O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, 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 9:7KJV
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Daniel 9:7 (KJV)

What does Daniel 9:7 mean?

Daniel 9:7 says that God alone is truly righteous, while the people of Judah, Jerusalem, and all Israel are left in shame and disgrace because of their unfaithfulness. Daniel recognizes that their scattered condition and suffering are the direct result of their own wrongdoing against God.

Daniel is praying to God on behalf of his people during their exile. He openly admits that God is just and right, but the people—both those nearby and those far away—are experiencing "confusion of faces," which means deep shame or humiliation. Daniel is not blaming God for their troubles; instead, he is confessing that their exile happened because they broke faith with God.

The Hebrew behind Daniel 9:7

  • "Righteousness" (צְדָקָה, tsedaqah) means uprightness or moral rightness. Daniel is stressing that God’s character and actions are always just, even when people suffer consequences.
  • "Confusion" (בֹּשֶׁת, boshet) and "faces" (פָּנִים, panim) together form a phrase meaning public shame or disgrace. The verse paints a picture of people unable to lift their heads because of guilt.
  • "Driven" (נָדַח, nadach) refers to being scattered or exiled. Daniel is acknowledging that God allowed the people to be dispersed among many countries as a result of their actions.
  • "Trespass" (מַעַל, maal) and "trespassed" (מָעַל, maal) both point to a serious breach of trust or faithfulness, not just a simple mistake but a willful turning away from God.

Why Daniel 9:7 matters

  • Daniel 9:7 helps clarify that the suffering and exile of Israel were not random or unfair; Daniel sees them as the just outcome of the people's choices, highlighting God's fairness.
  • The verse connects personal and national shame directly to unfaithfulness, showing that Daniel is not making excuses but is honestly confessing guilt.
  • This verse sets the tone for Daniel’s prayer of confession, emphasizing humility and responsibility before asking God for mercy later in the chapter.

Where else these words appear

“confusion” Hebrew H1322 · used in 29 verses

  • 1 Samuel 20:30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
  • Psalms 109:29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.
  • Jeremiah 3:25 We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us: for we have sinned against the LORD our God, we and our fathers, from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the LORD our God.

“trespass” Hebrew H4604 · used in 29 verses

  • Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
  • Joshua 22:20 Did not Achan the son of Zerah commit a trespass in the accursed thing, and wrath fell on all the congregation of Israel? and that man perished not alone in his iniquity.
  • Ezra 9:2 For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass.

“trespassed” Hebrew H4603 · used in 35 verses

  • Leviticus 5:15 If a soul commit a trespass, and sin through ignorance, in the holy things of the LORD; then he shall bring for his trespass unto the LORD a ram without blemish out of the flocks, with thy estimation by shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary, for a trespass offering:
  • 1 Chronicles 2:7 And the sons of Carmi; Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the thing accursed.
  • Ezra 10:2 And Shechaniah the son of Jehiel, one of the sons of Elam, answered and said unto Ezra, We have trespassed against our God, and have taken strange wives of the people of the land: yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.

“driven” Hebrew H5080 · used in 51 verses

  • Deuteronomy 4:19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the LORD thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
  • Nehemiah 1:9 But if ye turn unto me, and keep my commandments, and do them; though there were of you cast out unto the uttermost part of the heaven, yet will I gather them from thence, and will bring them unto the place that I have chosen to set my name there.
  • Jeremiah 27:15 For I have not sent them, saith the LORD, yet they prophesy a lie in my name; that I might drive you out, and that ye might perish, ye, and the prophets that prophesy unto you.