Daniel 4:31

4:31 While these words were still on the king’s lips, ¹  a voice came down from heaven: “It is hereby announced to you, ²  King Nebuchadnezzar, that your kingdom has been removed from you!

Daniel 9:1

Daniel Prays for His People

9:1 In the first year of Darius ³  son of Ahasuerus, ⁴  who was of Median descent and who had been ⁵  appointed king over the Babylonian ⁶  empire –

Daniel 9:23

9:23 At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God’s sight. ⁷  Therefore consider the message and understand the vision: ⁸ 

Daniel 11:32

11:32 Then with smooth words he will defile ⁹  those who have rejected ¹⁰  the covenant. But the people who are loyal to ¹¹  their God will act valiantly. ¹² 

[4:31]  ¹ tn Aram “in the mouth of the king.”

[4:31]  ² tn Aram “to you they say.”

[9:1]  ³ sn The identity of this Darius is a major problem in correlating the biblical material with the extra-biblical records of this period. Most modern scholars treat the reference as a mistaken allusion to Darius Hystaspes (ca. 522-486 B.C.). Others have maintained instead that this name is a reference to the Persian governor Gubaru. Still others understand the reference to be to the Persian king Cyrus (cf. 6:28, where the vav (ו) may be understood as vav explicativum, meaning “even”). Under either of these latter two interpretations, the first year of Darius would have been ca. 538 B.C. Daniel would have been approximately eighty-two years old at this time.

[9:1]  ⁴ tc The LXX reads “Xerxes.” This is the reading used by some English versions (e.g., NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV). Most other English versions retain the Hebrew name “Ahasuerus.”

[9:1]  ⁵ tc The present translation follows the MT in reading a Hophal (i.e., passive). Theodotion, the Syriac, and the Vulgate all presuppose the Hiphil (i.e., active). Even though this is the only occurrence of the Hophal of this verb in the Bible, there is no need to emend the vocalization to the Hiphil.

[9:1]  ⁶ tn Heb “was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans.”

[9:23]  ⁷ tn Or “a precious treasure”; KJV “greatly beloved”; NASB, NIV “highly esteemed.”

[9:23]  ⁸ tn This sentence is perhaps a compound hendiadys (“give serious consideration to the revelatory vision”).

[11:32]  ⁹ tn Or “corrupt.”

[11:32]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “acted wickedly toward.”

[11:32]  ¹¹ tn Heb “know.” The term “know” sometimes means “to recognize.” In relational contexts it can have the connotation “recognize the authority of, be loyal to,” as it does here.

[11:32]  ¹² sn This is an allusion to the Maccabean revolt, which struggled to bring about Jewish independence in the second century B.C.