The 2300 Day/Year Prophesy

The 2300 Day Prophesy

Understanding The Core Text - a word study

Daniel 8:14 (KJV) And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred{2300} days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.

This appears to be a simple statement, hopefully with a simple explanation. However, just in this one verse, I see six words that require additional clarity. Furthermore, we need context, especially as to why the "sanctuary" needs to be "cleansed". We should also wonder why should this be important to us today - if it really is important. That is the purpose of this study.

6 Words that need Additional Clarity:

1) Who is "he", who is the person speaking? From the previous verse(13), we see that an angel is speaking to someone.

2) Who is "me", who the angel is speaking to? The angel was speaking to Daniel. He is the author of this book.

3) What does the word "Unto" mean?

Well, the word "Unto" was supplied by the translators, to make it more clear in the English language. It was not in the original(Hebrew) text. Another Bible translator, used the phrase “It will take" instead of "Unto". I think this is a better translation because there is no indication in Daniel chapter 8 as to when this 2300 "days" begins. In fact, we don't get a clue to the beginning date until late in chapter 9 which was dated 11 years later.

4) You would be justified to wonder why I think we need more clarity with the word "days".

Well... the English word "days" was translated from, not one, but two Hebrew words:

1. "eh'-reb", meaning evening and/or night.
2. "bo'-ker", meaning morning and/or the daylight hours.

When combining those two words, it is reasonable to assume Daniel is referring to one 24-hour day. That's probably why the KJV translators used the word "days". However, those same two Hebrew words were also used together in verse 26 of the same chapter, but were translated more-accurately as "evening and the morning". We also find that translators of other translations use "evening and the morning" in Daniel 8:14-26 .

You may now wonder, "why does it matter?" That would a good question. So, let's consider Genesis 1:5 "And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day." Here, we see that exactly the same two Hebrew words were used together.

You may again wonder, "why does it matter?" You may be aware that many people don't believe in a literal 7-day Creation week. But, did you know that Gen1:5 is used as a "proof" text by we who do believe in a literal 7-day Creation week? "How so?", you may ask. This text is very-specific as to the duration of one "day" in the Creation week - it consists of one dark time(eh'-reb) and one light time(bo'-ker), as defined above. Because of this, it is difficult to justify the popular idea that each day of Creation lasted a year or a thousand years, or more. That is why Gen1:5 is a "proof" text for one literal week.

So, here is the problem => If you use Gen1:5 as a "proof" text for a single 24-hour day, because of "eh'-reb" and "bo'-ker" used together, to be consistent, you must also use Dan8:14 as a "proof" text for 2300 24-hour days. Now, if you are NOT familiar with the 2300 day prophecy already, you would probably wonder "why this is a problem?' You would likely think that "of course... it must be 2300 literal days. However, if you have been taught, as I have, that it is really 2300 years, using the day for a year prophecy principle, then this is a serious conflict that needs to be resolved. That's why I think it matters. More about this later...

5) What does the word "sanctuary" refer to, as used in Dan8:14 ?

Words used by other translators include "Temple", "holy place", and possibly "Tabernacle". Strong's Concordance defines the Hebrew word(ko'-desh) as "a sacred place or thing; rarely abstract, sanctity." We also know that the sanctuary on Earth is a copy of the sanctuary in Heaven(Heb8-10) and that the Earthly sanctuary was cleansed yearly, according to Hebrews 8-10 and more-specifically, Leviticus 16.

What is not clear, at this juncture, is what the cleansing consists of in Dan8:14 and which sanctuary is to be cleansed after the 2300 evenings and mornings. More about this later...

6) What does the word "cleansed" mean, as used in Dan8:14 ?

Since this is about cleansing the sanctuary, I think it prudent to consider how the sanctuary on Earth was yearly cleansed =>

Leviticus 16:18-19,30 And he shall go out unto the altar that is before Jehovah, and make an atonement for it; and shall take of the blood of the bullock, and of the blood of the goat, and put it upon the horns of the altar round about. 19 And he shall sprinkle of the blood upon it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it, and hallow it from the uncleanness of the children of Israel. ... 30 For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before Jehovah.

In Lev16, the three words in red are all translated from the same Hebrew word: taw-hare'. Strong's Concordance's definition is, "properly, to be bright; i.e. (by implication) to be pure (physical sound, clear, unadulterated; Levitically, uncontaminated; morally, innocent or holy)." This Hebrew word was used 87 times in the old testament. The KJV translations for this word are mostly from the root words "clean" and "pure" - 84 times. Also from the root word "purge" - 3 times. These 3 words(taw-hare') clearly apply to the idea of the removal of sins - both from the people and from the sanctuary. And this is consistent with 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

A different Hebrew word was used in Dan8:14 . So, let's contrast taw-hare' in Lev16 with tsaw-dak' in Dan8:14 , where it was translated "cleansed". Strong's Concordance's definition is, "to be (causatively, make) right (in a moral or forensic sense)." This Hebrew word was used 41 times in the old testament. The KJV translations for this word are mostly from the root words "just" and "righteous" - 39 times. Only one time it was translated "cleansed" - in Dan8:14 . Because of this, some translators use the phrase "made just", rather than "cleansed", which I think is more-accurate.

So, let's compare =>

- In Lev16, we see the Earthly Sanctuary purged - made clean and pure from sin.
- In Dan8, we see the sanctuary made right/just, but from what?

Word Study Summary

From what we've learned so far, the following seems to be a better translation of Daniel 8:14:

An angel said to Daniel, "It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the Temple will be made right again."

The quoted words are a direct quote from the NLT - "New Living Translation" of the Bible. "Temple" is just another word for "Sanctuary".

From Heb.8-10, we know that the sanctuary on Earth is a model or type of the real or anti-type in Heaven. And, since the sanctuary on Earth was yearly-cleansed(purged) from the people's sins(Lev16:15-19), then doesn't the sanctuary in Heaven also need to be purged - made clean and pure - from the sins of the saved - likely before Christ's 2nd coming - but for sure by the end of the 1,000 years prophesied in Rev20? Here are some texts that may be helpful:

Hebrews 9:11 –12 “But Christ being come a high priest... by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place [τὰ ἅγια], having obtained eternal redemption for us.”
- The Greek “τὰ ἅγια” (ta hagia) can mean either "holy place" or "most holy place", depending on context. It likely refers to the whole heavenly sanctuary, but contextually implies the most holy, since it’s about atonement with blood.
Hebrews 1:3 “After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.”
Hebrews 10:12 “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God.”
- The right hand of God is associated with the place of authority, which is strongly linked in Hebrews with the heavenly Most Holy Place, where God's presence dwells.
The book of Hebrews (written ~60s CE) speaks of Christ as already having entered the heavenly Most Holy Place. No hint of a delay of ~1800 years (from the cross to 1844) before entering the Most Holy. More about this later... perhaps in a future study...

Is that what Dan8:14 is referring to? At this juncture in this study, it doesn't look it is. In my understanding the sanctuary in Heaven has always, and continues to be, just(as in justice) and right(as in righteous), but still needs to be purged of my forgiven sins, and yours, just as the Earthly sanctuary was yearly purged of the people's sins. Hopefully, we will receive more clarity on this subject as we continue to study more about this later...

Unsolved Mysteries - of Daniel 8:14 Only (We will study context and history later)

Is this prophecy for 2,300 days or years?
Is this prophecy about the sanctuary on Earth or in Heaven?
Does it matter that the Hebrew word translated "cleansed" in Lev16 is different that the Hebrew word used in Dan8:14 ?
During the time period of this prophecy what happened that caused the need to make "the Temple ... right again"?

Context of the 2,300 Day Prophecy

see this study on Daniel Chapter 8 => https://sidnash.org/docs/Dan8.html

Desiring to live by every word that comes from the mouth of Jehovah ( Deut8:3; Matt4:4 )

-Sid Nash: 06/14/2025. Latest version: https://sidnash.org/docs/2300Days