The sequence of the prophecy in Daniel 9 is decree goes out to rebuild - 49 years (7 times 7) pass and the city is rebuilt- 434 (62 times 7) years pass messiah is cut off aka the crucifixion. I will not be focused on the 70th 7 here.
Problem is there are 4 different decrees in the bible, and another problem is does year mean a solar year of 365 days or a 360 day year like is used in Genesis, Jubilees, and Revelation because over 483 years there is 7 year difference between those 2 things.
The following is help from chat GPT. I have checked the dates, and they are the same on human written websites
There are FOUR decrees in Scripture that relate to “restoring and rebuilding Jerusalem.”
1. DECREE OF CYRUS — Ezra 1:1–4; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23
Content: Return of exiles; Rebuild the Temple; Restore temple vessels
Does NOT authorize rebuilding the city walls
Historical Date: 538 BC (first year of Cyrus over Babylon)
2. DECREE OF DARIUS I — Ezra 6:1–12
Content: Reaffirms Cyrus’ decree; Orders governors to support Temple rebuilding; Provides funding and protection
Does NOT authorize rebuilding the city
Historical Date: 520/519 BC (second year of Darius)
3. FIRST DECREE OF ARTAXERXES I (Ezra’s commission) — Ezra 7:11–26
Content: Authorizes Ezra to restore the law, priesthood, and judicial authority; Permits more exiles to return; Provides resources for Temple service
Implied civil restoration but NO explicit command to rebuild the walls
Historical Date: 457 BC (seventh year of Artaxerxes I)
4. SECOND DECREE OF ARTAXERXES I (Nehemiah’s commission) — Nehemiah 2:1–8
Content: Explicit authorization to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and gates; Letters to governors; Timber for walls and gates
This is the ONLY decree that explicitly fulfills “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25)
Historical Date: 445 BC (20th year of Artaxerxes I; sometimes 444 BC depending on reckoning)
SUMMARY TABLE:
Cyrus — Ezra 1; 538 BC — Rebuild Temple, NOT city
Darius — Ezra 6; 520 BC — Enforce Temple rebuilding, NOT city
Artaxerxes (Ezra) — Ezra 7; 457 BC — Religious/civil restoration, partial/implicit
Artaxerxes (Nehemiah) — Neh 2; 445 BC — Rebuild walls, city, FULL restoration
Only the decree in Nehemiah 2 explicitly commands rebuilding Jerusalem itself.
The sources for those dates are
Here is a clean list of the exact sources for every date I gave, with each point on its own line and no blank line breaks, just as you requested:
The dates for the four biblical decrees come from these historical sources:
Cyrus’ decree (538 BC) — Source: Babylonian Chronicle tablets (Nabonidus Chronicle) which record Cyrus’ capture of Babylon in 539 BC and his accession as king; Greek historians such as Herodotus and Xenophon; Jewish historian Josephus; ancient chronographers like Julius Africanus and Eusebius who date the first year of Cyrus at 538 BC; astronomical dating of Cyrus’ first regnal year using contemporary cuneiform sources.
Darius I’s decree (520/519 BC) — Source: Darius’ own inscriptions (Behistun Inscription) and Babylonian King Lists that date his accession to 522 BC; ancient chronographers (Africanus, Eusebius) who place his second year at 520/519 BC; synchronisms with the Persian regnal year system documented in cuneiform tablets.
Artaxerxes I (Ezra’s mission, 457 BC) — Source: Persian king lists (Herodotus, Ctesias), Ptolemy’s Canon, Elephantine papyri, and ancient chronographers who consistently date the seventh year of Artaxerxes I to 457 BC; widely accepted historical regnal tables that date Artaxerxes I’s reign from 465–424 BC.
Artaxerxes I (Nehemiah’s mission, 445 BC) — Source: Same Persian king lists (Herodotus, Ctesias, Ptolemy’s Canon); the year 20 of Artaxerxes I falls at 445 BC based on fixed astronomical anchor points used in the Persian regnal system; confirmed by Elephantine papyri that document correspondences with Artaxerxes’ regnal years.
In Nehemiah 2-4 the rebuilding the walls takes place in the same year the decree is given 445 BC, and is completed within 52 days Nehemiah 4 says. This means by 445 BC every single part of the city has been rebuilt. Assuming this is when the 49 years end then it means a decree went out 494 BC but none of the 4 decrees are close to that date.
Ezra 6:15 — “The temple was finished on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”
This means: The Second Temple was finished → 3rd day of Adar → Year 6 of Darius.
2. Historical year: The 6th year of Darius = 516 BC.
Darius I began ruling in 522 BC; his first regnal year was 521 BC; therefore his 6th year = 516 BC.
Thus: The Temple was completed in Adar (Feb–Mar) 516 BC.
3. Summary: The Second Temple was rebuilt and completed in 516 BC in the 6th year of Darius I.
4. Compact biblical rebuilding timeline:
536 BC — Temple foundation laid (Ezra 3:8).
Work halts due to opposition (Ezra 4).
520 BC — Work resumes under Haggai and Zechariah in the 2nd year of Darius (Ezra 5).
516 BC — Temple completed (Ezra 6:15).
If the end of the 49 years was 516 BC then it means a decree went out 565 BC to rebuild which does not match anything. Assuming 445 BC is the true date for the decree in Nehemiah 2, and the city is fully rebuilt in the same year there is no decree 49 years earlier that matches. Forget about the crucifixion date 434 years later, and try to reconcile this 49 year timeframe if someone wants. Keep in mind the decree in Ezra is 7th year of Artaxerxes, and the one in Nehemiah is the 20th year therefore internally in the bible alone there are 13 years between those two events so the decree 457 BC (7th year) can not be the one in Daniel 9 as the city is fully rebuilt by 445 BC - not 49 years later 408 BC.
Problem is there are 4 different decrees in the bible, and another problem is does year mean a solar year of 365 days or a 360 day year like is used in Genesis, Jubilees, and Revelation because over 483 years there is 7 year difference between those 2 things.
The following is help from chat GPT. I have checked the dates, and they are the same on human written websites
There are FOUR decrees in Scripture that relate to “restoring and rebuilding Jerusalem.”
1. DECREE OF CYRUS — Ezra 1:1–4; 2 Chronicles 36:22–23
Content: Return of exiles; Rebuild the Temple; Restore temple vessels
Does NOT authorize rebuilding the city walls
Historical Date: 538 BC (first year of Cyrus over Babylon)
2. DECREE OF DARIUS I — Ezra 6:1–12
Content: Reaffirms Cyrus’ decree; Orders governors to support Temple rebuilding; Provides funding and protection
Does NOT authorize rebuilding the city
Historical Date: 520/519 BC (second year of Darius)
3. FIRST DECREE OF ARTAXERXES I (Ezra’s commission) — Ezra 7:11–26
Content: Authorizes Ezra to restore the law, priesthood, and judicial authority; Permits more exiles to return; Provides resources for Temple service
Implied civil restoration but NO explicit command to rebuild the walls
Historical Date: 457 BC (seventh year of Artaxerxes I)
4. SECOND DECREE OF ARTAXERXES I (Nehemiah’s commission) — Nehemiah 2:1–8
Content: Explicit authorization to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls and gates; Letters to governors; Timber for walls and gates
This is the ONLY decree that explicitly fulfills “restore and rebuild Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25)
Historical Date: 445 BC (20th year of Artaxerxes I; sometimes 444 BC depending on reckoning)
SUMMARY TABLE:
Cyrus — Ezra 1; 538 BC — Rebuild Temple, NOT city
Darius — Ezra 6; 520 BC — Enforce Temple rebuilding, NOT city
Artaxerxes (Ezra) — Ezra 7; 457 BC — Religious/civil restoration, partial/implicit
Artaxerxes (Nehemiah) — Neh 2; 445 BC — Rebuild walls, city, FULL restoration
Only the decree in Nehemiah 2 explicitly commands rebuilding Jerusalem itself.
The sources for those dates are
Here is a clean list of the exact sources for every date I gave, with each point on its own line and no blank line breaks, just as you requested:
The dates for the four biblical decrees come from these historical sources:
Cyrus’ decree (538 BC) — Source: Babylonian Chronicle tablets (Nabonidus Chronicle) which record Cyrus’ capture of Babylon in 539 BC and his accession as king; Greek historians such as Herodotus and Xenophon; Jewish historian Josephus; ancient chronographers like Julius Africanus and Eusebius who date the first year of Cyrus at 538 BC; astronomical dating of Cyrus’ first regnal year using contemporary cuneiform sources.
Darius I’s decree (520/519 BC) — Source: Darius’ own inscriptions (Behistun Inscription) and Babylonian King Lists that date his accession to 522 BC; ancient chronographers (Africanus, Eusebius) who place his second year at 520/519 BC; synchronisms with the Persian regnal year system documented in cuneiform tablets.
Artaxerxes I (Ezra’s mission, 457 BC) — Source: Persian king lists (Herodotus, Ctesias), Ptolemy’s Canon, Elephantine papyri, and ancient chronographers who consistently date the seventh year of Artaxerxes I to 457 BC; widely accepted historical regnal tables that date Artaxerxes I’s reign from 465–424 BC.
Artaxerxes I (Nehemiah’s mission, 445 BC) — Source: Same Persian king lists (Herodotus, Ctesias, Ptolemy’s Canon); the year 20 of Artaxerxes I falls at 445 BC based on fixed astronomical anchor points used in the Persian regnal system; confirmed by Elephantine papyri that document correspondences with Artaxerxes’ regnal years.
In Nehemiah 2-4 the rebuilding the walls takes place in the same year the decree is given 445 BC, and is completed within 52 days Nehemiah 4 says. This means by 445 BC every single part of the city has been rebuilt. Assuming this is when the 49 years end then it means a decree went out 494 BC but none of the 4 decrees are close to that date.
1. The Second Temple was completed on the 3rd day of Adar in the 6th year of Darius I (Ezra 6:15).Ezra 6:15 — “The temple was finished on the third day of the month Adar, in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius.”
This means: The Second Temple was finished → 3rd day of Adar → Year 6 of Darius.
2. Historical year: The 6th year of Darius = 516 BC.
Darius I began ruling in 522 BC; his first regnal year was 521 BC; therefore his 6th year = 516 BC.
Thus: The Temple was completed in Adar (Feb–Mar) 516 BC.
3. Summary: The Second Temple was rebuilt and completed in 516 BC in the 6th year of Darius I.
4. Compact biblical rebuilding timeline:
536 BC — Temple foundation laid (Ezra 3:8).
Work halts due to opposition (Ezra 4).
520 BC — Work resumes under Haggai and Zechariah in the 2nd year of Darius (Ezra 5).
516 BC — Temple completed (Ezra 6:15).
If the end of the 49 years was 516 BC then it means a decree went out 565 BC to rebuild which does not match anything. Assuming 445 BC is the true date for the decree in Nehemiah 2, and the city is fully rebuilt in the same year there is no decree 49 years earlier that matches. Forget about the crucifixion date 434 years later, and try to reconcile this 49 year timeframe if someone wants. Keep in mind the decree in Ezra is 7th year of Artaxerxes, and the one in Nehemiah is the 20th year therefore internally in the bible alone there are 13 years between those two events so the decree 457 BC (7th year) can not be the one in Daniel 9 as the city is fully rebuilt by 445 BC - not 49 years later 408 BC.
