n the prophets, which have a significance at present,
which they could not have had at the time the predictions were
uttered.]

[fn69 for "sun" read "been"]

[fn70 for "simple" read "single"]

[fn71 In the beginning of the 9th. ch. of Daniel, the prophet says;
"I Daniel, understood by books the number of years whereof the
word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would
accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I
set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and
supplications with fasting, sackcloth and ashes." It appears from
his prayer, that he supposed the Babylonish captivity of seventy
years, would terminate the chastisement of his nation. Upon which
the angel Gabriel was sent to "give him skill and understanding,"
and to inform him, that their chastisement would not be terminated
by the captivity of seventy years, but by one of "seventy times
seven," i. e. a long and undefined period. The words "seven," and
"seventy," were frequently used by the Hebrews to signify an
indefinite number, and "seventy times seven" is a Hebreism used
to signify a great and indefinite number. Thus one of the disciples
of Jesus is represented as asking him, "Lord, how oft shall my
brother sin against me, and I forgive him; until seven times? Jesus
saith unto him, I say not unto thee, until seven times, but until
seventy times seven." Mat. ch. xviii. 21, 22.]

[fn72 In my first work I had alleged this prophecy of Daniel, and
had inserted this word "in" enclosed in a parenthesis, in order to
signify, that it was not in the original, but was suggested by it as
necessary to the sense of the original. This "in," in a parenthesis,
the zealous Mr. Everett, who loves to find fault, pronounces to be
"an absolute interpolation," "and a shameless one too." p. 157 of
his work.]

[fn73 The reader will see that I suppose the original to make one
period of seven weeks, and one of sixty-two. "The English
translation renders it "seven weeks and threescore and two
weeks," making one period of the two. This appears to me to be
inadmissible: because if the prophet meant to signify but one
period, he would, as I think, have said, according to the analogy of
the Hebrew language, not "seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks," but "nine weeks and threescore, weeks," In the Hebrew
the clauses of the seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, are
separated by a character which frequently, in the Hebrew Bible,
perform