Daniel 7:2

7:2 Daniel explained: ¹  “I was watching in my vision during the night as ²  the four winds of the sky ³  were stirring up the great sea. ⁴ 

Daniel 7:6-9

7:6 “After these things, ⁵  as I was watching, another beast ⁶  like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. ⁷  This beast had four heads, ⁸  and ruling authority was given to it.

7:7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions ⁹  a fourth beast appeared – one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. ¹⁰  It had two large rows ¹¹  of iron teeth. It devoured and crushed, and anything that was left it trampled with its feet. It was different from all the beasts that came before it, and it had ten horns.

7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. ¹²  This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant ¹³  things.

7:9 “While I was watching,

thrones were set up,

and the Ancient of Days ¹⁴  took his seat.

His attire was white like snow;

the hair of his head was like lamb’s ¹⁵  wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire

and its wheels were all aflame. ¹⁶ 

Daniel 7:11

7:11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching ¹⁷  until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into ¹⁸  the flaming fire.

[7:2]  ¹ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[7:2]  ² tn Aram “and behold.”

[7:2]  ³ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:2]  ⁴ sn The referent of the great sea is unclear. The common view that the expression refers to the Mediterranean Sea is conjectural.

[7:6]  ⁵ tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.

[7:6]  ⁶ tn Aram “and behold, another one.”

[7:6]  ⁷ tn Or “sides.”

[7:6]  ⁸ sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the four-fold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death. See note on Dan 8:8.

[7:7]  ⁹ tn The Aramaic text has also “and behold.” So also in vv. 8, 13.

[7:7]  ¹⁰ 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.

[7:7]  ¹¹ tn The Aramaic word for “teeth” is dual rather than plural, suggesting two rows of teeth.

[7:8]  ¹² tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”

[7:8]  ¹³ tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.

[7:9]  ¹⁴ 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.”

[7:9]  ¹⁵ tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.

[7:9]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “a flaming fire.”

[7:11]  ¹⁷ 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.

[7:11]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).