Then: the transition is a probably to be understood as a logical one rather than being just a reference to the passing of time. New Revised Standard Version and Anchor Bible use “so,” as does Good News Translation.

Commanded … be summoned: there is no way of knowing precisely who the king commanded to call the people listed in this verse, and in a sense it is not important. But in some languages it will be grammatically impossible to make such a statement without specifying someone, even if a very indefinite term must be used. The whole verse may have to be restructured, beginning something like “Then the king ordered someone to call….”

Magicians, enchanters, and sorcerers: the first two of these terms are introduced in 1.20. The third term (mekashef in Hebrew) is very similar to the one translated enchanters here and in 1.20. This is another example of the writer’s fondness for lists, but these words are not used so much as technical terms but more as various alternative words for “sorcerers” or “fortune tellers.”

Chaldeans: the fourth word in this list is a proper name originally designating the inhabitants of Chaldea, that is to say, the Babylonians in general (see 1.4). But since these people had a reputation for mastery of divination and the occult, the word became a common noun meaning “specialists in the occult.” Here and in verses 4, 5, and 10 this term is translated “diviners” (Moffatt), “wizards” (Good News Translation), and “astrologers” (New International Version). One commentator sums up the situation in these words: “Since the term ‘Chaldeans’ can occur in the midst of the other terms (4.7; 5.7, 11) as well as at their end (2.2, 10), it is evident that in this context it does not have its original ethnic meaning. In this chapter this is probably the case when the term occurs alone, as summing up all the other synonyms (2.4-5, 10)” (Anchor Bible).

In some languages the four terms used here may have to be reduced to two or three, due to a lack of terms having this meaning. Translators should try to think of all the kinds of people that may be called on in their culture to explain the meanings of dreams. And in those languages where it is impossible to come up with separate terms for the different words used in the text here, it is possible to resort to a more general formulation by expressing the idea of “all the specialists in divination and magic,” or possibly “wise men in matters of dreams.” But given the habit of the writer to use lists, it may be better to retain this characteristic style where possible.

To tell the king his dreams: most English versions are ambiguous at this point, but it may be necessary in some languages to decide which is true in order to translate the passage. Anchor Bible explains as follows: “That he demands his soothsayers to tell him the dream itself should not be taken to mean that he had forgotten it; rather, he uses this as a test in order to have assurance that they can give him a reliable interpretation of it (verse 9).” Other interpreters feel that the king may have forgotten the dream, and that this is the first sign of his mental problems detailed in chapter 4. However, if translators are forced to choose between these two interpretations, it is more likely that the king remembers the dream, and that he is deliberately not telling the experts its contents.

Stood before the king: the text has precisely the same words as in 1.5 and 1.19, where the meaning is more generally “to serve in the royal court.” Here, however, the context seems to require a more literal understanding of standing ready or being available to do what the king ordered on this occasion.

Note that Good News Translation makes this last sentence into a subordinate clause introducing verse 3: “When they….” This may be a good model for certain other languages to 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 .