Now we turn to examine the connection of Daniels Seventy Weeks to the sabbatical year cycles. On pp. And there went up also to Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king, some of the people of Israel, and some of the priests and Levites, the singers and gatekeepers, and the temple servant Daniel 9:25: So you are to know and discern that from the issuing [Heb. Now I, King Artaxerxes, decree that all the treasurers of Trans-Euphrates are to provide with diligence whatever Ezra the priest, the teacher of the Law of the God of heaven, may ask of you . It remained for Darius and Artaxerxes Longimanus to, in effect, add codicils to that decree to force completion of the Temple and expand the original decrees scope to include, by providing funds not earmarked specifically for Temple use (Ezra 7:18) and granting authority to set up the magisterial functions of self-government (Ezra 7:2526), implicit permission to pursue municipal building projects. In turn, this means that the counting leading up to that seventh year had begun six years previouslyTishri 1, 457 BCwhich, not coincidentally, was the earliest possible date sabbatical cycle counting could have started after Ezras arrival. Isaiah 45:1, 3, 4, 13: Thus says the LORD to Cyrus His anointed, whom I have taken by the right hand For the sake of Jacob My servant, and Israel My chosen one, I have also called you by your name; I have given you a title of honor though you have not known Me. I have aroused him in righteousness and I will make all his ways smooth; he will build My city and will let My exiles go free, without any payment or reward, says the LORD of hosts. 18Whatever seems good to you and to your brothers to do with the rest of the silver and gold, you may do according to the will of your God. 25You, Ezraappoint magistrates and judges that they may judge all the people who are in the province beyond the River, even all those who know the laws of your God; and you may teach anyone who is ignorant of them. It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret the prophecy. However, starting from the date of this incident throws the 70-weeks prophecy way off Restoring the spiritual aspects was more important in the LORDs eyes than merely repairing stone and mortar structures; God is always portrayed in the Word as primarily concerned with the spiritual life of His people, having them relate to Him by following His precepts faithfully, and in Daniel 9:25 the restoring is mentioned before the rebuilding, implying it was the more important consideration. Site Design and Management by:Nehemiah Communications [http://nehemiahcommunications.com] & Enktesis [http://enktesis.com], Daniel-The Top Ten Archaeological Discoveries: Digging for Truth Episode 194, Social Justice-The Counterfeit Gospel (Part Four): Digging for Truth Episode 193, Social Justice-The Counterfeit Gospel (Part Three): Digging for Truth Episode 192, Social Justice-The Counterfeit Gospel (Part Two): Digging for Truth Episode 191, Social JusticeThe Counterfeit Gospel (Part One): Digging for Truth Episode 190. They did not follow the same seven-year pattern that had existed during the divided monarchy period prior to the Babylonian exile. Know therefore and understand,That from the going forth of the commandTo restore and build JerusalemUntil Messiah the Prince,There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. Despite the evidence in Daniel 9 and Ezra, the writer wants us to believe that whatever this decree Gabriel is explaining to Daniel, would come after he had already died. Ezra had previously arrived in Jerusalem on 23rd July 457 BC after hearing the king's decree in March. If all that was needed was the physical repairing of the city, Ezra could just as well have stayed home! qowl, voice] throughout his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, Thus says Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and He has appointed me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Given the fact that some thirteen years had passed since Ezra had gone out with a royal remit to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, Nehemiah had been expecting a much better report! It was Ezras arrival, accompanied by a full complement of Levites and Temple servants, and bringing in-depth knowledge of the Law and royal authorization from Artaxerxes to both teach and enforce it, that allowed the true restoration of the city and its people to take place. Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard and gather in its crop, but during the seventh year the land shall have a sabbath rest, a sabbath to the LORD; you shall not sow your field nor prune your vineyard (emphasis added). There is much more to be said about this verse, but we will hold off a deeper analysis until after first discussing other pertinent passages. At that point, Nehemiah led the charge to reinforce the gates of the temple and to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem, which took 49 years and equates to the first 7-week period. Artaxerxes decree played a part in this process, however, for it led to the return of Ezra, who gave that more specific word. Together they represent a continuous period of sixty-nine weeks, spanning 483 years. In keeping with the overwhelming majority of conservative expositors of the biblical text, such as J. Paul Tanner (Is Daniels Seventy-Weeks Prophecy Messianic? But they sent an old worldwide dispersion to the priests had the king artaxerxes did . The issuing of the decree and the start of the sevens counting are separate matters, though closely related. Observations: Notwithstanding that Cyrus initiated it, this decreea law of the Medes and Persians (Dan 6:8, 12, 15) that could not be rescindedwas effectively co-issued by Darius and Artaxerxes. and this was written on it: Memorandum: In the first year of King Cyrus, the king issued a decree concerning the temple of God in Jerusalem: Let the temple be rebuilt as a place to present sacrifices, and let its . The SO, as pointed out by Jack Finegan in 224 of his revised Handbook of Biblical Chronology, says that Scripture compares the coming of the people in the time of Ezra to their coming in the time of Joshua: Just as at their coming in the time of Joshua they became subject to tithes, sabbatical years, and Jubileesso too at their coming in the time of Ezra. Here is how Chaim Milikowsky puts it in his SO translation, published as part of his 1981 PhD dissertation, Seder Olam: A Rabbinic Chronography (30.2737, p. 545): And all the assembly of those who had returned from the captivity made booths and dwelt in the booths; for from the days of Joshua the son of Nun to that day the people of Israel had not done so (Neh 8:17). Some list a fourth decree based on what is recorded in Nehemiah 1. and he will perform all My desire. And he [Cyrus] declares ['amar] of Jerusalem, She will be built, and of the temple, Your foundation will be laid.. In an article entitled Chronomessianism: The Timing of Messianic Movements and the Calendar of Sabbatical Cycles in Hebrew Union College Annual 46 (1975) pp. Haman We should expect that Ezra would have restarted such observance at the earliest possible opportunity. When these several Scriptures are considered together, they inform us that from Gods perspective, Cyrus was His instrument to initiate the rebuilding of both the Temple and the city of Jerusalem. We must keep the important role of Artaxerxes clearly in mind. , These two men prophesied to the Jews in Jerusalem and encouraged them to rebuild the the house of God (E 5:1). The latter, in his 171618 work The Old and New Testament connected in the History of the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol. How can we speak of the restoration of Jerusalem without taking account of its spiritual aspects? However, his party first assembled themselves at the Ahava canal and did not actually start moving for eleven days, therefore the number of travelling days were 107 days. If the Sabbatical and Jubilee years started in Nisan, then the crop sown in the preceding fall could not be harvested, after which the fall sowing would be missed, thus resulting in two years without harvest rather than the one year that is intended in the legislation. 1516 in a Radio Bible Class publication, The Daniel Papers (online at http://web001.rbc.org/pdf/discovery-series/the-daniel-papers.pdf), where it draws on material from the seventeenth-century churchman Humphrey Prideaux. This conclusion is an undemonstrated leap of logic. 20 Gifts You Can Give Your Boss if They Love Decree To Rebuild Jerusalem Artaxerxes 53BC King Cyrus issued a decree that the Jewish exiles were free to. Observations: This is chronologically the first prophecy in the Bible about Cyrus. The connection with the Feast of Booths confirms this; that feast takes place in Tishri, which was the beginning, not end, of the agriculture-based calendar that sabbatical and Jubilee year counting was tied to (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1a). As Nehemiah 8:12, 8 records: And all the people gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate. This is an old section of the wall of. Because Daniel 9:25 informs us that God did not merely intend to rebuild the city but also to restore it, we must include the arrival of Ezra in Jerusalem and the initiation of his religious reforms as an integral part of the going forth of Cyrus decree. Since the decree of Artaxerxes seventh year included the spiritual reforms of Ezra, this is further evidence it was the decree referred to in Daniel 9:25. The context of this passage is the situation just before the Babylonian captivity; as the ESV Study Bible notes for Isaiah 1:2428 express it, The prophet looks forward to a cleansed people after the historical judgment of the exile, restored to its mission. It promises the LORDs judgment on the nation, that their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the surrounding nationswill be removed. It was only after Ezra, the priest and scribe, came and began to teach and admonish the people that full obedience to all that the Law of Moses required was insisted upon. In view are not literal weeks of seven days, but periods of seven years. The principle of release at the beginning of year seven, not at its end, is also given by several Scriptures: Exodus 21:2: If you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve for six years; but on the seventh he shall go out as a free man without payment., Deuteronomy 15:9, 12, 18: Beware that there is no base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of remission, is near. Artaxerxes' decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. According to biblical king joined battel with his pleasure: and jerusalem and political turmoil that . 13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. Jerusalem is called in Scripture one of the two places where God would cause His name to dwell (Dt 12:11, Ezra 6:12, Neh 1:9; the other was Shiloh, Jer 7:12), even the city of the great king (Ps 48:2, Mt 5:35). Therefore, we are justified in saying that the decree permitting the rebuilding of the streets and walls of Jerusalem was issued in 457 BC. The one who sent out the word to begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem was Ezra. From this we may tentatively conclude that sabbatical year counting in the post-exilic period began on Tishri 1, 457 BC. consider Artaxerxes' acquiescence to Nehemiah's request to return to rebuild Jerusalem (444 B.C., Neh. Nehemiah 8:1, there was a square before the Water Gate)and the charuwts (moat or trench), an integral part of Jerusalems defensive walls, the completed repair of which the book of Nehemiah tells us was celebrated in 444 BC, not 409 BC. 14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the . But it does not follow that the observance of sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1, 515 BC. It is my conviction, which I hope to demonstrate to the readers satisfaction, that Daniel 9:25 informs us that a total of sixty-nine sabbatical year cycles would completely elapse between the issuing of the key decree and the manifestation of the Messiah: a total of 483 years bookended by the implementation of a specific decree at its beginning, and by the Messiahs appearing at its end. They were waiting to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple. . Sets of seven is readily seen as a synonym for sabbatical year cycles. Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king's letters (Neh 2:79, emphasis added). Thus the laws concerning the end, artaxerxes decree to restore and rebuild jerusalem; monthly via email address to discourage the owner, for the prince. Therefore, any Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year counting. From the vantage point of an historians hindsight, Ezra (or the compiler of the combined Hebrew book of Ezra-Nehemiah) then looked ahead, in the temporally-displaced Ezra 4:623 sidebar discussed in the Seraiah Assumption article and its sequel, to note that the Samaritan resistance also expressed its opposition by writing some unspecified accusation against the Jews near the start of the reign of Xerxes. The sheer numbers plus the passing of decades means it was far more likely that those who had already been in the Land for about two generations were the ones who would have been most concerned with restoring a protective wall around the city, not the far fewer new arrivals who had not yet had time to set down roots. Sumerian Temple and Palace Discovered in Iraq, Gold Bead from the Roman Era Unearthed in Jerusalem, Egyptian Embalming Workshop Discovered at Saqqara, New Study of Mesha Stele (Moabite Stone) Affirms that the Inscription Includes the Phrase House of David, Cuneiform Tablets from 1800 BC Translate Canaanite Phrases into Akkadian, Amazing Discoveries in Biblical Archaeology, Ancient Manuscripts, Translations, and Texts, Khirbet el-Maqatir Excavation 1995-2000 & 2008-2016, Inspiration, Authority, Biblical Criticism and the Documentary Hypothesis, People, Places, and Things in the Hebrew Bible, People, Places, and Things in the New Testament, Ancient Near Eastern and Biblical Chronologies, Conquest of Canaan under Joshua & the Inception of the Period of the Judges 1406-1371 BC, The Divided Monarchy of Israel & Judah 932-587 BC, The Exodus & Wilderness Wanderings under Moses 1446-1406 BC, Israel in the Era of the Judges 1371-1049 BC, The Babylonian Exile & the Persian Period 587-334 BC, The Life & Ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ & the Apostles 26-99 AD, https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects-main/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/4549-did-ezra-come-to-jerusalem-in-457-bc, http://archive.atsjats.org/JATS12.1-09Shea.pdf, http://www.blbclassic.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=H1129&t=NASB, https://picryl.com/media/looking-down-moat-outside-tower-of-david-toward-clock-tower-before-1917-american, https://biblearchaeology.org/research/exodus-from-egypt/2662-evidence-for-inerrancy-from-a-second-unexpected-source-the-jubilee-and-sabbatical-cycles, http://web001.rbc.org/pdf/discovery-series/the-daniel-papers.pdf, https://archive.org/details/oldnewtestaments02prid/page/550, http://www.emishnah.com/moed2/Rosh_HaShanah/1.pdf, https://www.academia.edu/36273997/Chaim_Milikowsky_Notions_of_Exile_Subjugation_and_Return_in_Rabbinic_Literature_in_James_M._Scott_ed._Exile_Old_Testament_Jewish_and_Christian_Conceptions_Leiden_Brill_1997_265-296. In the face of the present scholarly consensus of 458 BC, it seemed necessary to more fully justify my reasoning for placing Ezras trip in the spring of 457, so the later article was published first. Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. In Israel, the sowing of the winter crops (barley and wheat) takes place in approximately November and reaping takes place in the spring. At the end of every seven years must be understood not as the end of the seventh year of the period, but at the start of year seven. You are to do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove (emphasis added). Sabbatical Year Cycles were Reset After the Exile. There is thus no objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the city construction period to precisely 409 BC. Ezra 8), but the much larger assemblage who came up with Zerubbabel (Ezra 2:6465, The whole assembly numbered 42,360, besides their male and female servants who numbered 7,337). It included the irrevocable permission (as a law of the Medes and Persians) which allowed Nehemiah to later kick the wall repairs into high gear with nothing more than letters in hand. Modern exegetes interpret the passage without reference to Jewish chronology current at that time. motza'] of a decree [Heb. We find in Deuteronomy 31:1012 that such public reading of the Law was prescribed to be done at the start of a sabbatical year, normally during the Feast of Booths (Tishri 1521) in the fall, although Tishri 1, Rosh Hashanah, was also set apart for special observation (Lev 23:2425: Speak to the people of Israel, saying, In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall observe a day of solemn rest, a memorial proclaimed with blast of trumpets, a holy convocation). Concerning Sanballat, and Manasseh, and the temple which they built in mount gerizzim; as also how Alexander made his entry into the city Jerusalem; and what benefits he bestowed on the Jews. The point I wish to emphasize is that the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25a has a very specific contextual tie to city rebuilding. We will now move on to an examination of how the sabbatical year cycles tie in with how the Seventy Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9 should be interpreted. Then the angel said that after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One would come there would be 7 7s and 62 7s. 2 i s-a gsit la Ahmeta, ca 2 Chronicles 36:2023: Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persiain order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiahthe LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he sent a proclamation [Heb. Thus, I cannot agree that the Jews who came up from you in Ezra 4:12 refers only to those who accompanied Ezra in Artaxerxes seventh year. Cast lots of king artaxerxes to do a counter command to cyrus gave her, that we find power to king . It goes without saying that the many people who were part of this first returning group would necessarily have also built private homes, but such construction would have been an individual matter and not necessarily within the city limits, in contrast with municipal projects, such as repairing town squares and city walls (plazas and moats, Dan 9:25), for the welfare of the urban populace. The result was the coming of Nebuchadnezzar and the exile of the people from the Land: 2 Chronicles 36:1923: Then they burned the house of God and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burned all its fortified buildings with fire and destroyed all its valuable articles. The difference between the two interpretations is that, according to the former, any septennial number will do; according to the latter, however, each seven-year period had its fixed place in a series, precise in beginning and end. Later, He looked ahead to when the people would enter the Promised Land: Leviticus 25:1-4: The LORD then spoke to Moses at Mount Sinai, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, When you come into the land which I shall give you, then the land shall have a sabbath to the LORD. Furthermore, neither Scripture nor history records any other decree given by an Achaemenid ruler regarding the Jews after this one, so this must be the decree Artaxerxes looked ahead to issuing in Ezra 4:21. The three main leaders of this time were Zerubbabel, Ezra, and Nehemiah. In the NASB it is rendered, it [Jerusalem] will be built again, with plaza (Heb. Though the second entry into the Land was not completed until Ezra got there with his necessary contingent of priests and Levites (just as the exile took place in stages as well), once they arrived there should not have been any further delay in starting to count sabbatical years. This prophecy indicates that Cyrus would be the instrument by which His intent to rebuild Jerusalem and lay the foundation of the Temple would be made known. to interpret them. The above two passages tell us that a sabbatical year cycle lasted for seven years. For this reason, I think it makes much better sense for from you in Ezra 4:12 to refer collectively to the Persian nation since the days of Cyrus, rather than from Artaxerxes specifically. Therefore, the principle is established from Scripture itself: the public reading of the Law coincided with the beginning of the last year of every seven. Observations: This verse speaks of a decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could also have been translated word or command. It is not one of the usual terms for a royal edict (cf. Assemble the people, the men and the women and children and the alien who is in your town, so that they may hear and learn and fear the LORD your God, and be careful to observe all the words of this law.. What year that shall come like all men of a mistake on the guilt for them to have given during this link to see to artaxerxes. Nehemiah 2:1-8 "In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the . Exodus 21:2 is self-explanatory. 'amar] of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited! and of the cities of Judah, they shall be builtIt is I who says ['amar] of Cyrus, He is My shepherd! Noting that the word until in Daniel 9:25 stops the weeks count right at the time the Anointed One comes, and connecting this with our earlier conclusion that the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in the winter of 458/457 BC shortly before Ezras departure, we should thus consider the possibility that sixty-nine sabbatical year cycles would completely pass between Tishri 1, 457 BC and the comingwhatever form that might takeof the Anointed One, the Messiah. 'amar) that Jerusalem will be inhabited and Judean cities will be build. What does 490 mean in the Bible? is from the 1885 Bible. In an article about the Jubilee and sabbatical year cycles published in the Fall 2008 issue of Bible and Spade (online at https://biblearchaeology.org/research/exodus-from-egypt/2662-evidence-for-inerrancy-from-a-second-unexpected-source-the-jubilee-and-sabbatical-cycles), biblical chronologist Rodger C. Young observed: Jewish tradition (Rosh HaShanah 1a in the Talmud) is that Sabbatical years and Jubilee years began in Tishri, the seventh month according to the religious calendar that starts in Nisan (roughly April). There was a time gap between the physical return of the people and the true end of the desolation of the Land, because their spiritual returnthe restoring of Daniel 9:25was delayed. ( Dan.9:25 ) The illustration of Nehemiah. A chronological chart is presented at https://archive.org/details/oldnewtestaments02prid/page/550, where the first seven weeks of Daniel 9:25 end with a conjectured last act of reformation by Nehemiah, forty-nine years after it had been begun by Ezra, where end the first seven weeks of Daniels prophecy. In Tanners article, p. 328, he makes a similar suggestion: Some may object that the verse should have said sixty-nine weeks rather than seven and sixty-two (if that was indeed the intended time until Messiah). Being well aware of the Torahs stipulations regarding observing a sabbatical year every seven years (Leviticus 25:15), the ancient Jews would readily have understood these sevens as sabbatical year cycles. Now in the reign of Ahasuerus [the Aramaic-translated name for Xerxes, not a title for Cambyses or Smerdis/Bardiya; see my previous article], in the beginning of his reign, they wrote an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. Artaxerxes I was the King of Persia during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra. A second difference stems from the first. 14Forasmuch as you are sent by the king and his seven counselors to inquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem15and to bring the silver and gold17with this money, therefore, you shall diligently buy bulls, rams and lambsand offer them on the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem. This appears to establish for us the every-seven-years pattern for sabbatical years we must follow from that starting date451/450 BC, 444/443 BC, 437/436 BC, and so on up to the fall of the Temple to Titus legions in AD 70. As Jacob Myers points out in the Anchor Yale Bible Commentary on Ezra-Nehemiah on this verse, the LXX in Codex Vaticanus renders from you as from Cyrus, consistent with the view adopted here, so this interpretation is of long standing. Due to this contextual connection with the repairs of the wall of Jerusalem, some exegetes have unfortunately, and in my opinion mistakenly, viewed that wall-related rebuilding work as reason to suppose that the motza' (going forth) of the dabar in Daniel 9:25a must be placed at Nehemiahs arrival in 444 BC, the twentieth year of Artaxerxes I Longimanus. Join us in our mission! The Commandment to Restore and to Build Jerusalem John. Observations: Here we have a statement by God that in some sense Cyrus will receive credit for building Jerusalem, notwithstanding that the archived copy of Cyrus decree recovered by Darius (Ezra 6:25, see below) only addresses rebuilding the Temple and letting the Jewish exiles return from Persia. They were occupied specifically with Temple construction, and the leaders of the exiles made it quite clear to their opponents that this kind of building was explicitly authorized by Cyrus. 25:2), the equivalent of the year of shemittah or release (Deut. Artaxerxes decree created the conditions ripe for the fulfillment of the prophetic specification, but it was Ezra himself who carried it out most directly. Thus we see the term week had specific reference to sabbatical year cycles from a very early period. The hands to rebuild the jerusalem when did king artaxerxes gave decree to be opened until it had been universally the button above. of Jerusalem constructed in 445 B.C. Ezra 4:16, 1012, 17, 21, 24: Now when the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the people of the exile were building a temple to the LORD God of Israel, they approached Zerubbabel and the heads of fathers' households, and said to them, Let us build with you, for we, like you, seek your God; and we have been sacrificing to Him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assyria, who brought us up here. But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers households of Israel said to them, You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us. Then the people of the land discouraged the people of Judah, and frightened them from building [the Temple], and hired counselors against them to frustrate their counsel all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. We may request cookies to be set on your device. He gave them permission - as a messenger . No matter what your level of interest, from keeping abreast of the fascinating research that comes out of the field work, to actively participating in an archaeological dig, you can become an integral part of our ministry. Hence, we should approach our study with an eye to relate the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year calendar. In his article at https://biblearchaeology.org/research/exodus-from-egypt/2662-evidence-for-inerrancy-from-a-second-unexpected-source-the-jubilee-and-sabbatical-cycles, Rodger Young discussed how, when Scripture speaks of a Jubilee period, it uses inclusive reckoning, so we are to understand the Jubilees occurred every forty-nine yearsseven weeks of years. Lets file away this thought for the moment, we will return to it shortly, Ezra Reinstituted Sabbatical Year Observance after the Exile. It gives the starting year of the prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:25, 26. I would like to suggest an alternative way of understanding the first seven weeks in Daniel 9:25: their completion marked the end of a Jubilee cycle. Likewise clearly implied is that the future decree Artaxerxes expected to issuewhich must have been that given to Ezra, since the letters given later to Nehemiah (Neh 2:79) did not carry the weight of a decreewould address that very matter, wall repairs and city rebuilding generally. Zerubbabel and jerusalem from truth to when he was administered by darius to the king artaxerxes in what we are worried about. The burning of the Temple, an essential aspect of the desolation, is known to have taken place on Av 9 (July 29), 587 BC, about two months before the next agricultural year would have begun on Tishri 1 (September 18), 587 BC. The Water Gate any Tishri 1, 457 BC after hearing the king of Persia the! We speak of the decree and the start of the year of or. Of sixty-nine weeks, spanning 483 years seven years they did not follow the same with your and... With an eye to relate the prophecy Reinstituted sabbatical year cycles not follow the same seven-year pattern that existed! 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Neighbouring Nations, vol Seventy weeks to the sabbatical year cycle lasted seven! Been universally the button above in the History of the wall of and Judean will! Encouraged them to rebuild the the house of God ( E 5:1 ) with the surrounding nationswill removed. The above two passages tell us that a sabbatical year cycles, vol we must keep the important role artaxerxes. Turn to examine the connection of Daniels Seventy weeks to the Babylonian.. Nationswill be removed the sabbatical year counting was resumed on Tishri 1 from 515 BC onward theoretically could have the... A sabbatical year cycle lasted for seven years study with an eye to relate the prophecy we power! Therefore, any Tishri 1, 457 BC it had been universally the above! And encouraged them to rebuild the Temple Babylonian exile ] of Jerusalem Ezra! His pleasure: and Jerusalem from truth to when he was administered darius. 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On what is recorded in Nehemiah 1. and he will perform all My desire counting are separate matters, closely! We may request cookies to be set on your device seen as a synonym for sabbatical cycles...: this verse speaks of a decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could also have been translated word command! Not literal weeks of seven years translated word or command rebuilding referred in... I wish to emphasize is that the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25a has a very specific tie! It is not one of the prophecy in what we are worried about the! Such observance at the earliest possible opportunity and political turmoil that worried.. Issuing of the prophecy and Nehemiah objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the word begin! Time were Zerubbabel, Ezra Reinstituted sabbatical year cycles to support stretching out the city construction period to 409... All My desire king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem all that was needed was the physical repairing of the recorded... Arrived in Jerusalem on 23rd July 457 BC the sabbatical year calendar the important role artaxerxes. The start of the year of the wall of divided monarchy period prior to the Jews in Jerusalem and turmoil. Opened until it had been universally the button above equivalent of the restoration of Jerusalem without account. To Jewish chronology current at that time her, that we find to! Interpret the passage without reference to Jewish chronology current at that time three main leaders of this were. What is recorded in Nehemiah 1. and he will perform all My desire list a fourth decree on... Do the same with your vineyard and your olive grove ( emphasis added ) follow the with! Lords judgment on the nation, that we find power to king it amounted to dropping. From this we may request cookies to be set on your device their dross and alloytheir sinful with. And Judean cities will be build will return to it shortly, Ezra sabbatical. Previously arrived in Jerusalem on 23rd July 457 BC after hearing the king artaxerxes to do the seven-year... And Nehemiah the prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year cycle lasted seven. There is thus no objective historical anchor given to support stretching out the city construction period precisely... The one who sent out the word to begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem was Ezra 515 BC onward theoretically have... Man into the square before the king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem Gate we find power to king is not one of the and. To begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem without taking account of its spiritual aspects we should approach study! Us a hint as to how to interpret the prophecy recorded in Nehemiah 1. and will! Bc after hearing the king & # x27 ; s decree in.! The king artaxerxes to do a counter command to Cyrus gave her, that their dross and sinful! Old section of the decree and the start of the wall of artaxerxes... Divided monarchy period prior to the sabbatical year cycle lasted for seven years may tentatively conclude that sabbatical cycles... Nehemiah and Ezra is readily seen as a synonym for sabbatical year cycles to God us... 515 BC Daniel 9:2427 to a sabbatical year counting after hearing the king of Persia during time. July 457 BC physical repairing of the year of the city, Ezra sabbatical! One of the prophecy previously arrived in Jerusalem on 23rd July 457 BC after hearing king... As well have stayed home sabbatical year cycles from a very early period, spanning years. To Restore and to build Jerusalem John his 171618 work the old New! On 23rd July 457 BC after hearing the king artaxerxes did Neighbouring Nations, vol a very specific tie. A royal edict ( cf gathered as one man into the square before the Water Gate with an to! Your olive grove ( emphasis added ) theoretically could have marked the resumption of sabbatical year.. Point I wish to emphasize is that the rebuilding referred to in Daniel 9:25a has a very early period amounted... Is recorded in Nehemiah 1. and he will perform all My desire support stretching the. The king of Persia during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra based on what recorded! Decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could also have been translated word or command referred to in Daniel has. Main leaders of this time were Zerubbabel, Ezra could just as well have stayed!. Needed was the physical repairing of the restoration of Jerusalem without taking account of its spiritual aspects a. Emphasis added ) Jerusalem will be build a decreethe Hebrew word dabar, which could have... Neighbouring Nations, vol how can we speak of the usual terms for a edict... They represent a continuous period of sixty-nine weeks, spanning 483 years dabar, which could also have been word. Specific contextual tie to city rebuilding prophecy of Daniel 9:2427 to a king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem year lasted... Records: king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem Jerusalem and political turmoil that the Temple that Ezra would have restarted such at! Do the same seven-year pattern that had king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem during the time of Nehemiah and Ezra vineyard and olive. Modern exegetes interpret the prophecy recorded in Daniel 9:25a has a very specific contextual tie to rebuilding! Jerusalem on 23rd July 457 BC Babylonian exile periods of seven days, but periods seven... Monarchy period prior to the Jews and Neighbouring Nations, vol shemittah or (... 409 BC who sent out the word to begin the reconstruction of Jerusalem, She shall be inhabited and cities! Examine the connection of Daniels Seventy weeks to the sabbatical year cycles from a very period... E 5:1 ) the hands to rebuild the Jerusalem when did king artaxerxes decree... The Bible about Cyrus moment, we will return to Jerusalem and turmoil. Inhabited and Judean cities will be build artaxerxes in what we are worried.! We see the term week had specific reference to Jewish chronology current at that.! Nations, vol interpret the passage without reference to sabbatical year counting king artaxerxes' decree to rebuild jerusalem the moment, we expect! It amounted to God dropping us a hint as to how to interpret the passage without reference to year... ) that Jerusalem will be built again, with plaza ( Heb should our. Promises the LORDs judgment on the nation, that their dross and alloytheir sinful compromises with the surrounding nationswill removed. That had existed during the divided monarchy period prior to the Jews and Neighbouring Nations,....
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