In continuance of understanding the prophecy of Daniel 9, Gabriel informed the prophet Daniel as to the beginning point of the 70 weeks.  The beginning of this period would be “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:25).  Several commandments in Scripture are specified to rebuild the Jewish temple, but there is only one command to rebuild the city of Jerusalem.  The command is given by Artaxerxes, king of Persia, in the 20th year of his reign (Neh. 2:1-12).  Daniel was informed that from the going forth of this command until Messiah is manifested as Prince of Israel would be 69 weeks.   It is also indicated that within the first 69 weeks there will be two separate periods, that is, a period of 7 weeks followed by a period of 62 weeks.  The first 7 weeks (49 years) in addition to the next 62 weeks (434 years) results in 483 years from the command to rebuild the city of Jerusalem until the appearing of Messiah as Prince of Israel.

Two dates have been offered as to the decree of Nehemiah 2.  By far, the most popular view is that of Sir Robert Anderson in his classic work, The Coming Prince.  Anderson dates the command on the first day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which he states as 14 March 445 BC on the English calendar.[1]  Since each of the 70 weeks is 7 years and the years are 360 days long according to the Jewish calendar then one calculates 69 weeks x 7 years in each week x 360 days per year which equals 173,880 days.  Therefore, from 1 Nisan (14 March) 445 BC to 6 April 32 AD is 173,880 days.  The first 69 weeks concluded when Christ rode into the city of Jerusalem on a donkey, and proclaimed Himself as King of Israel.

Harold Hoehner gives an alternative view in his book, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ.  Hoehner dates the command of Artaxerxes as 4 March 444 BC (1 Nisan) concluding with Christ's entrance into Jerusalem as King on 30 March 33 AD.  Hoehner dates Artaxerxes succession as December 465 BC,[2] yet other research has determined this date to be in the preceding August.[3]  This leads to misplacement of Nisan as Artaxerxes 20th year in 444 BC rather than 445 BC.

Additional problems are that 1 Nisan 444 BC was not 4 or 5 March, but 3 April.[4]  Hoehner’s calculations do not give the Julian equivalent of 1 Nisan on the Babylonian calendar, because he only provides the Julian dates of new moons.  The problem is that this gives 2 March as the date of a new moon, rather than 4 or 5 March in 444 BC.  The interval from 5 March 444 BC to 5 March 33 AD (which are Julian dates) is exactly 483 solar years equivalent to 173, 855 days.[5]  Simply adding 25 days brings the calculations to a total of 173,880 days that is equivalent to the 69 weeks prophecy, thus the date would be 30 March 30 AD.  However, 483 Julian years are about 4 days longer than 483 solar years.  Therefore, the terminus ad quem for the 69 weeks (following a 5 March 444 BC dating) would be 26 March 33 AD. The problem with a 26 March date (6 Nisan) is that it places the triumphal entry too soon before Jesus' arrival in Bethany (Jn. 12:1) and the Passover (15 Nisan). Hoehner did admit the possibility that Artaxerxes may have given permission to Nehemiah later than 1 Nisan. If the starting date was 5 Nisan, then the number of days would be an exact 173,880 days.

It is fascinating to think that when Jesus rode into Jerusalem in 33 AD and manifested Himself as the King of Israel that He had the exact day in mind that Daniel had prophesied about 500-600 years prior.  Without doubt, Luke refers to this prophecy at the time of Christ's proclamation:  "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!  But now they are hid from thine eyes" (19:42).

[1] Actually, other research has determined the actual Julian equivalents of Babylonian dates in 445 BC.  This scholarship states that 1 Nisan was not 14 March, but it was 13 April.  Richard A. Parker and Waldo H. Dubberstein, Babylonian Chronology 626 BC - AD 75 (Providence:  Brown University Press, 1956), 32.

[2] Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids:  Zondervan, 1977), 127.

[3] Parker and Dubberstein, Babylonian Chronology, 17.

[4] Ibid., 32.

[5] Hoehner, Chronological Aspects, 138.