Daniel 2:30

2:30 As for me, this mystery was revealed to me not because I possess more wisdom ¹  than any other living person, but so that the king may understand ²  the interpretation and comprehend the thoughts of your mind. ³ 

Daniel 8:8

8:8 The male goat acted even more arrogantly. But no sooner had the large horn become strong than it was broken, and there arose four conspicuous horns ⁴  in its place, ⁵  extending toward the four winds of the sky. ⁶ 

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¹ tn Aram “not for any wisdom which is in me more than [in] any living man.”

² tn Aram “they might cause the king to know.” The impersonal plural is used here to refer to the role of God’s spirit in revealing the dream and its interpretation to the king. As J. A. Montgomery says, “it appropriately here veils the mysterious agency” (Daniel [ICC], 164-65).

³ tn Aram “heart.”

⁴ tn The word “horns” is not in the Hebrew text, but is implied.

⁵ sn The four conspicuous horns refer to Alexander’s successors. After his death, Alexander’s empire was divided up among four of his generals: Cassander, who took Macedonia and Greece; Lysimachus, who took Thrace and parts of Asia Minor; Seleucus, who took Syria and territory to its east; and Ptolemy, who took control of Egypt.

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