Daniel 9:7
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | O LORD, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. | To You, O Lord, belongs righteousness, but this day we are covered with shame—the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel near and far, in all the countries to which You have driven us because of our unfaithfulness to You. | O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedDaniel 9:7 is part of Daniel's prayer of confession, offered after he read in Jeremiah that Jerusalem's desolation would last seventy years. He sets God's righteousness against his people's shame. The people of Judah, Jerusalem and all Israel, near or scattered far away, are in exile because they were unfaithful to God. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:3Daniel 9:4Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:8
SpeakingDaniel speaks, praying to the LORD in the first person. He was one of the young men of Judah taken to Babylon. Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:4Daniel overview
ToThe prayer is addressed to God himself ("O LORD"). Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:4
Also involvedThe verse speaks of the men of Judah, the people of Jerusalem, and all Israel, both those near and those driven into far countries. Verse 8 adds their kings, princes and fathers. Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:8
Daniel confesses that God is in the right and his people are rightly put to shame. Their scattering among the nations is the result of their own unfaithfulness. He does not blame God. He says the shame belongs to the people, "as at this day." Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:14Strong's H4604Strong's H1322
Daniel prayed in exile under Babylonian and then Persian rule. His prayer looks toward Jerusalem, which lay desolate, and toward Israelites scattered through many countries. Daniel overviewDaniel 9:7Daniel 9:17Jerusalem
The eventsThe prayer is set in the first year of Darius the Mede, after Babylon fell. Daniel was counting toward the end of Jeremiah's seventy years of Jerusalem's desolation. Daniel 9:1Daniel 9:2Daniel overview
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, while others hold to the 500s BC date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse states plainly why the exile happened: God is just, and the people were unfaithful. This confession prepares for Daniel's plea that God act out of mercy, not because of any righteousness in the people. Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:9Daniel 9:18
In the whole of ScriptureMoses warned that the LORD would scatter Israel among the nations, and Daniel says that curse has now come. The prayer is answered when Gabriel comes with the message of the seventy weeks. Deuteronomy 4:27Daniel 9:11Daniel 9:13Daniel 9:21Daniel 9:24
For readersThe verse shows honest confession that does not excuse sin or accuse God. Daniel's prayer also models how to come to God. It rests on his "great mercies," not on one's own record. Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:18Daniel overview
- righteousnessצִדְקָה
The word means right doing, and here it is said to belong to God. Verse 14 makes the same point: the LORD is righteous in all his works. So the exile was just, not unfair. Strong's H6666Daniel 9:14
- confusion (shame)בֹּ֫שֶׁת
The word means shame or a shameful thing. "Confusion of faces" therefore means public shame, not puzzlement, as in Jeremiah 3:25 and Psalm 44:15. Strong's H1322Jeremiah 3:25Psalms 44:15
- drivenנָדַח
The word means to thrust out or banish. Daniel names God as the one who banished his people, in line with the warning in Deuteronomy 4:27. Strong's H5080Deuteronomy 4:27
- trespassמַ֫עַל
The word means an unfaithful or treacherous act, against people or against God. Israel's sin is described as breaking faith with God, not only as breaking rules. Strong's H4604Strong's H4603
Takeaway
Daniel gives God the credit for being right and takes the shame on himself and his people. He then appeals to God's mercy. True confession agrees with God's verdict and then trusts his mercies and forgivenesses. Daniel 9:7Daniel 9:9Daniel 9:18
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.
Where
- Jerusalem settlementMapAbout this place
Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| O Lord | אֲדֹנָי֙ | 'a-do-NAI | H0136 | Lordאֲדֹנָי (a.do.nai) Lord - a title, spoken in place of Yahweh in Jewish display of reverence Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G) |
| the righteousness | הַצְּדָקָ֔ה | ha-tze-da-KAH | H6666 | righteousnessצִדְקָה (tsid.qah) right doing, doing right, righteousness Aramaic of tse.da.qah (צְדָקָה "righteousness" H6666) |
| [the] shame of | בֹּ֥שֶׁת | BO-shet | H1322 | shameבֹּ֫שֶׁת (bo.shet) 1) shame 1a) shame 1b) shameful thing |
| the faces | הַפָּנִ֖ים | ha-pa-NIM | H6440L | face: beforeפָּנֶה (pa.neh) : before/to/front 1) face 1a) face, faces 1b) presence, person 1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim) 1d) face (of animals) 1e) face, surface (of ground) 1f) as adv of loc/temp 1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before 1g) with prep 1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of |
| as the day | כַּיּ֣וֹם | kai-YOM | H3117L | 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 |
| the this | הַזֶּ֑ה | ha-ZEH | H2088 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| to everyone of | לְאִ֤ישׁ | le-'ISH | H0376I | manאִישׁ (ish) : man 1) man 1a) man, male (in contrast to woman, female) 1b) husband 1c) human being, person (in contrast to God) 1d) servant 1e) mankind 1f) champion 1g) great man 2) whosoever 3) each (adjective) |
| Judah | יְהוּדָה֙ | ye-hu-DAH | H3063G | Judahיְהוּד (ye.hud) A man of the tribe of Judah living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.29.35; son of: Israel (H3478) and Leah (H3812); brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783); half-brother of: Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); married to Bath-shua (H1323I) and Tamar (H8559); father of: Er (H6147), Onan (H0209), Shelah (H7956), Perez (H6557) and Zerah (H2226I) Aramaic of ye.hu.dah (יְהוּדָה "Judah" H3063) Judah-the territory of the tribe of Judah |
| and to [the] inhabitants of | וּלְיוֹשְׁבֵ֣י | u-le-yo-she-VEI | H3427 | to dwellיָשַׁב (ya.shav) 1) to dwell, remain, sit, abide 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sit, sit down 1a2) to be set 1a3) to remain, stay 1a4) to dwell, have one's abode 1b) (Niphal) to be inhabited 1c) (Piel) to set, place 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to sit 1d2) to cause to abide, set 1d3) to cause to dwell 1d4) to cause (cities) to be inhabited 1d5) to marry (give an dwelling to) 1e) (Hophal) 1e1) to be inhabited 1e2) to make to dwell Aramaic equivalent: ye.tiv (יְתִב "to dwell" H3488) |
| Jerusalem | יְרֽוּשָׁלִַ֔ם | ye-ru-sha-LIM | H3389 | Arielאֲרִיאֵל (a.ri.el) Ariel = "lion of God" or "lioness of God" Another name of ye.ru.sha.laim (יְרוּשָׁלִַ֫ם, יְרוּשְׁלֵם "Jerusalem" H3389) |
| and to all | וּֽלְכָל־ | u-le-khol- | H3605 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606) |
| Israel | יִשְׂרָאֵ֞ל | YIS-ra-'EL | H3478 | Jacobיַעֲקֹב (ya.a.qov) A man living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.25.26; son of: Isaac (H3327) and Rebekah (H7259); brother of: Esau (H6215); married to Rachel (H7354), Leah (H3812), Zilpah (H2153) and Bilhah (H1090A); father of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074), Dinah (H1783), Joseph (H3130) and Benjamin (H1144); also called Jacob frequently Another name of yis.ra.el (יִשְׂרָאֵל "Israel" H3478) § Jacob = "heel holder" or "supplanter" … |
| the near | הַקְּרֹבִ֣ים | ha-ke-ro-VIM | H7138 | nearקָרֹב (qa.rov) 1) near 1a) of place 1b) of time 1c) of personal relationship 1c1) kinship |
| and the far | וְהָרְחֹקִ֗ים | ve-ha-re-cho-KIM | H7350 | distantרָחֹק (ra.choq) adj 1) remote, far, distant, distant lands, distant ones 1a) of distance, time n m 2) distance 2a) from a distance (with prep) Aramaic equivalent: ra.chiq (רְחִיק "far" H7352) |
| in all | בְּכָל־ | be-khol | H3605 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606) |
| the lands | הָֽאֲרָצוֹת֙ | ha-'a-ra-tzOt | H0776G | land: country/planetאֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) : country/field 1) land, earth 1a) earth 1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part) 1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven) 1a3) earth (inhabitants) 1b) land 1b1) country, territory 1b2) district, region 1b3) tribal territory 1b4) piece of ground 1b5) land of Canaan, Israel 1b6) inhabitants of land 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world 1b8) city (-state) 1c) ground, surface of the earth 1c1) ground 1c2) soil 1d) (in phrases) 1d1) people of the land 1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance) 1d3) level or plain country 1d4) land of the living 1d5) end(s) of the earth … |
| where | אֲשֶׁ֣ר | 'a-SHER | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| you have banished them | הִדַּחְתָּ֣ם | hi-dach-TAM | H5080 | to banishנָדַח (na.dach) 1) to impel, thrust, drive away, banish 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to impel 1a2) to thrust away, banish 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be impelled 1b2) to be thrust out, be banished 1b2a) banished, outcast (participle) 1b3) to be driven away 1b4) to be thrust away, thrust aside 1c) (Pual) to be thrust into 1c1) thrust (participle) 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to thrust, move, impel 1d2) to thrust out, banish 1d3) to thrust away, thrust aside 1e) (Hophal) to be chased, be hunted 1e1) chased, hunted (participle) |
| there | שָׁ֔ם | Sham | H8033G | thereשָׁם (sham) 1) there, thither 1a) there 1b) thither (after verbs of motion) 1c) from there, thence 1d) then (as an adverb of time) Aramaic equivalent: tam.mah (תַּמָּה "there" H8536) |
| in unfaithfulness their | בְּמַעֲלָ֖ם | be-ma-'a-LAM | H4604 | unfaithfulnessמַ֫עַל (ma.al) 1) unfaithful or treacherous act, trespass 1a) against man 1b) against God |
| which | אֲשֶׁ֥ר | 'a-SHER | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| they acted unfaithfully | מָֽעֲלוּ־ | ma-'a-lu- | H4603 | be unfaithfulמָעַל (ma.al) 1) to act unfaithfully, act treacherously, transgress, commit a trespass 1a) (Qal) to act unfaithfully or treacherously 1a1) against man 1a2) against God 1a3) against devoted thing 1a4) against husband |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.