Lord: the word used here is the Hebrew ʾadonai and has the basic meaning of “master.” It is often used of God but may also be used of human beings. The same Hebrew root is used in verse 10 of this chapter as a title to show respect for an earthly king. With the exception of the prayer of Daniel in chapter 9, this word is not used elsewhere in the book.
Jehoiakim king of Judah: since this same expression is used in the previous verse, it may be considered awkward in some languages to repeat it again so soon in the translation. Good News Translation uses the abbreviated form “King Jehoiakim” and does not repeat the name of the land over which he ruled. In other languages it may be adequate to say simply “Jehoiakim” without the title. It is, however, not advisable to use the title without the proper name, since two kings were mentioned in verse 1 above.
Gave … into his hand: the word hand in a context such as this symbolizes power or authority. So the meaning is simply that the Lord allowed Nebuchadnezzar to capture Jehoiakim and his forces and to exercise authority over them (compare 2 Chr 36.5-7). New English Bible (New English Bible) may serve as a possible model, since it translates “delivered … into his power.” Revised English Bible (Revised English Bible) maintains the use of the word “hand” by using the English idiom “handed King Jehoiakim over to him…,” while New Revised Standard Version reads “let … fall into his power.” Historians indicate that Jehoiakim was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar. But Jehoiachin (Jehoiakim’s son), together with his queen, his ministers, and his servants, went out of the city and surrendered to Nebuchadnezzar, who captured them and the treasures (compare 2 Kgs 24.1-17). Zedekiah was then crowned king. Ten years later the Babylonian army laid siege to the city and eventually captured it. 2 Kgs 25.9 indicates that it was not just the Temple but also the rest of the city that was burned.
With some of the vessels: this means that Nebuchadnezzar was also allowed to have power over the possessions of his enemy. The word vessels is a very general term in Hebrew but is used here to refer to certain containers made of gold and silver from which people could drink. They were customarily used in the ritual of the Temple and were therefore considered sacred. The word occurs twice in this verse and may be translated “sacred containers” or “objects used in worship.” In languages where there is no general word for “containers,” it may be necessary to use something like “cups and bowls.”
House of God: this refers to the Temple of the true God that was built by King Solomon in Jerusalem. In view of the context, this should probably be translated explicitly as “the Temple,” or as “the House of the True God” in those languages where there is no special word for Temple.
He brought them …: the Hebrew text at the end of this verse is unclear. The plural pronoun them actually refers back to “Jehoiakim”—a singular noun. But the plural pronoun seems to refer to the captured prisoners from the nobility rather than to the objects taken from the Temple. This is why Good News Translation says “took some prisoners back….” New American Bible, however, follows the ancient versions in making the pronoun refer to the treasures that were captured. Several English versions remain ambiguous. In New Jewish Version (New Jerusalem Bible), New Jerusalem Bible, and New Revised Standard Version, “them” seems to refer both to the king (plus the captured prisoners) and the Temple treasures.
Shinar: at the time the Book of Daniel was written, this was simply another name for the country of Babylonia (of which Babylon was the capital city), and it should therefore be translated as “Babylonia” (compare Gen 11.2). Unless this is done, it is possible that the reader is likely to understand that the prisoners and the sacred objects were taken to some place other than Babylonia.
The house of his god: this expression stands in contrast to the reference to the Temple above. The word rendered god may be translated just as well as a plural, “gods.” And, in fact, this is what is done in Traduction œcuménique de la Bible as well as in Good News Translation. In some languages it is impossible to pluralize the word for God and very difficult to use it for anything other than the true God. For this reason some translators may find it necessary to render this expression “the place where he worshiped” or “the house of his religion.”
While this expression is a part of the Hebrew text, it is omitted by one ancient version and therefore eliminated in a number of modern translations including New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New Revised Standard Version. Translators are nevertheless advised to include it in their rendering.
The treasury of his god: this may be translated “his temple treasury,” “holy treasury,” or “the place where sacred treasures are hidden (or kept).”
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 .