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 7:28)

Following are a number of back-translations as well as a sample translation for translators of Daniel 7:28:

  • Kupsabiny: “This was the end of these words/this matter. I, Daniel became terrified till my eyes turned feeble. But I did not tell this word/matter to anyone.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Newari: “My account ends here. I was very afraid, my face was pale. Nevertheless, I kept this matter in my heart.” (Source: Newari Back Translation)
  • Hiligaynon: “‘That (was) my dream. I was deeply troubled and turned-pale with fear. But I never told this to anyone.’” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)
  • English: “That is what I saw in my vision/dream. I, Daniel, was terrified, with the result that my face became pale. But I did not tell anyone about the vision that I had seen.” (Source: Translation for Translators)

Translation commentary on Daniel 7:28

Here is the end of the matter: literally “Until here, the end of the word (or thing).” Although the wording seems a bit unusual, the meaning is quite clear. The end of the matter signals a transition from Daniel’s description of his vision to a comment about his state when he regained consciousness. New Revised Standard Version makes this clearer with “Here the account ends,” and Good News Translation is similar. In many languages people say something like “That is all of what I saw in my dream.”

As for me, Daniel: as in verse 15, this combination of the emphatic pronoun followed by the proper name probably emphasizes the fact that the prophet is fully conscious and is no longer seeing the vision. The writer wishes to emphasize the fact that Daniel’s spirit is troubled, not merely by the vision itself, but by the reality he faces when he becomes conscious of his surroundings again.

My thoughts greatly alarmed me: see 4.19 and 5.6.

My color changed: compare 5.6.

But: the translation of this conjunction will depend to some extent on which interpretation of the following phrase is accepted. If the words that follow the conjunction present an idea that would be different from what people may expect in this context, then it should be translated “but.” If, however, a person would be expected to keep silent and not tell anyone else after being very frightened, then “and” will be a better translation. Or possibly it can be left untranslated.

I kept the matter in my mind: literally “… in my heart” as in King James Version. On the “heart” as the seat of intelligence, see comments on 1.8 and 2.30. The Revised Standard Version rendering of this phrase can easily be understood to mean “I did not forget about the matter.” (Compare New Jerusalem Bible “I could not put the matter out of my mind.”) But the majority of the versions seem to agree that the meaning is rather “I did not share the matter with anyone else,” “I kept these things to myself” (Revised English Bible), or “I kept the matter to myself” (New International Version, New American Bible).

With the conclusion of this chapter the Aramaic section of Daniel comes to an end. Beginning with the first word of chapter 8 until the end of the book the text is again in Hebrew (as from 1.1 to 2.4a).

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 .