Daniel 9:17 (LSB)

Passage

So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.

Nearby Context

Daniel 9:15 “So now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a strong hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day—we have sinned; we have acted wickedly.

Daniel 9:16 O Lord, in accordance with all Your righteousness, let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.

Daniel 9:17 So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your slave and to his supplications, and for Your sake, O Lord, let Your face shine on Your desolate sanctuary.

Daniel 9:18 O my God, incline Your ear and listen! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name; for we are not presenting our supplications before You on account of any righteousness of our own, but on account of Your abundant compassion.

Daniel 9:19 O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, give heed and take action! For Your own sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name.”

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "listen", "prayer", "slave", "supplications", "sake", "lord", "face", and "shine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "listen" and "prayer", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "O Lord in accordance with all Your..." into verse 18's "O my God incline Your ear and...", so "listen" and "prayer" 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 "listen" and "prayer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.