Daniel 9:1 (DBY)

Passage

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,

Nearby Context

Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans,

Daniel 9:2 in the first year of his reign, I Daniel understood by the books that the number of the years, whereof the word of Jehovah came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishment of the desolations of Jerusalem, was seventy years.

Daniel 9:3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "year", "darius", "ahasuerus", "seed", "medes", "king", and "over". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "first" and "year", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The next verse adds "in the first year of his reign...", so "first" and "year" should be read forward into that movement. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

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