Daniel 6:18

6:18 Then the king departed to his palace. But he spent the night without eating, and no diversions ¹  were brought to him. He was unable to sleep. ² 

Daniel 11:6

11:6 After some years have passed, they ³  will form an alliance. Then the daughter ⁴  of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement, but she will not retain her power, ⁵  nor will he continue ⁶  in his strength. ⁷  She, together with the one who brought her, her child, ⁸  and her benefactor will all be delivered over at that time. ⁹ 

Daniel 11:17

11:17 His intention ¹⁰  will be to come with the strength of his entire kingdom, and he will form alliances. ¹¹  He will give the king of the south ¹²  a daughter ¹³  in marriage in order to destroy the kingdom, but it will not turn out to his advantage.

[6:18]  ¹ tn The meaning of Aramaic דַּחֲוָה (dakhavah) is a crux interpretum. Suggestions include “music,” “dancing girls,” “concubines,” “table,” “food” – all of which are uncertain. The translation employed here, suggested by earlier scholars, is deliberately vague. A number of recent English versions follow a similar approach with “entertainment” (e.g., NASB, NIV, NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT). On this word see further, HALOT 1849-50 s.v.; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 37.

[6:18]  ² tn Aram “his sleep fled from him.”

[11:6]  ³ sn Here they refers to Ptolemy II Philadelphus (ca. 285-246 B.C.) and Antiochus II Theos (ca. 262-246 B.C.).

[11:6]  ⁴ sn The daughter refers to Berenice, who was given in marriage to Antiochus II Theos.

[11:6]  ⁵ tn Heb “the strength of the arm.”

[11:6]  ⁶ tn Heb “stand.” So also in vv. 7, 8, 11, 13.

[11:6]  ⁷ tn Heb “and his arm.” Some understand this to refer to the descendants of the king of the north.

[11:6]  ⁸ tc The present translation reads יַלְדָּה (yaldah, “her child”) rather than the MT יֹלְדָהּ (yolÿdah, “the one who begot her”). Cf. Theodotion, the Syriac, and the Vulgate.

[11:6]  ⁹ sn Antiochus II eventually divorced Berenice and remarried his former wife Laodice, who then poisoned her husband, had Berenice put to death, and installed her own son, Seleucus II Callinicus (ca. 246-227 B.C.), as the Seleucid king.

[11:17]  ⁵ tn Heb “and he will set his face.” Cf. vv. 18, 19.

[11:17]  ⁶ tc The present translation reads מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim, “alliances”) for the MT וִישָׁרִים (viysharim, “uprightness”).

[11:17]  ⁷ tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king of the south) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:17]  ⁸ tn Heb “the daughter of the women.”