1:15 At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier 1 than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies.
2:21 He changes times and seasons,
deposing some kings
and establishing others. 2
He gives wisdom to the wise;
he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; 3
4:3 “How great are his signs!
How mighty are his wonders!
His kingdom will last forever, 5
and his authority continues from one generation to the next.”
1 tn Heb “fat of flesh”; KJV, ASV “fatter in flesh”; NASB, NRSV “fatter” (although this is no longer a sign of health in Western culture).
2 tn Aram “kings.”
3 tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”
3 tn This is sometimes taken as a comparative: “[some of the] strongest.”
4 tn Aram “his kingdom is an everlasting kingdom.”
5 tn Heb “mouth.”
6 sn Anointing oneself with oil (usually olive oil) was a common OT practice due to the severity of the Middle Eastern sun (cf. Ps 121:6). It was also associated with rejoicing (e.g., Prov 27:9) and was therefore usually not practiced during a period of mourning.
6 tn Heb “a book of truth.” Several English versions treat this as a title of some sort (cf. NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although the NAB’s rendering “the truthful book” regards “truth” as an attributive adjective, as does the present translation.
7 tn The word “princes” is supplied for clarity.
8 tn The pronoun is plural in Hebrew, suggesting that Michael is the angelic prince of Daniel and his people.
7 tn The words “your way” are not in the Hebrew text, but are implied.
8 tc The LXX lacks “until the end.”
9 tn The word “receive” is added in the translation for clarification.
10 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.