Footnotes

1. Daniel 2:4 sn Contrary to common belief, the point here is not that the wise men (Chaldeans) replied to the king in the Aramaic language, or that this language was uniquely the language of the Chaldeans. It was this view that led in the past to Aramaic being referred to as “Chaldee.” Aramaic was used as a lingua franca during this period; its origins and usage were not restricted to the Babylonians. Rather, this phrase is better understood as an editorial note (cf. NAB) marking the fact that from 2:4b through 7:28 the language of the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. In 8:1, and for the remainder of the book, the language returns to Hebrew. Various views have been advanced to account for this change of language, most of which are unconvincing. The change in language likely reflects stages in the transmission history of the book of Daniel or factors in its composition history.
2. Daniel 2:4 tn Or “the.”
3. Daniel 2:5 tn Aram “answered and said,” a common idiom to indicate a reply, but redundant in contemporary English.
4. Daniel 2:5 tn It seems clear from what follows that Nebuchadnezzar clearly recalls the content of the dream, although obviously he does not know what to make of it. By not divulging the dream itself to the would-be interpreters, he intends to find out whether they are simply leading him on. If they can tell him the dream’s content, which he is able to verify, he then can have confidence in their interpretation, which is what eludes him. The translation “the matter is gone from me” (cf. KJV, ASV), suggesting that the king had simply forgotten the dream, is incorrect. The Aramaic word used here (אַזְדָּא, ʾazdaʾ) is probably of Persian origin; it occurs in the OT only here and in v. 8. There are two main possibilities for the meaning of the word: “the matter is promulgated by me” (see KBL 1048 s.v.) and therefore “publicly known” (cf. NRSV; F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 62-63, §189), or “the matter is irrevocable” (cf. NAB, NIV, TEV, CEV, NLT; HALOT 1808 s.v. אזד; cf. also BDB 1079 s.v.). The present translation reflects this latter option. See further E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 3.
5. Daniel 2:5 tn Aram “made limbs” (cf. 3:29).
6. Daniel 2:7 tn Aram “his servants.”
7. Daniel 2:7 tn Or “the.”
8. Daniel 2:9 tn Aram “one is your law,” i.e., only one thing is applicable to you.
9. Daniel 2:9 tn Aram “a lying and corrupt word.”
10. Daniel 2:9 tn Aram “I will know.”
11. Daniel 2:10 tn Aram “matter, thing.”
12. Daniel 2:11 tn Aram “whose dwelling is not with flesh.”
13. Daniel 2:12 tn Aram “was angry and very furious.” The expression is a hendiadys (two words or phrases expressing a single idea).
14. Daniel 2:13 tn The Aramaic participle is used here to express the imminent future.
15. Daniel 2:13 tn The impersonal active plural (“they sought”) of the Aramaic verb could also be translated as an English passive: “Daniel and his friends were sought” (cf. NAB).
16. Daniel 2:14 tn Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.
17. Daniel 2:15 tn The Aramaic word מְהַחְצְפָה (m^ehakhts^efah) may refer to the severity of the king’s decree (i.e., “harsh”; so HALOT 1879 s.v. חצף; BDB 1093 s.v. חֲצַף), although it would seem that in a delicate situation such as this Daniel would avoid this kind of criticism of the king’s actions. The translation above understands the word to refer to the immediacy, not harshness, of the decree. See further, F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 50, §116; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 67.
18. Daniel 2:16 tc Theodotion and the Syriac lack the words “went in and.”
19. Daniel 2:18 tn Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English and has not been included in the translation.
20. Daniel 2:19 tn Or “blessed.”
21. Daniel 2:20 tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”
22. Daniel 2:20 sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.
23. Daniel 2:20 tn Or “blessed.”
24. Daniel 2:21 tn Aram “kings.”
25. Daniel 2:21 tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
26. Daniel 2:23 tn Various explanations have been offered for the plurals we and us. They could be editorial plurals, or refer to Daniel and his three friends who were also praying about the matter.
27. Daniel 2:23 tn Aram “the word of the king.”
28. Daniel 2:24 tc The MT has עַל עַל (ʿal ʿal, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew mss lack the verb, although this may be due to haplography.
29. Daniel 2:24 tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew ms, lack this verb.
30. Daniel 2:24 tn Aram “cause me to enter,” as also in v. 25.
31. Daniel 2:24 tn Aram “the king.”
32. Daniel 2:25 sn Arioch’s claim is self-serving and exaggerated. It is Daniel who came to him, and not the other way around. By claiming to have found one capable of solving the king’s dilemma, Arioch probably hoped to ingratiate himself to the king.
33. Daniel 2:28 tn Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.
34. Daniel 2:28 tn Aram “in the latter days.”
35. Daniel 2:28 tn Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”
36. Daniel 2:29 tn Aram “your thoughts upon your bed went up to what will be after this.”
37. Daniel 2:30 tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”
38. Daniel 2:30 tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65). Subsequent narratives show both God and angels involved with Nebuchadnezzar, so “they” can be appropriate.
39. Daniel 2:30 tn Aram “heart.”
40. Daniel 2:31 tn Aram “an image.”
41. Daniel 2:33 sn Clay refers to baked clay, which despite being hard was also fragile. Compare the reference in v. 41 to “wet clay.”
42. Daniel 2:34 tn Aram “until.”
43. Daniel 2:34 tc The LXX, Theodotion, and the Vulgate have “from a mountain,” though this is probably a harmonization with v. 45.
44. Daniel 2:35 tn Aram “as one.” For the meaning “without distinction” see the following: F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 36, §64, and p. 93; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 60.
45. Daniel 2:36 tn Various suggestions have been made concerning the plural “we.” It could be an editorial plural translatable as “I.” However, Daniel has portrayed himself as an agent of God, who revealed the matter (vv. 28, 30), so we can express that reality.
46. Daniel 2:38 tn Aram “the sons of man.”
47. Daniel 2:38 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
48. Daniel 2:38 tn Aram “hand.”
49. Daniel 2:39 sn The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.
50. Daniel 2:40 tc Theodotion and the Vulgate lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”
51. Daniel 2:40 tn The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.
52. Daniel 2:40 tn The words “the others” are supplied from the context.
53. Daniel 2:41 tc The LXX lacks “and toes.”
54. Daniel 2:41 tn Aram “potter’s clay.”
55. Daniel 2:41 tn Aram “clay of clay” (also in v. 43).
56. Daniel 2:43 tc The present translation reads the conjunction, with most medieval Hebrew mss, LXX, Vulgate, and the Qere. The Kethib lacks the conjunction.
57. Daniel 2:43 sn The reference to people being mixed is usually understood to refer to intermarriage.
58. Daniel 2:43 tn Aram “with the seed of men.”
59. Daniel 2:43 tc The present translation reads הֵיךְ דִּי (hekh di) rather than the MT הֵא־כְדִי (heʾ kh^edi, “even as which”). It is a case of wrong word division.
60. Daniel 2:45 tn Aram “after this.”
61. Daniel 2:46 tn Aram “fell on his face.”
62. Daniel 2:49 tn Aram “and Daniel sought from the king and he appointed.”
63. Daniel 2:49 tn Aram “was at the gate of the king.”
64. Daniel 3:1 sn The LXX introduces this chapter with the following chronological note: “in the eighteenth year of.” Such a date would place these events at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. (cf. 2 Kgs 25:8). However, there seems to be no real basis for associating the events of Daniel 3 with this date.
65. Daniel 3:1 sn There is no need to think of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as being solid gold. No doubt the sense is that it was overlaid with gold (cf. Isa 40:19; Jer 10:3-4), with the result that it presented a dazzling self-compliment to the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s achievements.
66. Daniel 3:1 sn According to a number of patristic authors, the image represented a deification of Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is not clear from the biblical text, however.
67. Daniel 3:1 tn Aram “60 cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 90 feet (27.4 m) high.
68. Daniel 3:1 tn Aram “6 cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.sn The dimensions of the image (90 feet high and 9 feet wide) imply that it did not possess normal human proportions, unless a base for the image is included in the height dimension. The ancient world knew of other tall statues. For example, the Colossus of Rhodes—the huge statue of Helios which stood (ca. 280-224 b.c.) at the entrance to the harbor at Rhodes and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—was said to be 70 cubits (105 ft or 32 m) in height, which would make it even taller than Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
69. Daniel 3:2 sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.
70. Daniel 3:2 tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
71. Daniel 3:3 tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”
72. Daniel 3:4 tn According to BDB 1097 s.v. כָּרוֹז the Aramaic word used here is a Greek loanword, but other scholars have argued instead for a Persian derivation (HALOT 1902 s.v. *כָּרוֹז).
73. Daniel 3:4 tn Aram “in strength.”
74. Daniel 3:4 tn Aram “they are saying.”
75. Daniel 3:5 sn The word zither (Aramaic קִיתָרוֹס [qitaros]), and the words for harp (Aramaic פְּסַנְתֵּרִין [p^esanterin]) and pipes (Aramaic סוּמְפֹּנְיָה [sumpon^eyah]), are of Greek derivation. Though much has been made of this in terms of suggesting a date in the Hellenistic period for the writing of the book, it is not surprising that a few Greek cultural terms, all of them the names of musical instruments, should appear in this book. As a number of scholars have pointed out, the bigger surprise (if, in fact, the book is to be dated to the Hellenistic period) may be that there are so few Greek loanwords in Daniel.
76. Daniel 3:5 tn The imperfect Aramaic verbs have here an injunctive nuance.
77. Daniel 3:6 tn Aram “in that hour.”
78. Daniel 3:7 tn Aram “all the peoples.”
79. Daniel 3:7 tc Though not in the Aramaic text of BHS, this word appears in many medieval Hebrew mss, some LXX mss, and the Vulgate (cf. vv. 5, 10, 15).
80. Daniel 3:8 tc This expression is absent in Theodotion.
81. Daniel 3:8 tn Aram “men.”
82. Daniel 3:8 tn Aram “ate the pieces of.” This is a rather vivid idiom for slander.
83. Daniel 3:9 tn Aram “answered and said,” a common Aramaic idiom that occurs repeatedly in this chapter.
84. Daniel 3:9 sn O king, live forever! is a comment of typical court courtesy that is not necessarily indicative of the real sentiments of the speaker. Ancient oriental court protocol could sometimes require a certain amount of hypocrisy.
85. Daniel 3:12 sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or absence prompted by business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.
86. Daniel 3:13 tn Aram “in anger and wrath”; NASB “in rage and anger.” The expression is a hendiadys.
87. Daniel 3:13 tn The Aramaic infinitive is active.
88. Daniel 3:13 tn Aram “these men.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid undue repetition.
89. Daniel 3:15 tn Aram “hand,” as also in v. 17.
90. Daniel 3:16 tc In the MT this word is understood to begin the following address (“answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar’”). However, it seems unlikely that Nebuchadnezzar’s subordinates would address the king in such a familiar way, particularly in light of the danger that they now found themselves in. The present translation implies moving the verse-dividing atnakh from “king” to “Nebuchadnezzar.”
91. Daniel 3:16 tn Aram “to return a word to you.”
92. Daniel 3:17 tc The ancient versions typically avoid the conditional element of v. 17.
93. Daniel 3:17 tn The Aramaic expression used here is very difficult to interpret. The question concerns the meaning and syntax of אִיתַי (ʾitay, “is” or “exist”). There are several possibilities. (1) Some interpreters take this word closely with the participle later in the verse יָכִל (yakhil, “able”), understanding the two words to form a periphrastic construction (“if our God is…able”; cf. H. Bauer and P. Leander, Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen, 365, §111b). But the separation of the two elements from one another is not an argument in favor of this understanding. (2) Other interpreters take the first part of v. 17 to mean “If it is so, then our God will deliver us” (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB). However, the normal sense of ʾitay is existence; on this point see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 41, §95. The present translation maintains the sense of existence for the verb (“If our God…exists”), even though the statement is admittedly difficult to understand in this light. The statement may be an implicit reference back to Nebuchadnezzar’s comment in v. 15, which denies the existence of a god capable of delivering from the king’s power, thus their statement is rhetorically adapted to the perspective of the person they are addressing.
94. Daniel 3:19 tn Aram “the appearance of his face was altered”; cf. NLT “his face became distorted with rage”; NAB “[his] face became livid with utter rage.”
95. Daniel 3:19 tn Aram “he answered and said.”
96. Daniel 3:20 tn This is sometimes taken as a comparative: “[some of the] strongest.”
97. Daniel 3:21 sn There is a great deal of uncertainty with regard to the specific nature of these items of clothing.
98. Daniel 3:21 tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
99. Daniel 3:22 tn Aram “caused to go up.”
100. Daniel 3:22 tn The Aramaic verb is active.
101. Daniel 3:22 tn Aram “the flame of the fire” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NRSV “the raging flames.”
102. Daniel 3:23 tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
103. Daniel 3:23 sn The deuterocanonical writings known as The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three present at this point a confession and petition for God’s forgiveness and a celebration of God’s grace for the three Jewish youths in the fiery furnace. Though not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel, these compositions do appear in the ancient Greek versions.
104. Daniel 3:24 tn Aram “we threw…bound.”
105. Daniel 3:24 tn Aram “into the midst of.”
106. Daniel 3:25 sn The phrase like that of a god is in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods.” Many patristic writers understood this phrase in a christological sense (i.e., “the Son of God”). But it should be remembered that these are words spoken by a pagan who is seeking to explain things from his own polytheistic frame of reference; for him the phrase “like a son of the gods” is equivalent to “like a divine being.” Despite the king’s description though, the fourth person probably was an angel who had come to deliver the three men, or was a theophany.
107. Daniel 3:26 tn Aram “answered and said.”
108. Daniel 3:26 tn Aram “from the midst of the fire.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
109. Daniel 3:27 tn Aram “in their bodies.”
110. Daniel 3:27 tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”
111. Daniel 3:28 tn Aram “answered and said.”
112. Daniel 3:28 sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).
113. Daniel 3:28 tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”
114. Daniel 3:28 tn Aram “so that they might not.”
115. Daniel 3:29 tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”
116. Daniel 3:29 tn Aram “speaks negligence.”
117. Daniel 3:30 tn Aram “and the king.” The proper name has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
118. Daniel 4:1 sn Beginning with 4:1, the verse numbers through 4:37 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text (BHS), with 4:1 ET = 3:31 AT, 4:2 ET = 3:32 AT, 4:3 ET = 3:33 AT, 4:4 ET = 4:1 AT, etc., through 4:37 ET = 4:34 AT. Thus Dan 3:31-33 of the Aramaic text appears as Dan 4:1-3 in the English Bible, and the corresponding verses of ch. 4 differ accordingly. In spite of the division of the Aramaic text, a good case can be made that 3:31-33 AT (= 4:1-3 ET) is actually the introduction to ch. 4.
119. Daniel 4:1 tn Aram “May your peace increase!”
120. Daniel 4:3 tn Aram “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”
121. Daniel 4:4 sn This verse marks the beginning of chap. 4 in the Aramaic text of Daniel (see the note on 4:1). The Greek OT (LXX) has the following addition: “In the eighteenth year of Nebuchadnezzar’s reign he said.” This date would suggest a link to the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. In general, the LXX of chapters 4-6 is very different from the MT, so much so that the following notes will call attention only to selected readings. In Daniel 4 the LXX lacks sizable portions of material in the MT (e.g., vv. 3-6, 31-32), includes sizable portions of material not in the MT (e.g., v. 14a, parts of vv. 16, 28), has a different order of some material (e.g., v. 8 after v. 9), and in some instances is vastly different from the MT (e.g., vv. 30, 34). Whether these differences are due to an excessively paraphrastic translation technique adopted for these chapters in the LXX, or are due to differences in the underlying Vorlage of the LXX, is a disputed matter. The latter seems more likely. There is a growing trend in modern scholarship to take the LXX of chapters 4-6 much more seriously than was the case in most earlier text-critical studies that considered this issue.
122. Daniel 4:4 tn Aram “my house.”
123. Daniel 4:4 tn Aram “happy.”
124. Daniel 4:5 tn Aram “and it.”
125. Daniel 4:6 tn Aram “from me there was placed a decree.”
126. Daniel 4:6 tn The Aramaic infinitive here is active.
127. Daniel 4:8 sn This explanation of the meaning of the name Belteshazzar may be more of a paronomasia than a strict etymology. See the note at 1:7. The king's god was Marduk, who was called Bel (“Lord”).
128. Daniel 4:9 tc The present translation assumes the reading חֲזִי (khazi, “consider”) rather than the MT חֶזְוֵי (khezve, “visions”). The MT implies that the king required Daniel to disclose both the dream and its interpretation, as in chapter 2. But in the following verses Nebuchadnezzar recounts his dream, while Daniel presents only its interpretation.
129. Daniel 4:10 tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.
130. Daniel 4:10 tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.
131. Daniel 4:10 tn Aram “its height was great.”
132. Daniel 4:11 tn Aram “its sight,” as also v. 17.
133. Daniel 4:11 tn Or “to the end of all the earth” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “from anywhere on earth.”
134. Daniel 4:12 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
135. Daniel 4:12 tn Aram “all flesh.”
136. Daniel 4:13 tn Aram “the visions of my head.”
137. Daniel 4:13 tn Aram “a watcher and a holy one.” The expression is a hendiadys, as also in v. 23. This “watcher” is apparently an angel. The Greek OT (LXX) in fact has ἄγγελος (angelos, “angel”) here. Theodotion simply transliterates the Aramaic word (ʿir). The term is sometimes rendered “sentinel” (NAB) or “messenger” (NIV, NLT).
138. Daniel 4:14 tn Aram “in strength.”
139. Daniel 4:14 tn Aram “and thus he was saying.”
140. Daniel 4:15 tn Aram “the stock of its root,” as also in v. 23. The implication here is that although the tree is chopped down, it is not killed. Its life-giving root is spared. The application to Nebuchadnezzar is obvious.
141. Daniel 4:15 sn The function of the band of iron and bronze is not entirely clear, but it may have had to do with preventing the splitting or further deterioration of the portion of the tree that was left after being chopped down. By application it would then refer to the preservation of Nebuchadnezzar’s life during the time of his insanity.
142. Daniel 4:15 tn Aram “its lot be.”
143. Daniel 4:16 tn Aram “its heart.” The metaphor of the tree begins to fade here and the reality behind the symbol (the king) begins to emerge.
144. Daniel 4:16 sn The seven periods of time probably refer to seven years.
145. Daniel 4:16 tn Aram “over” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
146. Daniel 4:17 tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (ʿal divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (ʿad divrat, “until”).
147. Daniel 4:17 tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”
148. Daniel 4:18 tc The present translation, as also in the next verse, reads פִּשְׁרֵהּ (pishreh, “its interpretation”) with the Qere and many medieval Hebrew mss; the Kethib is פִּשְׁרָא (pishraʾ, “the interpretation”).
149. Daniel 4:18 tn Aram “of.”
150. Daniel 4:19 tn Aram “about one hour.” The expression refers idiomatically to a brief period of time of undetermined length.
151. Daniel 4:19 tn Aram “my lord.”
152. Daniel 4:20 tn Aram “its sight.”
153. Daniel 4:21 tn Aram “the beasts of the field” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
154. Daniel 4:22 sn Much of modern scholarship views this chapter as a distortion of traditions that were originally associated with Nabonidus rather than with Nebuchadnezzar. A Qumran text, the Prayer of Nabonidus, is often cited for parallels to these events.
155. Daniel 4:25 tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive, as also in vv. 28, 29, and 32.
156. Daniel 4:25 tn Aram “from mankind,” as also in v. 32.
157. Daniel 4:25 tn Aram “your dwelling will be,” as also in v. 32.
158. Daniel 4:25 tn Or perhaps: “be made to eat.”
159. Daniel 4:25 sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.
160. Daniel 4:25 tn Aram “until.”
161. Daniel 4:26 sn The reference to heaven here is a circumlocution for God. There was a tendency in Jewish contexts to avoid direct reference to God. Compare the expression “kingdom of heaven” in the NT and such statements as: “I have sinned against heaven and in your sight” (Luke 15:21).
162. Daniel 4:27 tn Aram “if there may be a lengthening to your prosperity.”
163. Daniel 4:28 tn Aram “reached.”
164. Daniel 4:29 tn The word “battlements” is not in the text but is supplied from context. Many English versions supply “roof” here (e.g., NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); cf. NLT “on the flat roof.”
165. Daniel 4:30 tn Aram “house.”
166. Daniel 4:30 tn Aram “by the might of my strength.”
167. Daniel 4:31 tn Aram “in the mouth of the king.”
168. Daniel 4:31 tn Aram “to you they say.”
169. Daniel 4:32 tn Aram “until.”
170. Daniel 4:33 tn Aram “hour.”
171. Daniel 4:33 tn Or “on.”
172. Daniel 4:33 tn Aram “was fulfilled.”
173. Daniel 4:33 tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.
174. Daniel 4:34 tn Aram “days.”
175. Daniel 4:34 tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”
176. Daniel 4:35 tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (k^elaʾ), with many medieval Hebrew mss, rather than כְּלָה (k^elah) of BHS.
177. Daniel 4:35 tn Aram “strikes against.”
178. Daniel 4:36 tc The translation reads הַדְרֵת (hadret, “I returned”) rather than the MT הַדְרִי (hadri, “my honor”); cf. Theodotion.
179. Daniel 4:36 tc The translation reads הָתְקְנֵת (hotq^enet, “I was established”) rather than the MT הָתְקְנַת (hotq^enat, “it was established”). The MT could read: “And regarding my kingdom, it was established.”
180. Daniel 4:37 tn Aram “walk.”
181. Daniel 5:1 sn As is clear from the extra-biblical records, it was actually Nabonidus (ca. 556-539 b.c.) who was king of Babylon at this time. However, Nabonidus spent long periods of time at Teima, and during those times Belshazzar his son was de facto king of Babylon. This arrangement may help to explain why later in this chapter Belshazzar promises that the successful interpreter of the handwriting on the wall will be made third ruler in the kingdom. If Belshazzar was in effect second ruler in the kingdom, this would be the highest honor he could grant.
182. Daniel 5:1 sn This scene of a Babylonian banquet calls to mind a similar grandiose event recorded in Esth 1:3-8. Persian kings were also renowned in the ancient Near Eastern world for their lavish banquets.
183. Daniel 5:1 sn The king probably sat at an elevated head table.
184. Daniel 5:1 tn Aram “the thousand.”
185. Daniel 5:2 tn Or perhaps, “when he had tasted” (cf. NASB) in the sense of officially initiating the commencement of the banquet. The translation above seems preferable, however, given the clear evidence of inebriation in the context (cf. also CEV “he got drunk and ordered”).
186. Daniel 5:2 tn Or “ancestor”; or “predecessor” (also in vv. 11, 13, 18). The Aramaic word translated “father” can on occasion denote these other relationships. Concerning the difficulty in tracing the lineage of Belshazzar, whose actual father was Nabonidus, back to Nebuchadnezzar, J. Goldingay, Daniel (WBC), 108, argues that, “The two chief points in neo-Babylonian history are the empire’s rise under Nebuchadnezzar and its fall under Nabonidus/Belshazzar, so that ‘Nebuchadnezzar the father of Belshazzar’ summarizes and reflects the general historical facts of the period.”
187. Daniel 5:2 tn Or “taken.”
188. Daniel 5:2 sn Making use of sacred temple vessels for an occasion of reveling and drunkenness such as this would have been a religious affront of shocking proportions to the Jewish captives.
189. Daniel 5:3 tc The present translation reads וְכַסְפָּא (v^ekhaspaʾ, “and the silver”) with Theodotion and the Vulgate; cf. v. 2. The form was probably accidentally dropped from the Aramaic text by homoioteleuton.
190. Daniel 5:3 tn Aram “the temple of the house of God.” The phrase seems rather awkward. The Vulgate lacks “of the house of God,” while Theodotion and the Syriac lack “of the house.”
191. Daniel 5:5 tn Aram “came forth.”
192. Daniel 5:5 sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.
193. Daniel 5:5 tn While Aramaic פַּס (pas) can mean the palm of the hand, here it seems to be the back of the hand that is intended.
194. Daniel 5:6 tn Aram “[the king’s] brightness changed for him.”
195. Daniel 5:6 tn Aram “his thoughts were alarming him.”
196. Daniel 5:6 tn Aram “his loins went slack.”
197. Daniel 5:7 tn Aram “in strength.”
198. Daniel 5:7 tn Aram “cause to enter.”
199. Daniel 5:7 tn Aram “answered and said.”
200. Daniel 5:7 sn Purple was a color associated with royalty in the ancient world.
201. Daniel 5:7 tn The term translated “golden collar” here probably refers to something more substantial than merely a gold chain (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT) or necklace (cf. NASB).
202. Daniel 5:8 tc Read וּפִשְׁרֵהּ (ufishreh, “and its interpretation”) with the Qere rather than וּפִשְׁרָא (ufishraʾ, “and the interpretation”) of the Kethib.
203. Daniel 5:9 tn Aram “his visage altered upon him,” as also in v. 10.
204. Daniel 5:10 tn Aram “words of the king.”
205. Daniel 5:10 tn Aram “the queen” (so NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV). In the following discourse this woman is able to recall things about Daniel that go back to the days of Nebuchadnezzar, things that Belshazzar does not seem to recollect. It is likely that she was the wife not of Belshazzar but of Nabonidus or perhaps even Nebuchadnezzar. In that case, “queen” here means “queen mother” (cf. NCV “the king’s mother”).
206. Daniel 5:10 tn Aram “The queen.” The translation has used the pronoun “she” instead because repetition of the noun here would be redundant in terms of English style.
207. Daniel 5:11 tn Aram “[there were] discovered to be in him.”
208. Daniel 5:11 tn Aram “wisdom like the wisdom.” This would be redundant in terms of English style.
209. Daniel 5:11 tc Theodotion lacks the phrase “and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods.”
210. Daniel 5:11 tc The MT includes a redundant reference to “your father the king” at the end of v. 11. None of the attempts to explain this phrase as original are very convincing. The present translation deletes the phrase, following Theodotion and the Syriac.
211. Daniel 5:12 tc The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the MT מְפַשַּׁר (m^efashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (umishreʾ) rather than the MT וּמְשָׁרֵא (um^eshareʾ). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.
212. Daniel 5:12 tn Aram “to loose knots.”
213. Daniel 5:12 tn Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”
214. Daniel 5:14 tn Aram “there has been found in you.”
215. Daniel 5:15 tn The Aramaic text does not have “and.” The term “astrologers” is either an appositive for “wise men” (cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV), or the construction is to be understood as asyndetic (so the translation above).
216. Daniel 5:16 tn The Aramaic text has also the words “about you.”
217. Daniel 5:16 tn Or perhaps “one of three rulers,” in the sense of becoming part of a triumvir; so also in v. 29.
218. Daniel 5:17 tn Or “the.”
219. Daniel 5:18 tn Or “royal greatness and majestic honor,” if the four terms are understood as a double hendiadys.
220. Daniel 5:19 tn Aram “were trembling and fearing.” This can be treated as a hendiadys, “were trembling with fear.”
221. Daniel 5:19 tn Aram “let live.” This Aramaic form is the aphel participle of חַיָה (khayah, “to live”). Theodotion and the Vulgate mistakenly take the form to be from מְחָא (m^ekhaʾ, “to smite”).
222. Daniel 5:20 tn Aram “heart.”
223. Daniel 5:20 sn The point of describing Nebuchadnezzar as arrogant is that he had usurped divine prerogatives, and because of his immense arrogance God had dealt decisively with him.
224. Daniel 5:21 tn Aram “heart.”
225. Daniel 5:21 tn Aram “his dwelling.”
226. Daniel 5:22 tn Or “descendant”; or “successor.”
227. Daniel 5:22 tn Aram “your heart.”
228. Daniel 5:23 tn Aram “which.”
229. Daniel 5:23 tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”
230. Daniel 5:25 tc The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the repetition of מְנֵא (m^eneʾ, cf. NAB).
231. Daniel 5:25 tc The Aramaic word is plural. Theodotion has the singular (cf. NAB “PERES”).
232. Daniel 5:26 tn Or “word”; or “event.” See HALOT 1915 s.v. מִלָּה.
233. Daniel 5:26 tn The Aramaic term מְנֵא (m^eneʾ) is a noun referring to a measure of weight. The linkage here to the verb “to number” (Aram. מְנָה, m^enah) is a case of paronomasia rather than strict etymology. So also with תְּקֵל (t^eqel) and פַרְסִין (farsin). In the latter case there is an obvious wordplay with the name “Persian.”
234. Daniel 5:28 sn Peres (פְּרֵס) is the singular form of פַרְסִין (farsin) in v. 25.
235. Daniel 5:29 tn Aram “Belshazzar spoke.”
236. Daniel 5:30 tn Aram “king of the Chaldeans.”
237. Daniel 5:30 sn The year was 539 b.c. At this time Daniel would have been approximately eighty-one years old. The relevant extra-biblical records describing the fall of Babylon include portions of Herodotus, Xenophon, Berossus (cited in Josephus), the Cyrus Cylinder, and the Babylonian Chronicle.
238. Daniel 5:31 sn Beginning with 5:31, the verse numbers through 6:28 in the English Bible differ from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text (BHS), with 5:31 ET = 6:1 AT, 6:1 ET = 6:2 AT, 6:2 ET = 6:3 AT, 6:3 ET = 6:4 AT, etc., through 6:28 ET = 6:29 AT. Beginning with 7:1 the verse numbers in the English Bible and the Aramaic text are again the same.
239. Daniel 6:1 tn Aram “It was pleasing before Darius.”
240. Daniel 6:1 tn This is a technical term for an official placed in charge of a region of the empire (cf. KJV, NLT “prince[s]”; NCV, TEV “governors”). These satraps were answerable to a supervisor, who in turn answered to Darius.
241. Daniel 6:2 tn Aram “giving an account.”
242. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “looking to find.”
243. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “from the side of the kingdom.”
244. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “pretext and corruption.”
245. Daniel 6:4 tn Aram “no negligence or corruption was found in him.” The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the phrase “and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”
246. Daniel 6:5 tn Aram “were saying.”
247. Daniel 6:5 tn Aram “unless we find [it] against him.”
248. Daniel 6:6 tn The Aramaic verb רְגַשׁ (r^egash) occurs three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12, 16). Its meaning is widely disputed by commentators, and the versions vary considerably in how they render the word. The suggestion that it means “to come thronging” (BDB 1112 s.v.; cf. NAB) seems inappropriate, since it is unlikely that subordinates would enter a royal court in such a reckless fashion. The ancient versions struggled with the word and are not in agreement in their understanding of its meaning. In this chapter the word apparently means to act in agreement with other parties in the pursuit of a duplicitous goal, namely the entrapment of Daniel; cf. NIV, NCV “went as a group”; NRSV “conspired and came to the king.”
249. Daniel 6:6 tn Aram “thus they were saying.”
250. Daniel 6:7 tn Aram “prays a prayer.”
251. Daniel 6:8 tn Aram “establish a written interdict and inscribe a written decree.”
252. Daniel 6:8 tn Or “removed.”
253. Daniel 6:10 tn Aram “knew.”
254. Daniel 6:10 sn In later rabbinic thought this verse was sometimes cited as a proof text for the notion that one should pray only in a house with windows (see b. Berakhot 34b).
255. Daniel 6:10 sn This is apparently the only specific mention in the OT of prayer being regularly offered three times a day. The practice was probably not unique to Daniel, however.
256. Daniel 6:10 tc Read with several medieval Hebrew mss and printed editions הֲוָה (havah, “he was”) rather than the MT הוּא (huʾ, “he”).
257. Daniel 6:10 tn Aram “kneeling on his knees” (so NASB).sn No specific posture for offering prayers is prescribed in the OT. Kneeling, as here, and standing were both practiced.
258. Daniel 6:11 tn Aram “those men”; the referent (the administrative officials who had earlier approached the king about the edict) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
259. Daniel 6:12 tc The MT also has “about the edict of the king,” but this phrase is absent in the LXX and the Syriac. The present translation deletes the expression.tn Aram “before the king.”
260. Daniel 6:12 tn Aram “the word is true.”
261. Daniel 6:13 tn Aram “from the sons of the captivity [of].”
262. Daniel 6:13 tn Aram “prays his prayer.”
263. Daniel 6:14 tn Aram “the word.”
264. Daniel 6:14 tn Aram “placed his mind on.”
265. Daniel 6:14 tn Aram “the entrances of the sun.”
266. Daniel 6:15 tc Theodotion lacks the words “came by collusion to the king and.”
267. Daniel 6:15 tn Aram “the king.”
268. Daniel 6:15 tn Aram “know”; NAB “Keep in mind”; NASB “Recognize”; NIV, NCV “Remember.”
269. Daniel 6:16 tn Aram “said,” as also in vv. 24, 25.
270. Daniel 6:16 sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level that could be safely observed from above.
271. Daniel 6:16 tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”
272. Daniel 6:17 tn Aram “mouth.”
273. Daniel 6:17 sn The purpose of the den being sealed was to prevent unauthorized tampering with the opening of the den. Any disturbance of the seal would immediately alert the officials to improper activity of this sort.
274. Daniel 6:17 tn Aram “the signet rings.”
275. Daniel 6:18 tn The meaning of Aramaic דַּחֲוָה (dakhavah) is a crux interpretum. Suggestions include “music,” “dancing girls,” “concubines,” “table,” “food”—all of which are uncertain. The translation employed here, suggested by earlier scholars, is deliberately vague. A number of recent English versions follow a similar approach with “entertainment” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On this word see further, HALOT 1849-50 s.v.; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 37.
276. Daniel 6:18 tn Aram “his sleep fled from him.”
277. Daniel 6:20 tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.
278. Daniel 6:21 tn Aram “with.”
279. Daniel 6:24 tn Aram “said.”
280. Daniel 6:24 tn Aram “had eaten the pieces of.” The Aramaic expression is ironic, in that the accusers who had figuratively “eaten the pieces of Daniel” are themselves literally devoured by the lions.
281. Daniel 6:24 tn The Aramaic active impersonal verb is often used as a substitute for the passive.
282. Daniel 6:24 tc The LXX specifies only the two overseers, together with their families, as those who were cast into the lions’ den.
283. Daniel 6:25 tn Aram “May your peace be increased!”
284. Daniel 6:26 tn Aram “until the end.”
285. Daniel 6:27 tn Aram “hand.”
286. Daniel 6:28 tn Or perhaps “in the reign of Darius, even in the reign of Cyrus.” The identity of this Darius is disputed. Some take the name as referring to Cyrus, understanding the following ו (vav “and”) in an epexegetical sense (“even”). Others identify Darius with a governor of Babylon known from extra-biblical records as Gubaru, or with Cambyses, son of Cyrus. Many scholars maintain that the reference is historically inaccurate.
287. Daniel 7:1 sn The first year of Belshazzar’s reign would have been ca. 553 b.c. Daniel would have been approximately 67 years old at the time of this vision.
288. Daniel 7:1 tn Aram “saw.”
289. Daniel 7:1 tn Aram “and visions of his head.” The Aramaic is difficult here. Some scholars add a verb thought to be missing (e.g., “the visions of his head [were alarming him]”), but there is no external evidence to support such a decision, and the awkwardness of the text at this point may be original.
290. Daniel 7:1 tn Aram “head of words.” The phrase is absent in Theodotion. Cf. NIV’s “the substance of his dream.”
291. Daniel 7:2 tn Aram “answered and said.”
292. Daniel 7:2 tn Aram “and behold.”
293. Daniel 7:2 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
294. Daniel 7:2 sn The referent of the great sea is unclear. The common view that the expression refers to the Mediterranean Sea is conjectural.
295. Daniel 7:4 tn Aram “heart of a man.”
296. Daniel 7:4 sn The identity of the first animal, derived from v. 17 and the parallels in chap. 2, is Babylon. The reference to the plucking of its wings is probably a reference to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity (cf. chap. 4). The latter part of v. 4 then describes the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar. The other animals have traditionally been understood to represent respectively Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although most of modern scholarship identifies them as Media, Persia, and Greece. For a biblical parallel to the mention of lion, bear, and leopard together, see Hos 13:7-8.
297. Daniel 7:5 tn Aram “and behold.”
298. Daniel 7:5 sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.
299. Daniel 7:5 tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”
300. Daniel 7:5 tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”
301. Daniel 7:6 tn Aram “this,” as also in v. 7.
302. Daniel 7:6 tn Aram “and behold, another one.”
303. Daniel 7:6 tn Or “sides.”
304. Daniel 7:6 sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the fourfold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death (see note on Dan 8:8).
305. Daniel 7:7 tn The Aramaic text has also “and behold,” as also in vv. 8, 13.
306. Daniel 7:7 sn The fourth animal differs from the others in that it is nondescript. Apparently it was so fearsome that Daniel could find nothing with which to compare it. Attempts to identify this animal as an elephant or other known creature are conjectural.
307. Daniel 7:7 tn The Aramaic word for “teeth” is dual rather than plural, suggesting two rows of teeth.
308. Daniel 7:8 tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”
309. Daniel 7:8 tn Aram “great,” as also in vv. 11, 20.
310. Daniel 7:9 tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers (cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God”).
311. Daniel 7:9 tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (n^eqeʾ) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqyaʾ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word, see further, M. Sokoloff, “ʾamar neqeʾ, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.
312. Daniel 7:9 tn Aram “a flaming fire.”
313. Daniel 7:10 tn Aram “were standing before him.”
314. Daniel 7:10 tn Aram “judgment sat.”
315. Daniel 7:11 tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “I was watching” here. It is possible that these words in the MT are a dittography from the first part of the verse.
316. Daniel 7:11 tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).
317. Daniel 7:12 tn Aram “a prolonging of life was granted to them.”
318. Daniel 7:13 tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).
319. Daniel 7:13 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
320. Daniel 7:13 sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.
321. Daniel 7:13 tn Aram “they brought him near.”
322. Daniel 7:14 tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”
323. Daniel 7:14 tn Aram “is an eternal authority that will not pass away.”
324. Daniel 7:14 tn Aram “is one that will not be destroyed.”
325. Daniel 7:15 tn The Aramaic text includes the phrase “in its sheath,” apparently viewing the body as a container or receptacle for the spirit somewhat like a sheath or scabbard is for a knife or a sword (cf. NAB “within its sheath of flesh”). For this phrase the LXX and Vulgate have “in these things.”
326. Daniel 7:15 tn Aram “head.”
327. Daniel 7:16 tn Aram “what is certain.”
328. Daniel 7:16 tn Aram “and made known.”
329. Daniel 7:16 tn Aram “matter,” but the matter at hand is of course the vision.
330. Daniel 7:18 sn The expression holy ones is either a reference to angels, to human beings devoted to God, or to both. The context is an earthly kingdom the holy ones will possess, and man was appointed to rule the earth (Gen 1:28). The holy ones are defeated and harassed by an earthly ruler in 7:21, 25, and human rulers cannot defeat and harass angels. So the holy ones are almost certainly human beings devoted to God.
331. Daniel 7:19 tn Aram “to make certain.”
332. Daniel 7:20 tn The words “I also wanted to know” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
333. Daniel 7:20 tc The conjunction in the MT before “eyes” is odd. The ancient versions do not seem to presuppose it.
334. Daniel 7:20 tn Aram “greater than its companions.”
335. Daniel 7:21 tn Aram “prevailing against” (KJV, ASV both similar); NASB “overpowering them”; TEV “conquered them.”
336. Daniel 7:22 tc In the LXX, Syriac, and Vulgate the verb is active, understanding “judgment” to be the object rather than the subject of the verb (i.e., “the Ancient of Days rendered judgment”). This presupposes a different vocalization of the verb ( יְהַב [y^ehav] rather than the MT יְהִב [y^ehiv]).
337. Daniel 7:23 tn Aram “thus he said.”
338. Daniel 7:24 tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”
339. Daniel 7:25 tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”
340. Daniel 7:25 tn Aram “he will think.”
341. Daniel 7:25 tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.
342. Daniel 7:25 sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”
343. Daniel 7:26 tn Aram “judgment will sit” (KJV similar).
344. Daniel 7:27 tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.
345. Daniel 7:28 tn Aram “my brightness was changing on me.”
346. Daniel 7:28 tn Aram “in my heart.”