Abomination of Desolation

The abomination of desolation (or desolating sacrilege) is a term found in the Book of Daniel which means literally "an abomination that desolates" or "an abomination that appalls". It also occurs in 1 Maccabees and in the Synoptic Gospels of the New Testament. The Hebrew term (transliterated) is šiqqûṣ m^ešōmēm (שִׁקּוּץ מְשֹׁמֵם) with shíqqûç designating anything (statue, altar, etc.) that pertains to idolatrous worship and shômem "that maketh desolate".; the Greek equivalent is to bdelygma tes eremoseos (τὸ βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως).

The word "abomination" is described as a "detestable act" or "detestable thing" and in both biblical and rabbinic Hebrew, is a familiar term for an idol, or pertains to idolatrous worship, and therefore may well have the same application in Daniel, which should accordingly be rendered, in agreement with Ezra 9:1-4 "motionless abomination" or, also, "appalling abomination". Some scholars—Hoffmann, Nestle, Bevan, and others—suggest that as a designation for Jupiter it is simply an intentional perversion of his usual appellation "Baal Shamem" ("lord of heaven") is quite plausible, as attested by the perversion of Beelzebub into "Βεελζεβούλ" (Greek version) in Mark 3:22, as well as the express injunction found in Tosef., 'Ab. Zarah, vi. (vii) and Babli 'Ab. Zarah, 46a that the names of idols may be pronounced only in a distorted or abbreviated form.

The phrase "abomination of desolation" is found in three places in the Book of Daniel, all within the literary context of apocalyptic visions.

And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.

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