Here is the end of the matter: literally “Until here, the end of the word (or thing).” Although the wording seems a bit unusual, the meaning is quite clear. The end of the matter signals a transition from Daniel’s description of his vision to a comment about his state when he regained consciousness. New Revised Standard Version makes this clearer with “Here the account ends,” and Good News Translation is similar. In many languages people say something like “That is all of what I saw in my dream.”

As for me, Daniel: as in verse 15, this combination of the emphatic pronoun followed by the proper name probably emphasizes the fact that the prophet is fully conscious and is no longer seeing the vision. The writer wishes to emphasize the fact that Daniel’s spirit is troubled, not merely by the vision itself, but by the reality he faces when he becomes conscious of his surroundings again.

My thoughts greatly alarmed me: see 4.19 and 5.6.

My color changed: compare 5.6.

But: the translation of this conjunction will depend to some extent on which interpretation of the following phrase is accepted. If the words that follow the conjunction present an idea that would be different from what people may expect in this context, then it should be translated “but.” If, however, a person would be expected to keep silent and not tell anyone else after being very frightened, then “and” will be a better translation. Or possibly it can be left untranslated.

I kept the matter in my mind: literally “… in my heart” as in King James Version. On the “heart” as the seat of intelligence, see comments on 1.8 and 2.30. The Revised Standard Version rendering of this phrase can easily be understood to mean “I did not forget about the matter.” (Compare New Jerusalem Bible “I could not put the matter out of my mind.”) But the majority of the versions seem to agree that the meaning is rather “I did not share the matter with anyone else,” “I kept these things to myself” (Revised English Bible), or “I kept the matter to myself” (New International Version, New American Bible).

With the conclusion of this chapter the Aramaic section of Daniel comes to an end. Beginning with the first word of chapter 8 until the end of the book the text is again in Hebrew (as from 1.1 to 2.4a).

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 .