2:31 “You, O king, were watching as a great statue – one 1 of impressive size and extraordinary brightness – was standing before you. Its appearance caused alarm.
While I was watching,
there was a tree in the middle of the land. 5
It was enormously tall. 6
4:13 While I was watching in my mind’s visions 7 on my bed,
a holy sentinel 8 came down from heaven.
7:1 In the first 9 year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had 10 a dream filled with visions 11 while he was lying on his bed. Then he wrote down the dream in summary fashion. 12 7:2 Daniel explained: 13 “I was watching in my vision during the night as 14 the four winds of the sky 15 were stirring up the great sea. 16
“And with 17 the clouds of the sky 18
one like a son of man 19 was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted 20 before him.
1 tn Aram “an image.”
2 tn Aram “until.”
3 tc The LXX, Theodotion, and the Vulgate have “from a mountain,” though this is probably a harmonization with v. 45.
3 tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.
4 tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.
5 tn Aram “its height was great.”
4 tn Aram “the visions of my head.”
5 tn Aram “a watcher and a holy one.” The expression is a hendiadys; so also in v. 23. This “watcher” is apparently an angel. The Greek OT (LXX) in fact has ἄγγελος (angelo", “angel”) here. Theodotion simply transliterates the Aramaic word (’ir). The term is sometimes rendered “sentinel” (NAB) or “messenger” (NIV, NLT).
5 sn The first year of Belshazzar’s reign would have been ca. 553
6 tn Aram “saw.”
7 tn Aram “and visions of his head.” The Aramaic is difficult here. Some scholars add a verb thought to be missing (e.g., “the visions of his head [were alarming him]”), but there is no external evidence to support such a decision and the awkwardness of the text at this point may be original.
8 tn Aram “head of words.” The phrase is absent in Theodotion. Cf. NIV “the substance of his dream.”
6 tn Aram “answered and said.”
7 tn Aram “and behold.”
8 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
9 sn The referent of the great sea is unclear. The common view that the expression refers to the Mediterranean Sea is conjectural.
7 tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).
8 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
9 sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.
10 tn Aram “they brought him near.”