Daniel 4:19

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

4:19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time; ¹  his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir, ²  if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries!

Daniel 4:33

4:33 Now in that very moment ³  this pronouncement about ⁴  Nebuchadnezzar came true. ⁵  He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws. ⁶ 

Daniel 8:24-25

8:24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. ⁷  He will be successful in what he undertakes. ⁸  He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones. ⁹  8:25 By his treachery ¹⁰  he will succeed through deceit. ¹¹  He will have an arrogant attitude, ¹²  and he will destroy many who are unaware of his schemes. ¹³  He will rise up against the Prince of princes, yet he will be broken apart – but not by human agency. ¹⁴ 

Daniel 9:7

9:7 “You are righteous, ¹⁵  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ¹⁶  – the people ¹⁷  of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far away in all the countries in which you have scattered them, because they have behaved unfaithfully toward you.

Daniel 11:30

11:30 The ships of Kittim ¹⁸  will come against him, leaving him disheartened. ¹⁹  He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor ²⁰  those who forsake the holy covenant.

[4:19]  ¹ tn Aram “about one hour.” The expression refers idiomatically to a brief period of time of undetermined length.

[4:19]  ² tn Aram “my lord.”

[4:33]  ³ tn Aram “hour.”

[4:33]  ⁴ tn Or “on.”

[4:33]  ⁵ tn Aram “was fulfilled.”

[4:33]  ⁶ tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.

[8:24]  ⁷ tn Heb “extraordinarily he will destroy.”

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

[8:24]  ⁹ 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.

[8:25]  ¹⁰ tn The Hebrew term has a primary meaning of “skill, insight,” but here it has the connotation “cunning, treachery.” See BDB 968 s.v. שֵׂכֶל, שֶׂכֶל.

[8:25]  ¹¹ tn Heb “he will cause deceit to succeed by his hand.”

[8:25]  ¹² tn Heb “in his heart he will act arrogantly.”

[8:25]  ¹³ tn Heb “in peace.” The Hebrew word used here is difficult. It may refer to the security felt by those who did not realize the danger of imminent attack, or it may refer to the condition of being unaware of the impending danger. The latter idea is reflected in the present translation. See further, BDB 1017 s.v. שַׁלְוָה.

[8:25]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “with nothingness of hand.”

[9:7]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

[9:7]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “and to us (belongs) shame of face like this day.”

[9:7]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “men.”

[11:30]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ 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]  ²⁰ tn Heb “show regard for.”