Masorites, (which is no part of the original lan guage,) is the same. Repetition, too, in the Scriptures, for the sake of emphasis, is not un frequent. See an instance in Acts vii. 34. Bearing in mind, then, that Daniel's solicitude was about the seventy years, of which Jeremiah had made prophetic mention, we may take the following as a correct and literal translation of Gabriel's revelation.

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Seventy, seventy are determined, respecting thy people, and respecting thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to end sins, and to atone for iniquity, and to bring back the righteousness of ancient times, and to complete the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies. Know, now, and understand. From the going forth of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem to an anointed prince shall be seven weeks. And sixty-two weeks the area and the trench shall be being made, even during trouble of the times. And after these sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off, and there shall be nothing to him. And the people of the prince who shall succeed, shall lay waste the city and the sanctuary; yet his end shall be with a flood, but unto the end of a war desolations are appointed. And one week shall confirm a league with many; yet, in the midst of that week, shall sacrifice and offering be in a state of intermission, and on the place of defence shall be the abominations of the desolator. But to extermination, even an appointed one, it shall be poured on the desolator.'

"The angel here informs Daniel, that the Jews' captivity is certainly limited to a period of seventy years; that, at the expiration of that time, they

will, by their sufferings, have sufficiently atoned for their transgressions, and will return to their former piety; that the instructions of the vision which Daniel was, at that moment, enjoying, and the prophecy of Jeremiah will be fulfilled; and that the holy of holies, in the new temple, will be anointed. The phrase, holy of holies, is of frequent use in the Scriptures, with evident reference, elsewhere, to the innermost part of the tabernacle, or of the temple. Why, then, should the usage, in this place, be an exception? I cannot believe that it is. The tabernacle, which, before the days of Solomon, was used as the temple was afterwards, was consecrated by anointing. (See Ex. xxx. 26-29; also xl. 9, 10.) Hence, whatever might have been the real ceremony, the consecration of the second temple is represented as the anointing of it.

"The commandment to rebuild Jerusalem was Cyrus' decree, mentioned 2 Chron. xxxvi. 22, 23; Ezra i. 1-3; 1st Esdras ii. 1–5; and Josephus' Jewish Antiquities, book xi. chapter i. The anointed prince was Sheshbazzar or Zerubbabel, called the prince of Judah, Ezra i. 8; and here called an anointed prince, because he was of royal descent; and kings, being originally anointed, were ever afterwards termed anointed ones. From the time when Cyrus published his decree from the throne of Persia, before the Jews in Chaldea could rally under their prince Shesh bazzar, it would necessarily be about seven literal weeks.

"It is somewhat uncertain how we are to understand the words which I have here translated 'the area and the trench.' Gesenius refers the

former to the open space about the temple; and the latter he regards as the ditch around the fortified city. But whatever may be the definite application of these words, it is clear that they refer to some portion of the work which the Jews had to perform. Now Cyrus reigned seven or eight years. For a season, the Jews carried on their work in peace; but, near the close of his reign, they were disturbed by the Cutheans and other neighboring nations, who had been planted in Samaria. See Josephus, book xi. chapter ii., also Ezra iv. 15. History does not fix the precise length of this troublous time; but it certainly favors the supposition that it was sixtytwo weeks, according to the angel's prophetic declaration. At the expiration of these sixty-two weeks, Cyrus, an anointed one, (see Isaiah xlv. 1, and elsewhere,) was cut off effectually by his death, so that no power remained to him. Cambyses or Ahasuerus succeeded Cyrus; and, at the request of the Jews' enemies, forbade the building of the city and the temple; and these enemies carried his prohibition into effect. See Josephus, book xi. chapter ii., also Ezra iv. 6. The whole work was now thrown into confusion. Cambyses reigned six or eight years; and, on returning from an Egyptian expedition, to suppress a rebellion raised by the Pseudo Smerdis, or Smerdis the Magian, was wounded by his own sword, and suddenly died. Thus his end was with a flood or sudden; but the desolations of Jerusalem remained, till the end of the war with Smerdis; that is, during the period of his pos sessing the government, which, according to Josephus, (book xi. chapter iii.) was one year.

"After this, Darius ascended the Persian throne⚫ and Zerubbabel or Sheshbazzar, the prince of the Jews, visited Persia, and obtained a renewal of the decree of Cyrus, by which the people were allowed to resume the work at Jerusalem. See 1st Esdras, chapters iii. iv., also. Josephus, book xi. chapter iii. Josephus tells us, that Zerubbabel went immediately from Persia to Babylon; and that his countrymen there, on learning the good news, betook themselves to a festival of seven days, for the rebuilding and restoration of their country.' At the close of this feast, a multitude chose themselves rulers, and went up to Jerusalem rejoicing. Thus one week confirmed a league with many.of

"In the midst of that very week, however, while the Jews who had, till now, remained in Chaldea, were rejoicing, and preparing to go up and set forward the work at Jerusalem, everything, in the latter place, continued in the same desolation into which it had been thrown by the prohibitory decree of Cambyses. From the time of that decree till now, sacrifices and offerings had been prevented, and the Jews' place of defence had been desecrated. Whether by place of defence,' we understand the temple yet unfinished, or the fortifications which had been made around Jerusalem, the general sense is not affected; for every; thing valuable and sacred to the Jews was trams pled under foot by their enemies. That sacrifices and offerings had been presented on the altar of God before Cambyses' decree, we learn from Ezra iii. 1-7. That they were in a state of intermission from the time of executing that decree, till Zerubbabel and the Jews came up

from Chaldea to carry into effect Darius' decree, and that they were then resumed, is evident from Ezra vi. 8-10, also from 1st Esdras v. 47-50; and from Josephus, book xi. chapters iii. and iv. See also a mention of the desolations, made under Cambyses' decree, in 1st Esdras ii. 30, and in Josephus, book xi. chapter iii.

'Under Darius' decree, the Jews went forward with the work of rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple, and the latter was dedicated in the sixth year of this monarch's reign. See Ezra vi. 15 -18; 1st Esdras vii. 5; also Josephus, book xi. chapter iv. The Jews' enemies were thus completely defeated in their designs, and were com pelled to cease from their opposition, and leave the Jews undisturbed in the enjoyment of their religious privileges. Thus did God bless his people, and pour out, to extermination, his displeasure on their enemies, the desolators of the holy place. See various expressions in Ezra, 1st Esdras, and Josephus.

From the exposition thus given, we see that the particulars enumerated in the last three verses of the 9th chapter of Daniel end just where the 24th verse leads us to expect them to end; that is, at the dedication of the second temple. True, the fortifications of Jerusalem were not completed, till many years afterwards; but the captivity might be considered as closed, when all the means of worshipping the true God, and conducting the ceremonies of the Jewish religion were restored. Objections to the above view may easily be started, and, I believe, as easily obviated. Perhaps, in the minds of some, the most serious objection will be the fact, that Christ applies to

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