Daniel 5:8

5:8 So all the king’s wise men came in, but they were unable to read the writing or to make known its ¹  interpretation to the king.

Daniel 5:15

5:15 Now the wise men and ²  astrologers were brought before me to read this writing and make known to me its interpretation. But they were unable to disclose the interpretation of the message.

Daniel 5:24-28

5:24 Therefore the palm of a hand was sent from him, and this writing was inscribed.

5:25 “This is the writing that was inscribed: MENE, MENE, ³  TEQEL, and PHARSIN. ⁴  5:26 This is the interpretation of the words: ⁵  As for mene ⁶  – God has numbered your kingdom’s days and brought it to an end. 5:27 As for teqel – you are weighed on the balances and found to be lacking. 5:28 As for peres ⁷  – your kingdom is divided and given over to the Medes and Persians.”

Colossians 2:14

2:14 He has destroyed ⁸  what was against us, a certificate of indebtedness ⁹  expressed in decrees opposed to us. He has taken it away by nailing it to the cross.

Revelation 20:12-15

20:12 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne. Then ¹⁰  books were opened, and another book was opened – the book of life. ¹¹  So ¹²  the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to their deeds. ¹³  20:13 The ¹⁴  sea gave up the dead that were in it, and Death ¹⁵  and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each one was judged according to his deeds. 20:14 Then ¹⁶  Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death – the lake of fire. 20:15 If ¹⁷  anyone’s name ¹⁸  was not found written in the book of life, that person ¹⁹  was thrown into the lake of fire.

¹ tc Read וּפִשְׁרֵהּ (ufishreh) with the Qere rather than וּפִשְׁרָא (ufishra’) of the Kethib.

² tn The Aramaic text does not have “and.” The term “astrologers” is either an appositive for “wise men” (cf. KJV, NKJV, ASV, RSV, NRSV), or the construction is to be understood as asyndetic (so the translation above).

³ tc The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the repetition of מְנֵא (mÿne’, cf. NAB).

⁴ tc The Aramaic word is plural. Theodotion has the singular (cf. NAB “PERES”).

⁵ tn Or “word” or “event.” See HALOT 1915 s.v. מִלָּה.

⁶ tn The Aramaic term מְנֵא (mÿne’) is a noun referring to a measure of weight. The linkage here to the verb “to number” (Aram. מְנָה, mÿnah) is a case of paronomasia rather than strict etymology. So also with תְּקֵל (tÿqel) and פַרְסִין (farsin). In the latter case there is an obvious wordplay with the name “Persian.”

⁷ sn Peres (פְּרֵס) is the singular form of פַרְסִין (pharsin) in v. 25.

⁸ tn The participle ἐξαλείψας (exaleiyas) is a temporal adverbial participle of contemporaneous time related to the previous verb συνεζωοποίησεν (sunezwopoihsen), but has been translated as a finite verb because of the complexity of the Greek sentence and the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences. For the meaning “destroy” see BDAG 344-45 s.v. ἐξαλείφω 2.

⁹ tn On the translation of χειρόγραφον (ceirografon), see BDAG 1083 s.v. which refers to it as “a certificate of indebtedness.”

¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the vision.

¹¹ tn Grk “another book was opened, which is of life.”

¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the books being opened.

¹³ tn Grk “from the things written in the books according to their works.”

¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁵ sn Here Death is personified (cf. 1 Cor 15:55).

¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence within the narrative.

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁸ tn The word “name” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

¹⁹ tn Grk “he”; the pronoun has been intensified by translating as “that person.”