Daniel

The term that is transliterated as “Daniel” in English means “judge of God (i.e., one who delivers judgment in the name of God,” “my judge is God.” (Source: Cornwall / Smith 1997 )

In American Sign Language it is translated with the sign for the letter D and for “lion,” referring to the story in Daniel 6. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Daniel” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Hungarian Sign Language it is translated with a sign that refers to Daniel being cast into the lions’ den. (Source: Jenjelvi Biblia and HSL Bible Translation Group)


“Daniel” in Hungarian Sign Language (source )

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “prayer” that illustrates Daniel’s close relationship with God.


“Daniel” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

The following is a stained glass window depicting Daniel by Endre Odon Hevezi and Gyula Bajo from 1965 for the Debre Libanos Monastery, Oromia, Ethiopia:

Photo by Timothy A. Gonsalves, hosted by Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

See also Daniel.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Daniel .

Translation commentary on Bel and the Dragon 1:29

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 14.29.

Going to the king, they said may be rendered “The Babylonians went to the king and said” (Contemporary English Version).

Hand Daniel over to us, or else we will kill you and your household: In Greek this is direct discourse. Good News Translation restructures the first clause in this statement as indirect: “that Daniel be handed over to them.” In Good News Translation‘s restructuring said becomes “demanded” and “warned.” This is quite proper in theory, but the problem is that Good News Translation‘s translation of this scene sounds much too calm and formal. It is as if the people have a spokesman making a formal demand couched in proper language (“put … to death” instead of “kill”). But this is an unruly mob that scares the king. The verb said can be translated by a verb with more content, such as “demanded,” and then the translator can give the words of the crowd in vigorous direct discourse: “Hand Daniel over to us, or we’ll kill you and your whole family!”

Household is literally “house,” and can mean the king’s family and all the people associated with it, such as servants, but in this context it surely means “family” (Good News Translation), and most translations so render it.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.