Daniel 9:5
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: | we have sinned and done wrong. We have acted wickedly and rebelled. We have turned away from Your commandments and ordinances. | we have sinned, and have dealt perversely, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even turning aside from thy precepts and from thine ordinances; |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel has read in Jeremiah that Jerusalem's ruin would last seventy years, and he turns to God with fasting and confession. This verse opens that confession. He piles up four words for Israel's wrong and sums them up as turning away from God's commandments and judgments. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:4Daniel 9:5
SpeakingDaniel, praying in his own voice. He was one of the young men of Judah taken to Babylon. Daniel 9:4Daniel 9:20Daniel overview
ToThe LORD, the great and dreadful God who keeps covenant and mercy. Daniel 9:4
Also involvedThe "we" is Daniel together with his people. It covers Judah, Jerusalem and all Israel, near and far, along with their kings, princes and fathers. Daniel 9:6Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:8Daniel 9:20
Daniel confesses that Israel has sinned, done wrong, acted wickedly and rebelled by leaving God's commandments. He does not blame God. He says righteousness belongs to God and shame belongs to us. Daniel 9:5Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:14
Daniel is in exile in Babylon, in the former realm of the Chaldeans. Jerusalem and its sanctuary lie desolate far away. Daniel 9:1Daniel 9:17Daniel overview
The eventsThe prayer comes in the first year of Darius the Mede, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans after Babylon fell. In that year Daniel understood from Jeremiah's words that Jerusalem's desolation would last seventy years. Daniel 9:1Daniel 9:2Daniel overview
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote it in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, while others hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereHonest confession comes before Daniel's plea for mercy. He asks God to act for His own name and great mercies, not for Israel's righteousness. Daniel 9:16Daniel 9:18Daniel 9:19
In the whole of ScriptureThe exile came as the curse written in the law of Moses, because Israel left God's law and ignored the prophets. Psalm 106:6 and Isaiah 64:5-7 use the same kind of confession for the people. Daniel 9:6Daniel 9:11Daniel 9:13Psalms 106:6Isaiah 64:5Isaiah 64:7
For readersWhile Daniel was still confessing, God sent Gabriel with an answer. God promises in Malachi 3:7, "Return unto me, and I will return unto you." Daniel 9:20Daniel 9:21Daniel 9:23Malachi 3:7
- we have sinnedחָטָא
The word means to miss, to miss the goal or path of right and duty, and to incur guilt. Daniel repeats it in 9:15 and in 9:11. Strong's H2398Daniel 9:15Daniel 9:11
- we have rebelledמָרַד
It means to rebel or revolt, whether against a human king or against God. Daniel says it again in 9:9, where he adds that mercies and forgivenesses still belong to God. Strong's H4775Daniel 9:9
- departingסוּר
It means to turn aside or depart from the way. Daniel uses the same idea in 9:11 for all Israel. In Psalm 18:21 the speaker says he has not wickedly departed from God, and Hebrews 3:12 warns against departing from the living God. Strong's H5493IDaniel 9:11Psalms 18:21Hebrews 3:12
Takeaway
Daniel, a faithful man, still says "we" and owns his people's sin without excuse. He then asks God for mercy because of God's own mercies, not because of any merit of his own. Daniel 9:5Daniel 9:18Daniel 9:20
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| we have sinned | חָטָ֥אנוּ | cha-TA-nu | H2398 | to sinחָטָא (cha.ta) 1) to sin, miss, miss the way, go wrong, incur guilt, forfeit, purify from uncleanness 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to miss 1a2) to sin, miss the goal or path of right and duty 1a3) to incur guilt, incur penalty by sin, forfeit 1b) (Piel) 1b1) to bear loss 1b2) to make a sin-offering 1b3) to purify from sin 1b4) to purify from uncleanness 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to miss the mark 1c2) to induce to sin, cause to sin 1c3) to bring into guilt or condemnation or punishment 1d) (Hithpael) 1d1) to miss oneself, lose oneself, wander from the way 1d2) to purify oneself from uncleanness |
| and we have committed iniquity | וְעָוִ֖ינוּ | ve-'a-VI-nu | H5753B | to pervertעָוָה (a.vah) 1) to commit iniquity, do wrong, pervert 1a) (Qal) to do wrong, commit iniquity 1b) (Hiphil) to commit iniquity |
| we have acted wickedly | הִרְשַׁ֣עְנוּ | ve-hir-sha'-nu | H7561 | be wickedרָשַׁע (ra.sah) 1) to be wicked, act wickedly 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to be wicked, act wickedly 1a2) to be guilty, be condemned 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to condemn as guilty (in civil relations) 1b2) to condemn as guilty (in ethical or religious relations) 1b3) to act wickedly (in ethics and religion) |
| and we have rebelled | וּמָרָ֑דְנוּ | u-ma-RA-de-nu | H4775 | to rebelמָרַד (ma.rad) 1) to rebel, revolt, be rebellious 1a) (Qal) to rebel, revolt 1a1) against human king 1a2) against God 1a3) against light (poetic) |
| and we have turned aside | וְס֥וֹר | ve-SOR | H5493I | to turn aside: removeסוּר (sur) : remove 1) to turn aside, depart 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto 1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid 1a3) to be removed 1a4) to come to an end 1b) (Polel) to turn aside 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose 1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish 1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed |
| from commandments your | מִמִּצְוֹתֶ֖ךָ | mi-mitz-vo-TE-kha | H4687 | commandmentמִצְוָה (mits.vah) 1) commandment 1a) commandment (of man) 1b) the commandment (of God) 1c) commandment (of code of wisdom) |
| and from judgments your | וּמִמִּשְׁפָּטֶֽיךָ׃ | u-mi-mish-pa-TEI-kha | H4941G | justice: judgementמִשְׁפָּט (mish.pat) : judgement/punishment 1) judgment, justice, ordinance 1a) judgment 1a1) act of deciding a case 1a2) place, court, seat of judgment 1a3) process, procedure, litigation (before judges) 1a4) case, cause (presented for judgment) 1a5) sentence, decision (of judgment) 1a6) execution (of judgment) 1a7) time (of judgment) 1b) justice, right, rectitude (attributes of God or man) 1c) ordinance 1d) decision (in law) 1e) right, privilege, due (legal) 1f) proper, fitting, measure, fitness, custom, manner, plan |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.