While nearly all Christians agree that the first part of the 70 week (490 year) prophecy of Daniel 9 calculates to the time of Christ, the interpretations of the latter part varies greatly—so much so to describe completely different characters, actions, time frames and outcomes. The two main schools of thought are between the Preterist and Eschatologist. The Preterist assert that Daniel 9 was fulfilled in 70 A.D. and usually hold to the translation of the King James Version Bible (KJV). The Eschatologists assert that these events are futuristic and they usually hold to the modern translations such as the New International Version (NIV). But the difference between these two views hinge mainly on the translation of one word: “Desolate” at the end of verse 27. Here we will examine the two different translations of that word.
KJV: 9:25 “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (26) And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (Roman’s) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (27) And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it (Jerusalem) desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Jerusalem).”
NIV: 9:25 “from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. (26) After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler (Roman’s) who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. (27) He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven. In the middle of the ‘seven he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing ‹of the temple› he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him (the desolator).”
As you can see, the main differences between these two translations are that they differ as to WHO the consummation or end will be poured out upon. The KJV says it will be poured out upon Jerusalem; while the NIV translates that it will be poured out upon the desolator (he who caused the desolation of Jerusalem). This is a very big difference with very different events and outcomes. So which one is correct?
Which version is correct can be found simply by looking at the Hebrew word used at the end of verse 27. That word is “shaw-mame” (H8074) which simply means “desolate”. The KJV translates it as “desolate” while the NIV translates it as “him” implying the desolator. But the word “shaw-mame” is a VERB which can be used in the past, present or future tense form (desolate, to desolate, to be desolate, desolated or desolation) depending on the context. The Strong’s Hebrew Concordance classifies the “shaw-mame” of verse 27 as the past tense form the desolate or the desolated (H8076). This word is translated other places as destroyed, laid waste and astonished. Now while there is a noun form for the word desolate (which would describe a desolator), that was NOT the word used here. However, the NIV incorrectly translates this word as a NOUN.
Conclusion: The translators of the NIV and any of the other modern translations which translate the word shaw-mame as “him” or “the desolator” have actually replaced the correct word with another word—most likely to fit a theological view. Thus, between the KJV and the NIV—the KJV is the correct translation of Daniel 9:27:
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah (Jesus) be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come (Rome) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and after* the war desolations (of Jerusalem) are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and by the overspreading of abominations he shall make it (Jerusalem) desolate, even until the consummation (final destruction) that is determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Jerusalem).” Dan 9:26-27 KJV
While Jerusalem was completely destroyed in 70 AD, that destruction did not fulfill the “consummation”; for the prophecy says that AFTER the “war” between Rome and the Jews (wherein Jerusalem is destroyed), “desolations are determined” (many years of desolation), until the “consummation” (final destruction) of the “desolate” (Jerusalem). The consummation is speaking of the end of the physical world wherein everything physical is completely destroyed for good. But, one may ask, has Jerusalem really been desolate since 70 AD, and is it desolate today? In Matthew 23:38, Jesus said to the Jews “your house (the Temple) is left to you desolate”. In the Bible, a desolation usually means a time when the Temple, Jerusalem and or the Promised Land is void of God’s presence and or Israelites for an extended period of time—to the point that it becomes a wasteland. So even though there have been people living in the old Promised Land since the destruction of 70 AD; there have been NO Israelites living there; and God’s presence has never returned, nor will it. Indeed the Kingdom (Israel) will never be located in that desert land ever again. For through KING Jesus, the Kingdom (Israel) was transformed and transferred to His Kingdom that is “not of this world”. And God’s presence now and forevermore will reside in “the New Jerusalem which is above”. Moreover, one can ONLY become a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom through faith in its King (Jesus) and by receiving His Holy Spirit through whom we obtain spiritual passage and residence. So in short, Israel was transformed from a physical Kingdom into a Spiritual Kingdom, and if you do not have the Spirit, you are not an Israelite. The Apostle Paul explained this in Romans 2 and 9:
“A person is NOT a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit…” Rom 2:28
“For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise (the Spirit) who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” Rom 9:6
So again because King Jesus transformed Israel into a Kingdom of the Spirit, one must now have His Spirit in order to be an Israelite. Those who claim to be Israelites based solely on their physical lineage or circumcision are NOT to be considered Israelites anymore. Even though they believe they have regained their old Promised Land and have replenished it with Israelites, in reality the land is actually still “desolate”—for it is still void of God’s presence, TRUE Israelites, and thus a spiritual wasteland—which will eventually be destroyed for good, in the coming consummation.
*The Latin Vulgate renders it, et post finem belli statuta desolatio—“and after the end of the war, desolation is determined.”