Daniel 2:20-21

2:20 saying, ¹ 

“Let the name of God ²  be praised ³  forever and ever,

for wisdom and power belong to him.

2:21 He changes times and seasons,

deposing some kings

and establishing others. ⁴ 

He gives wisdom to the wise;

he imparts knowledge to those with understanding; ⁵ 

Proverbs 8:14

8:14 Counsel and sound wisdom belong to me; ⁶ 

I possess understanding and might.

Proverbs 21:22

21:22 The wise person ⁷  can scale ⁸  the city of the mighty

and bring down the stronghold ⁹  in which they trust. ¹⁰ 

Proverbs 24:5

24:5 A wise warrior ¹¹  is strong, ¹² 

and a man of knowledge makes his strength stronger;

Ecclesiastes 7:19

Wisdom Needed Because No One is Truly Righteous

7:19 Wisdom gives a wise person more protection ¹³ 

than ten rulers in a city.

Ecclesiastes 9:16

9:16 So I concluded that wisdom is better than might, ¹⁴ 

but a poor man’s wisdom is despised; no one ever listens ¹⁵  to his advice. ¹⁶ 

Ecclesiastes 9:18

9:18 Wisdom is better than weapons of war,

but one sinner can destroy much that is good.

[2:20]  ¹ tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”

[2:20]  ² sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.

[2:20]  ³ tn Or “blessed.”

[2:21]  ⁴ tn Aram “kings.”

[2:21]  ⁵ tn Aram “the knowers of understanding.”

[8:14]  ⁶ tc In the second half of v. 14 instead of אֲנִי (’ani) the editors propose reading simply לִי (li) as the renderings in the LXX, Latin, and Syriac suggest. Then, in place of the לִי that comes in the same colon, read וְלִי (vÿli). While the MT is a difficult reading, it can be translated as it is. It would be difficult to know exactly what the ancient versions were reading, because their translations could have been derived from either text. They represent an effort to smooth out the text.

[21:22]  ⁷ tn Heb “The wise [one/man].”

[21:22]  ⁸ tn The Qal perfect tense of עָלָה (’alah) functions in a potential nuance. Wisdom can be more effectual than physical strength.

[21:22]  ⁹ sn In a war the victory is credited not so much to the infantry as to the tactician who plans the attack. Brilliant strategy wins wars, even over apparently insuperable odds (e.g., Prov 24:5-6; Eccl 9:13-16; 2 Cor 10:4).

[21:22]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and bring down the strength of its confidence.” The word “strength” is a metonymy of adjunct, referring to the place of strength, i.e., “the stronghold.” “Confidence” is a genitive of worth; the stronghold is their confidence, it is appropriate for the confidence of the city.

[24:5]  ¹¹ sn The twenty-first saying seems to be concerned with the need for wisdom in warfare. In line with that, the word used here is גֶּבֶר (gever), “mighty man; hero; warrior.”

[24:5]  ¹² tn The expression בַּעוֹז (ba’oz) employs a beth essentiae, meaning he “is strong,” not “in strength.”

[7:19]  ¹³ tn Heb “gives strength.”

[9:16]  ¹⁴ tn Or “power.”

[9:16]  ¹⁵ tn The participle form נִשְׁמָעִים (nishma’im, Niphal participle mpl from שָׁמַע, “to listen”) is used verbally to emphasize a continual, durative, gnomic action.

[9:16]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “his words are never listened to.”