SEVENTY WEEKS - Chapter Two

"Seventy shabuwa are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,

1. to finish the transgression, and

2. to make an end of sins, and

3. to make reconciliation for iniquity, and

4. to bring in everlasting righteousness, and

5. to seal up the vision and prophecy, and

6. to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)

In this segment we will examine the third item on the above list:

"to make reconciliation for iniquity"

First; we will see that this is NOT what ALL of our Bibles say.

"to make reconciliation for iniquity" King James Version (KJV)
"to make reconciliation for iniquity" New King James Version (NKJV)
"to atone for wickedness" New International Version (NIV)
"to atone for iniquity" English Standard Version (ESV)
"to make atonement for iniquity" New American Standard (NASB)
"to atone for iniquity" Revised Standard Version (RSV)
"to make reconciliation for iniquity" American Standard Version (ASV)
"to cover iniquity" Young's Literal Version (YNG)
"to make expiation for iniquity" John Darby Version (DBY)
"to make reconciliation for iniquity" Webster's Version (WEB)
"to make reconciliation for iniquity" Hebrew Names Version (HNV)

There may be valid reasons why ALL of our Bibles don't read the same, but for this writing we will concentrate on the Hebrew words, from which ALL of the above texts were derived. Two words will be considered. The word translated as iniquity in most of the versions, and the word translated as reconciliation, atonement and expiation in these same versions.

Iniquity: With a handful of exceptions, the Hebrew word translated here is almost always translated as 'iniquity'. (220 out of 230 times, 95%) It is sin, wickedness, perversity, depravity and anything else that has that same connotation. This concludes our examination of 'iniquity'.

Reconciliation: Translated as 'atonement' 70% of the times it occurs, this word is translated elsewhere in the KJV as purge away, reconcile, forgive, pacify and of course reconciliation.

Gesenius's Lexicon defines it: "To cover, to cover over, to overspread."

The meaning here is clear enough; It is the word translated in Leviticus as 'atonement'.

"And he shall put his hand upon the head of the burnt offering; and it shall be accepted for him to make atonement for him." (Leviticus 1:4)

When Gabriel said "to make reconciliation for iniquity" he was speaking about one place, one time and about one of God's accomplishments. He was talking about the cross of Christ. No other interpretation is possible.

Summary: One of the things that God was going to accomplish during the seventy shabuwa was the atonement

for sin by Christ at the cross. The crucifixion/atonement happened during the seventy shabuwa.