complete verse (Daniel 1:14)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 1:14:

  • Kupsabiny: “This servant agreed with what Daniel said. He tested them in those ten days.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “He agreed to let it be done like that for ten days. Then they did the test for ten days.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “So he agreed and tested them within ten days.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “The guard agreed to do what I suggested, and he tested us like that for ten days.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 1:14

So: the choice of a transition word here will probably be determined by considerations in the translator’s language. In many cases it will be unnecessary to have one at this point.

He: the pronoun here refers to the guard, and some versions have seen fit to express this more explicitly. New Jerusalem Bible, for example, has “the man…,” and New English Bible translates “the guard.”

Hearkened to them in this matter: New Revised Standard Version says “so he agreed to this proposal,” that is, he approved of their proposition. Another way of saying the same thing may be “decided to do what they asked” or “… agreed to this plan” (New Jerusalem Bible).

Tested them for ten days: see verse 12. While Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation, following the Hebrew, have only the pronoun them, it may be necessary in some languages to replace the pronoun with a complete noun phrase like “Daniel and his friends” or “the four young men.”

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 .