Discovery BoxDaniel 2:13-20 
Context2:13 So a decree went out, and the wise men were about 1 to be executed. They also sought 2 Daniel and his friends so that they could be executed.
2:14 Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel 3 to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon. 2:15 He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” 4 Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. 2:16 So Daniel went in and 5 requested the king to grant him time, that he might disclose the interpretation to the king. 2:17 Then Daniel went to his home and informed his friends Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the matter. 2:18 He asked them to pray for mercy from the God of heaven concerning this mystery so that he 6 and his friends would not be destroyed along with the rest of the wise men of Babylon. 2:19 Then in a night vision the mystery was revealed to Daniel. So Daniel praised 7 the God of heaven, 2:20 saying, 8
“Let the name of God 9 be praised 10 forever and ever,
for wisdom and power belong to him.
1 tn The Aramaic participle is used here to express the imminent future.
2 tn The impersonal active plural (“they sought”) of the Aramaic verb could also be translated as an English passive: “Daniel and his friends were sought” (cf. NAB).
3 tn Aram “returned prudence and counsel.” The expression is a hendiadys.
4 tn The Aramaic word מְהַחְצְפָה (mÿhakhtsÿfah) may refer to the severity of the king’s decree (i.e., “harsh”; so HALOT 1879 s.v. חצף; BDB 1093 s.v. חֲצַף), although it would seem that in a delicate situation such as this Daniel would avoid this kind of criticism of the king’s actions. The translation above understands the word to refer to the immediacy, not harshness, of the decree. See further, F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 50, §116; E. Vogt, Lexicon linguae aramaicae, 67.
5 tc Theodotion and the Syriac lack the words “went in and.”
6 tn Aram “Daniel.” The proper name is redundant here in English, and has not been included in the translation.
7 tn Or “blessed.”
8 tn Aram “Daniel answered and said.”
9 sn As is often the case in the Bible, here the name represents the person.
10 tn Or “blessed.”
