As in verses 9-10, poetic format is used for verses 13-14 in the following versions: Revised Standard Version/New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, and New American Bible. But note that New International Version and New English Bible/Revised English Bible, which used poetic indentation in verses 9-10, do not do so here.
Night visions: see verse 7 above.
With the clouds of heaven the words of heaven may be omitted in some languages as unnecessarily redundant. And it is probably more natural in most cases to translate the preposition with as “in the midst of” (Bible en français courant), or “surrounded by” (Good News Translation), or “on the clouds” (New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible).
One like a son of man: the words translated son of man appear nearly two hundred times in the original languages of Scripture. There are eighty-four occurrences in the Gospels. And Ezekiel is addressed ninety-three times as “son of man.” In the Book of Daniel the prophet himself is addressed thus in 8.17, and the expression focuses on his humanity. Here in 7.13 the meaning of the term is also “human being,” but the context is quite different. The framework is that of an apocalyptic vision, and the words son of man come immediately after the Aramaic particle usually translated by the English adverb “like.” This shows that the one referred to resembles a human being but in fact is not mortal. In the New Testament apocalypse the writer intentionally uses words very similar to what we find in this crucial passage (Rev 1.13; 14.14). While the being referred to is anything but human, the expression son of man in itself may still be rendered “a human being.” Most translators will probably have in their language a particle corresponding to the English “like” which will indicate that, although the being resembled a mortal in some ways, it was different. Moffatt translates “a figure in a human form.” New English Bible has simply “like a man.” Anchor Bible states categorically that “the Aramaic phrase should not be translated ‘one like a son of man’ (Revised Standard Version, Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible) or ‘one like the Son of man’ (King James Version), as if the expression were a proper designation or title of a specific historical or mythological or supernatural person of the male sex. Just as the four horrifying and vile beasts (7.3-7) are not real animals but symbols, pure and simple, of the pagan kingdoms … so too the ‘one in human likeness’ is not a real individual, celestial or terrestrial, but is only a symbol of ‘the holy ones of the Most High,’ a title given to the faithful Jews—men, women and children….”
The Ancient of Days: see verse 9.
Was presented before him: once again the transformation of the passive to an active form will be required in many languages, but the agent should not be identified too clearly. The text literally says “they (indefinite) led him into his presence.” Note that the Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch rendering takes this clause as parallel with he came to the Ancient of Days and therefore renders the two as a single statement.
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 .