DANIEL 8:14 Observations regarding the Greek translation
from which most Bibles today derived the “Cleansing of the Sanctuary”
καθαρισθήσεται future passive indicative 3 sing
“will be cleansed” Septuagint LXX (Greek)
II Maccabees 1:18 (Septuagint LXX)
μέλλοντες ἄγειν ἐν τῷ Χασελευ πέμπτῃ καὶ εἰκάδι
τὸν καθαρισμὸν τοῦ ἱεροῦ (“the cleansing of the temple”) δέον ἡγησάμεθα διασαφῆσαι ὑμῖν ἵνα καὶαὐτοὶ ἄγητε σκηνοπηγίας καὶ τοῦ πυρός ὅτε Νεεμιας ὁ οἰκοδομήσας τό τε ἱερὸν καὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἀνήνεγκεν θυσίας
The above two Septuagint Greek texts look closely related.
It seems to indicate that the LXX translation of Daniel took place near the institution of Hanukkah/Dedication. The translators are likely to have seen this event as a fulfillment of the Daniel 8:14 prophecy and so made a change in the original Hebrew sense to more closely match the re-dedication of the temple. This dedication took place after the cleansing of the temple from the pollutions of Antiochus IV Epiphanes who ordered the sacrifice of a pig on an altar for Zeus.
DANIEL 8:14 Observations regarding Hebrew to English translation:
“וְנִצְדַּ֖ק קֹֽדֶשׁ׃ …
… then holiness will be vindicated”
This is an extremely difficult Hebrew clause to translate into English and “put into one box”. The acclaimed experts who wrote and edited the world’s major Hebrew language lexicons come out with different angles and translations, as below:
Meaning of וְנִצְדַּ֖ק
- David Clines: “will be brought to it’s right state”
- Brown Driver Briggs: “shall be put right”
- Benjamin Davidson: “be purified” based on the Septuagint and the Vulgate; “be justified, vindicated” (noted by others).
- Koehler and Baumgartner: “brought to it’s justice, justified”
Meaning of קֹֽדֶשׁ
- David Clines: 1a. holiness, sacredness, consecration, mostly used adjectivally, e.g holy city 1b. of the Messiah, Angels, congregation, again as adjectival use of the noun. 2. holiness, sacredness, divinity. 4. holy place, sanctuary, temple.
Many more sections and examples given, spread across objects or persons divine and human - Brown Driver Briggs: 1. as noun, sacredness, apartness, holiness of God. 2. of places set apart as sacred by God’s presence 3. things consecrated as sacred.
- Benjamin Davidson: 1. holiness 2. that which is holy, sacred, consecrated to God. 3. holy place
- Koehler and Baumgartner: 1. something with which holiness is associated, which is to be treated carefully, something holy. 2. people of things that are holy
Grammatical Angles
Major grammarians agree that context is very important in Hebrew.
In the verses preceding Daniel 8:14, in verse 11, there is specific mention
וְהֻשְׁלַ֖ךְ מְכֹ֥ון מִקְדָּשֹֽׁו
“the place of His sanctuary was cast down ” and in verse 13 the holy place is again mentioned in conjunction with the host (of people, Angels, Heavenly Army)
Syntactically all three references can be tied together, so definiteness can be implied anaphorically, thus can also be related to the holy place.
So then, the final result in Daniel 8:14 will be the vindication of holiness, but the cleansing of the sanctuary is the process.
The “vindication of holiness” and the “cleansing of the sanctuary” are both part of the same event. That would make the cleansing a metonym, and an adjunct to the bigger picture of the final vindication of the holiness of God and of the “saints of the Most high” Daniel 7:18, all through Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 4:3-10 below). The annual cleansing of the sanctuary in the most holy place of the earthly temple was to do with the removal of sin from Israel for the past year, for those who repented of their evil actions, as in Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). This was symbolic of future events:
Hebrews 4: 3-10 KJV
“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me:
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure.
Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law;
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.
By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
At the end of the court session in Daniel 7:26, evil will no longer be called “good” and good be called “evil”, as is the case more and more today.
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” Isaiah 5:20 KJV
At this point, the reign of the Antichrist will be ended, the one who intended to change times and law:
“He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, shall persecute the saints of the Most High, and shall intend to change times and law.” Daniel 7:25 NKJV
“But the court shall be seated, And they shall take away his dominion….”
Daniel 7:26 NKJV
The Advocate, Jesus Christ
“For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything hidden that will not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:17 NKJV
“My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.” 1John2:1 New International Version
Where is the Holy place?
- Is it the earthly temple in Jerusalem where a rebuild is being planned and preparations are underway?
- Was it the temple desecrated by Antiochus IV Epiphanes and cleansed around 164BCE?
- Is it in Heaven itself, and in Daniel 7 tied in with the process setting the records straight, when the heavenly court sits? Daniel 7:9-10
While the system of the current world continues, sin is continually recorded in Heaven, so at some stage the books will be full and complete.
Regarding Babylon in Revelation 18:5 (English Revised Version)
“For her sins are piled as high as heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.”See also how thoroughly and quickly Babylon will fall:
Jeremiah 50 and 51Biblical examples of cleansing the sanctuary focusing on the removal of sin consequence.
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| Antiochus IV Epiphanes Altes Museum, Berlin |