4:17 This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels;
this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones,
so that 3 those who are alive may understand
that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, 4
and he bestows them on whomever he wishes.
He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.’
4:36 At that time my sanity returned to me. I was restored 5 to the honor of my kingdom, and my splendor returned to me. My ministers and my nobles were seeking me out, and I was reinstated 6 over my kingdom. I became even greater than before.
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. 7 This horn had eyes resembling human eyes and a mouth speaking arrogant 8 things.
11:36 “Then the king 29 will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of 30 wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. 31
12:1 “At that time Michael,
the great prince who watches over your people, 32
will arise. 33
There will be a time of distress
unlike any other from the nation’s beginning 34
up to that time.
But at that time your own people,
all those whose names are 35 found written in the book,
will escape.
1 tn Aram “in their bodies.”
2 tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”
3 tc The present translation follows an underlying reading of עַל־דִּבְרַת (’al-divrat, “so that”) rather than MT עַד־דִּבְרַת (’ad-divrat, “until”).
4 tn Aram “the kingdom of man”; NASB “the realm of mankind”; NCV “every kingdom on earth.”
5 tc The translation reads הַדְרֵת (hadret, “I returned”) rather than the MT הַדְרִי (hadri, “my honor”); cf. Theodotion.
6 tc The translation reads הָתְקְנֵת (hotqÿnet, “I was established”) rather than the MT הָתְקְנַת (hotqÿnat, “it was established”). As it stands, the MT makes no sense here.
7 tn Aram “were uprooted from before it.”
8 tn Aram “great.” So also in vv. 11, 20.
9 tn Heb “him.”
10 tn Heb “the ram.”
11 tn Heb “stand before him.”
12 tn Heb “he hurled him.” The referents of both pronouns (the male goat and the ram) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
13 sn The goat of Daniel’s vision represents Greece; the large horn represents Alexander the Great. The ram stands for Media-Persia. Alexander’s rapid conquest of the Persians involved three battles of major significance which he won against overwhelming odds: Granicus (334
14 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.
15 tn Heb “he will cause deceit to succeed by his hand.”
16 tn Heb “in his heart he will act arrogantly.”
17 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.
18 tn Heb “with nothingness of hand.”
19 tn Heb “and he will set his face.” Cf. vv. 18, 19.
20 tc The present translation reads מֵישָׁרִים (mesharim, “alliances”) for the MT וִישָׁרִים (viysharim, “uprightness”).
21 tn Heb “him”; the referent (the king of the south) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
22 tn Heb “the daughter of the women.”
sn The daughter refers to Cleopatra, the daughter of Antiochus, who was given in marriage to Ptolemy V.
23 tn Heb “and unto a time.”
24 tn Heb “heart.”
25 sn This king of the south was Ptolemy Philometer (ca. 181-145
26 sn The name Kittim has various designations in extra-biblical literature. It can refer to a location on the island of Cyprus, or more generally to the island itself, or it can be an inclusive term to refer to parts of the Mediterranean world that lay west of the Middle East (e.g., Rome). For ships of Kittim the Greek OT (LXX) has “Romans,” an interpretation followed by a few English versions (e.g., TEV). A number of times in the Dead Sea Scrolls the word is used in reference to the Romans. Other English versions are more generic: “[ships] of the western coastlands” (NIV, NLT); “from the west” (NCV, CEV).
27 sn This is apparently a reference to the Roman forces, led by Gaius Popilius Laenas, which confronted Antiochus when he came to Egypt and demanded that he withdraw or face the wrath of Rome. Antiochus wisely withdrew from Egypt, albeit in a state of bitter frustration.
28 tn Heb “show regard for.”
29 sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.
30 tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.
31 tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.
32 tn Heb “stands over the sons of your people.”
33 tn Heb “will stand up.”
34 tn Or “from the beginning of a nation.”
35 tn The words “whose names are” are added in the translation for stylistic reasons and for clarification.