These presidents and satraps: the repetition of the two terms for the Persian administrators may be unnecessary here. The pronoun “they” will be perfectly adequate in most languages.

Came by agreement: the meaning of this Aramaic expression is uncertain. The verb is used only here and in verses 11 and 15, and has been understood to mean “came together (in a group)” (New International Version), “went in a body” (New Jerusalem Bible), “rushed in” (New American Bible), and “watched for an opportunity” (New English Bible). Good News Translation appears to leave it untranslated. The most probable meaning is “to go together by secret agreement,” or as Anchor Bible translates, “went in collusion.” In some languages it may be necessary to express this clearly by saying something like “So they secretly agreed to go to the king, and when they arrived they said….”

O King Darius, live for ever!: compare 2.4. But note that the use of the proper name Darius with the title makes this different from 2.4.

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 .