Daniel 2:24-25

2:24 Then Daniel went in to see ¹  Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came ²  and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me ³  to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!” ⁴ 

2:25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I ⁵  have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.”

Daniel 4:14

4:14 He called out loudly ⁶  as follows: ⁷ 

‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches!

Strip off its foliage

and scatter its fruit!

Let the animals flee from under it

and the birds from its branches!

Daniel 7:5

7:5 “Then ⁸  a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs ⁹  in its mouth between its teeth. ¹⁰  It was told, ¹¹  ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’

[2:24]  ¹ tc The MT has עַל עַל (’al ’al, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew MSS lack the verb, although this may be due to haplography.

[2:24]  ² tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew MS, lack this verb.

[2:24]  ³ tn Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.

[2:24]  ⁴ tn Aram “the king.”

[2:25]  ⁵ 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.

[4:14]  ⁶ tn Aram “in strength.”

[4:14]  ⁷ tn Aram “and thus he was saying.”

[7:5]  ⁸ tn Aram “and behold.”

[7:5]  ⁹ 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.

[7:5]  ¹⁰ tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”

[7:5]  ¹¹ tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”