Daniel 12:11
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. | And from the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation set up, there will be 1,290 days. | And from the time that the continual burnt-offering shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has just asked, "What shall be the end of these things?" after hearing of "a time, times, and an half" (12:7-8). This verse answers with a fixed span: 1,290 days from the time the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination that makes desolate is set up. The next verse adds a blessing on the one who waits and reaches 1,335 days (12:12). Daniel 12:7Daniel 12:8Daniel 12:11Daniel 12:12
SpeakingThe man clothed in linen, standing above the waters of the river, answers Daniel. Daniel calls him "my Lord" (12:6-9). Daniel 12:6Daniel 12:7Daniel 12:8Daniel 12:9
ToDaniel, who heard but did not understand and asked what the end would be (12:8). Daniel 12:8Daniel 12:9
Also involvedDaniel's people, "the holy people," whose power is scattered before all these things are finished (12:7). In the time of trouble, "every one that shall be found written in the book" is delivered (12:1). The wise will understand, while the wicked will not (12:10). Daniel 12:1Daniel 12:7Daniel 12:10
The verse gives a count of days that starts when the regular offering at the sanctuary is stopped and a detestable, desolating thing is put in its place. Daniel 11:31 uses the same words: forces "take away the daily sacrifice" and "place the abomination that maketh desolate." Daniel 9:27 also speaks of the sacrifice being made to cease and of abominations bringing desolation. Daniel 12:11Daniel 11:31Daniel 9:27
Daniel sees this vision beside a river, with one figure on each bank and the man in linen above the waters (12:5-7). The book was written from Babylon, where Daniel served under Babylonian and Persian kings. Daniel 12:5Daniel 12:6Daniel 12:7Daniel overview
The eventsThe events lie in the future from Daniel's day, at "the time of the end" (12:4, 12:9). Jesus later spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as something his hearers would see, and told those in Judaea to flee (Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14). Daniel 12:4Daniel 12:9Matthew 24:15Mark 13:14
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC; his visions run to the third year of Cyrus, about 536 BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the final form to about 167-164 BC under Antiochus IV, while others keep the 500s BC date, citing Matthew 24:15. Daniel overview
HereThe verse answers Daniel's question about the end by showing that the time of desolation has a set limit, counted in days. Elsewhere Scripture also measures the oppressor's time with a fixed span: "a time and times and the dividing of time" (Daniel 7:25) and "forty and two months" (Revelation 11:2, 13:5). Daniel 12:8Daniel 12:11Daniel 7:25Revelation 11:2Revelation 13:5
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men" and that his kingdom will never be destroyed. Even the worst trouble runs only as long as God allows, and it ends in deliverance and resurrection (12:1-2, 12:13). Daniel overviewDaniel 12:1Daniel 12:2Daniel 12:13
For readersReaders are called to wait faithfully: "Blessed is he that waiteth" (12:12). The wise will understand (12:10), and Jesus told those who read Daniel to "understand" (Matthew 24:15). He also told those in Judaea to flee to the mountains when they saw the abomination of desolation (Mark 13:14). Daniel 12:12Daniel 12:10Matthew 24:15Mark 13:14
Christians read this differently
The verse does not say which event starts the count, and no cited Scripture fixes it exactly. Some Christians read it as the desolation Jesus warned his own hearers they would see, when those in Judaea were to flee (Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14). Others read it as a still-future end-time desolation, linking it with the fixed spans of Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 11:2 and 13:5, and Christians also differ on whether the days are counted literally or stand for a set period. Daniel 12:11Matthew 24:15Mark 13:14Daniel 7:25Revelation 11:2Revelation 13:5
- daily (sacrifice)תָּמִיד
The Hebrew word means "continuity, perpetuity" and here is rendered "the perpetual [offering]." It points to the regular, ongoing worship at the sanctuary that is cut off (11:31). Strong's H8548Daniel 11:31
- abominationשִׁקּוּץ
The word means a "detestable thing or idol." What is set up is a detested thing placed where the daily sacrifice had been (11:31). Strong's H8251Daniel 11:31
- maketh desolateשָׁמֵם
The word's senses include to be desolate, to devastate, and to appal or cause horror. Daniel 11:31 and 9:27 tie this abomination to the desolation of the sanctuary. Strong's H8074GDaniel 11:31Daniel 9:27
Takeaway
Daniel 12:11 tells Daniel that the desolation of the sanctuary has a fixed, numbered end. God sets the limit of the trouble, and he blesses the one who keeps waiting (12:12). Daniel 12:11Daniel 12:12Daniel 12:13
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and from [the] time | וּמֵעֵת֙ | u-me-'ET | H6256 | timeעֵת (et) 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion |
| [when] it was abolished | הוּסַ֣ר | hu-SAR | H5493G | departedיָסוּר (ya.sur) those departing, revolting |
| the perpetual [offering] | הַתָּמִ֔יד | ha-ta-MID | H8548 | continuallyתָּמִיד (ta.mid) 1) continuity, perpetuity, to stretch 1a) continually, continuously (as adverb) 1b) continuity (subst) |
| and to [the] setting up of | וְלָתֵ֖ת | ve-la-TET | H5414H | to give: giveנָתַן (na.tan) : give/deliver/send/produce 1) to give, put, set 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to give, bestow, grant, permit, ascribe, employ, devote, consecrate, dedicate, pay wages, sell, exchange, lend, commit, entrust, give over, deliver up, yield produce, occasion, produce, requite to, report, mention, utter, stretch out, extend 1a2) to put, set, put on, put upon, set, appoint, assign, designate 1a3) to make, constitute 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be given, be bestowed, be provided, be entrusted to, be granted to, be permitted, be issued, be published, be uttered, be assigned 1b2) to be set, be put, be made, be inflicted … |
| [the] abomination | שִׁקּ֣וּץ | shi-KUTZ | H8251 | abominationשִׁקּוּץ (shiq.quts) detestable thing or idol, abominable thing, abomination, idol, detested thing |
| desolating | שֹׁמֵ֑ם | sho-MEM | H8074G | be desolate: destroyedשָׁמֵם (sha.mem) : destroyed/deserted 1) to be desolate, be appalled, stun, stupefy 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be desolated, be deflowered, be deserted, be appalled 1a2) to be appalled, be awestruck 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be desolated, be made desolate 1b2) to be appalled 1c) (Polel) 1c1) to be stunned 1c2) appalling, causing horror (participle) 1c2a) horror-causer, appaller (subst) 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to devastate, ravage, make desolated 1d2) to appal, show horror 1e) (Hophal) to lay desolate, be desolated 1f) (Hithpolel) 1f1) to cause to be desolate 1f2) to be appalled, be astounded … |
| [will be] days | יָמִ֕ים | ya-MIM | H3117G | dayיוֹם (yom) : day/when/time/period 1) day, time, year 1a) day (as opposed to night) 1b) day (24 hour period) 1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1 1b2) as a division of time 1b2a) a working day, a day's journey 1c) days, lifetime (pl.) 1d) time, period (general) 1e) year 1f) temporal references 1f1) today 1f2) yesterday 1f3) tomorrow |
| one thousand | אֶ֖לֶף | 'E-lef | H0505G | thousandאֶ֫לֶף (e.leph) : thousand 1) a thousand 1a) as numeral 2) a thousand, company 2a) as a company of men under one leader, troops |
| two hundred | מָאתַ֥יִם | ma-TA-yim | H3967 | hundredמֵאָה (me.ah) 1) hundred 1a) as simple number 1b) as part of larger number 1c) as a fraction-one one-hundredth (1/100) Aramaic equivalent: me.ah (מְאָה "hundred" H3969) |
| and ninety | וְתִשְׁעִֽים׃ | ve-tish-'IM | H8673 | ninetyתִּשְׁעִים (tish.im) ninety |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.