The Meaning of Daniel 9:18 Explained

Daniel 9:18

KJV: O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies.

YLT: Incline, O my God, Thine ear, and hear, open Thine eyes and see our desolations, and the city on which Thy name is called; for not for our righteous acts are we causing our supplications to fall before Thee, but for Thy mercies that are many.

Darby: Incline thine ear, O my God, and hear; open thine eyes and behold our desolations, and the city that is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee because of our righteousnesses, but because of thy manifold mercies.

ASV: O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies'sake.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

O my God,  incline  thine ear,  and hear;  open  thine eyes,  and behold  our desolations,  and the city  which is called  by thy name:  for we do not present  our supplications  before  thee for our righteousnesses,  but for thy great  mercies. 

What does Daniel 9:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Daniel 9:16-27 - Renewed Favor In God's Own Time
Daniel 9:17-19 have in them a tone of anguish which reminds us of our Lord's words as to the violence which takes the kingdom of heaven by force. God loves to see us in dead earnest. It is not long but strong prayers that prevail with Him. He sometimes seems to deny us, that He may draw us out in supplication. Notice the response to such prayer. Before it was spoken, it was granted, Daniel 9:23. Before Daniel called, he was answered, and while he was yet speaking, he was heard. Pray on! God is more eager to hear and to bless us than we are to pray. Even now the divine answer is hastening towards thee, swifter than the speed of the morning beams across the vault of space. While we are speaking in prayer, nay, before the beginning of our supplication, the angel is sent out, and he is made to fly very swiftly. Six purposes were to be effected within 490 years from a specified date. Some refer these to final Jewish restoration, but for this the last week of the seventy has to be separated from the rest and postponed till "the end of the age." It is more natural to understand the passage as describing here Christ's finished work, and thus we avoid impairing the definiteness of the prophecy by indefinitely prolonging it. "The prince that shall come" seems to refer to the Roman emperor, Vespasian, whose people destroyed Jerusalem. But many think that Daniel 9:27 refers to a future compact between Antichrist and the Jews, previous to their conversion. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 9

1  Daniel, considering the time of the captivity,
3  makes confession of sins,
16  and prays for the restoration of Jerusalem
20  Gabriel informs him of the seventy weeks

What do the individual words in Daniel 9:18 mean?

Incline my God Your ear and hear - open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name upon because of not for our righteous [deeds] we do present our supplications before You but because of Your mercies great
הַטֵּ֨ה אֱלֹהַ֥י ׀ אָזְנְךָ֮ וּֽשֲׁמָע֒ [פקחה] (פְּקַ֣ח) עֵינֶ֗יךָ וּרְאֵה֙ שֹֽׁמְמֹתֵ֔ינוּ וְהָעִ֕יר אֲשֶׁר־ נִקְרָ֥א שִׁמְךָ֖ עָלֶ֑יהָ כִּ֣י ׀ לֹ֣א עַל־ צִדְקֹתֵ֗ינוּ אֲנַ֨חְנוּ מַפִּילִ֤ים תַּחֲנוּנֵ֙ינוּ֙ לְפָנֶ֔יךָ כִּ֖י עַל־ רַחֲמֶ֥יךָ הָרַבִּֽים

הַטֵּ֨ה  Incline 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: נָטָה 
Sense: to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow.
אֱלֹהַ֥י ׀  my  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אָזְנְךָ֮  Your  ear 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֹזֶן  
Sense: ear, as part of the body.
וּֽשֲׁמָע֒  and  hear 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: שָׁמַע 
Sense: to hear, listen to, obey.
[פקחה]  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, third person feminine singular
(פְּקַ֣ח)  open 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: פָּקַח  
Sense: to open (the eyes).
עֵינֶ֗יךָ  Your  eyes 
Parse: Noun, cdc, second person masculine singular
Root: עֹונָה 
Sense: eye.
וּרְאֵה֙  and  see 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular
Root: רָאָה 
Sense: to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.
שֹֽׁמְמֹתֵ֔ינוּ  our  desolations 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, feminine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: שְׁמָמָה 
Sense: devastation, waste, desolation.
וְהָעִ֕יר  and  the  city 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: עִיר 
Sense: excitement, anguish.
נִקְרָ֥א  is  called 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: קָרָא  
Sense: to call, call out, recite, read, cry out, proclaim.
שִׁמְךָ֖  by  Your  name 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שֵׁם  
Sense: name.
עָלֶ֑יהָ  upon 
Parse: Preposition, third person feminine singular
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כִּ֣י ׀  because 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: כִּי 
Sense: that, for, because, when, as though, as, because that, but, then, certainly, except, surely, since.
לֹ֣א  of  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
צִדְקֹתֵ֗ינוּ  our  righteous  [deeds] 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: צְדָקָה  
Sense: justice, righteousness.
מַפִּילִ֤ים  do  present 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Participle, masculine plural
Root: נָפַל  
Sense: to fall, lie, be cast down, fail.
תַּחֲנוּנֵ֙ינוּ֙  our  supplications 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common plural
Root: תַּחֲנוּן  
Sense: supplication, supplication for favour.
לְפָנֶ֔יךָ  before  You 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
עַל־  because 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
רַחֲמֶ֥יךָ  of  Your  mercies 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: רַחַם 
Sense: womb.
הָרַבִּֽים  great 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.