Daniel 9:1 (WEB)

Passage

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the offspring 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 offspring 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 the number of the years about which Yahweh’s word came to Jeremiah the prophet, for the accomplishing of the desolations of Jerusalem, even seventy years.

Daniel 9:3 I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and petitions, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "year", "darius", "ahasuerus", "offspring", "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.