Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Ver. 24. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people,] i.e., Seventy weeks of years; ten jubilees, which make up four hundred and ninety years. Thus the very time is here particularly foretold when the Messiah should be revealed and put to death. The like hereunto is not to be found in any other of the prophets, as Jerome well observeth. This, therefore, is a noble prophecy, and many great wits have been exercised about it. Cornelius a Lapide speaketh of one learned gentleman who ran out of his wits, after many years' study upon it. The doctors are much divided about the beginning and ending of these seventy weeks. "From the outgoing of the word," Dan 9:25 seemeth to me to fix the beginning of these weeks on Cyrus's decree concerning the holy city and the temple to be rebuilding. The end and period of them must he at the death of Christ, though some will have it at the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. I choose rather thus to compute than to dispute. It is well observed by the learned that the Jews, after their seventy years' captivity, have seven seventies of years granted for the enjoying of their own country (God's mercies bear the same proportion to his punishments which seven - a complete number - have to n unit), besides the mercy of mercies, the grace of the Messiah.
Upon thy people.] Of whose welfare thou art so solicitous and inquisitive.
To finish the transgression.] Transgressionem illam; that great transgression of our first parents in paradise; that whereby sin entered into the world, and death by sin. Rom 5:12 Now Christ, by his death, took away the power, and destroyed the dominion of all sin. Rom 6:11-12
And to make an end of sins.] Heb., To seal up sins, that they come not into God's sight against us, ever to be charged upon us. A metaphor, say some, from the Jews' manner of writing in rolls, which, being wrapped up, and sealed on the backside, all the writing was covered.
And to make reconciliation for iniqulty,] viz., By the expiatory and propitiatory sacrifice of himself for his elect, whereby the divine justice is fully satisfied.
And to bring in everlasting righteousness.] Those "righteousnesses of the saints," Rev 19:8 both imputed and imparted righteousness, called here "everlasting," as that which shall make the saints accepted of God for ever, never can be lost as Adam's was.
And to seal up the vision and prophecy,] i.e., To fulfil all the prophetic predictions concerning the life and death of the Lord Christ.
And to anoint the most holy.] This was done when Christ was baptized, say some; but others better, when he ascended into heaven, consecrating it to the service of God therein to be performed by the elect throughout all eternity; like as Moses once consecrated the most holy place to the ceremonial service there to be performed by the high priest.