Spoke with them: here again the pronoun refers to all the candidates. So it may be better to say “with them all.” The king interviewed the young men to determine who had profited most from the period of training. The context indicates that this was a conversation in which the king both talked and listened to the responses of the young men. The verb chosen in the translator’s language should be one that clearly indicates a two-way conversation. Both Moffatt and New Jerusalem Bible have “conversed with,” and Anchor Bible translates “interviewed….”

None was found like: the basis of comparison was undoubtedly their competence to serve in the royal court. In some cases it may be wise to make this explicit, using something like “none of the other young men were as able as” or “none of the rest of the group were equal in wisdom.”

Therefore: this shows the relationship between the two statements in this verse. It was because of their competence that they entered into the service of the king. The word that joins the two statements should make this clear in the translation.

They stood before the king: as indicated in the comments on verse 5, this expression refers to active service to the king and not just a one-time presentation or availability in case of need. In some languages we can say “became members of the king’s court” (New Jerusalem Bible as well as Good News Translation) or “became his (the king’s) personal attendants” (Moffatt). In some languages it may be more natural to say something like “the king chose them to serve him….”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .