The king: twice again in this verse Nebuchadnezzar is referred to by the words “the king,” although he is being addressed directly. As usual, it will probably be more natural to use the second person singular pronouns: “Sir, what you ask is difficult, and no one can show it to you….”

Difficult, and none can show it …: the conjunction “and” may be misleading. What this really means is that the request of the king was so difficult to fulfill that no one could do it. Compare Anchor Bible‘s rendering: “so difficult that no one but divine beings can reveal it.” In some languages it may be more common to say “it is not possible for anyone to reveal it…” or “no one could ever declare it….”

Except the gods: the power of celestial beings that was hinted at in the previous verse is stated directly here. Instead of gods, some translators may prefer “divine beings,” “spirits,” or “heavenly creatures.” And in some cases we may have to resort to “creatures that are appealed to as God.”

Whose dwelling is not with flesh: here the word flesh, as often in Scripture, is used to refer to human beings and emphasizes their frailty and weakness. This is brought out in Moffatt‘s rendering “mortal men.” Because of the remoteness of the gods, human beings are not able to consult with them and know their secrets. It will probably be important in some cases to translate the idea of not with as “very distant from.” Compare Revised English Bible: “who dwell remote from mortals.”

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 .