Here the order of the materials of which the statue was made is modified. It is, in fact, the reverse of what is given in verses 32 and 33, so that the reader now has the impression of looking from bottom to top rather than from top to bottom. Perhaps this is to give a picture of the statue crumbling from the point where it was first struck, “its feet.”

All together: literally “as one.” Some versions translate “all at once” (New American Bible) in the sense of “at the same time” (New International Version). Most have just “all.”

Like the chaff of the summer threshing floors: this image presents numerous difficulties to the translator. In the areas of the world where the seasons of the year do not correspond to those of temperate climates, summer may have to be translated something like “after the harvest.” Or in some cases it may even have to be left out. The threshing floor is the place where people fan the grain in order to get rid of the waste materials that cannot be eaten. The word translated chaff is used figuratively and emphasizes the fineness of the pieces into which the statue was broken. In some cases it may be necessary to do away with this figure altogether and say something like “were crushed into a very fine powder.”

Not a trace of them could be found: the passive here can be adjusted to say “so that no one could find a trace of them” or “until no trace of them remained.” Possibly the Good News Translation model will be helpful in some languages: “leaving not a trace.”

But: the Aramaic has only the common conjunction that may be translated “and” or “but.” In this context it is probably better to retain But, since there seems to be an indication that what follows is unexpected.

Became: New Jerusalem Bible provides a better model for some languages, with “grew into…” (as in New English Bible/Revised English Bible).

Filled the whole earth: the use of the verb “fill” is perhaps not the most precise in this context, since it may give the idea of filling a container. Some other models are “covered the whole earth” (Good News Translation) or “occupying the whole world.”

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 .