Daniel 1:7

1:7 But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gave ¹  Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abednego. ² 

Daniel 4:8

4:8 Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, ³  and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well,

Daniel 4:19

Daniel Interprets Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream

4:19 Then Daniel (whose name is also Belteshazzar) was upset for a brief time; ⁴  his thoughts were alarming him. The king said, “Belteshazzar, don’t let the dream and its interpretation alarm you.” But Belteshazzar replied, “Sir, ⁵  if only the dream were for your enemies and its interpretation applied to your adversaries!

Daniel 5:12

5:12 Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret ⁶  dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems. ⁷  Now summon ⁸  Daniel, and he will disclose the interpretation.”

[1:7]  ¹ tc The LXX and Vulgate lack the verb here.

[1:7]  ² sn The meanings of the Babylonian names are more conjectural than is the case with the Hebrew names. The probable etymologies are as follows: Belteshazzar means “protect his life,” although the MT vocalization may suggest “Belti, protect the king” (cf. Dan 4:8); Shadrach perhaps means “command of Aku”; Meshach is of uncertain meaning; Abednego means “servant of Nego.” Assigning Babylonian names to the Hebrew youths may have been an attempt to erase from their memory their Israelite heritage.

[4:8]  ³ sn This explanation of the meaning of the name Belteshazzar may be more of a paronomasia than a strict etymology.

[4:19]  ⁴ tn Aram “about one hour.” The expression refers idiomatically to a brief period of time of undetermined length.

[4:19]  ⁵ tn Aram “my lord.”

[5:12]  ⁶ tc The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the MT מְפַשַּׁר (mÿfashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (mishre’) rather than the MT וּמְשָׁרֵא (mÿshare’). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.

[5:12]  ⁷ tn Aram “to loose knots.”

[5:12]  ⁸ tn Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”