Daniel 9:8 (ASV)

Passage

O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

Nearby Context

Daniel 9:6 neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, that spake in thy name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

Daniel 9:7 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of face, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and unto all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries whither thou hast driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against thee.

Daniel 9:8 O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee.

Daniel 9:9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness; for we have rebelled against him;

Daniel 9:10 neither have we obeyed the voice of Jehovah our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "belongeth", "confusion", "face", "kings", "princes", "fathers", and "sinned". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "belongeth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "O Lord righteousness belongeth unto thee but..." into verse 9's "To the Lord our God belong mercies...", so "lord" and "belongeth" belong inside that flow. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "belongeth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.