He gave him: in some cases it may be important to translate the pronoun he by the noun “God” to avoid possible confusion in the mind of the reader.

Peoples, nations, and languages: see 3.4, 7; 4.1.

Trembled and feared: these two terms are very similar in meaning and may have to be translated by a single verb in some languages.

Whom he would he slew: the New Revised Standard Version gives the same information in more common English word order and vocabulary: “He killed those he wanted to kill.”

Whom he would he kept alive: both the Revised Standard Version and the Good News Translation rendering “if he wanted to keep someone alive, he did” sounds as if the king may have been a great physician with exceptional healing powers, but this is not the meaning of the text. So this meaning should be avoided. It will be much better to say “allow to live” instead of “keep alive.” Another possibility is “spared whom he pleased” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Raised up … put down: the translation of these terms should not give the impression of physical lifting up and its opposite. Very often in Scripture these words are used in a figurative sense to speak of promotion and demotion, or of distinction and dishonor. This meaning is conveyed here by Good News Translation, “honored or disgraced.” New English Bible has “promoted … and … degraded,” and New American Bible reads “exalted or humbled.”

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 .

The name Daniel occurs three different times in the first half of this verse. Such repetition may be awkward in many languages and can be reduced as in Good News Translation.

Cried out … and said: the use of both of these verbs may be redundant in certain languages, and the verbs can be reduced so that the first one is used exclusively: “shouted” or “called out.”

In a tone of anguish: some ancient translations have “in a loud voice.” But most follow the idea of anguish or sorrow: “anxiously” (New English Bible/Revised English Bible and New Revised Standard Version as well as Good News Translation), “in a sorrowful voice” (An American Translation), “in a mournful voice” (New Jerusalem Bible). One Aramaic lexicon says that the word means “sad.” It is clear in any case that the king was very distressed over the situation of Daniel.

The living God: this expression is used frequently in the New Testament (Matt 26.63; John 6.69; Heb 9.14, for example) and elsewhere in the Old Testament (Deut 5.26; Josh 3.10; 1 Sam 17.26). But in some languages this poses serious problems, since the descriptive term living is considered unnecessarily redundant.

Serve continually …: see verse 16, where the same terms are used, except for from the lions.

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 .

Ten kings shall arise: on the verb arise see verse 17 and comments. It will be essential in most languages to indicate clearly whether these ten kings are seen as ruling at the same time or as coming in succession one after the other. Bible en français courant translates “will succeed each other.” Another possible model is “ten kings will rule over that empire one after the other.”

And: the connection between the reign of the ten kings and the eleventh should be more clearly established. This may be done by shifting the words after them forward to the beginning of the sentence about the eleventh king. Or the sentence can be started with “then.”

Another: it will be important in the translation to make it clear that this is another king. And some may even prefer to say “an eleventh king,” as in Bible en français courant.

Shall put down three kings: it should also be made clear that the three kings referred to here are three of the ten kings mentioned earlier. So this should probably be translated “shall put down three of them” or “shall defeat three of those kings.”

Historically this text may be applied quite well to Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 B.C.), who followed a succession of rulers of the Seleucid dynasty and took control only after doing away with several rivals for royal power. This information may be put in a footnote, but it should not be included in the text of the apocalyptic vision.

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 .

The first year of Darius: literally “in the year one of Darius.” It is understood that this is talking about the first year of the reign of Darius. Since this information is repeated at the beginning of verse 2, it may be left out in one of the two places. Good News Translation elects to omit it here and also slightly restructures the remaining elements. This may be a suitable model for other languages to follow.

According to some commentators the king already named in 5.31 and in chapter 6 is here distinguished from Darius Hystaspes, who began to rule in 522 B.C. and is mentioned in Ezra 4.24. Others point out that Darius may be an old Iranian title rather than a proper name. But the translator is required to translate the text as it stands.

Ahasuerus: this is the Hebrew equivalent of the better known Greek name “Xerxes.” The Greek form of the name is used in several modern translations including Good News Translation, New International Version, An American Translation, and Moffatt, as well as in the ancient Greek version. New Jerusalem Bible, however, has “Artaxerxes.” It is recommended that translators use the Greek form “Xerxes” as the basis for transliteration into other languages, since it is better known by people who have studied this history of the area.

Secular history indicates that King Xerxes of Persia was the son of Darius I of Persia. This has given rise to much speculation about the precise identification of the person referred to here. But translators need not try to solve all these problems of identification.

By birth a Mede: literally “of the race of the Medes.” These words stress the ethnic background of the Darius under discussion. And in most languages there should be little difficulty in finding a natural equivalent.

Became king: literally “was made king” as in New Jerusalem Bible. Revised English Bible has “was appointed ruler.” Because this is the only case in biblical Hebrew where this particular verb form is used, some scholars have felt that the text must be corrected to say became king, as in Revised Standard Version and most other versions. The essential meaning of the two forms is, however, the same. And in languages where the passive is impossible, translators will have to say “became king” in any case. Most translators should not worry about this slight difference.

The realm of the Chaldeans: as in 1.4; 3.8; 5.30, the term Chaldeans refers to the better-known “Babylonians” and should be so translated.

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 .

This entire verse contains one simile after another. Except for the last one, which refers to sound rather than appearance, they all have in common the fact that they are visually dazzling and radiant. If possible it is good to find a series of verbs of similar meaning such as “glowed … shone … flamed … glittered” (Revised English Bible).

Like beryl: the body as a whole is, first of all, compared to the precious stone called beryl in Revised Standard Version. Other English versions render this stone as “chrysolite” (New American Bible and Traduction œcuménique de la Bible) or “topaz” (Moffatt, An American Translation, and New English Bible/Revised English Bible). The exact identity and qualities of this stone are uncertain, but the focus here is on its brightness and not its color. This jewel was one of the twelve stones in the high priest’s breastplate (Exo 28.20) and is also mentioned as a part of the wall in the heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21.20). Where such gemstones are unknown, it will probably be wise to use a more general term such as “jewel” or “valuable stone” in this context.

Like the appearance of lightning: the face of the man in the vision is compared to lightning. Since this is something that people all over the world know about, there is usually no problem in translating the word. However, in some languages it will be important to add a verb to make the image more forceful and natural. Some will say that his face “dazzled (or shone) like lightning” or that it “looked as bright as lightning.”

Like flaming torches: the man’s eyes are compared to flaming torches, which are also well known and present few problems. Here also the addition of a verb may make the translation more natural and interesting. For example, one may say that the man’s eyes “sparkled like flaming torches” or that they “blazed like fire.”

Like the gleam of burnished bronze: the arms and legs are compared to bronze, which is a shiny alloy of copper and tin. The word burnished indicates that the metal has been brightened or polished (King James Version, Good News Translation).

The sound of his words: simply refers to the sound one heard when he spoke. Good News Translation represents this with “his voice sounded,” and other variations are possible.

Like the noise of a multitude: the voice of the one in the vision is compared to the uproar made by a large crowd of people. Knox translates “when he spoke, it was like the murmur of a throng.”

Verses 5 and 6 apparently served as the inspiration for the formulation of the descriptions in Rev 1.13-15; 2.18; 19.12.

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 .

Turn his face: or “turn his attention” (New International Version), or simply “turn,” as in many English versions. But since his turning or his attention inevitably means hostility, it may be better in some languages to use a more precise verb like “attack,” as in Good News Translation.

The coastlands: the corresponding Hebrew term means “regions with borders on the sea.” In Gen 10.5 the inhabitants of these areas are described as people “who live along the coast and on the islands” (Good News Translation). Here the word is translated “coasts and islands” by New English Bible/Revised English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible, and this may be a good model for other languages. In other cases it will be more natural to speak of “nations by the (big) water,” “peoples (or tribes) living by the (salt) water,” or something similar.

Shall take many of them: this refers to the capturing of many of the lands or peoples just mentioned. Some may prefer to translate “he will take control of many of these lands” or “he will capture many of those peoples.”

A commander: the Hebrew word used here is an archaic and poetic word similar in meaning to the more usual term for “judge” or military leader found in Josh 10.24; Judges 11.6; Isa 10.1. It has been variously rendered “consul” (New Jerusalem Bible), “leader” (New American Bible), “magistrate” (New Jerusalem Bible and Anchor Bible), and even “a certain Roman general” (Moffatt). New English Bible, Bible en français courant, and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch as well as Good News Translation all retain the idea of a commander but add a qualifying word meaning “foreign,” since the reference is to a Roman consul.

Insolence: the corresponding Hebrew word denotes the “contempt” with which a person may be treated, and by extension the “shame” or “dishonor” that the victim feels. It may also be used for the “insults” that are poured out on the despised person. On the other hand, in this context the term seems to qualify the attitude of the person who treats others contemptibly. It is therefore probably best translated “insolence” as in Revised Standard Version, or “arrogance” (Good News Translation), or “impudence.”

He shall turn his insolence back upon him: the meaning of the Hebrew text is uncertain at this point. Several textual changes have been proposed. New English Bible follows one of them with “by wearing him down.” But it is best to understand this expression in the way suggested by Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament: “a ruler will cause his insolence to cease. It will be only his insolence that will pay him back.” It is also possible to translate “make him suffer the consequences of his arrogance.” The expression seems to contain the idea of retribution for arrogance. Some other possible models are “put an end to his insults, nay pay him back for his insults” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “put a stop to his defiant insults and pay him back for them” (Moffatt).

This verse seems to refer to the conquests of Antiochus III along the coast of Asia Minor and Greece. The commander is probably the Roman Consul Lucius Cornelius Scipion, who defeated Antiochus between 191 and 189 B.C.

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 .

The structure of the account requires another new paragraph at this point. This makes the previous paragraph consist of only one verse, but translators should not be worried about this.

Then I Daniel looked: on the use of I Daniel, see comments on 7.15; 8.15, 27. The verb here should not be translated in such a way as to give the impression that Daniel looked for the first time. Rather, as he kept on looking he “saw” or “noticed (two men).”

Behold: see comments on the Aramaic equivalent at 2.31, and on the Hebrew in 8.3.

Two others: if the translator’s language requires that the nature of the two others be clearly stated, then it will probably be best to say “two other angels” (see Anchor Bible), since this is the clear meaning in the context. Some translations, however, have “people” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “men” (Good News Translation). If there exists a more neutral term, like “beings,” this will also be appropriate. But if the translator is forced to say something more, the word “angels” is probably best.

The long and awkward description of the location of the other two angels at the end of this verse may be rendered much more naturally in many languages as “on opposite sides of the water” or “one on each bank” (Good News Translation).

The stream: this does not represent the same word as translated “canal” or “river” in chapter 8, and so it very likely does not refer to the Ulai. Nor is it the same word as the great river in 10.4. However, the use of the definite article makes readers think that it refers to something already mentioned. It may be, however, that it does refer back to chapter 10. But since this is a vision, the precise river referred to is unimportant. It may therefore be legitimately translated “a river,” as in Good News Translation.

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 .

The text of Revised Standard Version continues the thought of the previous verse without a break. But Good News Translation and some other modern versions start a new sentence at the beginning of this verse, adding the words “They must be….” Technically, what follows is the direct object of the verb in verse 3.

Youths: according to the word used here, these young men were adolescents of at least fifteen years of age. The New Jerusalem Bible rendering “boys” may be misleading. The translation should not give the impression that they were little boys before the age of puberty. Revised English Bible, with a new sentence at this point, begins “They were to be young men….”

The writer then goes on to list the physical and intellectual qualities required of the young men who were to be chosen.

Without blemish: the word translated blemish involves any physical deformity or defect. It is very similar to the word used in Leviticus to describe those men who were to be excluded from the priestly service (Lev 21.17-23) and the animals not allowed as sacrifices (Lev 22.17-25). To be without blemish means much more than just to be “healthy” (Living Bible [Living Bible]). Rather it is to be translated “without any physical defect” (New International Version [New International Version]), “bodily without fault” (New English Bible), or “physically perfect.” Note that this element has been transposed to the end of the list of desired qualities in the Good News Translation rendering because it seems more natural there, but it has not been omitted.

Handsome: this involves physical attractiveness, which may vary from culture to culture. However, if possible a very general term should be chosen. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the various elements in this list, using the words that are more common before the more technical ones.

Skilful in all wisdom, endowed with knowledge, understanding, learning: in many languages it will be very difficult to find separate terms for wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and learning. And in fact the list is probably not intended to give clearly distinct intellectual qualities. However, because the writer is fond of using lists, it may be important to try to find expressions indicating: (1) the inborn quality of common sense; (2) the aptitude or the ability to learn new things; and (3) breadth of knowledge. One possible restructuring of these elements might be “They had to be handsome and free from physical defects. They also had to be intelligent, well trained, and quick to learn.”

Competent to serve in the king’s palace: this is not merely another quality added to the above list, but rather it seems to be more of a summary and result of all the different qualities mentioned. For this reason several modern versions (French common language translation [Bible en français courant] and New American Bible as well as Good News Translation) add something like “in order that they might be qualified to serve….” In languages where there is no special word for palace, translators sometimes have to resort to an expression like “the king’s big house.” But it will be noted that the context here already has the qualifying word showing that it is the residence of the king.

Good News Translation again begins a new sentence following the detailed description of the kind of young men that were to be sought. This new sentence focuses on the duty of Ashpenaz to train these men. In other languages it may be better to begin such a sentence “Ashpenaz was expected to teach them…” or “The king charged Ashpenaz to see that they learned….”

Letters and language: the first of these two words is one that is ordinarily used of a written document (inscription, letter or book). The Revised Standard Version rendering is ambiguous, since the English word “letters” may be understood as either a complete written message or the individual symbols of the alphabet used in writing. Here it is better to understand it as “writings” (Revised English Bible) or “literature” (New Revised Standard Version). Once again, it may be more natural in some languages to reverse the order of these two elements. In some languages the idea of literature may be unfamiliar, but there will probably be some way of talking about “written things,” and this may be the nearest equivalent available.

Of the Chaldeans: this is a transliteration of the Hebrew word that denotes first of all the inhabitants of “Chaldea” or Babylonia. The Greek translation, in fact, reads “of the Babylonians.” Good News Translation and New International Version have chosen to use the more commonly known name “Babylonia.” This is especially advisable, since the name of the city of Babylon is mentioned in verse 1 above. A different meaning of the same term will be seen in 2.2 and the verses that follow.

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 .