Daniel 9:26 tells us that after a period of sixty-two weeks, an anointed figure will be cut off and left with nothing, and that the people of a coming ruler will destroy Jerusalem and its sanctuary. The verse is part of a longer answer the angel Gabriel gives to Daniel, who had been praying for his people and for the ruined city. It is a prophecy spoken to Daniel during the Babylonian exile, looking ahead to hard events in the life of Israel.
After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off, and will have nothing. The people of the prince who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end. Desolations are determined.
Daniel 9:26 (WEB)
What Daniel 9:26 Means
The verse begins by setting a time frame: “after the sixty-two weeks.” Within the larger vision these are weeks of years, so the sixty-two weeks point to a span of time that is measured from a decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The phrase “the Anointed One will be cut off, and will have nothing” describes a violent death that leaves the person without what might have been expected of him. The verse does not say why this happens or who carries it out. It simply records the event as part of the unfolding plan.
The next part speaks of “the people of the prince who come” who will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Here the verse describes destruction through war and flood-like force, and it says the conflict will last to the end. The final line, “desolations are determined,” tells the reader that this ruin is not random. It stands within God’s decided purpose. What the verse does not promise is rescue within these events. It reports judgment and hardship, and it leaves the larger hope to the rest of the chapter.
The Context of Daniel 9:26
The book of Daniel is traditionally attributed to Daniel himself, a young Jewish man taken to Babylon, and it was written for a people living under foreign rule and facing uncertainty about their future. Chapter 9 opens with Daniel reading the prophecy of Jeremiah about the seventy years of exile and then praying with confession on behalf of his people. Gabriel’s answer comes as a response to that prayer, which gives the verse a setting of humble intercession and God’s attentiveness to it.
Verse 25 introduces the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the figure of the anointed prince, and verse 27 describes a covenant made for one week and a later act that brings sacrifice to an end. Read between these verses, verse 26 becomes the hinge in the account, moving from the restoration of the city to a period of cutting off and destruction. That placement shows why the verse should be read as part of a sequence and not as an isolated warning.
Key Phrases in Daniel 9:26
Isaiah 53:8
He was taken away by oppression and judgment; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living and stricken for the disobedience of my people?
(WEB)
This verse speaks of the suffering servant being taken away, which many Christians connect with the anointed figure described in Daniel. Reading the two passages together helps you see how the Old Testament presents a figure who endures rejection and death within God’s plan.
Matthew 24:15
“When, therefore, you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand)…
(WEB)
Jesus refers back to Daniel when He speaks about the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place. The connection shows how the New Testament draws on Daniel’s language about destruction and the sanctuary, inviting readers to keep watch and remain faithful through upheaval.
A Short Prayer From Daniel 9:26
Lord, you know the losses I carry and the futures I cannot see clearly. When I read words about cutting off and destruction, I am reminded that you have spoken about what will come and that nothing in history takes you by surprise. Help me to trust your purpose when events feel shattered. Keep my heart near to you in the hard seasons, and let me hold on to your faithfulness when I cannot understand the path ahead. Amen.
