5:5 At that very moment the fingers of a human hand appeared 1 and wrote on the plaster of the royal palace wall, opposite the lampstand. 2 The king was watching the back 3 of the hand that was writing.
7:5 “Then 4 a second beast appeared, like a bear. It was raised up on one side, and there were three ribs 5 in its mouth between its teeth. 6 It was told, 7 ‘Get up and devour much flesh!’
7:6 “After these things, 8 as I was watching, another beast 9 like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. 10 This beast had four heads, 11 and ruling authority was given to it.
1 tn Aram “came forth.”
2 sn The mention of the lampstand in this context is of interest because it suggests that the writing was in clear view.
3 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.
4 tn Aram “and behold.”
5 sn The three ribs held securely in the mouth of the bear, perhaps representing Media-Persia, apparently symbolize military conquest, but the exact identity of the “ribs” is not clear. Possibly it is a reference to the Persian conquest of Lydia, Egypt, and Babylonia.
6 tc The LXX lacks the phrase “between its teeth.”
7 tn Aram “and thus they were saying to it.”
8 tn Aram “this.” So also in v. 7.
9 tn Aram “and behold, another one.”
10 tn Or “sides.”
11 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.