And I'm saying that the seventy weeks doesn't begin with Cyrus' command to rebuild Jerusalem, it began with Jeremiah's prophecy, the seventy weeks covers the period of the Babylonian Exile.
You do know what the word "messiah" means right?
כֹּה־אָמַר יְהוָה לִמְשִׁיחֹו
"koh-amar YHVH l'meshychw"
"Thus-says YHVH to-His-meshiach" Meshiach, Messiah.
לִמְשִׁיחֹו contains the prefix lamed, indicating "to" "for" and the suffix vav, indicating third person singular posessive noun. Thus מְשִׁיחֹ (meshiach) is sandwiched between the prefix and suffix, "to his meshiach".
The word meshiach means "anointed". Transliterated into Greek it becomes messias (μεσσίας). In English it becomes "messiah". Translated into Greek it becomes christos (χριστός), also meaning "anointed".
So changing the word from "messiah" to "anointed" doesn't change the meaning of the text: God calls Cyrus "messiah", "anointed".
It's the same word, by the way, used in Daniel 9:25,
וְתֵדַע וְתַשְׂכֵּל מִן־מֹצָא דָבָר לְהָשִׁיב וְלִבְנֹות יְרֽוּשָׁלִַם עַד־מָשִׁיחַ נָגִיד שָׁבֻעִים שִׁבְעָה וְשָׁבֻעִים שִׁשִּׁים וּשְׁנַיִם תָּשׁוּב וְנִבְנְתָה רְחֹוב וְחָרוּץ וּבְצֹוק הָעִתִּֽים׃
From Jeremiah's prophecy until Cyrus, seven weeks (seventy years); which is just as Jeremiah prophesied in Jeremiah 25. Cyrus is "meshiach naqid" here in Daniel 9:25. Not Jesus, this isn't about the Messiah, but a messiah: Cyrus the Persian.
-CryptoLutheran
OK--I don't seem to be saying this right so maybe I should use someone else's' words.
Ad Yes, I know what this all means.
Forms and Transliterations
בִּמְשִׁ֣יחַ בִּמְשִׁ֥יחַ בִּמְשִׁיחָ֔י בִמְשִׁיחָ֑י במשיח במשיחי הַמָּשִׁ֖יחַ הַמָּשִׁ֛יחַ הַמָּשִׁ֧יחַ המשיח לִמְשִׁ֣יחַ לִמְשִׁיח֗וֹ לִמְשִׁיח֛וֹ לִמְשִׁיחִֽי׃ לִמְשִׁיחוֹ֮ למשיח למשיחו למשיחי׃ מְשִׁ֙יחַ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ מְשִׁ֥יחַ מְשִׁ֫יח֥וֹ מְשִׁיח֗וֹ מְשִׁיח֣וֹ מְשִׁיחִ֖י מְשִׁיחֶ֑יךָ מְשִׁיחֶ֑ךָ מְשִׁיחֶֽךָ׃ מְשִׁיחֽוֹ׃ מְשִׁיחוֹ֙ מָשִׁ֖יחַ מָשִׁ֣יחַ מָשִׁ֥יחַ משיח משיחו משיחו׃ משיחי משיחיך משיחך משיחך׃
bim·šî·aḥ bim·šî·ḥāy ḇim·šî·ḥāy bimShiach bimshiChai bimšîaḥ bimšîḥāy ḇimšîḥāy ham·mā·šî·aḥ hammaShiach hammāšîaḥ lim·šî·aḥ lim·šî·ḥî lim·šî·ḥōw limShiach limshiChi limshiCho limšîaḥ limšîḥî limšîḥōw mā·šî·aḥ maShiach māšîaḥ mə·šî·aḥ mə·šî·ḥe·ḵā mə·šî·ḥî mə·šî·ḥōw meShiach meshiChecha meshiCheicha meshiChi meshiCho məšîaḥ məšîḥeḵā məšîḥî məšîḥōw vimshiChai
Brenton Greek Septuagint (LXX, Restored Names)
And thou shalt know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until the Anointed
{gr.Christ} the prince [
there shall be] seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks; and then [
the time] shall return, and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(25) Know therefore.—The difficulty of this verse is considerably increased by the principal accent in the Hebrew text being placed after the words “seven weeks.” According to the present punctuation, the translation is “Unto an Anointed one a prince shall be seven weeks, and during sixty and two weeks [Jerusalem] shall be built up” . . . This is opposed (1) to ancient translations except the LXX.; (2) to
Daniel 9:26, which connects the sixty-two weeks with the Anointed, and not with the building of the city.
The commandment.—To be explained, as in
Daniel 9:23, to mean revelation. But to what revelation is the allusion? Is it to the edict of Cyrus (
Ezra 6:14), which Isaiah predicts (
Isaiah 44:28)? Or are we to explain it of what happened in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes? (See Excursus G.) It is obvious that there is no reference to Jeremiah’s prophecy, for nothing is there stated which can be interpreted to be a command to rebuild Jerusalem.
Messiah the Prince.—Literally, an Anointed one, a prince, the two nouns being placed in apposition, and the article omitted before each, the person and the office of the person contemplated being sufficiently definite. He is to be “anointed,” that is, King and Priest at once (see
1Samuel 10:1;
1Samuel 13:14;
1Samuel 25:30); in fact, He is to possess those attributes which in other passages are ascribed to the Messiah. It is needless to point out that Cyrus, though spoken of (
Isaiah 45:1) as an “anointed of Jehovah,” cannot be indicated here. By no calculation can he be said to have come either seven weeks or, sixty-nine weeks from the time of the commencement of the Captivity
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
The Vulgate renders this, Usque ad Christum ducem - "even to Christ the leader," or ruler. The Syriac, "to the advent of Christ the king." Theodotion, ἕως Χριστοῦ ἡγουμένου heōs Christou hēgoumenou - "Christ the leader," or ruler. The question whether this refers to Christ will be more appropriately considered at the close of the verse. The inquiry will then occur, also, whether this refers to his birth, or to his appearance as the anointed one - his taking upon himself publicly the office. The language would apply to either, though it would perhaps more properly refer to the latter - to the time when he should appear as such - or should be anointed, crowned, or set apart to the office, and be fully instituted in it. It could not be demonstrated that either of these applications would be a departure from the fair interpretation of the words, and the application must be determined by some other circumstances, if any are expressed. What those are in the case will be considered at the close of the verse.
The Prince - נגיד nāgı̂yd. This word properly means a leader, a prefect, a prince. It is a word of very general character, and might be applied to any leader or ruler. It is applied to an overseer, or, as we should say, a "secretary" of the treasury,
1 Chronicles 26:24;
2 Chronicles 31:12; an overseer of the temple,
1 Chronicles 9:11;
2 Chronicles 31:13; of the palace,
2 Chronicles 28:7; and of military affairs,
1 Chronicles 13:1;
2 Chronicles 32:21. It is also used absolutely to denote a prince of a people, any one of royal dignity,
1 Samuel 9:16;
1 Samuel 10:1;
1 Samuel 13:14. - Gesenius. So far as this word, therefore, is concerned, it would apply to any prince or leader, civil or military; any one of royal dignity, or who should distinguish himself, or make himself a leader in civil, ecclesiastical, or military affairs, or who should receive an appointment to any such station. It is a word which would be as applicable to the Messiah as to any other leader, but which has nothing in itself to make it necessary to apply it to him. All that can be fairly deduced from its use here is, that it would be some prominent leader; some one that would be known without anymore definite designation; someone on whom the mind would naturally rest, and someone to whom when he appeared it would be applied without hesitation and without difficulty. There can be no doubt that a Hebrew, in the circumstances of Daniel, and with the known views and expectations of the Hebrew people, would apply such a phrase to the Messiah
