Daniel 2:39

2:39 Now after you another kingdom ¹  will arise, one inferior to yours. Then a third kingdom, one of bronze, will rule in all the earth.

Daniel 3:12

3:12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – and these men ²  have not shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Daniel 7:7

7:7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions ³  a fourth beast appeared – one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. ⁴  It had two large rows ⁵  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.

Daniel 9:7

9:7 “You are righteous, ⁶  O Lord, but we are humiliated this day ⁷  – the people ⁸  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 9:11

9:11 “All Israel has broken ⁹  your law and turned away by not obeying you. ¹⁰  Therefore you have poured out on us the judgment solemnly threatened ¹¹  in the law of Moses the servant of God, for we have sinned against you. ¹² 

Daniel 10:1

An Angel Appears to Daniel

10:1 ¹³ In the third ¹⁴  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. ¹⁵  He understood the message and gained insight by the vision.

Daniel 10:20

10:20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? ¹⁶  Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming.

[2:39]  ¹ sn The identity of the first kingdom is clearly Babylon. The identification of the following three kingdoms is disputed. The common view is that they represent Media, Persia, and Greece. Most conservative scholars identify them as Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome.

[3:12]  ² sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or due to being away on business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.

[7:7]  ³ tn The Aramaic text has also “and behold.” So also in vv. 8, 13.

[7:7]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn The Aramaic word for “teeth” is dual rather than plural, suggesting two rows of teeth.

[9:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “to you (belongs) righteousness.”

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

[9:7]  ⁸ tn Heb “men.”

[9:11]  ⁹ tn Or “transgressed.” The Hebrew verb has the primary sense of crossing a boundary, in this case, God’s law.

[9:11]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “by not paying attention to your voice.”

[9:11]  ¹¹ tn Heb “the curse and the oath which is written.” The term “curse” refers here to the judgments threatened in the Mosaic law (see Deut 28) for rebellion. The expression “the curse and the oath” is probably a hendiadys (cf. Num 5:21; Neh 10:29) referring to the fact that the covenant with its threatened judgments was ratified by solemn oath and made legally binding upon the covenant community.

[9:11]  ¹² tn Heb “him.”

[10:1]  ¹³ 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]  ¹⁴ 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]  ¹⁵ 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.

[10:20]  ¹⁶ sn The question is rhetorical, intended to encourage reflection on Daniel’s part.