Daniel 2:13-30
Konteks2:13 So a decree went out, and the wise men were about 1 to be executed. They also sought 2 Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
2:14 Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel 3 to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 2:15 He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” 4 Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. 2:16 So Daniel went in and 5 requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king. 2:17 Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. 2:18 He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he 6 and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 2:19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised 7 the God of heaven, 2:20 saying, 8
“Let the name of God 9 be praised 10 forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
2:21 He changes times and seasons,
deposing some kings
and establishing others. 11
He gives wisdom to the wise;
he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; 12
2:22 he reveals deep and hidden things.
He knows what is in the darkness,
and light resides with him.
2:23 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you,
for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me.
Now you have enabled me to understand what I 13 requested from you.
For you have enabled me to understand the king’s dilemma.” 14
2:24 Then Daniel went in to see 15 Arioch (whom the king had appointed to destroy the wise men of Babylon). He came 16 and said to him, “Don’t destroy the wise men of Babylon! Escort me 17 to the king, and I will disclose the interpretation to him!” 18
2:25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I 19 have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.” 2:26 The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?” 2:27 Daniel replied to the king, “The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king. 2:28 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, 20 and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. 21 The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed 22 are as follows.
2:29 “As for you, O king, while you were in your bed your thoughts turned to future things. 23 The revealer of mysteries has made known to you what will take place. 2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom 24 than any other living person, but so that the king may understand 25 the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. 26
[2:13] 1 tn The Aramaic participle is used here to express the imminent future.
[2:13] 2 tn The impersonal active plural (“they sought”) of the Aramaic verb could also be translated as an English passive: “Daniel and his friends were sought” (cf. NAB).
[2:14] 3 tn Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[2:15] 4 tn The Aramaic word מְהַחְצְפָה (mÿhakhtsÿfah) may refer to the severity of the king’s decree (i.e., “harsh”; so HALOT 1879 s.v. חצף; BDB 1093 s.v. חֲצַף), although it would seem that in a delicate situation such as this Daniel would avoid this kind of criticism of the king’s actions. The translation above understands the word to refer to the immediacy, not harshness, of the decree. See further, F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 50, §116; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 67.
[2:16] 5 tc Theodotion and the Syriac lack the words “went in and.”
[2:18] 6 tn Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English, and has not been included in the translation.
[2:20] 8 tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”
[2:20] 9 sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.
[2:21] 12 tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
[2:23] 13 tn Aram “we.” Various explanations have been offered for the plural, but it is probably best understood as the editorial plural; so also with “me” later in this verse.
[2:23] 14 tn Aram “the word of the king.”
[2:24] 15 tc The MT has עַל עַל (’al ’al, “he entered upon”). Several medieval Hebrew
[2:24] 16 tc The LXX and Vulgate, along with one medieval Hebrew
[2:24] 17 tn Aram “cause me to enter.” So also in v. 25.
[2:25] 19 sn Arioch’s claim is self-serving and exaggerated. It is Daniel who came to him, and not the other way around. By claiming to have found one capable of solving the king’s dilemma, Arioch probably hoped to ingratiate himself to the king.
[2:28] 20 tn Aram “a revealer of mysteries.” The phrase serves as a quasi-title for God in Daniel.
[2:28] 21 tn Aram “in the latter days.”
[2:28] 22 tn Aram “your dream and the visions of your head upon your bed.”
[2:29] 23 tn Aram “your thoughts upon your bed went up to what will be after this.”
[2:30] 24 tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”
[2:30] 25 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).
