Discovery BoxDaniel 1:19-20 
Context1:19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group 1 anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. 2 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and 3 insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times 4 better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.
Daniel 2:48
Context2:48 Then the king elevated Daniel to high position and bestowed on him many marvelous gifts. He granted him authority over the entire province of Babylon and made him the main prefect over all the wise men of Babylon.
Daniel 3:1-2
Context3:1 5 King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden 6 statue made. 7 It was ninety feet 8 tall and nine feet 9 wide. He erected it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 3:2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, 10 and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he 11 had erected.
Daniel 3:19
Context3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed 12 toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders 13 to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated.
Daniel 3:24-26
Context3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, “Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and threw 14 into 15 the fire?” They replied to the king, “For sure, O king.” 3:25 He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!” 16 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, 17 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!”
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire. 18
Daniel 4:14
Context4:14 He called out loudly 19 as follows: 20
‘Chop down the tree and lop off its branches!
Strip off its foliage
and scatter its fruit!
Let the animals flee from under it
and the birds from its branches!
Daniel 4:37
Context4:37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live 21 in pride.
Daniel 5:12
Context5:12 Thus there was found in this man Daniel, whom the king renamed Belteshazzar, an extraordinary spirit, knowledge, and skill to interpret 22 dreams, solve riddles, and decipher knotty problems. 23 Now summon 24 Daniel, and he will disclose the interpretation.”
Daniel 6:3-4
Context6:3 Now this Daniel was distinguishing himself above the other supervisors and the satraps, for he had an extraordinary spirit. In fact, the king intended to appoint him over the entire kingdom. 6:4 Consequently the supervisors and satraps were trying to find 25 some pretext against Daniel in connection with administrative matters. 26 But they were unable to find any such damaging evidence, 27 because he was trustworthy and guilty of no negligence or corruption. 28
Daniel 6:13
Context6:13 Then they said to the king, “Daniel, who is one of the captives 29 from Judah, pays no attention to you, O king, or to the edict that you issued. Three times daily he offers his prayer.” 30
Daniel 7:13
Context7:13 I was watching in the night visions,
“And with 31 the clouds of the sky 32
one like a son of man 33 was approaching.
He went up to the Ancient of Days
and was escorted 34 before him.
Daniel 7:16
Context7:16 I approached one of those standing nearby and asked him about the meaning 35 of all this. So he spoke with me and revealed 36 to me the interpretation of the vision: 37
Daniel 7:23
Context7:23 “This is what he told me: 38
‘The fourth beast means that there will be a fourth kingdom on earth
that will differ from all the other kingdoms.
It will devour all the earth
and will trample and crush it.
Daniel 8:19
Context8:19 Then he said, “I am going to inform you about what will happen in the latter time of wrath, for the vision 39 pertains to the appointed time of the end.
Daniel 9:12
Context9:12 He has carried out his threats 40 against us and our rulers 41 who were over 42 us by bringing great calamity on us – what has happened to Jerusalem has never been equaled under all heaven!
Daniel 10:1
Context10:1 43 In the third 44 year of King Cyrus of Persia a message was revealed to Daniel (who was also called Belteshazzar). This message was true and concerned a great war. 45 He understood the message and gained insight by the vision.
Daniel 10:20
Context10:20 He said, “Do you know why I have come to you? 46 Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming.
Daniel 11:13
Context11:13 For the king of the north will again muster an army, one larger than before. At the end of some years he will advance with a huge army and enormous supplies.
Daniel 11:20-21
Context11:20 There will arise after him 47 one 48 who will send out an exactor 49 of tribute to enhance the splendor of the kingdom, but after a few days he will be destroyed, 50 though not in anger or battle.
11:21 “Then there will arise in his place a despicable person 51 to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit.
Daniel 11:28
Context11:28 Then the king of the north 52 will return to his own land with much property. His mind will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then return to his own land.
1 tn Heb “from all of them.”
2 tn Heb “stood before the king.”
3 tc The MT lacks the conjunction, reading the first word in the phrase as a construct (“wisdom of insight”). While this reading is not impossible, it seems better to follow Theodotion, the Syriac, the Vulgate, and the Sahidic Coptic, all of which have the conjunction.
4 tn Heb “hands.”
5 sn The LXX introduces this chapter with the following chronological note: “in the eighteenth year of.” Such a date would place these events at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586
6 sn There is no need to think of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as being solid gold. No doubt the sense is that it was overlaid with gold (cf. Isa 40:19; Jer 10:3-4), with the result that it presented a dazzling self-compliment to the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s achievements.
7 sn According to a number of patristic authors, the image represented a deification of Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is not clear from the biblical text, however.
8 tn Aram “sixty cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 90 feet (27.4 m) high.
9 tn Aram “six cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.
sn The dimensions of the image (ninety feet high and nine feet wide) imply that it did not possess normal human proportions, unless a base for the image is included in the height dimension. The ancient world knew of other tall statues. For example, the Colossus of Rhodes – the huge statue of Helios which stood (ca. 280-224
10 sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.
11 tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
12 tn Aram “the appearance of his face was altered”; cf. NLT “his face became distorted with rage”; NAB “[his] face became livid with utter rage.”
13 tn Aram “he answered and said.”
14 tn Aram “we threw…bound.”
15 tn Aram “into the midst of.”
16 sn The phrase like that of a god is in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods.” Many patristic writers understood this phrase in a christological sense (i.e., “the Son of God”). But it should be remembered that these are words spoken by a pagan who is seeking to explain things from his own polytheistic frame of reference; for him the phrase “like a son of the gods” is equivalent to “like a divine being.”
17 tn Aram “answered and said.”
18 tn Aram “from the midst of the fire.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
19 tn Aram “in strength.”
20 tn Aram “and thus he was saying.”
21 tn Aram “walk.”
22 tc The translation reads מִפְשַׁר (mifshar) rather than the MT מְפַשַּׁר (mÿfashar) and later in the verse reads וּמִשְׁרֵא (mishre’) rather than the MT וּמְשָׁרֵא (mÿshare’). The Masoretes have understood these Aramaic forms to be participles, but they are more likely to be vocalized as infinitives. As such, they have an epexegetical function in the syntax of their clause.
23 tn Aram “to loose knots.”
24 tn Aram “let [Daniel] be summoned.”
25 tn Aram “looking to find.”
26 tn Aram “from the side of the kingdom.”
27 tn Aram “pretext and corruption.”
28 tn Aram “no negligence or corruption was found in him.” The Greek version of Theodotion lacks the phrase “and no negligence or corruption was found in him.”
29 tn Aram “from the sons of the captivity [of].”
30 tn Aram “prays his prayer.”
31 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).
32 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.
33 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.
34 tn Aram “they brought him near.”
35 tn Aram “what is certain.”
36 tn Aram “and made known.”
37 tn Aram “matter,” but the matter at hand is of course the vision.
38 tn Aram “thus he said.”
39 tn The Hebrew text does not actually state the referent (the vision Daniel saw in vv. 8-12; cf. also v. 13), which has been specified in the translation for clarity. Some Greek witnesses add “the vision” here.
40 tn Heb “he has fulfilled his word(s) which he spoke.”
41 tn Heb “our judges.”
42 tn Heb “who judged.”
43 sn This chapter begins the final unit in the book of Daniel, consisting of chapters 10-12. The traditional chapter divisions to some extent obscure the relationship of these chapters.
44 tc The LXX has “first.”
sn Cyrus’ third year would have been ca. 536
45 tn The meaning of the Hebrew word צָבָא (tsava’) is uncertain in this context. The word most often refers to an army or warfare. It may also mean “hard service,” and many commentators take that to be the sense here (i.e., “the service was great”). The present translation assumes the reference to be to the spiritual conflicts described, for example, in 10:16–11:1.
46 sn The question is rhetorical, intended to encourage reflection on Daniel’s part.
47 tn Heb “on his place.”
48 sn The one who will send out an exactor of tribute was Seleucus IV Philopator (ca. 187-176
49 sn Perhaps this exactor of tribute was Heliodorus (cf. 2 Maccabees 3).
50 tn Heb “broken” or “shattered.”
51 sn This despicable person to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ca. 175-164
52 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of the north) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
