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Daniel 9:24-27 Examined, Part 5: Verse 27

And now we come to what may be the most variously translated – and mistranslated – verse of the Bible, Daniel 9:27. To quote from Part 1: “The translatorʼs dilemma is compounded when he has no clear understanding of the doctrine or prophecy being expressed! In such cases, the interpretation often reflects the presumptions of the translator.” Well, a plethora of presumptions have been inserted into the various translations of verse 27. The translation below will strictly follow the rules of biblical Hebrew grammar.

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וְהִגְבִּיר/And he shall cause to prevail/confirm; or, And he shall make strong [Hiphil Perfect 3ms with וְ/vav consecutive prefix] בְּרִית/a covenant לָרַבִּים/for the multitude שָׁבוּעַ/week אֶחָד/one…

“And he shall cause to prevail/confirm (or, shall make strong) a covenant for the multitude one week…”

Comment: A vav consecutive, also called a vav relative, is an unusual convention in Hebrew that changes a Perfect verb (completed action) into the effect of an Imperfect verb (incomplete action). They are commonly found, as here, at the beginning of a verse or phrase to continue a future tense sequence, the “consecutive,” the “relationship.” In this case, the narrative begins with the previous Hiphil Imperfect verb in verse 26, which is future tense: יַשְׁחִית/“he shall cause to destroy.” The narrative then continues in verse 27 with other future actions of the same “he.” The same man who is to cause the destruction of Jerusalem and Sanctuary also, as part of his actions, both causes [Hiphil] to confirm (or make) a covenant; and, as shown below, is the cause [Hiphil] of the cessation of blood sacrifices.

“A covenant”: there is no ה/the before ברית/covenant. “The” multitude: there is a ה before רבים/multitude, subsumed within the preposition לָ; it is indicated by the Qamets vowel point [ ָ ] beneath it.

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…וַחֲצִי/and the midst/middle of הַשָּׁבוּעַ/the week יַשְׁבִּית/he shall cause to cease [Hiphil Imperfect 3ms] זֶבַח/blood sacrifice וּמִנְחָה/and offering. …

“…and in the midst/middle of the week, he shall cause to cease blood sacrifice and offering. …”

Comment: “…the midst of the week” is an example of a Construct Chain, in which two or more consecutive nouns are connected with an “of.” When the latter noun is prefixed with a ה, as in this case, both (or multiple) nouns will carry the definite article in the translation: “the midst of the week.”

The term חצי is sometimes used in a general sense: it cannot be presumed here to mean “exact middle,” i.e., 3½ years. Cf. Num. 32:33; Josh. 10:13; Ps. 102:24; Jer. 13:11.

Note the third and final 3ms Hiphil verb in this future tense prophetic narrative. Because it is not prefixed by a vav consecutive, it reverts to the Imperfect.

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…וְעַל/And upon/over כְּנַף/a wing/corner/border, שִׁקּוּצִים/abominable things/idols of מְשֹׁמֵם/one who destroys/a destroyer [Polel verb stem (like Piel: intensive) Active Participle ms]…

“… And upon/over a wing/corner shall be abominations/idols of a destroyer…”

Comment: All kinds of presumptions have been imposed by different translators upon this phrase. For example, עַל means “upon, over,” never “for” or “by.” (Compare what your Bible says.)

כְּנַף is a noun here; this spelling is never a verb participle, as the KJV mistranslates it (“overspreading”). It has no prefix ה/the.

שִׁקּוּצִים is plural, not singular. Although many people presume that this phraseשִׁקּוּצִים מְשֹׁמֵם/shiqqutzim məshomame is equivalent to the similar-sounding phrase שִׁקּוּץ שֹׁמֵם/shiqqutz shomame of Daniel 12:11, they are significantly different. Only the latter phrase fulfills the prophecy by Jesus about “the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet.” Matt. 24:15 Both shiqqutz and shomame are singular and lack the prefixה, so shomame can act as an attributive participle, thus as a modifier of shiqqutz: “a desolating abomination” = “an abomination of desolation.”

In contrast, 9:27ʼs shiqqutzim is plural, while məshomame is singular, so cannot be its modifier: it has to be a noun, “destroyer.” (Attributive participles must agree in number – both being singular or plural; in gender – both being masculine or feminine; and in definiteness – both having or not having the definite articleה. See Part 4 for the three kinds of participles.)

The NIVʼs “an abomination that causes desolation” utterly corrupts the meaning of the Hebrew text. The NIV rejects the Hebrew, following the Greek Septuagint, which grossly varies from the Hebrew text of the Book of Daniel. Contrary to the understanding of many people, the original Septuagint scholars did not translate anything beyond the Torah, the five books of Moses. Translations of the other Old Testament books were added later by unknown translators at unknown times. Those translations significantly varied in quality.

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…וְעַל־/even until כָּלָה/a consummation/complete end וְנֶחֱרָצָה/so/even having been decreed/determined [Niphal Passive Participle fs with ו prefix] תִּתַּךְ/(it) shall be poured out [Qal Imperfect 3fs] עַל־/upon שֹׁמֵֽם/a desolating one/desolator [Qal Active Participle ms].

“…even until a (the) consummation/complete end so having been decreed shall be poured out upon a desolator.”

Comment: Many have been confused by the two similar participles derived from the same Hebrew verb שָּׁמֵם/shawmame: məshomame in the previous phrase of verse 27, and shomame in this phrase. The difference between them derives from the former being an intensive (Polel) participle, and the latter being a common (Qal) participle. Therefore, I have translated the former as “destroyer,” and the latter as (merely) “desolator.” The important thing to understand here is that these are two different men, with the former being more destructive than the latter.

Note that there is no ה/the before שֹׁמֵם/desolator: “the desolator” is a common but misleading mistranslation, based again upon a presumption. And, because this is an active participle – “one doing” something – that rules out this merely being a passive “desolate(d) one/thing/place,” as this word is sometimes mistranslated.

There is also no ה before כָּלָה/“consummation;” but since that consummation is “decreed,” a “the” may be implied.

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Daniel 9:27 “And he shall cause to prevail/confirm (or, shall make strong) a covenant for the multitude one week; and in the midst/middle of the week, he shall cause to cease blood sacrifice and offering. And upon/over a wing/corner shall be abominations/idols of a destroyer, even until a (the) consummation/complete end so having been decreed shall be poured out upon a desolator.”

The Two Primary Views

The three primary views outlined in Part 4 about Daniel 9:26b-27 have been narrowed down to two: 1) all of this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, and 2) all of this prophecy has already been fulfilled. The following articles will examine these views in turn.