Daniel 9:17

"Lord, according to all your righteousness, please let your anger and your wrath be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain; because for our sins and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people have become a reproach to all who are around us."

Key Reflection

Daniel 9:17 reflects Daniel's profound plea for God’s mercy on Jerusalem, invoking God’s righteousness as his justification. This prayer acknowledges the city’s current disgrace and its ancestors' transgressions, seeking divine intervention to avert further wrath upon the holy city and its inhabitants. By referencing God’s inherent justice and righteousness, Daniel appeals to the very character of the Lord, highlighting the severity of the situation while grounding his plea in faith that even in judgment, mercy prevails.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Now, therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of thy servant -In behalf of the people. He pleaded for his people and country, and earnestly entreated the Lord to be merciful. His argument is based on the confession of sin; on the character of God; on the condition of the city and temple; on the former Divine interpositions in behalf of the people; and by all these considerations, he pleads with God to have mercy upon his people and land. And cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary -Upon the temple. That is, that he would look upon it benignly and favorably.

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