Lifted up my eyes: this expression in English will normally indicate a movement of the eyes from looking downward toward the ground to a position straight ahead. However, the Hebrew idiom simply indicates that Daniel began the action of looking carefully, intently. The translation should avoid giving the impression that he began looking up into the sky. See comments on “raised my eyes” in 8.3, where the same Hebrew verb is used. The imagery that follows is very similar to that found in chapters 2 and 3 of Ezekiel.

Behold: see comments on 2.31 and 4.10.

Clothed in linen: that is, “wearing clothing made of linen.” The biggest problem for most translators, however, will be the rendering of the word linen. This refers to a white cloth material made from the fibers of flax and known for its strength and relative coolness. In those areas where flax is unknown, translators may have to use a more generic expression such as “fine white cloth.” Note that this expression appears again in 12.6 and 7.

Whose loins were girded: this archaic English expression reflects the Hebrew original, which conveys the idea “his waist was encircled.” But this is probably better expressed “with a belt … around his waist,” as in New Revised Standard Version and many other English versions.

With gold of Uphaz: the word translated Uphaz is usually taken as a proper name referring to an otherwise unknown place where gold was found (see also Jer 10.9). However, the Hebrew text is uncertain here, and many scholars take this as a scribal error for “Ophir” (New English Bible/Revised English Bible, An American Translation, and Moffatt), which is mentioned in 1 Kgs 9.28. A few Hebrew manuscripts, in fact, have this reading. Still other scholars suggest that Uphaz is a misspelling of the Hebrew word for “refine” (muphaz) and should therefore be translated “pure” or “fine” as in 1 Kgs 10.18 and Song 5.11. This is the solution of New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New International Version, as well as Good News Translation, and is commended to translators.

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 .