Daniel 11:29

11:29 At an appointed time he will again invade the south, but this latter visit will not turn out the way the former one did.

Daniel 6:19

God Rescues Daniel from the Lions

6:19 In the morning, at the earliest sign of daylight, the king got up and rushed to the lions’ den.

Daniel 1:20

1:20 In every matter of wisdom and ¹  insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times ²  better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.

Daniel 7:10

7:10 A river of fire was streaming forth

and proceeding from his presence.

Many thousands were ministering to him;

Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. ³ 

The court convened ⁴ 

and the books were opened.

Daniel 3:19

3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed ⁵  toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders ⁶  to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated.

Daniel 3:5

3:5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, ⁷  trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must ⁸  bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has erected.

Daniel 1:19

1:19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group ⁹  anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. ¹⁰ 

Daniel 6:13

6:13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives ¹¹  from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.” ¹² 

Daniel 6:10

6:10 When Daniel realized ¹³  that a written decree had been issued, he entered his home, where the windows ¹⁴  in his upper room opened toward Jerusalem. ¹⁵  Three ¹⁶  times daily he was ¹⁷  kneeling ¹⁸  and offering prayers and thanks to his God just as he had been accustomed to do previously.

Daniel 3:4

3:4 Then the herald ¹⁹  made a loud ²⁰  proclamation: “To you, O peoples, nations, and language groups, the following command is given: ²¹ 

Daniel 8:1

Daniel Has a Vision of a Goat and a Ram

8:1 ²² In the third year ²³  of King Belshazzar’s reign, a vision appeared to me, Daniel, after the one that had appeared to me previously. ²⁴ 

Daniel 9:21

9:21 yes, while I was still praying, ²⁵  the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously ²⁶  in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, ²⁷  around the time of the evening offering.

Daniel 2:47

2:47 The king replied to Daniel, “Certainly your God is a God of gods and Lord of kings and revealer of mysteries, for you were able to reveal this mystery!”

Daniel 11:22

11:22 Armies ²⁸  will be suddenly ²⁹  swept away in defeat ³⁰  before him; both they and a covenant leader ³¹  will be destroyed. ³² 

Daniel 2:8

2:8 The king replied, “I know for sure that you are attempting to gain time, because you see that my decision is firm.

Daniel 2:5

2:5 The king replied ³³  to the wise men, “My decision is firm. ³⁴  If you do not inform me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered ³⁵  and your homes reduced to rubble!

Daniel 9:25

9:25 So know and understand:

From the issuing of the command ³⁶  to restore and rebuild

Jerusalem ³⁷  until an anointed one, a prince arrives, ³⁸ 

there will be a period of seven weeks ³⁹  and sixty-two weeks.

It will again be built, ⁴⁰  with plaza and moat,

but in distressful times.

Daniel 5:22

5:22 “But you, his son ⁴¹  Belshazzar, have not humbled yourself, ⁴²  although you knew all this.

Daniel 2:6

2:6 But if you can disclose the dream and its interpretation, you will receive from me gifts, a reward, and considerable honor. So disclose to me the dream and its interpretation!”

Daniel 3:3

3:3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. ⁴³ 

Daniel 3:15

3:15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the statue that I had made. If you don’t pay homage to it, you will immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is that god who can rescue you from my power?” ⁴⁴ 

Daniel 2:2

2:2 The king issued an order ⁴⁵  to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men ⁴⁶  in order to explain his dreams to him. ⁴⁷  So they came and awaited the king’s instructions. ⁴⁸ 

Daniel 2:7

2:7 They again replied, “Let the king inform us ⁴⁹  of the dream; then we will disclose its ⁵⁰  interpretation.”

Daniel 2:26

2:26 The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?”

Daniel 12:13

12:13 But you should go your way ⁵¹  until the end. ⁵²  You will rest and then at the end of the days you will arise to receive ⁵³  what you have been allotted.” ⁵⁴ 

Daniel 4:17

4:17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;

this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,

so that ⁵⁵  those who are alive may understand

that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, ⁵⁶ 

and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.

He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’

Daniel 7:21

7:21 While I was watching, that horn began to wage war against the holy ones and was defeating ⁵⁷  them,

Daniel 3:18

3:18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Daniel 7:24

7:24 The ten horns

mean that ten kings will arise from that kingdom.

Another king will arise after them,

but he will be different from the earlier ones.

He will humiliate ⁵⁸  three kings.

Daniel 11:15

11:15 Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city. ⁵⁹  The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents. ⁶⁰  They will have no strength to prevail.

Daniel 4:2

4:2 I am delighted to tell you about the signs and wonders that the most high God has done for me.

Daniel 5:4

5:4 As they drank wine, they praised the gods of gold and silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone.

Daniel 9:9

9:9 Yet the Lord our God is compassionate and forgiving, ⁶¹  even though we have rebelled against him.

Daniel 10:18

10:18 Then the one who appeared to be a human being touched me again ⁶²  and strengthened me.

Daniel 3:27

3:27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically ⁶³  unharmed by the fire. ⁶⁴  The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!

Daniel 8:24

8:24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. ⁶⁵  He will be successful in what he undertakes. ⁶⁶  He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones. ⁶⁷ 

Daniel 9:24

9:24 “Seventy weeks ⁶⁸  have been determined

concerning your people and your holy city

to put an end to ⁶⁹  rebellion,

to bring sin ⁷⁰  to completion, ⁷¹ 

to atone for iniquity,

to bring in perpetual ⁷²  righteousness,

to seal up ⁷³  the prophetic vision, ⁷⁴ 

and to anoint a most holy place. ⁷⁵ 

Daniel 11:2

11:2 Now I will tell you the truth.

The Angel Gives a Message to Daniel

“Three ⁷⁶  more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth ⁷⁷  king will be unusually rich, ⁷⁸  more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against ⁷⁹  the kingdom of Greece.

Daniel 11:13

11:13 For the king of the north will again muster an army, one larger than before. At the end of some years he will advance with a huge army and enormous supplies.

Daniel 9:26

9:26 Now after the sixty-two weeks,

an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. ⁸⁰ 

As for the city and the sanctuary,

the people of the coming prince will destroy ⁸¹  them.

But his end will come speedily ⁸²  like a flood. ⁸³ 

Until the end of the war that has been decreed

there will be destruction.

Daniel 2:12

2:12 Because of this the king got furiously angry ⁸⁴  and gave orders to destroy all the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel 3:13

3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a fit of rage ⁸⁵  demanded that they bring ⁸⁶  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before him. So they brought them ⁸⁷  before the king.

Daniel 6:11

6:11 Then those officials who had gone to the king ⁸⁸  came by collusion and found Daniel praying and asking for help before his God.

Daniel 8:14

8:14 He said to me, “To 2,300 evenings and mornings; ⁸⁹  then the sanctuary will be put right again.” ⁹⁰ 

Daniel 11:19

11:19 He will then turn his attention to the fortresses of his own land, but he will stumble and fall, not to be found again.

Daniel 2:38

2:38 Wherever human beings, ⁹¹  wild animals, ⁹²  and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. ⁹³  He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold.

Daniel 7:19

7:19 “Then I wanted to know the meaning ⁹⁴  of the fourth beast, which was different from all the others. It was very dreadful, with two rows of iron teeth and bronze claws, and it devoured, crushed, and trampled anything that was left with its feet.

Daniel 9:27

9:27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. ⁹⁵ 

But in the middle of that week

he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt.

On the wing ⁹⁶  of abominations will come ⁹⁷  one who destroys,

until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys.”

Daniel 11:10

11:10 His sons ⁹⁸  will wage war, mustering a large army which will advance like an overflowing river and carrying the battle all the way to the enemy’s ⁹⁹  fortress. ¹⁰⁰ 

Daniel 1:5

1:5 So the king assigned them a daily ration ¹⁰¹  from his royal delicacies ¹⁰²  and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained ¹⁰³  for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service. ¹⁰⁴ 

Daniel 1:18

1:18 When the time appointed by the king arrived, ¹⁰⁵  the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence.

Daniel 2:14

2:14 Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel ¹⁰⁶  to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel 2:40

2:40 Then there will be a fourth kingdom, one strong like iron. Just like iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything, and as iron breaks in pieces ¹⁰⁷  all of these metals, ¹⁰⁸  so it will break in pieces and crush the others. ¹⁰⁹ 

Daniel 3:14

3:14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods and that you don’t pay homage to the golden statue that I erected?

Daniel 3:22

3:22 But since the king’s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted ¹¹⁰  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed ¹¹¹  by the leaping flames. ¹¹² 

Daniel 3:25

3:25 He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!” ¹¹³ 

Daniel 4:8

4:8 Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, ¹¹⁴  and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well,

Daniel 6:2

6:2 Over them would be three supervisors, one of whom was Daniel. These satraps were accountable ¹¹⁵  to them, so that the king’s interests might not incur damage.

Daniel 9:6

9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ¹¹⁶  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ¹¹⁷  and to all the inhabitants ¹¹⁸  of the land as well.

Daniel 10:3

10:3 I ate no choice food; no meat or wine came to my lips, ¹¹⁹  nor did I anoint myself with oil ¹²⁰  until the end of those three weeks.

Daniel 10:8

10:8 I alone was left to see this great vision. My strength drained from ¹²¹  me, and my vigor disappeared; ¹²²  I was without energy. ¹²³ 

Daniel 11:14

11:14 “In those times many will oppose ¹²⁴  the king of the south. ¹²⁵  Those who are violent ¹²⁶  among your own people will rise up in confirmation of ¹²⁷  the vision, but they will falter.

Daniel 11:37

11:37 He will not respect ¹²⁸  the gods of his fathers – not even the god loved by women. ¹²⁹  He will not respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all.

Daniel 11:6

11:6 After some years have passed, they ¹³⁰  will form an alliance. Then the daughter ¹³¹  of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement, but she will not retain her power, ¹³²  nor will he continue ¹³³  in his strength. ¹³⁴  She, together with the one who brought her, her child, ¹³⁵  and her benefactor will all be delivered over at that time. ¹³⁶ 

Daniel 11:24

11:24 In a time of prosperity for the most productive areas of the province he will come and accomplish what neither his fathers nor their fathers accomplished. He will distribute loot, spoils, and property to his followers, and he will devise plans against fortified cities, but not for long. ¹³⁷ 

Daniel 3:23

3:23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace ¹³⁸  of blazing fire while still securely bound. ¹³⁹ 

Daniel 1:10

1:10 But he ¹⁴⁰  responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided ¹⁴¹  your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? ¹⁴²  If that happened, ¹⁴³  you would endanger my life ¹⁴⁴  with the king!”

Daniel 2:1

Nebuchadnezzar Has a Disturbing Dream

2:1 In the second year of his ¹⁴⁵  reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. ¹⁴⁶  His mind ¹⁴⁷  was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia. ¹⁴⁸ 

Daniel 2:10

2:10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, ¹⁴⁹  for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.

Daniel 2:35

2:35 Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were broken in pieces without distinction ¹⁵⁰  and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors that the wind carries away. Not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain that filled the entire earth.

Daniel 3:2

3:2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, ¹⁵¹  and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he ¹⁵²  had erected.

Daniel 4:9

4:9 saying, “Belteshazzar, chief of the magicians, in whom I know there to be a spirit of the holy gods and whom no mystery baffles, consider ¹⁵³  my dream that I saw and set forth its interpretation!

Daniel 4:12

4:12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;

on it there was food enough for all.

Under it the wild animals ¹⁵⁴  used to seek shade,

and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.

All creatures ¹⁵⁵  used to feed themselves from it.

Daniel 4:34

4:34 But at the end of the appointed time ¹⁵⁶  I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up ¹⁵⁷  toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me.

I extolled the Most High,

and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever.

For his authority is an everlasting authority,

and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.

Daniel 8:8

8:8 The male goat acted even more arrogantly. But no sooner had the large horn become strong than it was broken, and there arose four conspicuous horns ¹⁵⁸  in its place, ¹⁵⁹  extending toward the four winds of the sky. ¹⁶⁰ 

Daniel 9:16

9:16 O Lord, according to all your justice, ¹⁶¹  please turn your raging anger ¹⁶²  away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain. For due to our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors, Jerusalem and your people are mocked by all our neighbors.

Daniel 9:18

9:18 Listen attentively, ¹⁶³  my God, and hear! Open your eyes and look on our desolated ruins ¹⁶⁴  and the city called by your name. ¹⁶⁵  For it is not because of our own righteous deeds that we are praying to you, ¹⁶⁶  but because your compassion is abundant.

Daniel 10:1

An Angel Appears to Daniel

10:1 ¹⁶⁷ In the third ¹⁶⁸  year of King Cyrus of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar). This message was true and concerned a great war. ¹⁶⁹  He understood the message and gained insight by the vision.

Daniel 10:16

10:16 Then ¹⁷⁰  one who appeared to be a human being ¹⁷¹  was touching my lips. I opened my mouth and started to speak, saying to the one who was standing before me, “Sir, ¹⁷²  due to the vision, anxiety has gripped me and I have no strength.

Daniel 11:25

11:25 He will rouse his strength and enthusiasm ¹⁷³  against the king of the south ¹⁷⁴  with a large army. The king of the south will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to prevail because of the plans devised against him.

Daniel 11:30

11:30 The ships of Kittim ¹⁷⁵  will come against him, leaving him disheartened. ¹⁷⁶  He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor ¹⁷⁷  those who forsake the holy covenant.

Daniel 11:36

11:36 “Then the king ¹⁷⁸  will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of ¹⁷⁹  wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. ¹⁸⁰ 

Daniel 12:1

12:1 “At that time Michael,

the great prince who watches over your people, ¹⁸¹ 

will arise. ¹⁸² 

There will be a time of distress

unlike any other from the nation’s beginning ¹⁸³ 

up to that time.

But at that time your own people,

all those whose names are ¹⁸⁴  found written in the book,

will escape.

Daniel 5:23

5:23 Instead, you have exalted yourself against the Lord of heaven. You brought before you the vessels from his temple, and you and your nobles, together with your wives and concubines, drank wine from them. You praised the gods of silver, gold, bronze, iron, wood, and stone – gods ¹⁸⁵  that cannot see or hear or comprehend! But you have not glorified the God who has in his control ¹⁸⁶  your very breath and all your ways!

Daniel 6:12

6:12 So they approached the king and said to him, ¹⁸⁷  “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct, ¹⁸⁸  according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”

[1:20]  ¹ tc The MT lacks the conjunction, reading the first word in the phrase as a construct (“wisdom of insight”). While this reading is not impossible, it seems better to follow Theodotion, the Syriac, the Vulgate, and the Sahidic Coptic, all of which have the conjunction.

[1:20]  ² tn Heb “hands.”

[7:10]  ³ tn Aram “were standing before him.”

[7:10]  ⁴ tn Aram “judgment sat.”

[3:19]  ⁵ 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.”

[3:19]  ⁶ tn Aram “he answered and said.”

[3:5]  ⁷ sn The word zither (Aramaic קִיתָרוֹס [qitaros]), and the words for harp (Aramaic פְּסַנְתֵּרִין [pÿsanterin]) and pipes (Aramaic סוּמְפֹּנְיָה [sumponÿyah]), 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.

[3:5]  ⁸ tn The imperfect Aramaic verbs have here an injunctive nuance.

[1:19]  ⁹ tn Heb “from all of them.”

[1:19]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “stood before the king.”

[6:13]  ¹¹ tn Aram “from the sons of the captivity [of].”

[6:13]  ¹² tn Aram “prays his prayer.”

[6:10]  ¹³ tn Aram “knew.”

[6:10]  ¹⁴ 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.

[6:10]  ¹⁵ map For the location of Jerusalem see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[6:10]  ¹⁶ 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.

[6:10]  ¹⁷ tc Read with several medieval Hebrew MSS and printed editions הֲוָה (havah) rather than the MT הוּא (hu’).

[6:10]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “kneeling on his knees” (so NASB).

[6:10]  sn No specific posture for offering prayers is prescribed in the OT. Kneeling, as here, and standing were both practiced.

[3:4]  ¹⁹ 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).

[3:4]  ²⁰ tn Aram “in strength.”

[3:4]  ²¹ tn Aram “they are saying.”

[8:1]  ²² sn Dan 8:1 marks the switch from Aramaic (= 2:4b-7:28) back to Hebrew as the language in which the book is written in its present form. The remainder of the book from this point on (8:1-12:13) is in Hebrew. The bilingual nature of the book has been variously explained, but it most likely has to do with the book’s transmission history.

[8:1]  ²³ sn The third year of King Belshazzar’s reign would have been ca. 551 B.C. Daniel would have been approximately 69 years old at the time of this vision.

[8:1]  ²⁴ tn Heb “in the beginning.” This refers to the vision described in chapter seven.

[9:21]  ²⁵ tn Heb “speaking in prayer.”

[9:21]  ²⁶ tn Heb “in the beginning.”

[9:21]  ²⁷ tn The Hebrew expression בִּיעָף מֻעָף (mu’af bi’af) is very difficult. The issue is whether the verb derives from עוּף (’uf, “to fly”) or from יָעַף (ya’af, “to be weary”). Many ancient versions and modern commentators take the first of these possibilities and understand the reference to be to the swift flight of the angel Gabriel in his coming to Daniel. The words more likely refer to the extreme weariness, not of the angel, but of Daniel. Cf. 7:28; 8:27; 10:8-9, 16-17; also NASB.

[11:22]  ²⁸ tn Heb “arms.”

[11:22]  ²⁹ tc The present translation reads הִשָּׁטֹף (hishatof), Niphal infinitive absolute of שָׁטַף (shataf, “to overflow”), for the MT הַשֶּׁטֶף (hashetef, “flood”).

[11:22]  ³⁰ tn The words “in defeat” are added in the translation for clarification.

[11:22]  ³¹ tn Heb “a prince of the covenant.”

[11:22]  ³² tn Heb “broken” or “shattered.”

[2:5]  ³³ tn Aram “answered and said,” a common idiom to indicate a reply, but redundant in contemporary English.

[2:5]  ³⁴ 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, ’azda’) 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.

[2:5]  ³⁵ tn Aram “made limbs.” Cf. 3:29.

[9:25]  ³⁶ tn Or “decree” (NASB, NIV); or “word” (NAB, NRSV).

[9:25]  ³⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[9:25]  ³⁸ tn The word “arrives” is added in the translation for clarification.

[9:25]  ³⁹ tn Heb “sevens” (also later in this line and in v. 26).

[9:25]  sn The accents in the MT indicate disjunction at this point, which would make it difficult, if not impossible, to identify the “anointed one/prince” of this verse as messianic. The reference in v. 26 to the sixty-two weeks as a unit favors the MT accentuation, not the traditional translation. If one follows the MT accentuation, one may translate “From the going forth of the message to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives, there will be a period of seven weeks. During a period of sixty-two weeks it will again be built, with plaza and moat, but in distressful times.” The present translation follows a traditional reading of the passage that deviates from the MT accentuation.

[9:25]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “it will return and be built.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.

[5:22]  ⁴¹ tn Or “descendant”; or “successor.”

[5:22]  ⁴² tn Aram “your heart.”

[3:3]  ⁴³ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”

[3:15]  ⁴⁴ tn Aram “hand.” So also in v. 17.

[2:2]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “said.” So also in v. 12.

[2:2]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “Chaldeans.” The term Chaldeans (Hebrew כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdim) is used in the book of Daniel both in an ethnic sense and, as here, to refer to a caste of Babylonian wise men and astrologers.

[2:2]  ⁴⁷ tn Heb “to explain to the king his dreams.”

[2:2]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “stood before the king.”

[2:7]  ⁴⁹ tn Aram “his servants.”

[2:7]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “the.”

[12:13]  ⁵¹ tn The words “your way” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[12:13]  ⁵² tc The LXX lacks “until the end.”

[12:13]  ⁵³ tn The word “receive” is added in the translation for clarification.

[12:13]  ⁵⁴ sn The deuterocanonical writings known as the Story of Susanna and Bel and the Dragon appear respectively as chapters 13 and 14 of the book of Daniel in the Greek version of this book. Although these writings are not part of the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel, they were popular among certain early communities who valued traditions about the life of Daniel.

[4:17]  ⁵⁵ tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (’al-divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (’ad-divrat, “until”).

[4:17]  ⁵⁶ tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”

[7:21]  ⁵⁷ tn Aram “prevailing against” (KJV and ASV both similar); NASB “overpowering them”; TEV “conquered them.”

[7:24]  ⁵⁸ tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”

[11:15]  ⁵⁹ sn This well-fortified city is apparently Sidon. Its capture from the Ptolemies by Antiochus the Great was a strategic victory for the Seleucid kingdom.

[11:15]  ⁶⁰ tn Or “choice troops” (BDB 104 s.v. מִבְחָר), or “elite troops” (HALOT 542 s.v. מִבְחָר).

[9:9]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “to the Lord our God (belong) compassion and forgiveness.”

[10:18]  ⁶² tn Heb “He added and touched me.” The construction is a verbal hendiadys.

[3:27]  ⁶³ tn Aram “in their bodies.”

[3:27]  ⁶⁴ tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”

[8:24]  ⁶⁵ tn Heb “extraordinarily he will destroy.”

[8:24]  ⁶⁶ tn Heb “he will succeed and act.”

[8:24]  ⁶⁷ tn See the corresponding Aramaic expression in 7:27. If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. One could translate, “people belonging to (i.e., protected by) the holy ones.” If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” One could translate simply “holy people.” For examples of a plural appositional genitive after “people,” see 11:15, 32. Because either interpretation is possible, the translation has deliberately preserved the ambiguity of the Hebrew grammar here.

[9:24]  ⁶⁸ tn Heb “sevens.” Elsewhere the term is used of a literal week (a period of seven days), cf. Gen 29:27-28; Exod 34:22; Lev 12:5; Num 28:26; Deut 16:9-10; 2 Chr 8:13; Jer 5:24; Dan 10:2-3. Gabriel unfolds the future as if it were a calendar of successive weeks. Most understand the reference here as periods of seventy “sevens” of years, or a total of 490 years.

[9:24]  ⁶⁹ tc Or “to finish.” The present translation reads the Qere (from the root תָּמַם, tamam) with many witnesses. The Kethib has “to seal up” (from the root הָתַם, hatam), a confusion with a reference later in the verse to sealing up the vision.

[9:24]  ⁷⁰ tc The present translation reads the Qere (singular), rather than the Kethib (plural).

[9:24]  ⁷¹ tn The Hebrew phrase לְכַלֵּא (lÿkhalle’) is apparently an alternative (metaplastic) spelling of the root כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”), rather than a form of כָּלָא (kala’, “to shut up, restrain”), as has sometimes been supposed.

[9:24]  ⁷² tn Or “everlasting.”

[9:24]  ⁷³ sn The act of sealing in the OT is a sign of authentication. Cf. 1 Kgs 21:8; Jer 32:10, 11, 44.

[9:24]  ⁷⁴ tn Heb “vision and prophecy.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:24]  ⁷⁵ tn Or “the most holy place” (NASB, NLT); or “a most holy one”; or “the most holy one,” though the expression is used of places or objects elsewhere, not people.

[11:2]  ⁷⁶ sn Perhaps these three more kings are Cambyses (ca. 530-522 B.C.), Pseudo-Smerdis (ca. 522 B.C.), and Darius I Hystaspes (ca. 522-486 B.C.).

[11:2]  ⁷⁷ sn This fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465 B.C.). The following reference to one of his chiefs apparently has in view Seleucus Nicator.

[11:2]  ⁷⁸ tn Heb “rich with great riches.”

[11:2]  ⁷⁹ tn The text is difficult. The Hebrew has here אֶת (’et), the marker of a definite direct object. As it stands, this would suggest the meaning that “he will arouse everyone, that is, the kingdom of Greece.” The context, however, seems to suggest the idea that this Persian king will arouse in hostility against Greece the constituent elements of his own empire. This requires supplying the word “against,” which is not actually present in the Hebrew text.

[9:26]  ⁸⁰ sn The expression have nothing is difficult. Presumably it refers to an absence of support or assistance for the anointed one at the time of his “cutting off.” The KJV rendering “but not for himself,” apparently suggesting a vicarious death, cannot be defended.

[9:26]  ⁸¹ tc Some witnesses (e.g., the Syriac) understand a passive verb and the preposition עִם (’im, “with) rather than the noun עַם (’am, “people”), thus reading “the city and the sanctuary will be destroyed with the coming prince.”

[9:26]  ⁸² tn The words “will come speedily” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[9:26]  ⁸³ sn Flood here is a metaphor for sudden destruction.

[2:12]  ⁸⁴ tn Aram “was angry and very furious.” The expression is a hendiadys (two words or phrases expressing a single idea).

[3:13]  ⁸⁵ tn Aram “in anger and wrath”; NASB “in rage and anger.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[3:13]  ⁸⁶ tn The Aramaic infinitive is active.

[3:13]  ⁸⁷ tn Aram “these men.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid undue repetition.

[6:11]  ⁸⁸ 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.

[8:14]  ⁸⁹ sn The language of evenings and mornings is reminiscent of the creation account in Genesis 1. Since “evening and morning” is the equivalent of a day, the reference here would be to 2,300 days. However, some interpreters understand the reference to be to the evening sacrifice and the morning sacrifice, in which case the reference would be to only 1,150 days. Either way, the event that marked the commencement of this period is unclear. The event that marked the conclusion of the period is the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem following the atrocious and sacrilegious acts that Antiochus implemented. This took place on December 25, 165 B.C. The Jewish celebration of Hanukkah each year commemorates this victory.

[8:14]  ⁹⁰ tn Heb “will be vindicated” or “will be justified.” This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Niphal in the OT. English versions interpret it as “cleansed” (KJV, ASV), “restored” (NASB, TEV, NLT), or “reconsecrated” (NIV).

[2:38]  ⁹¹ tn Aram “the sons of man.”

[2:38]  ⁹² tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[2:38]  ⁹³ tn Aram “hand.”

[7:19]  ⁹⁴ tn Aram “to make certain.”

[9:27]  ⁹⁵ tn Heb “one seven” (also later in this line).

[9:27]  ⁹⁶ tn The referent of the Hebrew word כְּנַף (kÿnaf, “wing”) is unclear here. The LXX and Theodotion have “the temple.” Some English versions (e.g., NAB, NIV) take this to mean “a wing of the temple,” but this is not clear.

[9:27]  ⁹⁷ tn The Hebrew text does not have this verb, but it has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[11:10]  ⁹⁸ sn The sons of Seleucus II Callinicus were Seleucus III Ceraunus (ca. 227-223 B.C.) and Antiochus III the Great (ca. 223-187 B.C.).

[11:10]  ⁹⁹ tn Heb “his”; the referent (the enemy of the king of the north) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:10]  ¹⁰⁰ tn Heb “and he will certainly come and overflow and cross over and return and be aroused unto a fortress.” The translation has attempted to simplify the syntax of this difficult sequence.

[1:5]  ¹⁰¹ tn Heb “a thing of a day in its day.”

[1:5]  ¹⁰² tn Heb “from the delicacies of the king.”

[1:5]  ¹⁰³ tn Or “educated.” See HALOT 179 s.v. I גדל.

[1:5]  ¹⁰⁴ tn Heb “stand before the king.”

[1:18]  ¹⁰⁵ tn Heb “at the end of the days which the king said to bring them.”

[2:14]  ¹⁰⁶ tn Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[2:40]  ¹⁰⁷ tc Theodotion and the Vulgate lack the phrase “and as iron breaks in pieces.”

[2:40]  ¹⁰⁸ tn The Aramaic text does not have this word, but it has been added in the translation for clarity.

[2:40]  ¹⁰⁹ tn The words “the others” are supplied from the context.

[3:22]  ¹¹⁰ tn Aram “caused to go up.”

[3:22]  ¹¹¹ tn The Aramaic verb is active.

[3:22]  ¹¹² tn Aram “the flame of the fire” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NRSV “the raging flames.”

[3:25]  ¹¹³ 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.”

[4:8]  ¹¹⁴ sn This explanation of the meaning of the name Belteshazzar may be more of a paronomasia than a strict etymology.

[6:2]  ¹¹⁵ tn Aram “giving an account.”

[9:6]  ¹¹⁶ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ¹¹⁷ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

[9:6]  ¹¹⁸ tn Heb “people.”

[10:3]  ¹¹⁹ tn Heb “mouth.”

[10:3]  ¹²⁰ sn Anointing oneself with oil (usually olive oil) was a common OT practice due to the severity of the Middle Eastern sun (cf. Ps 121:6). It was also associated with rejoicing (e.g., Prov 27:9) and was therefore usually not practiced during a period of mourning.

[10:8]  ¹²¹ tn Heb “did not remain in.”

[10:8]  ¹²² tn Heb “was changed upon me for ruin.”

[10:8]  ¹²³ tn Heb “strength.”

[11:14]  ¹²⁴ tn Heb “stand against.”

[11:14]  ¹²⁵ sn This was Ptolemy V Epiphanes (ca. 203-181 B.C.).

[11:14]  ¹²⁶ tn Heb “sons of violence.” “Son(s) is sometimes used idiomatically in Hebrew to indicate that someone is characterized by a certain quality. So the expression “sons of violence” means that these individuals will be characterized by violent deeds.

[11:14]  ¹²⁷ tn Heb “to cause to stand.”

[11:37]  ¹²⁸ tn Heb “consider.”

[11:37]  ¹²⁹ tn Heb “[the one] desired by women.” The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:6]  ¹³⁰ sn Here they refers to Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ca. 285-246 B.C.) and Antiochus II Theos (ca. 262-246 B.C.).

[11:6]  ¹³¹ sn The daughter refers to Berenice, who was given in marriage to Antiochus II Theos.

[11:6]  ¹³² tn Heb “the strength of the arm.”

[11:6]  ¹³³ tn Heb “stand.” So also in vv. 7, 8, 11, 13.

[11:6]  ¹³⁴ tn Heb “and his arm.” Some understand this to refer to the descendants of the king of the north.

[11:6]  ¹³⁵ tc The present translation reads יַלְדָּה (yaldah, “her child”) rather than the MT יֹלְדָהּ (yolÿdah, “the one who begot her”). Cf. Theodotion, the Syriac, and the Vulgate.

[11:6]  ¹³⁶ sn Antiochus II eventually divorced Berenice and remarried his former wife Laodice, who then poisoned her husband, had Berenice put to death, and installed her own son, Seleucus II Callinicus (ca. 246-227 B.C.), as the Seleucid king.

[11:24]  ¹³⁷ tn Heb “and unto a time.”

[3:23]  ¹³⁸ tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.

[3:23]  ¹³⁹ 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.

[1:10]  ¹⁴⁰ tn Heb “The overseer of the court officials.” The subject has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[1:10]  ¹⁴¹ tn Heb “assigned.” See v. 5.

[1:10]  ¹⁴² tn Heb “Why should he see your faces thin from the young men who are according to your age?” The term translated “thin” occurs only here and in Gen 40:6, where it appears to refer to a dejected facial expression. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “be weak.” See HALOT 277 s.v. II זעף.

[1:10]  ¹⁴³ tn The words “if that happened” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[1:10]  ¹⁴⁴ tn Heb “my head.” Presumably this is an implicit reference to capital punishment (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although this is not entirely clear.

[2:1]  ¹⁴⁵ tn Heb “Nebuchadnezzar’s.” The possessive pronoun is substituted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:1]  ¹⁴⁶ tn Heb “dreamed dreams.” The plural is used here and in v. 2, but the singular in v. 3. The plural “dreams” has been variously explained. Some interpreters take the plural as denoting an indefinite singular (so GKC 400 §124.o). But it may be that it is describing a stream of related dreams, or a dream state. In the latter case, one might translate: “Nebuchadnezzar was in a trance.” See further, J. A. Montgomery, Daniel (ICC), 142.

[2:1]  ¹⁴⁷ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[2:1]  ¹⁴⁸ tn Heb “his sleep left (?) him.” The use of the verb הָיָה (hayah, “to be”) here is unusual. The context suggests a meaning such as “to be finished” or “gone.” Cf. Dan 8:27. Some scholars emend the verb to read נָדְדָה (nadÿdah, “fled”); cf. Dan 6:19. See further, DCH 2:540 s.v. היה I Ni.3; HALOT 244 s.v. היה nif; BDB 227-28 s.v. הָיָה Niph.2.

[2:10]  ¹⁴⁹ tn Aram “matter, thing.”

[2:35]  ¹⁵⁰ 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.

[3:2]  ¹⁵¹ 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.

[3:2]  ¹⁵² tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[4:9]  ¹⁵³ tc The present translation assumes the reading חֲזִי (khazi, “consider”) rather than the MT חֶזְוֵי (khezvey, “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.

[4:12]  ¹⁵⁴ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[4:12]  ¹⁵⁵ tn Aram “all flesh.”

[4:34]  ¹⁵⁶ tn Aram “days.”

[4:34]  ¹⁵⁷ tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”

[8:8]  ¹⁵⁸ tn The word “horns” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

[8:8]  ¹⁵⁹ sn The four conspicuous horns refer to Alexander’s successors. After his death, Alexander’s empire was divided up among four of his generals: Cassander, who took Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus, who took Thrace and parts of Asia Minor; Seleucus, who took Syria and territory to its east; and Ptolemy, who took control of Egypt.

[8:8]  ¹⁶⁰ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[9:16]  ¹⁶¹ tn Or “righteousness.”

[9:16]  ¹⁶² tn Heb “your anger and your rage.” The synonyms are joined here to emphasize the degree of God’s anger. This is best expressed in English by making one of the terms adjectival (cf. NLT “your furious anger”; CEV “terribly angry”).

[9:18]  ¹⁶³ tn Heb “turn your ear.”

[9:18]  ¹⁶⁴ tn Heb “desolations.” The term refers here to the ruined condition of Judah’s towns.

[9:18]  ¹⁶⁵ tn Heb “over which your name is called.” Cf. v. 19. This expression implies that God is the owner of his city, Jerusalem. Note the use of the idiom in 2 Sam 12:28; Isa 4:1; Amos 9:12.

[9:18]  ¹⁶⁶ tn Heb “praying our supplications before you.”

[10:1]  ¹⁶⁷ sn This chapter begins the final unit in the book of Daniel, consisting of chapters 10-12. The traditional chapter divisions to some extent obscure the relationship of these chapters.

[10:1]  ¹⁶⁸ tc The LXX has “first.”

[10:1]  sn Cyrus’ third year would have been ca. 536 B.C. Daniel would have been approximately eighty-four years old at this time.

[10:1]  ¹⁶⁹ tn The meaning of the Hebrew word צָבָא (tsava’) is uncertain in this context. The word most often refers to an army or warfare. It may also mean “hard service,” and many commentators take that to be the sense here (i.e., “the service was great”). The present translation assumes the reference to be to the spiritual conflicts described, for example, in 10:16–11:1.

[10:16]  ¹⁷⁰ tn Heb “Behold.”

[10:16]  ¹⁷¹ tc So most Hebrew MSS; one Hebrew MS along with the Dead Sea Scrolls and LXX read “something that looked like a man’s hand.”

[10:16]  ¹⁷² tn Heb “my lord,” here a title of polite address. Cf. v. 19.

[11:25]  ¹⁷³ tn Heb “heart.”

[11:25]  ¹⁷⁴ sn This king of the south was Ptolemy Philometer (ca. 181-145 B.C.).

[11:30]  ¹⁷⁵ sn The name Kittim has various designations in extra-biblical literature. It can refer to a location on the island of Cyprus, or more generally to the island itself, or it can be an inclusive term to refer to parts of the Mediterranean world that lay west of the Middle East (e.g., Rome). For ships of Kittim the Greek OT (LXX) has “Romans,” an interpretation followed by a few English versions (e.g., TEV). A number of times in the Dead Sea Scrolls the word is used in reference to the Romans. Other English versions are more generic: “[ships] of the western coastlands” (NIV, NLT); “from the west” (NCV, CEV).

[11:30]  ¹⁷⁶ sn This is apparently a reference to the Roman forces, led by Gaius Popilius Laenas, which confronted Antiochus when he came to Egypt and demanded that he withdraw or face the wrath of Rome. Antiochus wisely withdrew from Egypt, albeit in a state of bitter frustration.

[11:30]  ¹⁷⁷ tn Heb “show regard for.”

[11:36]  ¹⁷⁸ sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.

[11:36]  ¹⁷⁹ tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.

[11:36]  ¹⁸⁰ tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.

[12:1]  ¹⁸¹ tn Heb “stands over the sons of your people.”

[12:1]  ¹⁸² tn Heb “will stand up.”

[12:1]  ¹⁸³ tn Or “from the beginning of a nation.”

[12:1]  ¹⁸⁴ tn The words “whose names are” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.

[5:23]  ¹⁸⁵ tn Aram “which.”

[5:23]  ¹⁸⁶ tn Aram “in whose hand [are].”

[6:12]  ¹⁸⁷ 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.

[6:12]  tn Aram “before the king.”

[6:12]  ¹⁸⁸ tn Aram “the word is true.”