Then: this transition word is rendered “soon” by New Revised Standard Version as well as Good News Translation.

This Daniel: the demonstrative pronoun this with the proper name Daniel occurs frequently in this chapter (also in verses 5 and 28, for example). This style is an imitation of the ancient Persian, but it need not be reflected in translation, since it is stylistic rather than carrying any real meaning. In English such a construction might indicate emphasis or have a negative meaning, but this is not the case in Aramaic. It merely means “the man in question.” New Jerusalem Bible has “this man Daniel.”

Became distinguished: Daniel’s work was clearly superior to that of all the other officials. The idea of this expression may therefore be expressed according to one of the following models: “Daniel outshone the other ministers” (New English Bible/Revised English Bible), “was so evidently superior to the other presidents” (New Jerusalem Bible), or “surpassed the other ministers” (New Jerusalem Bible).

An excellent spirit was in him: this phrase may be taken as an explanation of the reason for Daniel’s surpassing all the other officials, or as a reason for King Darius promoting him. The overall impact is virtually the same, but the structure will differ depending on which interpretation is chosen. The punctuation of Revised Standard Version favors the first interpretation, while Good News Translation clearly supports the second. The majority of scholars seem to prefer the first.

Planned to set him over the whole kingdom: it should be made clear that this was merely something that the king was thinking about doing, but that it had not actually taken place: compare “it was the king’s intention” (Revised English Bible). It should also be clear that this did not mean that Daniel would replace the king, but rather that he would be the top official in the king’s administration.

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 .