Daniel 9:9 - The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving

The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;

To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him;

Daniel 9:9

Commentary

The background to Daniel's prayer was the covenant curses in Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 and the promises in Deuteronomy 30. Having torn His people from the land and cast them into captivity (the final curse of the covenant), God also promised He would restore His people when they turned to Him in prayerful confession. Daniel knew the time for restoration was close, so he began to confess the sin of the people (9:3-10). He acknowledged that the nation had been wicked, and he admitted that their exile in Babylon resulted from their being unfaithful to Him. Daniel carefully acknowledged God's righteous judgment (9:11-14), for He had brought on Israel the curses and judgments written in the Mosaic Law, just as He had threatened. Daniel concluded his prayer by requesting divine mercy (9:15-19).

Dyer, C., Merrill, E., Swindoll, C. R., & Zuck, R. B. (2001). Nelson's Old Testament Survey : Discover the Background, Theology and Meaning of Every Book in the Old Testament (715). Nashville: Word.