Daniel 2:25

2:25 So Arioch quickly ushered Daniel into the king’s presence, saying to him, “I ¹  have found a man from the captives of Judah who can make known the interpretation to the king.”

Daniel 5:12

5:12 Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret ²  dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems. ³  Now summon ⁴  Daniel, and he will disclose the interpretation.”

Daniel 7:13

7:13 I was watching in the night visions,

“And with ⁵  the clouds of the sky ⁶ 

one like a son of man ⁷  was approaching.

He went up to the Ancient of Days

and was escorted ⁸  before him.

Daniel 8:17

8:17 So he approached the place where I was standing. As he came, I felt terrified and fell flat on the ground. ⁹  Then he said to me, “Understand, son of man, ¹⁰  that the vision pertains to the time of the end.”

Daniel 9:21

9:21 yes, while I was still praying, ¹¹  the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously ¹²  in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, ¹³  around the time of the evening offering.

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¹ sn Arioch’s claim is self-serving and exaggerated. It is Daniel who came to him, and not the other way around. By claiming to have found one capable of solving the king’s dilemma, Arioch probably hoped to ingratiate himself to the king.

² tc The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the MT מְפַשַּׁר (mÿfashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (mishre’) rather than the MT וּמְשָׁרֵא (mÿshare’). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.

³ tn Aram “to loose knots.”

⁴ tn Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”

⁵ 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).

⁶ tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.

⁷ 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.

⁸ tn Aram “they brought him near.”

⁹ tn Heb “on my face.”

¹⁰ tn Or “human one.”

¹¹ tn Heb “speaking in prayer.”

¹² tn Heb “in the beginning.”

¹³ tn The Hebrew expression בִּיעָף מֻעָף (mu’af bi’af) is very difficult. The issue is whether the verb derives from עוּף (’uf, “to fly”) or from יָעַף (ya’af, “to be weary”). Many ancient versions and modern commentators take the first of these possibilities and understand the reference to be to the swift flight of the angel Gabriel in his coming to Daniel. The words more likely refer to the extreme weariness, not of the angel, but of Daniel. Cf. 7:28; 8:27; 10:8-9, 16-17; also NASB.