I don't understand what Daniel 12:7 means

[anon64704623]

[Daniel 12:7] Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

 

[bobperk]

This explanation is from my Ignatius Catholic Study Bible edition of Daniel:

raised his right hand - raising the hand was a symbolic oath gesture in the biblical world (Deut 32:40; Rev 10:5-6)

swear by him - the oath is sworn by invoking the name of God and calling Him to act as the divine Witness and Enforcer of the pledge being made

time, times, half a time - three and a half years, the approximate duration of Antiochus Epiphanes’ assault on Palestinian Judaism (a link to a note on Daniel 7:25 explains that three and a half years is the same amount of time of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem from Feb. 67 - Sept. 70 predicted by Jesus)

all these things - the events prophesied in the final vision (from chapters 10-12)

I would suggest getting a copy of the Ignatius Study Bible book of Daniel, it’s about $10 if you have an Amazon Kindle.

 

[anon64704623]

time, times, half a time - three and a half years, the approximate duration of Antiochus Epiphanes’ assault on Palestinian Judaism

I see. Strange way of saying “time, times, half a time” instead of simply saying “three and a half year”. Maybe “time, times, half a time” is not supposed to be added together and could mean something else. May be it is not meant to be interpreted that way.

Then what about [Revelation 12:14] The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

 

[bobperk]

Most of the commentaries I have read interpret those words to mean “three and a half years.”

Same with Revelation 12. The description of “times” in this verse is almost always cross-referenced to Daniel 7:25, 12:7 and Revelation 11:2-3, so it almost certainly refers to three and a half years. However, that unit of time can be historical and prophetic, i.e. Daniel recorded a prophetic and historical event (occupation by Antiochus, predicted and did happen), pointed toward the assault of Jerusalem by Rome in 67AD (and also prophesied by Jesus), and may indicated a future tribulation of the Church.

 

[Gorgias]

I see. Strange way of saying “time, times, half a time” instead of simply saying “three and a half year”.

It’s important to realize the genre of this passage: it’s called apocalyptic, and it’s meant to provide hope to those who are in distress. It’s not quite a prophecy, per se, but it shares some elements in common with prophecy.

One of the things that apocalyptic literature does is use ambiguity as a means to conceal exact times at which the predictions might come true. It’s ambiguous because it’s not attempting to give you a prophecy that you can write down in your calendar. (By the way, you’ll find this phrase used in Daniel 7, as well). One way to interpret this is by noticing that it’s 3 1/2 units of time. For Jews, if the number seven represented ‘perfection’, guess what half of that represents? Imperfection (or, as it were wickedness).

But, look at the passage in its context: the man in linen is asked to let Daniel know when these things will happen. Daniel himself says, “umm… I don’t get it.” In a way, the passage is telling us, “keep the faith! you won’t know the day or the hour, but God’s goodness will prevail!”

 

[BartholomewB]

Then what about [Revelation 12:14] The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the wilderness, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time , out of the serpent’s reach.

Three and a half years is the standard translation/interpretation of the expression, both in Daniel and Revelation. It’s a question I’ve never attempted to investigate in any depth, but every commentary, every footnote I’ve seen always gives the same explanation.