Daniel 7:8-11

7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. ¹  This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant ²  things.

7:9 “While I was watching,

thrones were set up,

and the Ancient of Days ³  took his seat.

His attire was white like snow;

the hair of his head was like lamb’s ⁴  wool.

His throne was ablaze with fire

and its wheels were all aflame. ⁵ 

7:10 A river of fire was streaming forth

and proceeding from his presence.

Many thousands were ministering to him;

Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. ⁶ 

The court convened ⁷ 

and the books were opened.

7:11 “Then I kept on watching because of the arrogant words of the horn that was speaking. I was watching ⁸  until the beast was killed and its body destroyed and thrown into ⁹  the flaming fire.

Daniel 7:24-26

7:24 The ten horns

mean that ten kings will arise from that kingdom.

Another king will arise after them,

but he will be different from the earlier ones.

He will humiliate ¹⁰  three kings.

7:25 He will speak words against the Most High.

He will harass ¹¹  the holy ones of the Most High continually.

His intention ¹²  will be to change times established by law. ¹³ 

They will be delivered into his hand

For a time, times, ¹⁴  and half a time.

7:26 But the court will convene, ¹⁵  and his ruling authority will be removed –

destroyed and abolished forever!

[7:8]  ¹ tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”

[7:8]  ² tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.

[7:9]  ³ tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers. Cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God.”

[7:9]  ⁴ tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.

[7:9]  ⁵ tn Aram “a flaming fire.”

[7:10]  ⁶ tn Aram “were standing before him.”

[7:10]  ⁷ tn Aram “judgment sat.”

[7:11]  ⁸ tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “I was watching” here. It is possible that these words in the MT are a dittography from the first part of the verse.

[7:11]  ⁹ tn Aram “and given over to” (so NRSV).

[7:24]  ¹⁰ tn Or “subjugate”; KJV, NASB, NIV “subdue”; ASV, NRSV “put down.”

[7:25]  ¹¹ tn Aram “wear out” (so KJV, ASV, NRSV); NASB, NLT “wear down.” The word is a hapax legomenon in biblical Aramaic, but in biblical Hebrew it especially refers to wearing out such things as garments. Here it is translated “harass…continually.”

[7:25]  ¹² tn Aram “he will think.”

[7:25]  ¹³ tn Aram “times and law.” The present translation is based on the understanding that the expression is a hendiadys.

[7:25]  ¹⁴ sn Although the word times is vocalized in the MT as a plural, it probably should be regarded as a dual. The Masoretes may have been influenced here by the fact that in late Aramaic (and Syriac) the dual forms fall out of use. The meaning would thus be three and a half “times.”

[7:26]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “judgment will sit” (KJV similar).