Daniel 9:20-23

Gabriel Gives to Daniel a Prophecy of Seventy Weeks

9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain ¹  – 9:21 yes, while I was still praying, ²  the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously ³  in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, ⁴  around the time of the evening offering. 9:22 He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: ⁵  “Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. 9:23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight. ⁶  Therefore consider the message and understand the vision: ⁷ 

[9:20]  ¹ tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”

[9:21]  ² tn Heb “speaking in prayer.”

[9:21]  ³ tn Heb “in the beginning.”

[9:21]  ⁴ tn The Hebrew expression בִּיעָף מֻעָף (mu’af bi’af) is very difficult. The issue is whether the verb derives from עוּף (’uf, “to fly”) or from יָעַף (ya’af, “to be weary”). Many ancient versions and modern commentators take the first of these possibilities and understand the reference to be to the swift flight of the angel Gabriel in his coming to Daniel. The words more likely refer to the extreme weariness, not of the angel, but of Daniel. Cf. 7:28; 8:27; 10:8-9, 16-17; also NASB.

[9:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “he instructed and spoke with me.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[9:23]  ⁶ tn Or “a precious treasure”; KJV “greatly beloved”; NASB, NIV “highly esteemed.”

[9:23]  ⁷ tn This sentence is perhaps a compound hendiadys (“give serious consideration to the revelatory vision”).