Daniel 9:2

DANIEL—NOTE ON Daniel 9:2 Some interpreters understand the seventy years to extend from 605 B.C. to the first return of the exiles in 538, following Cyrus’s decree allowing the Jews to return. Others suggest that the 70 years extend from 586 B.C., when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, to 515, when the rebuilding of the temple was completed under Zerubbabel. Jeremiah 29:10 suggests that at the end of the 70 years Israel will pray to God and he will hear them. This passage may suggest a time when the temple is complete and is being used for prayer. Both interpretations are reasonable, but Daniel appears to be suggesting the first interpretation. At the end of the 70 years Babylon will be punished, which fits well with the events of 539 B.C.