Discovery BoxDaniel 5:5 
Context5:5 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.
Daniel 7:6
Context7:6 “After these things, 4 as I was watching, another beast 5 like a leopard appeared, with four bird-like wings on its back. 6 This beast had four heads, 7 and ruling authority was given to it.
Daniel 11:30
Context11:30 The ships of Kittim 8 will come against him, leaving him disheartened. 9 He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor 10 those who forsake the holy covenant.
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 “this.” So also in v. 7.
5 tn Aram “and behold, another one.”
6 tn Or “sides.”
7 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.
8 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).
9 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.
10 tn Heb “show regard for.”
