9:20 While I was still speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and presenting my request before the LORD my God concerning his holy mountain 1 – 9:21 yes, while I was still praying, 2 the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously 3 in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, 4 around the time of the evening offering.
“Three 7 more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth 8 king will be unusually rich, 9 more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against 10 the kingdom of Greece.
1 tn Heb “the holy mountain of my God.”
1 tn Heb “speaking in prayer.”
2 tn Heb “in the beginning.”
3 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.
1 tn Heb “heart.” So also in v. 28.
2 tn Heb “speak.”
1 sn Perhaps these three more kings are Cambyses (ca. 530-522
2 sn This fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465
3 tn Heb “rich with great riches.”
4 tn The text is difficult. The Hebrew has here אֶת (’et), the marker of a definite direct object. As it stands, this would suggest the meaning that “he will arouse everyone, that is, the kingdom of Greece.” The context, however, seems to suggest the idea that this Persian king will arouse in hostility against Greece the constituent elements of his own empire. This requires supplying the word “against,” which is not actually present in the Hebrew text.