Daniel 3:17

3:17 If ¹  our God whom we are serving exists, ²  he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well.

Daniel 4:8

4:8 Later Daniel entered (whose name is Belteshazzar after the name of my god, ³  and in whom there is a spirit of the holy gods). I recounted the dream for him as well,

Daniel 9:6

9:6 We have not paid attention to your servants the prophets, who spoke by your authority ⁴  to our kings, our leaders, and our ancestors, ⁵  and to all the inhabitants ⁶  of the land as well.

Daniel 11:15

11:15 Then the king of the north will advance and will build siege mounds and capture a well-fortified city. ⁷  The forces of the south will not prevail, not even his finest contingents. ⁸  They will have no strength to prevail.

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¹ tc The ancient versions typically avoid the conditional element of v. 17.

² tn The Aramaic expression used here is very difficult to interpret. The question concerns the meaning and syntax of אִיתַי (’itay, “is” or “exist”). There are several possibilities. (1) Some interpreters take this word closely with the participle later in the verse יָכִל (yakhil, “able”), understanding the two words to form a periphrastic construction (“if our God is…able”; cf. H. Bauer and P. Leander, Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen, 365, §111b). But the separation of the two elements from one another is not an argument in favor of this understanding. (2) Other interpreters take the first part of v. 17 to mean “If it is so, then our God will deliver us” (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB). However, the normal sense of ’itay is existence; on this point see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 45, §95. The present translation maintains the sense of existence for the verb (“If our God…exists”), even though the statement is admittedly difficult to understand in this light. The statement may be an implicit reference back to Nebuchadnezzar’s comment in v. 15, which denies the existence of a god capable of delivering from the king’s power.

³ sn This explanation of the meaning of the name Belteshazzar may be more of a paronomasia than a strict etymology.

⁴ tn Heb “in your name.” Another option is to translate, “as your representatives.”

⁵ tn Heb “our fathers” (also in vv. 8, 16). The Hebrew term translated “father” can refer to more distant relationships such as grandfathers or ancestors.

⁶ tn Heb “people.”

⁷ sn This well-fortified city is apparently Sidon. Its capture from the Ptolemies by Antiochus the Great was a strategic victory for the Seleucid kingdom.

⁸ tn Or “choice troops” (BDB 104 s.v. מִבְחָר), or “elite troops” (HALOT 542 s.v. מִבְחָר).