Structure of Daniel 9:26,27
Study:
And after threescore and two (1) weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war (1) desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one (2) week: and in the midst of the (3) week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it (2) desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the (3) desolate. Daniel 9:26,27
Structure:
But there is more... Focusing on the upper half of this structure, that is the first halves of verses 26 and 27...
Notice the terms in red!
1. "cut off". This is the same Hebrew word translated "cut" in the following verse.
"And I will give the men that have transgressed my covenant, which have not performed the words of the covenant which they had made before me, when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof," Jeremiah 34:18
According to Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, the Hebrew word translated "cut off" in Daniel 9:26 and "cut" in Jeremiah 34:18 is Strong #"3772. כּרת kârath, kaw-rath'; a prim. root; ... spec. to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, orig. by cutting flesh and passing between the pieces)..."
This method of covenant-making is described in one other place in the Bible. It is the type of covenant that was made between Abram and God in Genesis 15.
"And he said unto him, I am the Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it. And he said, Lord God, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it? And he said unto him, Take me an heifer of three years old, and a she goat of three years old, and a ram of three years old, and a turtledove, and a young pigeon. And he took unto him all these, and divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another: but the birds divided he not. ... And it came to pass, that, when the sun went down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp that passed between those pieces. In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the great river, the river Euphrates..." Genesis 15:7-21
2. "covenant" is now seen to be the "new covenant" that Christ made when he died and "cut a covenant" on the cross.
3. "midst". According to Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, the Hebrew word translated "midst" in Daniel 9:27 is Strong #"2677. חצי chêtsı̂y, khay-tsee'; from 2673;..." and according to the same dictionary, Strong#"2673. חָצָה châtsâh, khaw-tsaw'; a prim. root ...; to cut or split in two; to halve:..."
So not only are the first halves of verses 26 and 27 connected through the shared word week(s) but also through the idea of "cutting in two".
- Christ is "cut in two" to "cut the new covenant" with the church, and
- He makes this sacrifice in "midst of the week" or where the week "cuts in two".
It doesn't end there, though! We are told, according to the gospel of John, that after saying "It is finished" (Jo. 19:30), referencing Daniel 9:27's "...he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease," Jesus gives up the ghost. None of the other gospels record these words, but a similar sequence of events. According to the gospel of Matthew, Jesus gives up the ghost after crying out with a loud voice ("It is finished!", perhaps?) (Mat. 27:50). What Matthew next records, as following or coinciding with Christ's giving up the ghost, is most interesting with regards to our present discussion. "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;..." (vs. 51). Thus,
- Christ is "cut in two." This happens where...
- ...the week is "cut in two." And when this happens...
- ...the veil of the temple is "cut in two."
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