Did Christians misinterpret Daniel 9:25?

This article is contributed by Ray Konig, the author of Jesus the Messiah, Jesus the Prophet, Jesus the Miracle Worker, and 100 Fulfilled Bible Prophecies.

By Ray Konig
Published: September 24, 2024

Question: A reader asks whether Christians misinterpreted Daniel 9:25, citing the following comment that was posted online: "Devar is a prophetic word, not a human decree. Daniel uses the word devar, but Christian interpretation refers to a human decree of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Christians say the decree by Persian King Artaxerxes in the year 443 BCE (BC). This would be a human decree not a prophetic word. But this usage is referring to Gabriel (verse 21), a prophetic word, and the destruction of the First Temple; the same devar referred to earlier by Daniel."

Response: No. Christians got it right. The prophecy in Daniel 9:25 is the word of God, as delivered through the angel Gabriel. The fulfillment comes through the decrees of a man, Artaxerxes, who was king of the Persian Empire. As such, Daniel 9:25 is both the word of God and the decrees of a man. Also, the word devar is often used in the Old Testament in precisely this way, as meaning the word of God being expressed through the word of a person.

Many critics of the Christian application of Daniel 9:25, and the broader prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27, claim that a key Hebrew word in Daniel 9:25, devar, which is sometimes transliterated as dabar, is being misinterpreted by Christians, as meaning a word, decree or commandment from Artaxerxes.

The critics are right about one thing: dabar is used many, many times in the Old Testament in reference to the word of God, in reference to God speaking. But, the critics consistently fail to recognize and acknowledge that the word dabar is often wrapped with a phrase, like "the word of the Lord," to clarify that context, as in this example:

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” (Genesis 15:1, NIV)

But, that is not what is happening in Daniel 9:25, where there is no such phrasing:

"Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. (Daniel 9:25, NIV)

The New International Version translation for both of these verses translates the Hebrew word dabar as word, whereas some of the other English translations will use words like command, commandment, or decree, which also are accurate translations.

To recap, the critics are right in saying that the Hebrew word dabar is often used to refer to the word of God, but the critics overlook the fact that when it is being used in that way, there is often additional phrasing to clarify that, such as we see in Genesis 15:1, and that phrasing is not present in Daniel 9:25. The fact is, Daniel 9:25 is both the word of God, in that it is a prophecy from God, and the decrees of Artaxerxes.

Artaxerxes gave the first of two decrees to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in about 457 BC to Ezra, as recorded in the Old Testament book of Ezra. He gave the second decree to Nehemiah, in about 445 BC, as described in the Old Testament book of Nehemiah.

These two decrees allowed for, called for, and resulted in the work to rebuild and restore Jerusalem.

The first of these decrees was given 483 years before Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, anointed by God as the Messiah, and began his public ministry as the Messiah, in fulfillment of Daniel's prophecy, in Daniel 9:25, that the Messiah would appear 483 years after Artaxerxes gave his first decree.

To recap, again, Artaxerxes gave his first decree in about 457 BC. Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit of God (John 1:29-34) as the Messiah, the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, in about AD 26. We have to say "about" because of the imprecision of ancient dates.

Having said that, 457 BC is a commonly agreed upon date for Artaxerxes' first decree, and AD 26 is a commonly agreed upon date for the start of Jesus' public ministry as the Messiah. And, there are 483 years between these two dates. And, this is what Daniel 9:25 is predicting, when he speaks of 69 weeks of years (483 years) between the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and the arrival of the Anointed One (Messiah).

It is true that the Hebrew word for anointed, which can be transliterated as moshiach, is used many times in the Bible in reference to ordinary people who are anointed to be kings, prophets and priests.

It is also true that the word is used in reference to the Messiah, the savior of the world. And the context of Daniel 9:24-27, which calls for bringing an end to sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness, is clearly Messianic, as confirmed by other Messianic prophecies.

The bringing an end to sin is established as Messianic in Isaiah 52:13-53:12, where the suffering servant (the Messiah) suffers and dies for the sins of others and is restored to life to see fruits of his labors.

The bringing in of everlasting righteousness is defined as Messianic, collectively, in Jeremiah 23:5-6 and Daniel 7:13-14, and completely in Isaiah 9:6-7.

The undeniable Messianic nature of Daniel 9:24-27 and Isaiah 53 are explained in more detail in my book Jesus the Messiah.

And, you can read more about these prophecies in the following online articles:

The Messiah would appear 483 years after a call to restore and rebuild Jerusalem

How do we know that Daniel 9:24-27 is a prophecy about the Messiah?

Is Daniel 9:24-27 a prophecy about the Messiah or about two lesser messiahs?

The Messiah would be despised and rejected

Also, the Hebrew word for anointed, which again can be transliterated as moshiach, and which is commonly rendered in English as Messiah, became the word that the ancient Jews settled upon as being the convenient way to refer to the promised savior of the world. The word Christ, by the way, is based on the Greek word for anointed. And so, the terms Messiah, Christ, and Anointed One are interchangeable.

To better understand what's going on in Daniel 9:24-27, keep in mind that the Persian Empire included the land of Israel, which had been previously conquered destroyed by the Assyrians and Babylonians. By the time of Artaxerxes, Jerusalem was still in ruins, and was now under his command. And so, the Jews would need his permission to rebuild their fallen city. That is the genesis of the decrees from Artaxerxes to Ezra and Nehemiah.

Let's take a more detailed look as the Hebrew word dabar and how it is used in the Old Testament. Again, the word often is used in reference to the word of God. But, despite what many critics will claim, it is often used to refer to the word of a person.

Here are several examples:

• The word of Moses: You shall not go out from the door of the Tent of Meeting, lest you die; for the anointing oil of Yahweh is on you." They did according to the word of Moses. (Leviticus 10:7, WEB)

• The words of Joseph, the son of Jacob: They told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them. When he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob, their father, revived. (Genesis 45:27, WEB)