While I was watching,
there was a tree in the middle of the land. 2
It was enormously tall. 3
5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared 4 and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. 5 The king was watching the back 6 of the hand that was writing.
7:6 “After these things, 7 as I was watching, another beast 8 like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. 9 This beast had four heads, 10 and ruling authority was given to it.
“And with 11 the clouds of the sky 12
one like a son of man 13 was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted 14 before him.
1 tc The LXX lacks the first two words (Aram “the visions of my head”) of the Aramaic text.
2 tn Instead of “in the middle of the land,” some English versions render this phrase “a tree at the center of the earth” (NRSV); NAB, CEV “of the world”; NLT “in the middle of the earth.” The Hebrew phrase can have either meaning.
3 tn Aram “its height was great.”
4 tn Aram “came forth.”
5 sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.
6 tn While Aramaic פַּס (pas) can mean the palm of the hand, here it seems to be the back of the hand that is intended.
7 tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.
8 tn Aram “and behold, another one.”
9 tn Or “sides.”
10 sn If the third animal is Greece, the most likely identification of these four heads is the four-fold division of the empire of Alexander the Great following his death. See note on Dan 8:8.
11 tc The LXX has ἐπί (epi, “upon”) here (cf. Matt 24:30; 26:64). Theodotion has μετά (meta, “with”) here (cf. Mark 14:62; Rev 1:7).
12 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
13 sn This text is probably the main OT background for Jesus’ use of the term “son of man.” In both Jewish and Christian circles the reference in the book of Daniel has traditionally been understood to refer to an individual, usually in a messianic sense. Many modern scholars, however, understand the reference to have a corporate identity. In this view, the “son of man” is to be equated with the “holy ones” (vv. 18, 21, 22, 25) or the “people of the holy ones” (v. 27) and understood as a reference to the Jewish people. Others understand Daniel’s reference to be to the angel Michael.
14 tn Aram “they brought him near.”