Daniel 4:10-13

4:10 Here are the visions of my mind ¹  while I was on my bed.

While I was watching,

there was a tree in the middle of the land. ² 

It was enormously tall. ³ 

4:11 The tree grew large and strong.

Its top reached far into the sky;

it could be seen ⁴  from the borders of all the land. ⁵ 

4:12 Its foliage was attractive and its fruit plentiful;

on it there was food enough for all.

Under it the wild animals ⁶  used to seek shade,

and in its branches the birds of the sky used to nest.

All creatures ⁷  used to feed themselves from it.

4:13 While I was watching in my mind’s visions ⁸  on my bed,

a holy sentinel ⁹  came down from heaven.

[4:10]  ¹ tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.

[4:10]  ² tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.

[4:10]  ³ tn Aram “its height was great.”

[4:11]  ⁴ tn Aram “its sight.” So also v. 17.

[4:11]  ⁵ tn Or “to the end of all the earth” (so KJV, ASV); NCV, CEV “from anywhere on earth.”

[4:12]  ⁷ tn Aram “the beasts of the field.”

[4:12]  ⁸ tn Aram “all flesh.”

[4:13]  ¹⁰ tn Aram “the visions of my head.”

[4:13]  ¹¹ tn Aram “a watcher and a holy one.” The expression is a hendiadys; so also in v. 23. This “watcher” is apparently an angel. The Greek OT (LXX) in fact has ἄγγελος (angelo", “angel”) here. Theodotion simply transliterates the Aramaic word (’ir). The term is sometimes rendered “sentinel” (NAB) or “messenger” (NIV, NLT).