Daniel 5:30

5:30 And in that very night Belshazzar, the Babylonian king, ¹  was killed. ² 

Daniel 2:19

2:19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised ³  the God of heaven,

Daniel 7:2

7:2 Daniel explained: ⁴  “I was watching in my vision during the night as ⁵  the four winds of the sky ⁶  were stirring up the great sea. ⁷ 

Daniel 6:18

6:18 Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating, and no diversions ⁸  were brought to him. He was unable to sleep. ⁹ 

Daniel 7:13

7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ¹⁰  the clouds of the sky ¹¹ 

one like a son of man ¹²  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ¹³  before him.

Daniel 7:7

7:7 “After these things, as I was watching in the night visions ¹⁴  a fourth beast appeared – one dreadful, terrible, and very strong. ¹⁵  It had two large rows ¹⁶  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 4:5

4:5 I saw a dream that ¹⁷  frightened me badly. The things I imagined while lying on my bed – these visions of my mind – were terrifying me.

Daniel 7:1

Daniel has a Vision of Four Animals Coming up from the Sea

7:1 In the first ¹⁸  year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had ¹⁹  a dream filled with visions ²⁰  while he was lying on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream in summary fashion. ²¹ 

Daniel 2:1

Nebuchadnezzar Has a Disturbing Dream

2:1 In the second year of his ²²  reign Nebuchadnezzar had many dreams. ²³  His mind ²⁴  was disturbed and he suffered from insomnia. ²⁵ 

Daniel 3:23

3:23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace ²⁶  of blazing fire while still securely bound. ²⁷ 

Daniel 12:13

12:13 But you should go your way ²⁸  until the end. ²⁹  You will rest and then at the end of the days you will arise to receive ³⁰  what you have been allotted.” ³¹ 

[5:30]  ¹ tn Aram “king of the Chaldeans.”

[5:30]  ² sn The year was 539 B.C. At this time Daniel would have been approximately eighty-one years old. The relevant extra-biblical records describing the fall of Babylon include portions of Herodotus, Xenophon, Berossus (cited in Josephus), the Cyrus Cylinder, and the Babylonian Chronicle.

[2:19]  ³ tn Or “blessed.”

[7:2]  ⁴ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[7:2]  ⁵ tn Aram “and behold.”

[7:2]  ⁶ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:2]  ⁷ sn The referent of the great sea is unclear. The common view that the expression refers to the Mediterranean Sea is conjectural.

[6:18]  ⁸ tn The meaning of Aramaic דַּחֲוָה (dakhavah) is a crux interpretum. Suggestions include “music,” “dancing girls,” “concubines,” “table,” “food” – all of which are uncertain. The translation employed here, suggested by earlier scholars, is deliberately vague. A number of recent English versions follow a similar approach with “entertainment” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On this word see further, HALOT 1849-50 s.v.; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 37.

[6:18]  ⁹ tn Aram “his sleep fled from him.”

[7:13]  ¹⁰ tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).

[7:13]  ¹¹ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

[7:13]  ¹² sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.

[7:13]  ¹³ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

[7:7]  ¹⁴ tn The Aramaic text has also “and behold.” So also in vv. 8, 13.

[7:7]  ¹⁵ 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]  ¹⁶ tn The Aramaic word for “teeth” is dual rather than plural, suggesting two rows of teeth.

[4:5]  ¹⁷ tn Aram “and it.”

[7:1]  ¹⁸ sn The first year of Belshazzar’s reign would have been ca. 553 B.C. Daniel would have been approximately 67 years old at the time of this vision.

[7:1]  ¹⁹ tn Aram “saw.”

[7:1]  ²⁰ tn Aram “and visions of his head.” The Aramaic is difficult here. Some scholars add a verb thought to be missing (e.g., “the visions of his head [were alarming him]”), but there is no external evidence to support such a decision and the awkwardness of the text at this point may be original.

[7:1]  ²¹ tn Aram “head of words.” The phrase is absent in Theodotion. Cf. NIV “the substance of his dream.”

[2:1]  ²² tn Heb “Nebuchadnezzar’s.” The possessive pronoun is substituted in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[2:1]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Heb “his spirit.”

[2:1]  ²⁵ 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.

[3:23]  ²⁶ tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.

[3:23]  ²⁷ 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.

[12:13]  ²⁸ tn The words “your way” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.

[12:13]  ²⁹ tc The LXX lacks “until the end.”

[12:13]  ³⁰ tn The word “receive” is added in the translation for clarification.

[12:13]  ³¹ 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.