Daniel’s Prayer for Jerusalem: Reading Daniel 9 in a Diaspora Context

Abstract

ABSTRACT Daniel 9 focuses on the fate of Jerusalem. While the chapter likely addresses concerns during the Maccabean crisis in the 160’s BCE, it is consistently set in the time of the exilic Daniel. This article explores the significance of this literary setting for interpreting the chapter as a whole. I argue that chapter 9 portrays Daniel as a faithful diaspora Jew, an image known from the court stories in chapters 1-6, and thereby constitutes an important link between the two halves of the book. Furthermore, I demonstrate that the portrait of Daniel as a leader of his people connects him to other biblical characters, especially Nehemiah, who in dispersion cares for the well-being of the land of their ancestors.