119:99 I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your rules.
5:13 So Daniel was brought in before the king. The king said to Daniel, “Are you that Daniel who is one of the captives of Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? 5:14 I have heard about you, how there is a spirit of the gods in you, and how you have 18 insight, discernment, and extraordinary wisdom. 5:15 Now the wise men and 19 astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation. But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message. 5:16 However, I have heard 20 that you are able to provide interpretations and to decipher knotty problems. Now if you are able to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation, you will wear purple and have a golden collar around your neck and be third 21 ruler in the kingdom.”
1 tn Heb “the wisdom of Solomon.”
2 tn Heb “about your words [or perhaps, “deeds”] and your wisdom.”
3 tn Heb “the half was not told to me.”
4 tn Heb “good.”
5 tn Heb “How happy are your men! How happy are these servants of yours, who stand before you continually, who hear your wisdom!”
6 tn Or “delighted in.”
7 tn Heb “to do justice and righteousness.”
8 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.
9 tn Heb “hands.”
10 tc The present translation assumes the reading חֲזִי (khazi, “consider”) rather than the MT חֶזְוֵי (khezvey, “visions”). The MT implies that the king required Daniel to disclose both the dream and its interpretation, as in chapter 2. But in the following verses Nebuchadnezzar recounts his dream, while Daniel presents only its interpretation.
11 tn Aram “[there were] discovered to be in him.”
12 tn Aram “wisdom like the wisdom.” This would be redundant in terms of English style.
13 tc Theodotion lacks the phrase “and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods.”
14 tc The MT includes a redundant reference to “your father the king” at the end of v. 11. None of the attempts to explain this phrase as original are very convincing. The present translation deletes the phrase, following Theodotion and the Syriac.
15 tc The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the MT מְפַשַּׁר (mÿfashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (mishre’) rather than the MT וּמְשָׁרֵא (mÿshare’). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.
16 tn Aram “to loose knots.”
17 tn Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”
18 tn Aram “there has been found in you.”
19 tn The Aramaic text does not have “and.” The term “astrologers” is either an appositive for “wise men” (cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV), or the construction is to be understood as asyndetic (so the translation above).
20 tn The Aramaic text has also the words “about you.”
21 tn Or perhaps “one of three rulers,” in the sense of becoming part of a triumvir. So also v. 29.
22 sn This scene of universal and overwhelming attraction of the nations to Israel’s God finds initial fulfillment in the establishment of the church (Acts 2:5-11) but ultimate completion in the messianic age (Isa 45:14, 24; 60:14; Zech 14:16-21).
23 tn Heb “will be” (so NAB, NRSV); TEV “your land will be a good place to live in.”