What does EGW write about...
Adventistische Schriften über: "Daniel Chapter: The “Daily”. The word “sacrifice” was mistranslated."
Answer
The word \"sacrifice\" in the Book of Daniel is actually not part of the Hebrew original text, but was added by the translators, which is indicated in many Bible editions by italicization. The original term simply means \"the Daily\" or \"the Constant\" (Hebrew: *tamid*) and does not refer to Jewish sacrificial rituals, but to a long‑lasting, destructive power. In the Adventist interpretation, two phases of oppression are seen here: paganism as \"the Daily\" and the papacy as \"the Abomination of Desolation\". Since the vision spans a long period, the reference to daily sacrifices makes no sense, as their abolition would have lasted only a moment. Rather, the text describes the ongoing resistance of Satan against God’s work through various secular and religious systems.
The Meaning of the Word \"Daily\"
The word rendered here as \"daily\" occurs one hundred and two times in the Old Testament according to the Hebrew concordance and is in the great majority of cases translated as \"constant\" or \"continual\". The notion of a sacrifice is not connected to the word at all. There is also no word in the text that means sacrifice; that is entirely a word added by the translators because their understanding of the text seemed to require it. But they evidently held a mistaken view, since the sacrifices of the Jews are not meant here at all.
Two Destructive Powers in the Book of Daniel
\"The Daily and the Abomination of Desolation\" are two destructive powers that were to trample both the sanctuary and the army. The Daily was to do this first, and then a host was to be given to the little horn against the Daily. [...] That is, the Daily will cease its persecution, and the Abomination of Desolation will take its place and crush the saints.
Misinterpretation Due to Added Terms
It is therefore a kind of deception to present this word in any of those passages as if it referred at all to Jewish sacrifices, because the Hebrew original makes no reference to any kind of sacrifice. If the word \"sacrifice\", which our translators added in each of these texts, had been \"desolation\" or \"desolator\", it would have been equally in line with the Hebrew text and far more consistent with the obvious intent of the Holy Spirit.
- Daniel 8 the Daily meaning
- Abomination of Desolation interpretation
- Hebrew Tamid Daniel sacrifice
Original Sources (English)
