4:17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;
this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,
so that 1 those who are alive may understand
that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, 2
and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.
He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’
7:4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind 4 was given to it. 5
4:16 Let his mind 6 be altered from that of a human being,
and let an animal’s mind be given to him,
and let seven periods of time 7 go by for 8 him.
“And with 9 the clouds of the sky 10
one like a son of man 11 was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted 12 before him.
2:10 The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, 23 for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.
4:33 Now in that very moment 31 this pronouncement about 32 Nebuchadnezzar came true. 33 He was driven from human society, he ate grass like oxen, and his body became damp with the dew of the sky, until his hair became long like an eagle’s feathers, and his nails like a bird’s claws. 34
5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared 35 and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. 36 The king was watching the back 37 of the hand that was writing.
7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. 38 This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant 39 things.
1 tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (’al-divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (’ad-divrat, “until”).
2 tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”
3 tn Aram “until.”
5 tn Aram “heart of a man.”
6 sn The identity of the first animal, derived from v. 17 and the parallels in chap. 2, is Babylon. The reference to the plucking of its wings is probably a reference to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity (cf. chap. 4). The latter part of v. 4 then describes the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar. The other animals have traditionally been understood to represent respectively Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although most of modern scholarship identifies them as Media, Persia, and Greece. For a biblical parallel to the mention of lion, bear, and leopard together, see Hos 13:7-8.
7 tn Aram “its heart.” The metaphor of the tree begins to fade here and the reality behind the symbol (the king) begins to emerge.
8 sn The seven periods of time probably refer to seven years.
9 tn Aram “over” (also in vv. 23, 25, 32).
9 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).
10 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
11 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.
12 tn Aram “they brought him near.”
11 tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.
12 tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.
13 tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.
14 tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”
15 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.
16 tn Aram “until.”
13 tn Aram “heart.”
14 tn Aram “his dwelling.”
15 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.
16 tn Aram “the word is true.”
17 tn Aram “matter, thing.”
19 tn Aram “the sons of man.”
20 tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”
21 tn Aram “hand.”
21 tc The present translation reads the conjunction, with most medieval Hebrew
22 sn The reference to people being mixed is usually understood to refer to intermarriage.
23 tn Aram “with the seed of men.”
24 tc The present translation reads הֵיךְ דִּי (hekh diy) rather than the MT הֵא־כְדִי (he’-khÿdi). It is a case of wrong word division.
23 tn Aram “hour.”
24 tn Or “on.”
25 tn Aram “was fulfilled.”
26 tn The words “feathers” and “claws” are not present in the Aramaic text, but have been added in the translation for clarity.
25 tn Aram “came forth.”
26 sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.
27 tn While Aramaic פַּס (pas) can mean the palm of the hand, here it seems to be the back of the hand that is intended.
27 tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”
28 tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.
29 tn Aram “in strength.”
30 tn Aram “cause to enter.”
31 tn Aram “answered and said.”
32 sn Purple was a color associated with royalty in the ancient world.
33 tn The term translated “golden collar” here probably refers to something more substantial than merely a gold chain (cf. NIV, NCV, NRSV, NLT) or necklace (cf. NASB).
31 tn Aram “prays a prayer.”