Daniel 3:2-3

3:2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, ¹  and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he ²  had erected. 3:3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. ³ 

Daniel 3:1

Daniel’s Friends Are Tested

3:1 ⁴ King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden ⁵  statue made. ⁶  It was ninety feet ⁷  tall and nine feet ⁸  wide. He erected it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon.

Daniel 1:1

Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon

1:1 In the third ⁹  year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar ¹⁰  of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem ¹¹  and laid it under siege. ¹² 

Daniel 1:1-2

Daniel Finds Favor in Babylon

1:1 In the third ¹³  year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar ¹⁴  of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem ¹⁵  and laid it under siege. ¹⁶  1:2 Now the Lord ¹⁷  delivered ¹⁸  King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, ¹⁹  along with some of the vessels ²⁰  of the temple of God. ²¹  He brought them to the land of Babylonia ²²  to the temple of his god ²³  and put ²⁴  the vessels in the treasury of his god.

Daniel 1:19

1:19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group ²⁵  anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. ²⁶ 

Psalms 83:18

83:18 Then they will know ²⁷  that you alone are the Lord, ²⁸ 

the sovereign king ²⁹  over all the earth.

Psalms 96:7-9

96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,

ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!

96:8 Ascribe to the Lord the splendor he deserves! ³⁰ 

Bring an offering and enter his courts!

96:9 Worship the Lord in holy attire! ³¹ 

Tremble before him, all the earth!

Isaiah 26:11

26:11 O Lord, you are ready to act, ³² 

but they don’t even notice.

They will see and be put to shame by your angry judgment against humankind, ³³ 

yes, fire will consume your enemies. ³⁴ 

Acts 2:6-12

2:6 When this sound ³⁵  occurred, a crowd gathered and was in confusion, ³⁶  because each one heard them speaking in his own language. 2:7 Completely baffled, they said, ³⁷  “Aren’t ³⁸  all these who are speaking Galileans? 2:8 And how is it that each one of us hears them ³⁹  in our own native language? ⁴⁰  2:9 Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and the province of Asia, ⁴¹  2:10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene, ⁴²  and visitors from Rome, ⁴³  2:11 both Jews and proselytes, ⁴⁴  Cretans and Arabs – we hear them speaking in our own languages about the great deeds God has done!” ⁴⁵  2:12 All were astounded and greatly confused, saying to one another, “What does this mean?”

Acts 26:26

26:26 For the king knows about these things, and I am speaking freely ⁴⁶  to him, ⁴⁷  because I cannot believe ⁴⁸  that any of these things has escaped his notice, ⁴⁹  for this was not done in a corner. ⁵⁰ 

[3:2]  ¹ sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.

[3:2]  ² tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[3:3]  ³ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”

[3:1]  ⁴ sn The LXX introduces this chapter with the following chronological note: “in the eighteenth year of.” Such a date would place these events at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. (cf. 2 Kgs 25:8). However, there seems to be no real basis for associating the events of Daniel 3 with this date.

[3:1]  ⁵ sn There is no need to think of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as being solid gold. No doubt the sense is that it was overlaid with gold (cf. Isa 40:19; Jer 10:3-4), with the result that it presented a dazzling self-compliment to the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s achievements.

[3:1]  ⁶ sn According to a number of patristic authors, the image represented a deification of Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is not clear from the biblical text, however.

[3:1]  ⁷ tn Aram “sixty cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 90 feet (27.4 m) high.

[3:1]  ⁸ tn Aram “six cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.

[1:1]  ⁹ sn The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be ca. 605 B.C. At this time Daniel would have been a teenager. The reference to Jehoiakim’s third year poses a serious crux interpretum, since elsewhere these events are linked to his fourth year (Jer 25:1; cf. 2 Kgs 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5-8). Apparently Daniel is following an accession year chronology, whereby the first partial year of a king’s reign was reckoned as the accession year rather than as the first year of his reign. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is following a nonaccession year chronology, whereby the accession year is reckoned as the first year of the king’s reign. In that case, the conflict is only superficial. Most modern scholars, however, have concluded that Daniel is historically inaccurate here.

[1:1]  ¹⁰ sn King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon from ca. 605-562 B.C.

[1:1]  ¹¹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:1]  ¹² sn This attack culminated in the first of three major deportations of Jews to Babylon. The second one occurred in 597 B.C. and included among many other Jewish captives the prophet Ezekiel. The third deportation occurred in 586 B.C., at which time the temple and the city of Jerusalem were thoroughly destroyed.

[1:1]  ¹³ sn The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be ca. 605 B.C. At this time Daniel would have been a teenager. The reference to Jehoiakim’s third year poses a serious crux interpretum, since elsewhere these events are linked to his fourth year (Jer 25:1; cf. 2 Kgs 24:1; 2 Chr 36:5-8). Apparently Daniel is following an accession year chronology, whereby the first partial year of a king’s reign was reckoned as the accession year rather than as the first year of his reign. Jeremiah, on the other hand, is following a nonaccession year chronology, whereby the accession year is reckoned as the first year of the king’s reign. In that case, the conflict is only superficial. Most modern scholars, however, have concluded that Daniel is historically inaccurate here.

[1:1]  ¹⁴ sn King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon from ca. 605-562 B.C.

[1:1]  ¹⁵ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[1:1]  ¹⁶ sn This attack culminated in the first of three major deportations of Jews to Babylon. The second one occurred in 597 B.C. and included among many other Jewish captives the prophet Ezekiel. The third deportation occurred in 586 B.C., at which time the temple and the city of Jerusalem were thoroughly destroyed.

[1:2]  ¹⁷ tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).

[1:2]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “gave.”

[1:2]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “hand,” which is often used idiomatically for one’s power and authority. See BDB 390 s.v. יָד 2.

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Or “utensils”; or “articles.”

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Heb “house of God.”

[1:2]  ²² sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Josh 7:21; Isa 11:11; Zech 5:11).

[1:2]  ²³ tn Or “gods” (NCV, NRSV, TEV; also later in this verse). The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1, 2). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu has protected the son who will inherit” (HALOT 660 s.v. נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77-81.

[1:2]  ²⁴ tn Heb “brought.” Though the Hebrew verb “brought” is repeated in this verse, the translation uses “brought…put” for stylistic variation.

[1:19]  ²⁵ tn Heb “from all of them.”

[1:19]  ²⁶ tn Heb “stood before the king.”

[83:18]  ²⁷ tn After the preceding jussives (v. 17), the prefixed verbal form with prefixed vav (ו) indicates purpose (“so that they may know”) or result.

[83:18]  ²⁸ tn Heb “that you, your name [is] the Lord, you alone.”

[83:18]  ²⁹ tn Traditionally “the Most High.”

[96:8]  ³⁰ tn Heb “the splendor of [i.e., “due”] his name.”

[96:9]  ³¹ tn Or “in holy splendor.”

[26:11]  ³² tn Heb “O Lord, your hand is lifted up.”

[26:11]  ³³ tn Heb “They will see and be ashamed of zeal of people.” Some take the prefixed verbs as jussives and translate the statement as a prayer, “Let them see and be put to shame.” The meaning of the phrase קִנְאַת־עָם (qin’at-’am, “zeal of people”) is unclear. The translation assumes that this refers to God’s angry judgment upon people. Another option is to understand the phrase as referring to God’s zealous, protective love of his covenant people. In this case one might translate, “by your zealous devotion to your people.”

[26:11]  ³⁴ tn Heb “yes, fire, your enemies, will consume them.” Many understand the prefixed verb form to be jussive and translate, “let [fire] consume” (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV). The mem suffixed to the verb may be enclitic; if a pronominal suffix, it refers back to “your enemies.”

[2:6]  ³⁵ tn Or “this noise.”

[2:6]  ³⁶ tn Or “was bewildered.”

[2:7]  ³⁷ tn Grk “They were astounded and amazed, saying.” The two imperfect verbs, ἐξίσταντο (existanto) and ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon), show both the surprise and the confusion on the part of the hearers. The verb ἐξίσταντο (from ἐξίστημι, existhmi) often implies an illogical perception or response (BDAG 350 s.v. ἐξίστημι): “to be so astonished as to almost fail to comprehend what one has experienced” (L&N 25.218).

[2:7]  ³⁸ tn Grk “Behold, aren’t all these.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[2:8]  ³⁹ tn Grk “we hear them, each one of us.”

[2:8]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “in our own language in which we were born.”

[2:9]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “Asia”; in the NT this always refers to the Roman province of Asia, made up of about one-third of the west and southwest end of modern Asia Minor. Asia lay to the west of the region of Phrygia and Galatia. The words “the province of” are supplied to indicate to the modern reader that this does not refer to the continent of Asia.

[2:10]  ⁴² tn According to BDAG 595 s.v. Λιβύη, the western part of Libya, Libya Cyrenaica, is referred to here (see also Josephus, Ant. 16.6.1 [16.160] for a similar phrase).

[2:10]  ⁴³ map For location see JP4 A1.

[2:11]  ⁴⁴ sn Proselytes refers to Gentile (i.e., non-Jewish) converts to Judaism.

[2:11]  ⁴⁵ tn Or “God’s mighty works.” Here the genitive τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou) has been translated as a subjective genitive.

[26:26]  ⁴⁶ tn BDAG 782 s.v. παρρησιάζομαι 1 states, “speak freely, openly, fearlessly…likew. in the ptc. w. a verb of saying foll.…παρρησιασάμενοι εἶπαν 13:46. – 26:26.” This could refer to boldness in speaking here.

[26:26]  ⁴⁷ tn Grk “to whom I am speaking freely.” The relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the personal pronoun (“him”) to simplify the translation.

[26:26]  ⁴⁸ tn Grk “I cannot convince myself.” BDAG 792 s.v. πείθω 3.a states, “οὐ πείθομαι w. acc. and inf. I cannot believe Ac 26:26” (see also BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω).

[26:26]  ⁴⁹ tn BDAG 586 s.v. λανθάνω states, “λανθάνειν αὐτὸν τούτων οὐ πείθομαι οὐθέν I cannot bring myself to believe that any of these things has escaped his notice Ac 26:26.”

[26:26]  ⁵⁰ tn This term refers to a hidden corner (BDAG 209 s.v. γωνία). Paul’s point is that these events to which he refers were not done in a secret, hidden place, tucked away outside of view. They were done in public for all the world to see.