Bible Encyclopedia: Weeks

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International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

SEVENTY WEEKS

The "seventy weeks" of the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 have long been a subject of controversy in the critical schools. The conflicting views may be seen very fully in Dr. Driver's Daniel, 94;, 143;, and Dr. Pusey's Daniel the Prophet, lectionaries II, III, IV. On both sides it is agreed that the "weeks" in this prophecy are to be interpreted as "weeks of years," i.e. the 70 weeks represent 490 years. This period, commencing with "the going forth of the commandments to restore and build Jerus" (Daniel 9:25), is divided into three parts, 7 weeks (49 years), 62 weeks (434 years), and one week (7 years). The 69 weeks extend to the appearance of "an anointed one (Hebrew "Messiah"), the prince" (Daniel 9:25), who, after the 62 weeks, shall be "cut off" (Daniel 9:26), apparently in the "midst" of the 70th week (Daniel 9:27). On the traditional view (see Pusey), the 69 weeks (483 years) mark the interval from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem till the appearance of Christ; and if, with Pusey, the decree in question be taken to be that of the 7th year of Artaxerxes (457-56 B.C.; the mission of Ezra; compare Ezra 7:8;), confirmed and extended in the 20th year of the same king (mission of Nehemiah; compare Nehemiah 2:1;), the 483 years run out about 27-28 A.D., when our Lord's public ministry began. On the other hand, the view which supposes that the Book of Daniel belongs wholly to the Maccabean age, and does not here contain genuine prediction, is under the necessity of making the 490 years terminate with the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes (171-164 B.C.), and this, it is admitted, cannot be done. To give time the violent expedient is adopted of dating the commencement of the 70 weeks from the prophecy of Jeremiah of the 70 years' captivity, or of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (606 or 587 B.C.), i.e. before the captivity had begun. Even this, as Dr. Driver admits (p. 146), leaves us in 171 B.C., some 67 years short of the duration of the 62 weeks, and a huge blunder of the writer of Daniel has to be assumed. The divergent reckonings are legion, and are mutually contradictory (see table in Pusey, p. 217). To invalidate the older view Dr. Driver avails himself of the altered renderings of Daniel 9:25 and 27 in the English Revised Version. It is to be noted, however, that the American Standard Revised Version does not follow the English Revised Version in these changes. Thus, whereas the English Revised Version reads in 9:25, "Unto the anointed one; the prince, shall be seven weeks: and threescore and two weeks, it shall be built again," and accordingly takes "the anointed one" of 9:26 to be a distinct person, the American Standard Revised Version (as also the English Revised Version margin) reads, as in the King James Version, "shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks." Again, where the English Revised Version reads in Daniel 9:27 "For the half of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease," the American Standard Revised Version (and the English Revised Version margin) has as formerly, "In the midst of the week he shall cause" etc. (conversely, in 9:25 the American Revised Version margin gives the English Revised Version rendering). The question cannot be discussed here, but it is believed that the traditional interpretation may yet claim acceptance from those who do not accept the postulates of the newer critical writers.

See DANIEL; JUBILEES, BOOK OF.

James Orr

WEEKS, FEAST OF

See PENTECOST.

WEEKS, SEVENTY

See SEVENTY WEEKS.

Strong's Hebrew

7620. shabua -- a period of seven (days, years), heptad, week
... 7619, 7620. shabua. 7621 . a period of seven (days, years), heptad, week.
Transliteration: shabua Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-boo'-ah) Short Definition: weeks ...
/hebrew/7620.htm - 6k

Library

Fragment xvi. On the Seventy Weeks of Daniel. ...
... of Julius Africanus. Fragment XVI. On the Seventy Weeks of Daniel.� On
the Seventy Weeks of Daniel. 1. This passage, therefore ...
/.../africanus/the writings of julius africanus/fragment xvi on the seventy.htm

Answer to Mr. W's Fourth Objection.
... yet for the sake of an indisputable miracle in her resurrection, it must be granted,
that she ought to have been much longer, some days if not weeks, dead and ...
/.../section iv answer to mr.htm

"The Kingdom of God is at Hand"
... "Seventy weeks," said the angel, "are ... See Num.14:34; Ezek.4:6. The seventy weeks,
or four hundred and ninety days, represent four hundred and ninety years. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 23 the kingdom of.htm

Fragment xviii. On the Circumstances Connected with Our Saviour's ...
... suffer. And calculation makes out that the period of 70 weeks, as noted
in Daniel, is completed at this time. 2. From Artaxerxes ...
/.../the writings of julius africanus/fragment xviii on the circumstances.htm

Seventh Chapter
... Now tell me, dear son, how long a time wilt thou give me to learn this lesson?"
The man answered, "We will take five weeks, in honour of the five wounds of ...
/.../the history and life of the reverend doctor john tauler/seventh chapter.htm

On the Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Commandments of the Church
... Therefore the whole Easter-time is from the first Sunday of Lent"that is, seven
weeks before Easter"to Trinity Sunday, eight weeks after it, or fifteen ...
/.../kinkead/baltimore catechism no 4/lesson 36 on the third.htm

A Double Wrestling Match.
... A second day, a third, a fourth, a week, still no answer reaches them. They go quietly
on without hesitation. Two weeks. How long it must have seemed! ...
/.../gordon/quiet talks on prayer/a double wrestling match.htm

Ten Reasons Demonstrating the Commandment of the Sabbath to be ...
... So that as seven days make a week, four weeks a month, twelve months a year; so
seven years make a Sabbath of years; seven Sabbaths of years make a jubilee ...
/.../bayly/the practice of piety/ten reasons demonstrating the commandment.htm

The Master Learns his ABC
... me now, dear son," continued the Master sadly, "how long a time wilt thou give me
to learn this lesson?" The man answered, "We will take five weeks, in honour ...
/.../bevan/three friends of god/chapter x the master learns.htm

With the Rev. William Burns
... This was a great joy and encouragement to me; but before many weeks were over
complaints were made by the local authorities to the British Consul, who ...
//christianbookshelf.org/taylor/a retrospect/chapter xi with the rev.htm

ATS Bible Dictionary

Weeks

Or successive periods of seven days each, were known from the earliest times among nations remote from each other in Europe, Asia, and Africa, Genesis 29:27. See SABBATH.

The Hebrew had only numeral names for the days of the week, excepting the Sabbath; the names now current among us being borrowed from Saxon mythology. The Jews called Sunday "one of the Sabbath." A prophetic week and a week of years were each seven years; and a week of sabbatical years, or fortynine years, brought round the year of jubilee. In John 20:26, the disciples are said to have met again after "eight days," that is, evidently after a week, on the eighth day after our Lord's resurrection. See THREE.

For the "Feast of Weeks," see PENTECOST.

Easton's Bible Dictionary

Weeks, Feast of

see PENTECOST.

Thesaurus

Weeks (17 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Weeks, Feast of. see PENTECOST. Int. Standard
Bible Encyclopedia. SEVENTY WEEKS. The "seventy weeks" of ...
/w/weeks.htm - 16k

Pentecost (3 Occurrences)
... From the sixteenth of the month of Nisan (the second day of the Passover), seven
complete weeks, ie, forty-nine days, were to be reckoned, and this feast was ...
/p/pentecost.htm - 21k

Sevens (5 Occurrences)
... Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy city,
to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and ...
/s/sevens.htm - 8k

Sixty-two (8 Occurrences)
... and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem to the Anointed One, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and sixty ...
/s/sixty-two.htm - 8k

Adonijah (28 Occurrences)
... There is no reason to think that it lasted more than a few weeks. Later in the year
a few weeks are enough time to allow for the campaign against Sheba. ...
/a/adonijah.htm - 22k

Firstfruits (37 Occurrences)
... At the Feast of Weeks, seven weeks after the offering of the sheaf, bikkurim of
corn in the ear, parched with fire and bruised, were brought to the House of ...
/f/firstfruits.htm - 24k

First-fruits (45 Occurrences)
... At the Feast of Weeks, seven weeks after the offering of the sheaf, bikkurim of
corn in the ear, parched with fire and bruised, were brought to the House of ...
/f/first-fruits.htm - 27k

Week (18 Occurrences)
... From the beginning, time was divided into weeks, each consisting of six days of
working and one of rest (Genesis 2:2, 3; 7:10; 8:10, 12; 29:28). ...
/w/week.htm - 13k

Seventy (97 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Seventy weeks. A prophetic period mentioned in
Dan. 9:24 ... William Owen Carver. SEVENTY WEEKS. The "seventy ...
/s/seventy.htm - 47k

Gabriel (5 Occurrences)
... designate the angel who was sent to Daniel (8:16) to explain the vision of the ram
and the he-goat, and to communicate the prediction of the seventy weeks (Dan ...
/g/gabriel.htm - 9k

Bible Concordance

Weeks (17 Occurrences)

Acts 17:2 Paul, as was his custom, went in to them, and for three Sabbath days reasoned with them from the Scriptures,
(See RSV)

Exodus 34:22 "You shall observe the feast of weeks with the first fruits of wheat harvest, and the feast of harvest at the year's end.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 12:5 But if she bears a female child, then she shall be unclean two weeks, as in her period; and she shall continue in the blood of purification sixty-six days.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Leviticus 23:15 And ye shall count unto you from the morrow after the sabbath, from the day that ye brought the sheaf of the wave-offering; seven sabbaths shall there be complete:
(See JPS BBE DBY RSV NIV)

Leviticus 25:8 "'You shall count off seven Sabbaths of years, seven times seven years; and there shall be to you the days of seven Sabbaths of years, even forty-nine years.
(See RSV)

Numbers 28:26 "'Also in the day of the first fruits, when you offer a new meal offering to Yahweh in your feast of weeks, you shall have a holy convocation; you shall do no servile work;
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 16:9 You shall count for yourselves seven weeks: from the time you begin to put the sickle to the standing grain you shall begin to number seven weeks.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 16:10 You shall keep the feast of weeks to Yahweh your God with a tribute of a freewill offering of your hand, which you shall give, according as Yahweh your God blesses you:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Deuteronomy 16:16 Three times in a year shall all your males appear before Yahweh your God in the place which he shall choose: in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tents; and they shall not appear before Yahweh empty:
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

1 Kings 8:65 So Solomon and all Israel with him, a very great meeting, (for the people had come together from the way into Hamath to the river of Egypt,) kept the feast at that time before the Lord our God, for two weeks, even fourteen days.
(BBE)

2 Chronicles 8:13 even as the duty of every day required, offering according to the commandment of Moses, on the Sabbaths, and on the new moons, and on the set feasts, three times in the year, even in the feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tents.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Jeremiah 5:24 Neither say they in their heart, Let us now fear Yahweh our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season; who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Ezekiel 21:23 And it shall be unto them as a false divination in their sight, who have sworn oaths unto them; but he bringeth iniquity to remembrance, that they may be taken.
(See JPS)

Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Daniel 9:26 After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and its end shall be with a flood, and even to the end shall be war; desolations are determined.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV)

Daniel 10:2 In those days I, Daniel, was mourning three whole weeks.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Daniel 10:3 I ate no pleasant bread, neither came flesh nor wine into my mouth, neither did I anoint myself at all, until three whole weeks were fulfilled.
(WEB KJV JPS ASV BBE DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Weeks

Weeks: A Period of Time Consisting of Seven Days

Weeks: A Space of Seven Years Sometimes So Called

Weeks: Origin of Computing Time By

Weeks: The Feast of Pentecost Called the Feast of Weeks

Related Terms

Pentecost (3 Occurrences)

Sevens (5 Occurrences)

Sixty-two (8 Occurrences)

Adonijah (28 Occurrences)

Firstfruits (37 Occurrences)