9:15 “Now, O Lord our God, who brought your people out of the land of Egypt with great power 21 and made a name for yourself that is remembered to this day – we have sinned and behaved wickedly.
1 sn Having failed to convince the overseer, Daniel sought the favor of the warden whom the overseer had appointed to care for the young men.
2 tn Heb “let our appearance be seen before you.”
3 tn Heb “the appearance of.”
4 tn Heb “delicacies of the king.” So also in v. 15.
5 tn Heb “your servants.”
3 tn Heb “the.”
4 sn Susa (Heb. שׁוּשַׁן, shushan), located some 230 miles (380 km) east of Babylon, was a winter residence for Persian kings during the Achaemenid period. The language of v. 2 seems to suggest that Daniel may not have been physically present at Susa, but only saw himself there in the vision. However, the Hebrew is difficult, and some have concluded that the first four words of v. 2 in the MT are a later addition (cf. Theodotion).
5 tn The Hebrew word בִּירָה (birah, “castle, palace”) usually refers to a fortified structure within a city, but here it is in apposition to the city name Susa and therefore has a broader reference to the entire city (against this view, however, see BDB 108 s.v. 2). Cf. NAB “the fortress of Susa”; TEV “the walled city of Susa.”
6 tn The term אוּבַל (’uval = “stream, river”) is a relatively rare word in biblical Hebrew, found only here and in vv. 3 and 6. The Ulai was apparently a sizable artificial canal in Susa (cf. NASB, NIV, NCV), and not a river in the ordinary sense of that word.
4 tn Heb “the wrath of its strength.”
5 tn Heb “truth.”
6 tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”
7 tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.
8 tn Heb “people.”
7 tn Heb “paid attention to the voice of,” which is an idiomatic expression for obedience (cf. NASB “nor have we obeyed the voice of”).
8 tn Heb “to walk in.”
9 tc The LXX and Vulgate have the singular.
8 tn Or “righteous.”
9 tn Heb “in all his deeds which he has done.”
10 tn Heb “we have not listened to his voice.”
9 tn Heb “with a powerful hand.”
10 tn Heb “speaking in prayer.”
11 tn Heb “in the beginning.”
12 tn The Hebrew expression בִּיעָף מֻעָף (mu’af bi’af) is very difficult. The issue is whether the verb derives from עוּף (’uf, “to fly”) or from יָעַף (ya’af, “to be weary”). Many ancient versions and modern commentators take the first of these possibilities and understand the reference to be to the swift flight of the angel Gabriel in his coming to Daniel. The words more likely refer to the extreme weariness, not of the angel, but of Daniel. Cf. 7:28; 8:27; 10:8-9, 16-17; also NASB.
11 tn Heb “act against.”
12 tn Heb “with.”
13 tn Or perhaps “for a reward.”