Daniel 2:4

2:4 The wise men replied to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic ¹ ] “O king, live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will disclose its ²  interpretation.”

Daniel 2:9

2:9 If you don’t inform me of the dream, there is only one thing that is going to happen to you. ³  For you have agreed among yourselves to report to me something false and deceitful ⁴  until such time as things might change. So tell me the dream, and I will have confidence ⁵  that you can disclose its interpretation.”

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¹ sn Contrary to common belief, the point here is not that the wise men (Chaldeans) replied to the king in the Aramaic language, or that this language was uniquely the language of the Chaldeans. It was this view that led in the past to Aramaic being referred to as “Chaldee.” Aramaic was used as a lingua franca during this period; its origins and usage were not restricted to the Babylonians. Rather, this phrase is better understood as an editorial note (cf. NAB) marking the fact that from 2:4b through 7:28 the language of the book shifts from Hebrew to Aramaic. In 8:1, and for the remainder of the book, the language returns to Hebrew. Various views have been advanced to account for this change of language, most of which are unconvincing. Most likely the change in language is a reflection of stages in the transmission history of the book of Daniel.

² tn Or “the.”

³ tn Aram “one is your law,” i.e., only one thing is applicable to you.

⁴ tn Aram “a lying and corrupt word.”

⁵ tn Aram “I will know.”