bronze

The Hebrew, Latin, Ge’ez, and Greek that is translated as “bronze” in English is translated in Newari as “bell-metal,” since bells are made of bronze in Nepal (source: Newari Back Translation).

See also bronze vessel.

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 1:7

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 14.7.

Daniel laughed: He is not laughing at a joke or laughing in scorn; he is laughing at the absurdity of what the king has just said.

Do not be deceived: This clause should be phrased so as to be consistent with Daniel’s amusement. Daniel is not giving the king a solemn warning. “Don’t be fooled” in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version is a good rendering, as is New Jerusalem Bible “do not be taken in.” Something like “don’t be so gullible” or “don’t be so naive” would work also, but the king is, of course, being deceived by the priests.

O king: Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, and others translate “Your Majesty,” the traditional phrase used in English for addressing a monarch, whether by one of the monarch’s own subjects or as a diplomatic courtesy on the part of a foreigner.

This is but clay inside and brass outside: Good News Translation has “This god you call Bel is nothing more than clay covered with bronze.” New Revised Standard Version begins this clause much better with “this thing is only….” Daniel does not dignify the idol by calling it a god or calling it by name; it is only this. Concerning the clay and brass (better to say “bronze,” as in Good News Translation and Contemporary English Version), compare Dan 2.32-35. Clay probably refers to clay that had been baked in an oven and became a hard ceramic, rather than the soft earth before baking. “Bronze” is an alloy of copper and tin, making the metal much harder than copper. It could be polished so that it had a bright smooth surface. There may be irony in Daniel’s pointing out that the idol’s interior—the heart—is fragile clay. It is all a showy appearance with no substance. Compare EpJer 1:20 and the comments there

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.