Daniel 9:2 (YLT)

Passage

in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, have understood by books the number of the years, (in that a word of Jehovah hath been unto Jeremiah the prophet,) concerning the fulfilling of the wastes of Jerusalem--seventy years;

Nearby Context

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

Daniel 9:2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, have understood by books the number of the years, (in that a word of Jehovah hath been unto Jeremiah the prophet,) concerning the fulfilling of the wastes of Jerusalem--seventy years;

Daniel 9:3 and I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek <FI>by<Fi> prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes.

Daniel 9:4 And I pray to Jehovah my God, and confess, and say: `I beseech Thee, O Lord God, the great and the fearful, keeping the covenant and the kindness to those loving Him, and to those keeping His commands;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "first", "year", "reign", "daniel", "understood", "books", "number", and "years". 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 nearby context moves from verse 1's "In the first year of Darius son..." into verse 3's "and I set my face unto the...", so "first" and "year" 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 "first" and "year" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.