Who is the "he" that makes a covenant in Daniel 9:27? Canonical Setting Daniel 9:24-27 forms the capstone of Gabriel’s revelation concerning “seventy weeks” (literally, seventy sevens). Verse 27 belongs to the final, still-future “week,” distinct from the sixty-nine that culminated with Messiah’s first coming (Daniel 9:25-26). Text “He will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations will come the desolator, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.” (Daniel 9:27) Immediate Hebrew Grammar 1. “He” = וְהִגְבִּיר (we·higbîr): 3rd masc. sing. 2. The most proximate masculine singular antecedent is “the prince who is to come” (הַנָּגִיד הַבָּא) in v. 26, not “Messiah” who was cut off earlier in the verse and described with a definite article (“the Messiah”) but without the title “prince.” 3. The verb higbîr means “to make strong / cause a prevailing,” implying the enforcement or strengthening of an already-existing accord—language alien to the New Covenant, which is unilaterally inaugurated, not renegotiated. Antecedent Identification: “The Prince Who Is to Come” Verse 26 contrasts two figures: • “Messiah” (הַמָּשִׁיחַ) — cut off after the sixty-nine sevens. • “The prince who is to come” — linked to “the people” who destroy the city and sanctuary (fulfilled by the Roman legions under Titus AD 70). Because Hebrew often treats a near predicate nominative (“the prince”) as the grammatical antecedent, the singular pronoun of v. 27 naturally points to that same ruler. Prophetic Profile of the Coming Prince (Antichrist) • Confirms (“makes strong”) a seven-year covenant with “many” (Israel and allied nations). • Violates it after 3½ years, stopping temple rites. • Sets up an “abomination that causes desolation,” echoing Daniel 11:31; 12:11 and anticipated by Jesus in Matthew 24:15. • Meets final judgment (Daniel 9:27b; Revelation 19:20). Paul supplies the same chronology: a “man of lawlessness” who “takes his seat in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). Why the ‘He’ Is Not Christ 1. Christ’s covenant is everlasting (Hebrews 13:20) and is sealed by His own blood, not annulled halfway. 2. Jesus never abolished temple sacrifices during His earthly ministry; His crucifixion provided final atonement but did not forcibly “put an end” to daily offerings until AD 70—forty years later. 3. The “abomination” language portrays desecration, antithetical to Christ’s holiness. 4. Daniel’s pattern of alternating subjects in vv. 26-27 shows a chiasm: Messiah (26a) → people/prince (26b) → prince (27). Foreshadows and Types Antiochus IV Epiphanes (167 BC) halted sacrifices and erected Zeus’ statue (1 Macc 1:54-59). Titus’ Roman standards (AD 70) repeated the motif. Both foreshadows validate the future, climactic Antichrist but fail to match the precise seven-year covenant. Inter-Textual Harmony • Daniel 7:23-26 – Little Horn speaks boasts, persecutes saints 3½ years. • Revelation 13:5 – Beast exercises authority 42 months. • Revelation 11:2-3; 12:6, 14 – Same 1,260-day / time-times-half-time schema. All converge on a single eschatological despot, not Messiah. Archaeological Corroboration The Arch of Titus in Rome depicts the looted menorah, material evidence for the destruction predicted in v. 26 and reinforcing the link between Rome and the End-Time ruler of a revived form of that empire (Daniel 2 & 7’s fourth kingdom). The Covenant Itself Hebrew: berith = treaty, alliance. Prophecy implies geopolitical leverage—plausible only in a coming global leader. Historic peace accords (e.g., Camp David 1978, Abraham Accords 2020) demonstrate the modern feasibility of a seven-year Mideast pact, supplying the contemporary stage for Daniel 9:27 without providing fulfillment yet. The Mid-Week Termination When the covenant is broken, sacrifice ceases. This presupposes a functioning third temple. Temple-ready articles (Temple Institute, Jerusalem), the red-heifer breeding program, and Sanhedrin recrudescence illustrate the accelerating convergence toward this prophecy. Sovereign Purpose God allows the Antichrist’s brief ascendancy to complete judgment on unbelief and to bring Israel to national repentance (Zechariah 12:10; Romans 11:26). The 70th week climaxes in Christ’s visible return (Matthew 24:29-31) when “the kingdoms of the world become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ” (Revelation 11:15). Salvific Implication Prophecy validates Scripture’s divine authorship (Isaiah 46:9-10). Because the 69 sevens pinpointed Messiah’s first advent (fulfilling Psalm 22; Isaiah 53), the unfulfilled 70th week underlines the urgency to embrace the risen Christ now (Acts 17:30-31). The same God who foretells judgment extends grace to “all who call upon the name of the Lord” (Romans 10:13). Conclusion The “he” of Daniel 9:27 is the future Antichrist, the malevolent “prince who is to come.” Hebrew syntax, canonical cross-references, partial historical foreshadows, manuscript evidence, and contemporary geopolitical developments collectively affirm this identification and magnify the reliability of God’s prophetic word. |
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