary Daniel 8:14

"And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings [and] mornings; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." — Daniel 8:14 (ASV)

Unto two thousand and three hundred days. —It is clear from the language that the period spoken of here ends with the cleansing of the sanctuary, and that it begins with the transgression that led to the awful events that occurred in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. Judas Maccabeus took Jerusalem in the year B.C. 165 and kept the Feast of Dedication the same year, Antiochus being in Armenia at that time.

The period apparently begins with the events mentioned in 2 Maccabees 4:32-39, which occurred about B.C. 171. However, because the dates are not recorded precisely, it is impossible to determine with certainty from where the starting point is to be dated. The phrase “evening morning” (see margin) is used to indicate a complete night and day, and 2,300 complete days of twenty-four hours make a period of six years and 140 days. It has been observed that this period falls short of seven years (a week of years) by about two-thirds of a year. If, then, seven years is the number of years symbolic of Divine chastisements, the prophecy implies that the people will not suffer persecution according to their full deserts, but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (See Note on Daniel 7:25.)

Be cleansed. —Literally, be placed in its proper state.