Philologos
Bible Prophecy Research
Title: "On a wing [of the temple]"
Submitted by: research-bpr@philologos.org
Date: October 14, 1998
URL: http://philologos.org/bpr/files/w008.htm
'on a wing [of the temple]'
Daniel 9:27 according to the King James Version reads:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The area I would like to concentrate on is the use of the word "overspreading" in this verse and the way other versions translate this area to mean "a wing."
The disputed word is "kanaph," which according to Strong's means:
3671 kanaph; from 3670; an edge or extremity; specifically (of a bird or army) a wing, (of a garment or bed-clothing) a flap, (of the earth) a quarter, (of a building) a pinnacle:--+ bird, border, corner, end, feather [-ed], x flying, + (one an-) other, overspreading, x quarters, skirt, x sort, uttermost part, wing ([-ed]).
3670 kanaph; a primitive root; properly to project laterally, i.e. probably (reflexively) to withdraw:--be removed.
Other Bible versions translate this passage as follows:
Daniel 9:27
NIV
He will confirm a covenant with many for one `seven.' In the middle of the `seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.RSV
And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week; and for half of the week he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.YLT
And he hath strengthened a covenant with many -- one week, and [in] the midst of the week he causeth sacrifice and present to cease, and by the wing of abominations he is making desolate, even till the consummation, and that which is determined is poured on the desolate one.NASB
And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.Literal Translation of the Holy Bible
And he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week. And in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. And on a wing of the altar will be abominations that desolate, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall pour out on the desolator.NKJV
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate.Good News Bible in Today's English Version
That ruler will have a firm agreement with many people for seven years, and when half this time is past, he will put an end to sacrifices and offerings. The Awful Horror will be placed on the highest point of the Temple and will remain there until the one who put it there meets the end which God has prepared for him.ASV
And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations [shall come] one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out upon the desolate.
Daniel 9:27 ultimately speaks of Satan setting something up on a wing of the temple/abomination. Is this where his "throne/altar" is? In Matthew 4:5 it says "Then the devil taketh him [Jesus] up into the holy city [Jerusalem], and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple." If you look up the word "pinnacle" you find this:
4419 pterugion; neuter of a presumed derivative of 4420; a winglet, i.e. (figuratively) extremity (top corner):--pinnacle.
4420 pterux; from a derivative of 4072 (meaning a feather); a wing:--wing.
Could these both be referring to the same place? Would Satan's throne be so close to the Holy of Holies?
The following is from "A Commentary on the New Testament from the Talmud and Hebraica" by John Lightfoot:
Matt 4:5. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple.
[Upon the pinnacle of the Temple.] Whether he placed him upon the Temple itself, or upon some building within the holy circuit, it is in vain to seek, because it cannot be found. If it were upon the Temple itself, I should reflect upon the top of the porch of the Temple: if upon some other building, I should reflect upon the royal gallery. The priests were wont sometimes to go up to the top of the Temple, stairs being made for this purpose, and described in the Talmudic book entitled Middoth; and they are said to have ascended hither, "When fire was first put to the Temple, and to have thrown up the keys of the chambers of the Temple towards heaven, with these words; 'O thou eternal Lord, because we are not worthy to keep these keys, to thee they are delivered.' And there came, as it were, the form of a hand out of heaven, and took them from them: and they leaped down, and fell into the fire."
Above all other parts of the Temple the porch of the Temple, yea, the whole space before it, may not unfitly be called the wing of the Temple, because, like wings, it extended itself in breadth on each side, far beyond the breadth of the Temple: which we take notice of elsewhere.
If, therefore, the devil had placed Christ in the very precipice of this part of the Temple, he may well be said to have placed him upon the wing of the Temple, both because this part was like a wing to the Temple itself, and that that precipice was the wing of this part.
But if you suppose him placed upon the royal gallery, look upon it thus painted out by Josephus: "On the south part [of the court of the Gentiles] was the king's gallery, that deserves to be mentioned among the most magnificent things under the sun: for upon a huge depth of a valley, scarcely to be fathomed by the eye of him that stands above, Herod erected a gallery of a vast height; from the top of which if any looked down, he would grow dizzy, his eyes not being able to reach to so vast a depth."