The Book of Daniel is carefully structured in a double chiasm to highlight key prophecies and events, with a focus on God's sovereignty and His control over human history. Beginning with the historical prologue in Chapter 1, the book moves through various prophecies about the rise and fall of empires, the trials of God’s faithful, and visions of the future. Central to the narrative is the prophecy of the Messiah's coming, His death, and the ultimate restoration of Jerusalem (The Chiasms of Daniel chapters 8 & 9).

Chiastic Overview Of Daniel

What is a chiasm?

A chiasm (also called a chiasmus) is a literary device in which a sequence of ideas is presented and then repeated in reverse order. The result is a “mirror” effect as the ideas are “reflected” back in a passage. Each idea is connected to its “reflection” by a repeated word, often in a related form. The term chiasm comes from the Greek letter chi, which looks like our letter X. Chiastic pattern is also called “ring structure.”

The structure of a chiasm is usually expressed through a series of letters, each letter representing a new idea. For example, the structure ABBA refers to two ideas (A and B) repeated in reverse order (B and A). Often, a chiasm includes another idea in the middle of the repetition: ABXBA. In this structure, the two ideas (A and B) are repeated in reverse order, but a third idea is inserted before the repetition (X). By virtue of its position, the insertion is emphasized.

Some chiasms are quite simple. The common saying “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” is chiastic. The words going and tough are repeated, in reverse order, in the second half of the sentence. The structure is ABBA. Another example of a chiasm, also with the ABBA structure, is Benjamin Franklin’s axiom “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” Other chiasms are more complex, even spanning entire poems.

Many passages in the Bible exhibit chiastic structure. For example, Jesus’ words in Mark 2:27 are in the form of a chiasm: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” Using the ABBA form, the words Sabbath and man are repeated in reverse order. Matthew 23:12 is another example. In many Biblical Hebrew narratives, important information is often placed at the center of the passage. This heart of the passage can act as a focal or turning point for the narrative. In most Biblical style and structure guides, this turning or focal point is often described in terms of a chiastic (ABC DD' A’B’C') or concentric (ABC D A’B’C') literary structure. Jerome Walsh describes these symmetrical patterns this way:

The turning point regularly, though not always, is found in the central subunit(s). These are generally, therefore, the most important part of the whole structure (though often not the longest). The importance of the center is more marked in concentric narrative than in chiastic., although here too the central pair of subunits may receive greater emphasis than others and will frequently encompass the actions of which the plot turns." (Walsh, Style and Structure in Biblical Hebrew Narrative, p. 13)

A longer chiasm is found in Joel 3:17–21. This one has seven parts, diagrammed this way: ABCXCBA. Here is the passage:

Bible

“‘Then you will know that I, the Lord your God,
   dwell in Zion, my holy hill.
Jerusalem will be holy;
   never again will foreigners invade her.
In that day the mountains will drip new wine,
   and the hills will flow with milk;
   all the ravines of Judah will run with water.
A fountain will flow out of the Lord’s house
   and will water the valley of acacias.
But Egypt will be desolate,
   Edom a desert waste,
because of violence done to the people of Judah,
   in whose land they shed innocent blood.
Judah will be inhabited forever
   and Jerusalem through all generations.
Shall I leave their innocent blood unavenged?
   No, I will not.’
The Lord dwells in Zion!”

The ideas presented in this prophecy follow this arrangement:

A - God dwells in Zion (verse 17a)
B - Jerusalem is holy (verse 17b)
C - Foreign invaders are banished (verse 17c)
X - The blessings of the Kingdom (verse 18)
C - Foreign enemies are destroyed (verse 19)
B - Jerusalem and Judah are preserved (verses 20–21a)
A - God dwells in Zion (verse 21b)

Other passages that provide examples of chiasms include Ecclesiastes 11:3—12:2; Genesis 6—9; Amos 5:4–6a; Isaiah 1:21–26; and Joshua 1:5–9. Chiastic patterns in the Bible are just one more example of the richness and complexity of God’s inspired Word.

A1 (Ch 1) [Hebrew]: → Historical Prologue
- B1 (Ch 2) [Aramaic]: → Prophecy of Four Kingdoms (Image)
  - C1 (Ch 3) [Aramaic]: → Trial of God's faithful (Fiery Furnace)
    - D1 (Ch 4) [Aramaic]: → Prophecy to Pagan King (repentant)
      - E1 (4:25) [Aramaic]: → God gives & rules in the kingdom of men
    - D2 (Ch 5) [Aramaic]: → Prophecy to Pagan King (unrepentant)
  - C2 (Ch 6) [Aramaic]: → Trial of God's Faithful (Lions Den)
- B2 (Ch 7) [Aramaic]: → Prophecy of Four Kingdoms (Beasts)
- B3 (Ch 8) [Hebrew]: → Prophecy of Four Kingdoms (Fierce King)
  - C1 (9:1-24) [Hebrew]: → Daniel prays for deliverance of his people
    - D1 (9:25) [Hebrew]: → Decree - Jerusalem & temple rebuilt (7 Weeks)
      - E (9:26a) [Hebrew]: → Messiah 'cut off (After 69 Weeks)
    - D2 (9:26b) [Hebrew]: → Decree - Jerusalem & temple destroyed (After 70 Weeks)
  - C2 (Ch 10) [Hebrew]: → Daniel prays and fasts for God's people
- B4 (Ch 11) [Hebrew]: → Prophecies of kingdoms (Overview)
A2 (Ch 12) [Hebrew]: → Historical Epilogue

Daniel 9 Overview

Daniel, in his introduction to chapter 9, places the most important information of the passage at its center.

Daniel 9:1-3

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, from the seed of the Medes, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, discerned in the books the number of the years concerning which

the word of Yahweh came to Jeremiah the prophet

for the fulfillment of the laying waste of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years. 3 So I gave my face to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

Daniel’s realization of Jeremiah’s 70 years forms the foundation for the vision of the Seventy Weeks that follows.

Chiastic Structures

Parallel and Chiastic Structure of Daniel 9:24

The passage Daniel 9:24 is paralleled in focus. Both have something to do with the same measure of time: 70 weeks.

A1 (24a) [2 words] al-‘ammekā: → Concerning your people ⇄ (Contrasting A2)
- B1 (24b) [2 words] lekallē’ happesha‘: → To finish the transgression ⇄ (Resolved by B2)
  - C1 (24b) [2 words] uleḥatōm haṭṭā’ōṯ: → To seal [htm] sins ⇄ (Fulfilled by C2)
    - D1 (24b) [2 words] uleḵappēr ‘āwōn: → To atone for iniquity ⇄ (Completed by D2)
    - D2 (24c) [3 words] welimšaḥ qōḏeš qodāšîm: → To anoint the holy of holies ⇄ (Corresponding to D1)
  - C2 (24c) [3 words] welaḥtōm ḥāzôn wenāḇî’: → To seal [ḥtm] both vision and prophet ⇄ (Corresponding to C1)
- B2 (24c) [3 words] lehābî’ ṣeḏeq ‘ôlāmîm: → To bring in everlasting righteousness ⇄ (Completing B1)
A2 (24a) [3 words] we‘al ‘îr qodshekā: → Concerning your holy city ⇄ (Contrasting A1)

Notes on the Structure

A1 / A2: The prophecy has a dual focus—Israel and Jerusalem.
B1 / B2: Transgression is “closed,” and righteousness is eternally established.
C1 / C2: The shared Hebrew root ḥtm binds these ideas—sins are “sealed” (resolved) and prophecy is “sealed” (fulfilled).
D1 / D2: The cluster of terms (kpr, mšḥ, qōḏeš qodāšîm) appears only in Exodus 29:36–37, linking atonement and consecration.

Annointed One	Transliteration	Word	←→	Jerusalem	Transliteration	Words
Concerning your people	al-‘ammekā	2	A1 ⇄ A2	Concerning your holy city	we‘al ‘îr qodshekā	3
To finish the transgression	lekallē’ happesha‘	2	B1 ⇄ B2	To bring in everlasting righteousness	lehābî’ ṣeḏeq ‘ôlāmîm	3
To seal (htm) sins	uleḥatōm haṭṭā’ōṯ	2	C1 ⇄ C2	To seal both vision and prophet	welaḥtōm ḥāzôn wenāḇî’	3
To atone for iniquity	uleḵappēr ‘āwōn	2	D1 ⇄ D2	To anoint holy of holies	welimšaḥ qōḏeš qodāšîm	3
This structure clarifies that Israel and Jerusalem are the primary subjects of the prophecy, with the first column consisting of two-word phrases and the second column of three-word phrases.

The Cause-Affect Chiastic Structure of Daniel 9:25–27

Verses 25–27 follow a second mirrored pattern showing the relationship between:

Jerusalem
the Anointed One
the city’s destruction

A: JERUSALEM	B: Anointed One
_v.25 “…from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem”	_v.25 “until anointed one the Prince...
_v.25 there will be seven weeks...	_v.25 and sixty-two weeks;”
_v.25 “it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”	_v.26 “Then after the sixty-two weeks the anointed one will be cut off and have nothing,”
_v.26 “and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”	_v.27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;”
_v.27 “and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
Verse 25 links the rebuilding of Jerusalem directly to the coming of the anointed one, showing intentional preparation: the city is rebuilt so it can receive the Messiah. In verse 26, the anointed one is cut off, and immediately the prophecy moves to the destruction of the city and sanctuary. The closeness of these statements signals cause and effect—Jerusalem is destroyed because it rejected the anointed one. Jesus Himself affirms this in Luke 19:44, weeping over Jerusalem and saying its destruction will come “because you did not recognize the time of God’s coming to you.”

Daniel 9:25–27 also forms a chiastic pattern of construction and destruction, reinforcing the same progression:

A1 (25a) [Construction] “From the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem…”
- B1 (25b) [Messiah the Prince] “Until anointed one the Prince…”
  - C1 (25c) [Construction] “It will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”
    - D (26a) [Messiah cut off] “Then after the sixty-two weeks the anointed one will be cut off and have nothing.”
  - C2 (26b) [Destruction] “And the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.”
- B2 (27a) – [Covenant for one week] “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week…”
A2 (27b) [Destruction] “…on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate…”

The structure tells the story: a decree begins the rebuilding of Jerusalem, preparing the city for the coming of the Messiah. Yet because the Messiah is rejected and “cut off,” the city faces desolation. The arrival of the “anointed one the Prince” triggers the covenant of the final week, while His death—confirmed in the middle of the week when sacrifices cease—becomes the central turning point. Everything flows from this moment: the fall of Jerusalem, the end of the sacrificial system, and the establishment of a new covenant.