3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, 1 “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel 2 and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring 3 the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than 4 serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!
4:34 But at the end of the appointed time 5 I, Nebuchadnezzar, looked up 6 toward heaven, and my sanity returned to me.
I extolled the Most High,
and I praised and glorified the one who lives forever.
For his authority is an everlasting authority,
and his kingdom extends from one generation to the next.
7:4 “The first one was like a lion with eagles’ wings. As I watched, its wings were pulled off and it was lifted up from the ground. It was made to stand on two feet like a human being, and a human mind 7 was given to it. 8
7:8 “As I was contemplating the horns, another horn – a small one – came up between them, and three of the former horns were torn out by the roots to make room for it. 9 This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant 10 things.
7:9 “While I was watching,
thrones were set up,
and the Ancient of Days 11 took his seat.
His attire was white like snow;
the hair of his head was like lamb’s 12 wool.
His throne was ablaze with fire
and its wheels were all aflame. 13
9:24 “Seventy weeks 22 have been determined
concerning your people and your holy city
to put an end to 23 rebellion,
to bring sin 24 to completion, 25
to atone for iniquity,
to bring in perpetual 26 righteousness,
to seal up 27 the prophetic vision, 28
and to anoint a most holy place. 29
“Three 30 more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth 31 king will be unusually rich, 32 more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against 33 the kingdom of Greece.
12:1 “At that time Michael,
the great prince who watches over your people, 36
will arise. 37
There will be a time of distress
unlike any other from the nation’s beginning 38
up to that time.
But at that time your own people,
all those whose names are 39 found written in the book,
will escape.
1 tn Aram “answered and said.”
2 sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).
3 tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”
4 tn Aram “so that they might not.”
5 tn Aram “days.”
6 tn Aram “lifted up my eyes.”
7 tn Aram “heart of a man.”
8 sn The identity of the first animal, derived from v. 17 and the parallels in chap. 2, is Babylon. The reference to the plucking of its wings is probably a reference to the time of Nebuchadnezzar’s insanity (cf. chap. 4). The latter part of v. 4 then describes the restoration of Nebuchadnezzar. The other animals have traditionally been understood to represent respectively Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome, although most of modern scholarship identifies them as Media, Persia, and Greece. For a biblical parallel to the mention of lion, bear, and leopard together, see Hos 13:7-8.
9 tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”
10 tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.
11 tn Or “the Ancient One” (NAB, NRSV, NLT), although the traditional expression has been retained in the present translation because it is familiar to many readers. Cf. TEV “One who had been living for ever”; CEV “the Eternal God.”
12 tn Traditionally the Aramaic word נְקֵא (nÿqe’) has been rendered “pure,” but here it more likely means “of a lamb.” Cf. the Syriac neqya’ (“a sheep, ewe”). On this word see further, M. Sokoloff, “’amar neqe’, ‘Lamb’s Wool’ (Dan 7:9),” JBL 95 (1976): 277-79.
13 tn Aram “a flaming fire.”
14 tn The words “I also wanted to know” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons.
15 tc The conjunction in the MT before “eyes” is odd. The ancient versions do not seem to presuppose it.
16 tn Aram “greater than its companions.”
17 tn The Hebrew term has a primary meaning of “skill, insight,” but here it has the connotation “cunning, treachery.” See BDB 968 s.v. שֵׂכֶל, שֶׂכֶל.
18 tn Heb “he will cause deceit to succeed by his hand.”
19 tn Heb “in his heart he will act arrogantly.”
20 tn Heb “in peace.” The Hebrew word used here is difficult. It may refer to the security felt by those who did not realize the danger of imminent attack, or it may refer to the condition of being unaware of the impending danger. The latter idea is reflected in the present translation. See further, BDB 1017 s.v. שַׁלְוָה.
21 tn Heb “with nothingness of hand.”
22 tn Heb “sevens.” Elsewhere the term is used of a literal week (a period of seven days), cf. Gen 29:27-28; Exod 34:22; Lev 12:5; Num 28:26; Deut 16:9-10; 2 Chr 8:13; Jer 5:24; Dan 10:2-3. Gabriel unfolds the future as if it were a calendar of successive weeks. Most understand the reference here as periods of seventy “sevens” of years, or a total of 490 years.
23 tc Or “to finish.” The present translation reads the Qere (from the root תָּמַם, tamam) with many witnesses. The Kethib has “to seal up” (from the root הָתַם, hatam), a confusion with a reference later in the verse to sealing up the vision.
24 tc The present translation reads the Qere (singular), rather than the Kethib (plural).
25 tn The Hebrew phrase לְכַלֵּא (lÿkhalle’) is apparently an alternative (metaplastic) spelling of the root כָּלָה (kalah, “to complete, finish”), rather than a form of כָּלָא (kala’, “to shut up, restrain”), as has sometimes been supposed.
26 tn Or “everlasting.”
27 sn The act of sealing in the OT is a sign of authentication. Cf. 1 Kgs 21:8; Jer 32:10, 11, 44.
28 tn Heb “vision and prophecy.” The expression is a hendiadys.
29 tn Or “the most holy place” (NASB, NLT); or “a most holy one”; or “the most holy one,” though the expression is used of places or objects elsewhere, not people.
30 sn Perhaps these three more kings are Cambyses (ca. 530-522
31 sn This fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465
32 tn Heb “rich with great riches.”
33 tn The text is difficult. The Hebrew has here אֶת (’et), the marker of a definite direct object. As it stands, this would suggest the meaning that “he will arouse everyone, that is, the kingdom of Greece.” The context, however, seems to suggest the idea that this Persian king will arouse in hostility against Greece the constituent elements of his own empire. This requires supplying the word “against,” which is not actually present in the Hebrew text.
34 tn Heb “and when he stands.”
35 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
36 tn Heb “stands over the sons of your people.”
37 tn Heb “will stand up.”
38 tn Or “from the beginning of a nation.”
39 tn The words “whose names are” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.