1:3 The king commanded 1 Ashpenaz, 2 who was in charge of his court officials, 3 to choose 4 some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent 5 –
2:3 The king told them, “I have had a dream, 6 and I 7 am anxious to understand the dream.”
8:19 Then he said, “I am going to inform you about what will happen in the latter time of wrath, for the vision 11 pertains to the appointed time of the end.
4:35 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing. 28
He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
and with those who inhabit the earth.
No one slaps 29 his hand
and says to him, ‘What have you done?’
8:13 Then I heard a holy one 30 speaking. Another holy one said to the one who was speaking, “To what period of time does the vision pertain – this vision concerning the daily sacrifice and the destructive act of rebellion and the giving over of both the sanctuary and army to be trampled?”
1 tn Or “gave orders to.” Heb “said to.”
2 sn It is possible that the word Ashpenaz is not a proper name at all, but a general term for “innkeeper.” See J. J. Collins, Daniel (Hermeneia), 127, n. 9. However, the ancient versions understand the term to be a name, and the present translation (along with most English versions) understands the word in this way.
3 sn The word court official (Hebrew saris) need not mean “eunuch” in a technical sense (see Gen 37:36, where the term refers to Potiphar, who had a wife), although in the case of the book of Daniel there was in Jewish literature a common tradition to that effect. On the OT usage of this word see HALOT 769-70 s.v. סָרֹיס.
4 tn Heb “bring.”
5 tn Heb “and from the seed of royalty and from the nobles.”
6 tn Heb “I have dreamed a dream” (so KJV, ASV).
7 tn Heb “my spirit.”
11 sn The language of evenings and mornings is reminiscent of the creation account in Genesis 1. Since “evening and morning” is the equivalent of a day, the reference here would be to 2,300 days. However, some interpreters understand the reference to be to the evening sacrifice and the morning sacrifice, in which case the reference would be to only 1,150 days. Either way, the event that marked the commencement of this period is unclear. The event that marked the conclusion of the period is the rededication of the temple in Jerusalem following the atrocious and sacrilegious acts that Antiochus implemented. This took place on December 25, 165
12 tn Heb “will be vindicated” or “will be justified.” This is the only occurrence of this verb in the Niphal in the OT. English versions interpret it as “cleansed” (KJV, ASV), “restored” (NASB, TEV, NLT), or “reconsecrated” (NIV).
16 sn The only angels whose names are given in the OT are Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21; cf. Luke 1:19, 26) and Michael (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; cf. Jude 9; Rev 12:7). The name Gabriel means in Hebrew “man of God,” and Michael means “who is like God?”
21 tn The Hebrew text does not actually state the referent (the vision Daniel saw in vv. 8-12; cf. also v. 13), which has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some Greek witnesses add “the vision” here.
26 tn Heb “he instructed and spoke with me.” The expression is a verbal hendiadys.
31 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.
36 tn Heb “said.” So also in v. 12.
37 tn Heb “Chaldeans.” The term Chaldeans (Hebrew כַּשְׂדִּים, kasdim) is used in the book of Daniel both in an ethnic sense and, as here, to refer to a caste of Babylonian wise men and astrologers.
38 tn Heb “to explain to the king his dreams.”
39 tn Heb “stood before the king.”
41 tn Heb “on my face.”
42 tn Or “human one.”
46 tn Heb “treasured man.”
47 tn Heb “my lord may speak.”
51 sn The question is rhetorical, intended to encourage reflection on Daniel’s part.
56 tn Heb “The overseer of the court officials.” The subject has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
57 tn Heb “assigned.” See v. 5.
58 tn Heb “Why should he see your faces thin from the young men who are according to your age?” The term translated “thin” occurs only here and in Gen 40:6, where it appears to refer to a dejected facial expression. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “be weak.” See HALOT 277 s.v. II זעף.
59 tn The words “if that happened” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.
60 tn Heb “my head.” Presumably this is an implicit reference to capital punishment (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although this is not entirely clear.
61 tc The present translation reads כְּלָא (kÿla’), with many medieval Hebrew
62 tn Aram “strikes against.”
66 sn The holy one referred to here is presumably an angel. Cf. 4:13[10], 23 [20].
71 tn Or “a treasured person”; KJV “a man greatly beloved”; NASB “man of high esteem.”
72 tn The Hebrew participle is often used, as here, to refer to the imminent future.
73 tn Heb “stand upon your standing.”
74 tn Heb “spoke this word.”
76 tn Heb “gave your heart.”