Daniel 1:8

1:8 But Daniel made up his mind ¹  that he would not defile ²  himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. ³  He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself.

Daniel 1:20

1:20 In every matter of wisdom and ⁴  insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times ⁵  better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.

Daniel 2:5

2:5 The king replied ⁶  to the wise men, “My decision is firm. ⁷  If you do not inform me of both the dream and its interpretation, you will be dismembered ⁸  and your homes reduced to rubble!

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, ⁹  for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.

Daniel 2:24

2:24 Then Daniel went in to see ¹⁰  Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came ¹¹  and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me ¹²  to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!” ¹³ 

Daniel 2:28

2:28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, ¹⁴  and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. ¹⁵  The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed ¹⁶  are as follows.

Daniel 2:30

2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom ¹⁷  than any other living person, but so that the king may understand ¹⁸  the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. ¹⁹ 

Daniel 2:38

2:38 Wherever human beings, ²⁰  wild animals, ²¹  and birds of the sky live – he has given them into your power. ²²  He has given you authority over them all. You are the head of gold.

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 3:26

3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, ²³  “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!”

Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire. ²⁴ 

Daniel 5:29

5:29 Then, on Belshazzar’s orders, ²⁵  Daniel was clothed in purple, a golden collar was placed around his neck, and he was proclaimed third ruler in the kingdom.

Daniel 7:4

7:4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind ²⁶  was given to it. ²⁷ 

Daniel 7:6

7:6 “After these things, ²⁸  as I was watching, another beast ²⁹  like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. ³⁰  This beast had four heads, ³¹  and ruling authority was given to it.

Daniel 7:20

7:20 I also wanted to know ³²  the meaning of the ten horns on its head, and of that other horn which came up and before which three others fell. This was the horn that had eyes ³³  and a mouth speaking arrogant things, whose appearance was more formidable than the others. ³⁴ 

Daniel 8:4

8:4 I saw that the ram was butting westward, northward, and southward. No animal ³⁵  was able to stand before it, and there was none who could deliver from its power. ³⁶  It did as it pleased and acted arrogantly. ³⁷ 

Daniel 8:7

8:7 I saw it approaching the ram. It went into a fit of rage against the ram ³⁸  and struck it ³⁹  and broke off its two horns. The ram had no ability to resist it. ⁴⁰  The goat hurled the ram ⁴¹  to the ground and trampled it. No one could deliver the ram from its power. ⁴² 

Daniel 8:13

8:13 Then I heard a holy one ⁴³  speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “To what period of time does the vision pertain – this vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the destructive act of rebellion and the giving over of both the sanctuary and army to be trampled?”

Daniel 9:4

9:4 I prayed to the LORD my God, confessing in this way:

“O Lord, ⁴⁴  great and awesome God who is faithful to his covenant ⁴⁵  with those who love him and keep his commandments,

Daniel 9:6

9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁴⁶  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁴⁷  and to all the inhabitants ⁴⁸  of the land as well.

Daniel 11:15

11:15 Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city. ⁴⁹  The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents. ⁵⁰  They will have no strength to prevail.

Daniel 11:17

11:17 His intention ⁵¹  will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and he will form alliances. ⁵²  He will give the king of the south ⁵³  a daughter ⁵⁴  in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but it will not turn out to his advantage.

Daniel 11:27

11:27 These two kings, their minds ⁵⁵  filled with evil intentions, will trade ⁵⁶  lies with one another at the same table. But it will not succeed, for there is still an end at the appointed time.

Daniel 11:30

11:30 The ships of Kittim ⁵⁷  will come against him, leaving him disheartened. ⁵⁸  He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor ⁵⁹  those who forsake the holy covenant.

Daniel 11:39

11:39 He will attack ⁶⁰  mighty fortresses, aided by ⁶¹  a foreign deity. To those who recognize him he will grant considerable honor. He will place them in authority over many people, and he will parcel out land for a price. ⁶² 

[1:8]  ¹ tn Heb “placed on his heart.”

[1:8]  ² tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”

[1:8]  sn Various reasons have been suggested as to why such food would defile Daniel. Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it had to do with such food having been offered to idols. Daniel’s practice in this regard is strikingly different from that of Esther, who was able successfully to conceal her Jewish identity.

[1:8]  ³ tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”

[1:20]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn Heb “hands.”

[2:5]  ⁶ tn Aram “answered and said,” a common idiom to indicate a reply, but redundant in contemporary English.

[2:5]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn Aram “made limbs.” Cf. 3:29.

[2:10]  ⁹ tn Aram “matter, thing.”

[2:24]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew MS, lack this verb.

[2:24]  ¹² tn Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.

[2:24]  ¹³ tn Aram “the king.”

[2:28]  ¹⁴ tn Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.

[2:28]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “in the latter days.”

[2:28]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”

[2:30]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”

[2:30]  ¹⁸ tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65).

[2:30]  ¹⁹ tn Aram “heart.”

[2:38]  ²⁰ tn Aram “the sons of man.”

[2:38]  ²¹ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[2:38]  ²² tn Aram “hand.”

[3:26]  ²³ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[3:26]  ²⁴ tn Aram “from the midst of the fire.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.

[5:29]  ²⁵ tn Aram “Belshazzar spoke.”

[7:4]  ²⁶ tn Aram “heart of a man.”

[7:4]  ²⁷ sn The identity of the first animal, derived from v. 17 and the parallels in chap. 2, is Babylon. The reference to the plucking of its wings is probably a reference to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity (cf. chap. 4). The latter part of v. 4 then describes the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar. The other animals have traditionally been understood to represent respectively Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although most of modern scholarship identifies them as Media, Persia, and Greece. For a biblical parallel to the mention of lion, bear, and leopard together, see Hos 13:7-8.

[7:6]  ²⁸ tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.

[7:6]  ²⁹ tn Aram “and behold, another one.”

[7:6]  ³⁰ tn Or “sides.”

[7:6]  ³¹ 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.

[7:20]  ³² tn The words “I also wanted to know” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[7:20]  ³³ tc The conjunction in the MT before “eyes” is odd. The ancient versions do not seem to presuppose it.

[7:20]  ³⁴ tn Aram “greater than its companions.”

[8:4]  ³⁵ tn Or “beast” (NAB).

[8:4]  ³⁶ tn Heb “hand.” So also in v. 7.

[8:4]  ³⁷ tn In the Hiphil the Hebrew verb גָּדַל (gadal, “to make great; to magnify”) can have either a positive or a negative sense. For the former, used especially of God, see Ps 126:2, 3; Joel 2:21. In this chapter (8:4, 8, 11, 25) the word has a pejorative sense, describing the self-glorification of this king. The sense seems to be that of vainly assuming one’s own superiority through deliberate hubris.

[8:7]  ³⁸ tn Heb “him.”

[8:7]  ³⁹ tn Heb “the ram.”

[8:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Heb “stand before him.”

[8:7]  ⁴¹ tn Heb “he hurled him.” The referents of both pronouns (the male goat and the ram) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

[8:7]  ⁴² sn The goat of Daniel’s vision represents Greece; the large horn represents Alexander the Great. The ram stands for Media-Persia. Alexander’s rapid conquest of the Persians involved three battles of major significance which he won against overwhelming odds: Granicus (334 B.C.), Isus (333 B.C.), and Gaugemela (331 B.C.).

[8:13]  ⁴³ sn The holy one referred to here is presumably an angel. Cf. 4:13[10], 23 [20].

[9:4]  ⁴⁴ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here and in vv. 7, 9, 15, 16, and 19 is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[9:4]  ⁴⁵ tn Heb “who keeps the covenant and the loyal love.” The expression is a hendiadys.

[9:6]  ⁴⁶ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

[9:6]  ⁴⁷ 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]  ⁴⁸ tn Heb “people.”

[11:15]  ⁴⁹ 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]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “choice troops” (BDB 104 s.v. מִבְחָר), or “elite troops” (HALOT 542 s.v. מִבְחָר).

[11:17]  ⁵¹ tn Heb “and he will set his face.” Cf. vv. 18, 19.

[11:17]  ⁵² tc The present translation reads מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim, “alliances”) for the MT וִישָׁרִים (viysharim, “uprightness”).

[11:17]  ⁵³ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king of the south) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:17]  ⁵⁴ tn Heb “the daughter of the women.”

[11:17]  sn The daughter refers to Cleopatra, the daughter of Antiochus, who was given in marriage to Ptolemy V.

[11:27]  ⁵⁵ tn Heb “heart.” So also in v. 28.

[11:27]  ⁵⁶ tn Heb “speak.”

[11:30]  ⁵⁷ 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]  ⁵⁸ 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]  ⁵⁹ tn Heb “show regard for.”

[11:39]  ⁶⁰ tn Heb “act against.”

[11:39]  ⁶¹ tn Heb “with.”

[11:39]  ⁶² tn Or perhaps “for a reward.”