Daniel 8:24

8:24 His power will be great, but it will not be by his strength alone. He will cause terrible destruction. ¹  He will be successful in what he undertakes. ²  He will destroy powerful people and the people of the holy ones. ³ 

Daniel 11:32

11:32 Then with smooth words he will defile ⁴  those who have rejected ⁵  the covenant. But the people who are loyal to ⁶  their God will act valiantly. ⁷ 

Daniel 11:15

11:15 Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city. ⁸  The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents. ⁹  They will have no strength to prevail.

Daniel 4:15

4:15 But leave its taproot ¹⁰  in the ground,

with a band of iron and bronze around it ¹¹ 

surrounded by the grass of the field.

Let it become damp with the dew of the sky,

and let it live with ¹²  the animals in the grass of the land.

Daniel 4:32

4:32 You will be driven from human society, and you will live with the wild animals. You will be fed grass like oxen, and 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 4:23

4:23 As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying, ‘Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him’ –

Daniel 4:25

4:25 You will be driven ¹⁴  from human society, ¹⁵  and you will live ¹⁶  with the wild animals. You will be fed ¹⁷  grass like oxen, ¹⁸  and you will become damp with the dew of the sky. Seven periods of time will pass by for you, before ¹⁹  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 ²⁰  was changed to that of an animal, he lived ²¹  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.

¹ tn Heb “extraordinarily he will destroy.”

² tn Heb “he will succeed and act.”

³ tn See the corresponding Aramaic expression in 7:27. If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. One could translate, “people belonging to (i.e., protected by) the holy ones.” If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” One could translate simply “holy people.” For examples of a plural appositional genitive after “people,” see 11:15, 32. Because either interpretation is possible, the translation has deliberately preserved the ambiguity of the Hebrew grammar here.

⁴ tn Or “corrupt.”

⁵ tn Heb “acted wickedly toward.”

⁶ tn Heb “know.” The term “know” sometimes means “to recognize.” In relational contexts it can have the connotation “recognize the authority of, be loyal to,” as it does here.

⁷ sn This is an allusion to the Maccabean revolt, which struggled to bring about Jewish independence in the second century B.C.

⁷ sn This well-fortified city is apparently Sidon. Its capture from the Ptolemies by Antiochus the Great was a strategic victory for the Seleucid kingdom.

⁸ tn Or “choice troops” (BDB 104 s.v. מִבְחָר), or “elite troops” (HALOT 542 s.v. מִבְחָר).

¹⁰ tn Aram “the stock of its root.” So also v. 23. The implication here is that although the tree is chopped down, it is not killed. Its life-giving root is spared. The application to Nebuchadnezzar is obvious.

¹¹ sn The function of the band of iron and bronze is not entirely clear, but it may have had to do with preventing the splitting or further deterioration of the portion of the tree that was left after being chopped down. By application it would then refer to the preservation of Nebuchadnezzar’s life during the time of his insanity.

¹² tn Aram “its lot be.”

¹³ tn Aram “until.”

¹⁶ tn The Aramaic indefinite active plural is used here like the English passive. So also in v. 28, 29,32.

¹⁷ tn Aram “from mankind.” So also in v. 32.

¹⁸ tn Aram “your dwelling will be.” So also in v. 32.

¹⁹ tn Or perhaps “be made to eat.”

²⁰ 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.

²¹ tn Aram “until.”

¹⁹ tn Aram “heart.”

²⁰ tn Aram “his dwelling.”