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 Andrea Bokros)


“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 .

complete verse (Daniel 1:7)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 1:7:

  • Kupsabiny: “That chief leader gave these young men other names. He called/named Daniel Belteshazzar, he called Hananiah Shadrach, and Mishael he called Meshach and he called Azariah Abednego.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “The chief official gave them new names–
    Daniel [was called] Belteshazzar,
    Hananiah [was called] Shadrach,
    Mishael [was called] Meshech
    and Azariah [was called] Abednego.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “Ashpenaz changed their names. Daniel was now Belteshazar, Hanania was now Shadrac, Mishael was now Meshac and Azariah was now Abednego.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “But Ashpenaz gave us Babylonian names. The name he gave to me was Belteshazzar, the name he gave to Hananiah was Shadrach, the name he gave to Mishael was Meshach, and the name he gave to Azariah was Abednego.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 1:7

The chief of the eunuchs: see verse 3 above.

Gave them names: a literal translation of this phrase sounds strange in English. Normally names are given to persons or things that do not have any. If they already have names, then we more naturally say “renamed them,” “gave them new names,” “added more names to them,” or “gave them different names.” This explains the renderings of Good News Translation and Revised English Bible. It is possible also to say “gave them Babylonian names” (as in the German common language version [Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch]). To give a new name to someone was a way of showing that the person giving the name had authority over the other person. It may be possible in some cases to state this explicitly in order to avoid misunderstanding. For example, we may say “To show that they were under his authority, the chief officer gave them new names:….”

Belteshazzar: this name that was given to Daniel should be carefully distinguished from the name of the king “Belshazzar” in chapter 5. The two names are different in the original languages but were transcribed in the same way in the Greek versions of Daniel. For purposes of instruction it will be wise to distinguish these two names, both in the way they are spelled and in the way they are pronounced. This will make it possible for Bible students to avoid confusing the two different persons.

He called …: note that this expression is repeated four times in Revised Standard Version. This does not reflect the Hebrew original and is probably unnecessary in most other languages. The original does, however, clearly show which new name corresponds to which old name. This may be lost in some languages if Good News Translation is followed too closely.

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 .