7:5 “Then 4 a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs 5 in its mouth between its teeth. 6 It was told, 7 ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’
“And with 8 the clouds of the sky 9
one like a son of man 10 was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted 11 before him.
1 tn Heb “from all of them.”
2 tn Heb “stood before the king.”
3 sn The phrase like that of a god is in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods.” Many patristic writers understood this phrase in a christological sense (i.e., “the Son of God”). But it should be remembered that these are words spoken by a pagan who is seeking to explain things from his own polytheistic frame of reference; for him the phrase “like a son of the gods” is equivalent to “like a divine being.”
4 tn Aram “and behold.”
5 sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.
6 tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”
7 tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”
8 tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).
9 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
10 sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.
11 tn Aram “they brought him near.”
12 sn The sons of Seleucus II Callinicus were Seleucus III Ceraunus (ca. 227-223
13 tn Heb “his”; the referent (the enemy of the king of the north) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Heb “and he will certainly come and overflow and cross over and return and be aroused unto a fortress.” The translation has attempted to simplify the syntax of this difficult sequence.