Word Studies¶
Question¶
How does the preterist school read Daniel 8-9 and the 70 weeks, and what is the basis for disconnecting Dan 9 from Dan 8?
H4899 -- mashiach (anointed one)¶
Original: מָשִׁיחַ Transliteration: mâshîyach Definition: anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically, the Messiah BLB Count: 39 (44 total occurrences in concordance data)
Translation Distribution¶
| Translation | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| anointed | 11 | 25.0% |
| that is anointed | 4 | 9.1% |
| his anointed | 4 | 9.1% |
| of thine anointed | 4 | 9.1% |
| mine anointed | 3 | 6.8% |
| the anointed | 3 | 6.8% |
| to his anointed | 3 | 6.8% |
| of his anointed | 2 | 4.5% |
| thine anointed | 2 | 4.5% |
| the Messiah | 1 | 2.3% (DAN 9:25 only) |
| Messiah | 1 | 2.3% (DAN 9:26 only) |
Classification by Category¶
Applied to Priests (5 occurrences): - LEV 4:3, 4:5, 4:16 -- "the priest that is anointed" (ha-kohen ha-mashiach) - LEV 6:22 -- "the priest of his sons that is anointed"
Applied to Kings (28+ occurrences): - 1SA 2:10,35; 12:3,5; 16:6; 24:6,10; 26:9,11,16,23 -- refers to Saul/David - 2SA 1:14,16,21; 19:21; 22:51; 23:1 -- refers to David and the king - 1CH 16:22; 2CH 6:42 -- general royal usage - PSA 2:2; 18:50; 20:6; 28:8; 84:9; 89:38,51; 105:15; 132:10,17 -- royal/Messianic psalms
Applied to Non-Israelite King (1 occurrence): - ISA 45:1 -- "to his anointed, to Cyrus" -- a PAGAN KING called mashiach
Applied to Fallen King (1 occurrence): - LAM 4:20 -- "the anointed of the LORD, was taken in their pits" -- likely Zedekiah
Applied to God's People Generally (2 occurrences): - PSA 105:15; 1CH 16:22 -- "Touch not mine anointed"
Applied to Salvation/God's Agent (1 occurrence): - HAB 3:13 -- "for salvation with thine anointed"
Applied in Daniel 9 (2 occurrences): - DAN 9:25 -- "the Messiah the Prince" (mashiach nagid) -- anarthrous (no definite article) - DAN 9:26 -- "Messiah be cut off" (mashiach yikkaret) -- anarthrous
LXX Translation¶
Primarily translated as Christos (G5547) -- 34 of the LXX alignments
PRET Significance¶
The PRET argues that mashiach WITHOUT the definite article ("ha-") means "an anointed one" generically, not "THE Messiah" specifically. The word applies to priests (LEV 4:3), kings (1SA 24:6), and even a pagan king (Cyrus, ISA 45:1). The KJV translation "the Messiah" adds the article that is absent in Hebrew. The PRET reads DAN 9:25 mashiach nagid as "an anointed leader" (possibly Joshua/Jeshua the high priest who returned in 538 BC) and DAN 9:26 mashiach as "an anointed one" (Onias III, the last legitimate Zadokite high priest, murdered 171 BC).
H2852 -- chathak (cut off / determine)¶
Original: חָתַךְ Transliteration: châthak Definition: a primitive root; properly, to cut off, i.e. (figuratively) to decree BLB Count: 1 (HAPAX LEGOMENON)
Only Occurrence¶
- DAN 9:24 -- nechtak (Niphal perf 3ms) -- "seventy weeks are determined [cut off]"
Lexical Analysis¶
- PRIMARY meaning: "cut off" (the literal, concrete sense)
- FIGURATIVE extension: "to decree/determine" (derived from the cutting idiom)
- LXX: No alignments found (the LXX translation of Daniel is notoriously divergent)
- The Strong's definition itself preserves the primary sense: "properly, to cut off, i.e. (figuratively) to decree"
The Hapax Question¶
Daniel had H2782 charats ("determine/decree") readily available -- he used it THREE TIMES in the same literary context: - DAN 9:26 -- necheretset (Niphal Ptcp) = "desolations are determined" - DAN 9:27 -- necheratsa (Niphal Ptcp) = "that determined" - DAN 11:36 -- necheratsa = "that that is determined"
Why choose a hapax (chathak) for 9:24 when charats was available and used repeatedly? The PRET must address this. The most natural explanation for choosing a unique "cut off" word is that the cutting-off sense was primary -- the 70 weeks are "cut off" FROM something.
H2782 -- charats (decide / determine / decree)¶
Original: חָרַץ Transliteration: chârats Definition: to point sharply; (literally) to wound; (figuratively) to be alert, to decide BLB Count: 12
Key Occurrences¶
| Verse | Translation |
|---|---|
| ISA 10:22 | decreed |
| ISA 10:23 | even determined |
| ISA 28:22 | even determined |
| DAN 9:26 | are determined (necheretset) |
| DAN 9:27 | and that determined (necheratsa) |
| DAN 11:36 | that that is determined |
Significance¶
Daniel's preferred word for "determine/decree" is charats, not chathak. The repeated use of charats in 9:26, 9:27, and 11:36 against the single hapax chathak in 9:24 strongly suggests chathak was chosen for a reason beyond synonymous substitution.
H4758 -- mar'eh (vision / appearance / sight)¶
Original: מַרְאֶה Transliteration: marʼeh Definition: a view (the act of seeing); an appearance (the thing seen); a vision BLB Count: 103
Daniel Occurrences Classified¶
| Verse | Meaning | Context |
|---|---|---|
| DAN 1:4 | "appearance" | physical looks of the youths |
| DAN 1:13 | "appearance" | physical looks |
| DAN 1:15 | "appearance" | physical looks |
| DAN 8:15 | "appearance" | "as the appearance of a man" = Gabriel's form |
| DAN 8:16 | "vision" | "make this man understand THE VISION" (ha-mar'eh) |
| DAN 8:26 | "vision" | "the VISION of the evening and the morning is true" (mar'eh) |
| DAN 8:27 | "vision" | "I was astonished at THE VISION but none understood" (ha-mar'eh) |
| DAN 9:23 | "vision" | "understand THE VISION" (ha-mar'eh) |
| DAN 10:1 | "vision" | "understanding in THE VISION" (ba-mar'eh) |
| DAN 10:6 | "appearance" | physical description of the angel |
| DAN 10:18 | "appearance" | "like the appearance of a man" |
The mar'eh / chazon Distinction in Daniel 8:26¶
In a SINGLE verse, Daniel uses BOTH words with apparently DIFFERENT referents: - "the mar'eh of the evening and morning which was told is true" = the specific 2300 days time-prophecy - "shut thou up the chazon" = the broader prophetic vision (ram, goat, little horn)
This distinction is crucial: the chazon (broad vision) was explained by Gabriel (8:20-25); the mar'eh (evening-morning time element) was NOT explained -- Daniel was left without understanding (8:27).
The 8:16 -> 9:23 Chain¶
- DAN 8:16: "haben... et ha-mar'eh" (make understand THE vision)
- DAN 9:23: "vehaben ba-mar'eh" (understand THE vision)
- SAME verb (biyn), SAME stem (Hiphil), SAME form (Imperative 2ms), SAME object (ha-mar'eh)
H2377 -- chazon (vision)¶
Original: חָזוֹן Transliteration: châzôwn Definition: a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation, or oracle BLB Count: 35
Daniel Occurrences¶
| Verse | Usage |
|---|---|
| DAN 1:17 | Daniel had understanding of visions (chazonot) |
| DAN 8:1 | "a vision (chazon) appeared unto me" |
| DAN 8:2 | "I saw in a vision (chazon)" |
| DAN 8:13 | "How long the vision (chazon)?" |
| DAN 8:15 | "I had seen the vision (chazon)" |
| DAN 8:17 | "at the time of the end the vision (chazon)" |
| DAN 8:26 | "shut up the chazon" (the broad vision) |
| DAN 9:21 | "whom I had seen in the chazon at the beginning" |
| DAN 9:24 | "seal up chazon and prophet" |
| DAN 10:14 | "the chazon is for many days" |
| DAN 11:14 | "to establish the chazon" |
Key: DAN 9:21 Uses chazon, Not mar'eh¶
Daniel says he saw Gabriel "in the chazon at the beginning" (ba-chazon ba-techillah). This uses the word for the BROAD prophetic vision (chazon), explicitly referencing the Dan 8 vision. This is a PRET concession point: the lexical back-reference to Dan 8 is present. The PRET argument is that this back-reference does not REQUIRE reading Dan 9:24-27 as an explanation of Dan 8:14.
H7620 -- shabuwa (week / period of seven)¶
Original: שָׁבוּעַ Transliteration: shâbûwaʻ Definition: literally, sevened, i.e. a week (specifically, of years) BLB Count: 20
Key Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| GEN 29:27 | "Fulfil her week" | = 7 YEARS of service (year-week) |
| GEN 29:28 | "fulfilled her week" | = 7 years |
| DAN 9:24 | "seventy weeks" (shabuim shiv'im) | 70 x 7 = 490 |
| DAN 9:25 | "seven weeks and sixty-two weeks" | 7 + 62 = 69 |
| DAN 9:26 | "after sixty-two weeks" | |
| DAN 9:27 | "one week... midst of the week" | |
| DAN 10:2 | "three full weeks" (shabuim YAMIM) | = weeks of DAYS |
| DAN 10:3 | "three whole weeks" (shabuim YAMIM) | = weeks of DAYS |
The yamim Distinction¶
Daniel himself distinguishes between year-weeks and day-weeks: - DAN 9:24 -- shabuim (without yamim) = week-periods (year-weeks based on Gen 29 precedent) - DAN 10:2-3 -- shabuim YAMIM ("weeks of DAYS") = literal day-weeks The explicit addition of yamim when literal days are meant suggests its absence in Dan 9 signals year-weeks.
H995 -- biyn (understand / discern)¶
Original: בִּין Transliteration: bîyn Definition: to separate mentally (or distinguish); understand BLB Count: 170
Daniel Occurrences (17 of 170 OT = 10% clustering)¶
| Verse | Form | Stem | Meaning in Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:5 | mitbonein | Hithpolel | "I was considering" |
| 8:16 | haben | Hiphil Impv | "make understand the vision" |
| 8:17 | biyn | Qal Impv | "understand, son of man" |
| 8:23 | mebiyn | Hiphil Ptcp | "understanding dark sentences" |
| 8:27 | mebiyn | Hiphil Ptcp | "none understood" (FAILURE) |
| 9:2 | binoti | Qal Perf | "I understood by books" |
| 9:22 | biyn (2x) | Hiphil | "to give thee skill and understanding" |
| 9:23 | biyn + haben | Qal Impv + Hiphil Impv | "understand the word, understand the vision" |
| 10:1 | biyn + binah | Qal Perf + Noun | "he understood... understanding of the vision" |
| 10:11 | biyn | Qal Impv | "understand the words" |
| 10:12 | biyn | Hiphil InfCon | "to understand" |
| 10:14 | biyn | Hiphil InfCon | "to make thee understand" |
| 11:30 | biyn | Qal Impf | "shall have intelligence with" |
| 11:33 | maskilim | Hiphil Ptcp | "they that understand" |
| 11:37 | biyn | Qal Impf | "shall regard" |
| 12:8 | binoti | Qal Perf | "I understood not" |
| 12:10 | biyn (2x) | Hiphil | "none shall understand; wise shall understand" |
The biyn Chain Arc¶
- COMMISSION (8:16): "haben... et ha-mar'eh" = "make him understand the vision"
- FAILURE (8:27): "ve-ein mebiyn" = "none understood"
- STUDY (9:2): "binoti ba-sepharim" = "I understood by books"
- RESUMPTION (9:23): "vehaben ba-mar'eh" = "understand the vision" (identical form to 8:16)
- COMPLETION (10:1): "ubiyn et ha-davar u-binah lo ba-mar'eh" = "he understood the word, understanding in the vision"
PRET Counter-Argument¶
The PRET argues biyn is too common (170 OT occurrences) to prove literary dependence. However, the 10% clustering in Daniel (17/170) is statistically significant, and the identical grammatical form (haben + mar'eh in 8:16 and 9:23) cannot be explained by frequency alone.
H1396 -- gabar (strengthen / prevail)¶
Original: גָּבַר Transliteration: gâbar Definition: to be strong; by implication, to prevail, act insolently BLB Count: 25 (31 occurrences)
Translation Distribution¶
| Translation | Count |
|---|---|
| prevailed | 8 |
| prevail | 3 |
| stronger/mighty/exceed | various |
| confirm | 1 (DAN 9:27 ONLY) |
Key Occurrences¶
- GEN 7:18,19,24 -- waters "prevailed" upon the earth (physical overwhelming force)
- EXO 17:11 -- "Israel prevailed" (military dominance)
- 2SA 11:23 -- "the men prevailed against us" (battle)
- PSA 103:11 -- "so great is his mercy" (metaphorical strength)
- DAN 9:27 -- "he shall confirm/strengthen the covenant" (ve-higbir berit)
The gabar berith Problem¶
The standard Hebrew for "make a covenant" is karath berith (H3772 + H1285), used hundreds of times. Dan 9:27 uses gabar berith, which is UNIQUE in Scripture. The Hiphil of gabar = "to cause to be strong/prevail." This is NOT a neutral "confirm" but an active "make prevail" or "cause to dominate."
PRET reads: Antiochus IV "made the [Hellenistic] covenant prevail for the many" -- giving imperial backing to the assimilation program. The verb's normal sense of "prevail/dominate" fits better with imposing a covenant by force than with confirming an existing one.
HIST reads: The Messiah "strengthened/confirmed" God's covenant with the many -- the gospel ministry that made the covenant effective.
H1285 -- berith (covenant) in Daniel¶
Original: בְּרִית BLB Count: 284
Daniel Occurrences¶
| Verse | Phrase | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 9:4 | "keeping the covenant" | Daniel's prayer -- God's faithfulness |
| 9:27 | "gabar berith" | "confirm/strengthen the covenant" |
| 11:22 | "negid berit" | "prince of the covenant" |
| 11:28 | "berit qodesh" | "holy covenant" |
| 11:30 | "berit qodesh" | "holy covenant" (2x) |
| 11:32 | "ha-berit" | "the covenant" |
PRET Cross-Chapter Argument¶
The PRET notes that berith in Dan 11:22,28,30,32 is unanimously (even by HIST interpreters) read in the context of the Maccabean period -- Antiochus IV's conflict with the "holy covenant." The PRET argues for consistency: if "the covenant" in Dan 11 is Antiochus's target, and "the covenant" in Dan 9:27 uses the same word, consistency favors the same referent.
H3772 -- karath (cut off / make covenant)¶
Original: כָּרַת BLB Count: 288
Significance for Dan 9¶
- karath berith = "cut a covenant" = the STANDARD idiom for covenant-making (hundreds of uses)
- DAN 9:27 does NOT use karath berith; it uses gabar berith
- DAN 9:26 uses karath for "cut off" -- mashiach yikkaret (Niphal of karath) = "the anointed one shall be cut off"
- The same verb means BOTH "cut off" (destroy) and "make covenant" depending on construction
H8548 -- tamid (continual / daily)¶
Original: תָּמִיד BLB Count: 104
Daniel Occurrences¶
| Verse | Context |
|---|---|
| 8:11 | "the daily [tamid] was taken away" |
| 8:12 | "against the daily [tamid] by reason of transgression" |
| 8:13 | "the vision concerning the daily [tamid]" |
| 11:31 | "shall take away the daily [tamid]" |
| 12:11 | "the daily [tamid] shall be taken away" |
The tamid links Dan 8:11-13 to Dan 11:31 and 12:11. The PRET reads ALL these as referring to Antiochus IV's removal of the daily temple sacrifice (167 BC).
H6588 -- pesha (transgression / revolt)¶
Original: פֶּשַׁע BLB Count: 93
Key Daniel Occurrences¶
| Verse | Usage |
|---|---|
| 8:12 | "by reason of transgression [pesha]" |
| 8:13 | "the transgression [pesha] of desolation" |
| 9:24 | "to finish the transgression [ha-pesha]" |
Shared Vocabulary Link¶
pesha appears in BOTH Dan 8 (8:12,13) and Dan 9 (9:24). In 8:12-13, pesha is the cause of the sanctuary's desecration. In 9:24, one of the six purposes is to "finish the pesha." This creates a problem-solution architecture: Dan 8 poses the problem (pesha causes the sanctuary to be trodden), Dan 9:24 promises the solution (pesha will be finished).
H2403 -- chattat (sin / sin offering) and H5771 -- avon (iniquity)¶
The Day of Atonement Triad¶
LEV 16:21 contains all three sin-words together: avon + pesha + chattat DAN 9:24 contains the same three: pesha + chattat + avon
This is the ONLY other verse in the Pentateuch with all three together. The liturgical fingerprint connects Dan 9:24 to the Day of Atonement -- the annual ritual of comprehensive national cleansing.
H5057 -- nagid (chief / prince / ruler)¶
Original: נָגִיד BLB Count: 44
Usage Range¶
- Applied to CIVIL leaders: 1SA 9:16 (Saul); 2SA 5:2 (David); 1KI 1:35 (Solomon)
- Applied to RELIGIOUS/TEMPLE leaders: 1CH 9:11 (ruler of house of God); 2CH 31:13 (ruler of house of God); NEH 11:11 (ruler of house of God)
- Applied to MILITARY leaders: various
Daniel Occurrences¶
- DAN 9:25 -- mashiach nagid = "anointed prince"
- DAN 9:26 -- nagid ha-ba = "the prince who shall come"
- DAN 11:22 -- negid berit = "prince of the covenant"
PRET Significance¶
nagid is used for BOTH civil and religious leaders. The PRET argues that nagid in 9:25 could refer to a high priest (a religious "ruler of the house of God" per 1CH 9:11) rather than necessarily a king or political ruler. Combined with the priestly application of mashiach, "mashiach nagid" could mean "an anointed priestly leader" (Joshua/Jeshua) rather than "the Messianic King."
H7093 -- qets (end)¶
Original: קֵץ BLB Count: 67
Daniel "time of the end" (eth qets) occurrences:¶
- DAN 8:17 -- "at the time of the end (eth qets) shall be the vision"
- DAN 11:35 -- "to the time of the end (eth qets)"
- DAN 11:40 -- "at the time of the end (eth qets)"
- DAN 12:4 -- "even to the time of the end (eth qets)"
- DAN 12:9 -- "till the time of the end (eth qets)"
qets in Dan 9 (NOT "eth qets"):¶
- DAN 9:26 -- "unto the end (qets) of the war" -- but NOT in the technical phrase "eth qets"
Significance¶
Dan 9 does NOT contain the eschatological phrase "eth qets" (time of the end) that appears in 8:17, 11:35, 11:40, 12:4, 12:9. The PRET argues this supports their claim that Dan 9 addresses a different timeframe than Dan 8's eschatological scope. Dan 9 has qets (end) in 9:26 but in the context of "end of the war," not the technical eschatological marker.
H8462 -- techillah (beginning / first)¶
Original: תְּחִלָּה BLB Count: 22
Daniel Occurrences¶
- DAN 8:1 -- "after that which appeared unto me at the first (ba-techillah)"
- DAN 9:21 -- "whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning (ba-techillah)"
- DAN 9:23 -- "at the beginning (bi-techillat) of thy supplications"
All OT Occurrences¶
GEN 13:3; 41:21; 43:18,20; JDG 1:1; 20:18; RUT 1:22; 2SA 17:9; 21:9,10; 2KI 17:25; EZR 4:6; NEH 11:17; PRO 9:10; ECC 10:13; ISA 1:26; DAN 8:1; 9:21; 9:23; HOS 1:2; AMO 7:1
Grammatical Force¶
techillah ALWAYS refers back to something PRIOR/ORIGINAL. It is a "beginning" in the sense of "the first/original" event. "ba-techillah" = "at the beginning/first time." Combined with the definite articles on both chazon and techillah in Dan 9:21, this is an explicit, grammatically definite back-reference to a SPECIFIC prior vision -- namely, the Dan 8 vision where Daniel first saw Gabriel.
This is the PRET concession point: the lexical back-reference exists. The PRET argument is that this back-reference establishes the SETTING (Gabriel returns) but does not require that the CONTENT of Dan 9:24-27 is an explanation of Dan 8:14.
H8076 -- shamem (desolate) -- adjective¶
Original: שָׁמֵם BLB Count: 2 Definition: from shamem; ruined -- desolate
Occurrences¶
- JER 12:11 -- "the whole land is made desolate"
- DAN 9:17 -- "thy sanctuary that is desolate"
Verse Traces (translated "desolate")¶
2SA 13:20; JER 12:11; LAM 1:13; LAM 3:11
PRET Significance¶
DAN 9:17 uses this adjective within Daniel's prayer -- "cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is DESOLATE (shamem)." This connects Daniel's prayer language to the broader desolation/abomination theme. The same root (shamem) appears in the "abomination of desolation" phrases across Dan 8:13, 9:27, 11:31, 12:11.
H8077 -- shemamah (devastation / desolation) -- feminine noun¶
Original: שְׁמָמָה BLB Count: 58 Definition: devastation; figuratively, astonishment -- (laid, most) desolate(-ion), waste
Translation Distribution¶
| Translation | Count |
|---|---|
| desolate | 38 |
| desolation | 2 |
| waste | various |
Key Occurrences¶
- LEV 26:33 -- "your land shall be desolate" (sabbatic year punishment context)
- ISA 1:7 -- "your land desolate"
- JER 4:27 -- "the whole land shall be desolate"
- EZK 6:14; 29:9,10,12; 33:28 -- Ezekiel's frequent use of desolation language
PRET Significance¶
This noun form of the shamem root provides the broader OT context for the "desolation" language in Daniel's prophecies. The connection to LEV 26:33 is significant -- the sabbatic year violation framework that also underlies the 70-year captivity (2CH 36:21). The desolation is both a punishment for covenant violation and the condition Daniel is praying about in Dan 9.
LXX Translation Data (Supplementary)¶
H4899 mashiach in the LXX¶
The LXX's dominant translation is Christos (G5547) -- 34 of the mapped occurrences. This is significant because: 1. The LXX translators understood mashiach as "the anointed one" (Christos) consistently 2. The same Greek word Christos is used in the NT for Jesus 3. In Daniel 9:25-26 (Theodotion), mashiach is rendered Christos 4. The PRET argues this does not prove the Hebrew text intended "THE Messiah" -- Christos in the LXX can translate any "anointed" reference, including priests (LEV 4:3 LXX) and Cyrus (ISA 45:1 LXX)
Other LXX translations of mashiach include: epiphero (G2018, 6x), soteria (G4991, 4x -- "salvation"), Dabid (G1138, 10x -- "David")
H2852 chathak in the LXX¶
No LXX alignments found. The OG (Old Greek) Daniel is so divergent from the MT that the church replaced it with Theodotion's translation. The absence of alignment data for this hapax is expected and does not provide evidence for either PRET or HIST positions.