Daniel 4:16

4:16 Let his mind ¹  be altered from that of a human being,

and let an animal’s mind be given to him,

and let seven periods of time ²  go by for ³  him.

Daniel 7:13

7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ⁴  the clouds of the sky ⁵ 

one like a son of man ⁶  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ⁷  before him.

Daniel 4:25

4:25 You will be driven ⁸  from human society, ⁹  and you will live ¹⁰  with the wild animals. You will be fed ¹¹  grass like oxen, ¹²  and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before ¹³  you understand that the Most High is ruler over human kingdoms and gives them to whomever he wishes.

Daniel 5:21

5:21 He was driven from human society, his mind ¹⁴  was changed to that of an animal, he lived ¹⁵  with the wild donkeys, he was fed grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until he came to understand that the most high God rules over human kingdoms, and he appoints over them whomever he wishes.

Daniel 6:12

6:12 So they approached the king and said to him, ¹⁶  “Did you not issue an edict to the effect that for the next thirty days anyone who prays to any god or human other than to you, O king, would be thrown into a den of lions?” The king replied, “That is correct, ¹⁷  according to the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be changed.”

¹ tn Aram “its heart.” The metaphor of the tree begins to fade here and the reality behind the symbol (the king) begins to emerge.

² sn The seven periods of time probably refer to seven years.

³ tn Aram “over” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).

⁴ 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).

⁵ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

⁶ 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.

⁷ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

⁷ tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.

⁸ tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.

⁹ tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.

¹⁰ tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”

¹¹ sn Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity has features that are associated with the mental disorder known as boanthropy, in which the person so afflicted imagines himself to be an ox or a similar animal and behaves accordingly.

¹² tn Aram “until.”

¹⁰ tn Aram “heart.”

¹¹ tn Aram “his dwelling.”

¹³ tc The MT also has “about the edict of the king,” but this phrase is absent in the LXX and the Syriac. The present translation deletes the expression.

¹⁴ tn Aram “the word is true.”