Daniel 7:18

7:18 The holy ones ¹  of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will take possession of the kingdom forever and ever.’

Daniel 7:25-27

7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.

He will harass ²  the holy ones of the Most High continually.

His intention ³  will be to change times established by law. ⁴ 

They will be delivered into his hand

For a time, times, ⁵  and half a time.

7:26 But the court will convene, ⁶  and his ruling authority will be removed –

destroyed and abolished forever!

7:27 Then the kingdom, authority,

and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven

will be delivered to the people of the holy ones ⁷  of the Most High.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

[7:18]  ¹ sn The expression holy ones is either a reference to angels or to human beings devoted to God.

[7:25]  ² tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”

[7:25]  ³ tn Aram “he will think.”

[7:25]  ⁴ tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.

[7:25]  ⁵ sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”

[7:26]  ⁶ tn Aram “judgment will sit” (KJV similar).

[7:27]  ⁷ tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.