Troublesome Topic: Was Daniel Referring to Antiochus or Titus?

No verb is given in Hebrew. One option would be to say “until the Messiah does what only the Messiah can do.” However, the word “comes” seems to fit well here and is less cumbersome. I think we all agree that this must refer to more than just his arrival as a baby, or even the beginning of His public ministry. I believe the concept of “coming as Messiah” pertains to the establishment of His rule as uncontested king. So “come” here means “He is proven to be the Messiah and His rule is fully established as He desired it to be.”

Can also be rendered “seven weeks.” I have chosen to use “sets of seven” in order to guide our focus away from the idea of time and toward the type of activity going on.

In symbolism 62 is smaller than 7 because 7 points to completeness and 62 points to something that is lacking because it is short of 70.

In ancient times, cities had ditches running down the middle of the streets that would carry sewage under the city gates and out of town. That is what this “trench” is referring to. A strong rain would wash away most of the sewage but the rest of the time it just sat there. This reference to streets and trenches is indicating a city built according to the normal pattern. It is a way of saying that everything will seem normal and proper.

The Hebrew says, “but not,” or “and nothing.” Translators have struggled to interpret this; some choose to say “and will have nothing,” others prefer “and will appear to accomplish nothing,” others “and will be no more,” while others choose “but not for himself.” I prefer the idea of “and will appear to have accomplished nothing” because it seems to fit better with the rest of what is being communicated. But we cannot say conclusively because some assumptions must be made.

“A prince that is to come” refers to a different prince, an evil ruler.

“Sanctuary” means the temple. Since it is clear that this refers to events after the death of the Messiah, and since the description of the destruction of the temple is clear, it must refer to AD 70 when the Romans, under Titus, destroyed Jerusalem and the temple.

The war being referred to here is likely the resistance of the Jews to the Romans.

This last clause is either a parenthetical clause or it should go earlier in the sentence, as demonstrated in the paraphrase column. Throughout that war things will be very difficult but then things will escalate to an abrupt termination.

The way this was fulfilled seems to have been that some of the ruling class of Israel went along with Antiochus and he made a covenant with them. We can assume that as part of that covenant they pledged him their loyalty and he promised to treat them well. Then he changed his mind and did whatever he wanted. Josephus says it this way: “pretending peace, he (Antiochus) got possession of the city by treachery… he ventured to break the league (covenant) he had made” (The Antiquities of the Jews, chapter 5, #4, year 168).

What is meant by “in the middle of the seven?” It can be the center in time, or more likely, the central point of the spiritually relevant activity that was going on. My paraphrase column expresses it as “at the heart of” which I believe to be the intent. Antiochus was opposing the worship of the God of the Jews. No act expresses that opposition better than the removal of the temple’s original altars, the building of a new altar dedicated to Zeus on which pigs were sacrificed every day.

From Josephus’s history called, Antiquities of the Jews, we learn the following: “So he (Antiochus) left the temple bare; and took away the golden candlesticks, and the golden altar [of incense,] and table [of shew bread,] and the altar [of burnt-offering:] and did not abstain from even the veils… He forbad them to offer those daily sacrifices which they used to offer to God, according to the law. And when the King had built an idol altar upon God’s altar, he slew swine upon it, and so offered a sacrifice neither according to the law, nor the Jewish religious worship in that country. He also compelled them to forsake the worship which they paid their own God, and to adore those whom he took to be Gods; and made them build temples, and raise idol altars in every city and village; and offer swine upon them every day” (Antiquities, chapter 5, #4, year 168). So we see that Antiochus did indeed stop the sacrifices for a time; he even removed both altars from the temple and built his own altar in its place on which a pig was sacrificed each day.

Something needs to be added here because no verb is provided; “will come” is a logical choice. It is a broad term with many possible meanings. “To come out” is the idea here, expressed in the paraphrase column as “will reveal himself.”