Open Bible Data Home About News OET Key
OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB MSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV SLT Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wycl SR-GNT UHB BrLXX BrTr Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Dan C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12
Dan 10 V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21
OET (OET-LV) And_body_of_his was_like_chrysolite and_face_of_his was_like_the_appearance_of lightning and_eyes_of_his were_like_torches_of fire and_arms_of_his and_feet_of_his were_like_the_appearance_of bronze burnished and_the_sound_of his_words/messages_of_his was_like_the_sound_of a_multitude.
OET (OET-RV) His body sparkled like a jewel, his face was brilliant like lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet were like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice was loud like the sound of a huge crowd.
In this long final vision, Daniel was told of events leading up to the end of the age.
Daniel wrote that he saw a vision of an awe-inspiring man dressed in linen.
This verse is a series of five similes. The appearance of the man by the river is compared to four very bright things, and his voice is compared to the sound of a large crowd. The point of comparison is that the man’s appearance was very impressive or awe-inspiring and his voice was very loud. In your translation, use vocabulary and imagery that indicate the man was impressive rather than strange or ridiculous. In some languages it may be natural to include the points of similarity. For example:
His body glowed like topaz, his face shone like lightning, his eyes flamed like torches, his arms and feet glittered like burnished bronze, and when he spoke his voice sounded like the voice of a multitude. (REB)
His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, and his eyes flamed like torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice roared like a vast multitude of people. (NLT)
His body was like shiny yellow quartz. His face was bright like lightning, and his eyes were like fire. His arms and legs were shiny like polished bronze, and his voice sounded like the roar of a crowd. (NCV)
His body was like beryl,
His body looked/appeared like a beautiful topaz gemstone,
His body shone like quartz.
His body glowed like a gem/jewel.
His body was like beryl: This is a simile. It indicates that the man’s body was bright and radiant like a beautiful gem. The exact gem that is referred to is not certain. The gem beryl is the same as chrysolite, which is how the translators of the LXX (Septuagint) understood it (see also the NIV). Other possibilities are yellow quartz (NCV) and yellow jasper (NET).
See how you translated the name of this gemstone in Exodus 28:20a (first gem) and Ezekiel 1:16. Chrysolite is mentioned in Revelation 21:20 (seventh foundation).
If these gemstones are not known in your culture, you may wish to translate using a more general phrase, as the CEV has done:
His body was like a precious stone. (CEV)
In some languages it may be natural to make the point of similarity explicit. Here are some ways to do this:
His body glowed like topaz (REB)
His body shone like a precious gem.
his face like the brilliance of lightning,
and his face shone like lightning.
His face blazed/flashed brightly like lightning.
His face was as bright as a lightning flash.
his face like the brilliance of lightning: In some languages it may be natural to translate this simile as a separate clause or sentence, with its own verb. For example:
His face was like lightning.
In some languages it may be natural to make the point of similarity explicit. Here are some ways to do this:
his face shone like lightning (REB)
his face had an appearance like lightning (NET)
his eyes like flaming torches,
His eyes were/looked like torches of blazing fire,
His eyes sparkled like flaming torches.
His eyes were as brilliant as fiery torches.
his eyes like flaming torches: Daniel compared the eyes of this man to flaming torches. The point of similarity is that his eyes were brilliant or very bright. They blazed or sparkled like torches. Try to find a word expressing this comparison that is natural in your language for referring to eyes. In some languages it may be natural to supply a verb and translate this simile as a separate clause or sentence. For example:
his eyes were like fiery torches (NJB)
his eyes were like blazing torches (NET)
his eyes blazed like flaming torches
flaming torches: The Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as flaming torches is “torches of fire.” It refers to torches that were lit and burning. The light came from cloth attached to a long pole, dipped in oil, and set on fire. In Old Testament times these torches were used to give light when people were walking in the dark. See how you translated the phrase “torch of fire” in Genesis 15:17.
his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze,
and his arms and legs gleamed like polished bronze.
His arms and legs were as bright/shiny as copper when they polish it.
His arms and feet had the shine of a highly polished metal.
his arms and legs like the gleam of polished bronze: In some languages it may be natural to supply a verb and translate this simile as a separate clause or sentence. For example:
his arms and feet glittered like burnished bronze (REB)
his arms and his face had the gleam of burnished bronze (NJB)
legs: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as legs more normally refers to feet. In this context either is acceptable. Here is another way to translate this:
feet (NET)
polished bronze: The substance called bronze is an alloy (mixture) of copper and tin. The word polished means “burnished,” that is, rubbed to make it bright and shiny. See Revelation 1:15.
and his voice like the sound of a multitude.
His voice sounded like the shouting of many people speaking at once.
His voice was as powerful as the voice/noise of a great crowd of people.
His words were as loud as the shouts of a crowd.
and his voice like the sound of a multitude: This simile compares the sound of the one man’s voice to the sound of a crowd. The point of similarity is the power and volume (loudness) with which he spoke. In many languages it will be natural to translate this as a separate clause or sentence with its own verb. For example:
and when he spoke his voice sounded like the voice of a great multitude (REB)
the sound of his voice was like the roar of a multitude (NJB)
his voice thundered forth like the sound of a large crowd (NET)
The overall impression given by the description should be one of impressive and powerful goodness. Avoid using vocabulary associated with evil power or words that sound humorous.For example, in English to say that something is “shiny” or “glittery” or “sparkly” tends to trivialize it. It suggests humor rather than majesty. The man dressed in linen was not an evil figure or a funny one, but he was a great messenger from the one true God.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
וּגְוִיָּת֣וֹ כְתַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ
and,body_of,his [was]_like,chrysolite
His body gleamed with blue or yellow light as if it were made of topaz. Alternate translation: “His body gleamed like topaz”
כְתַרְשִׁ֗ישׁ
[was]_like,chrysolite
The word topaz refers to a blue or yellow gemstone, also known as beryl, peridot, or chrysolite.
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
וּפָנָ֞יו כְּמַרְאֵ֤ה בָרָק֙
and,face_of,his [was]_like_[the],appearance_of lightning
His face shone brightly as a bolt of lightning shines. Alternate translation: “his face shone with light as bright as the flash of lightning”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
וְעֵינָיו֙ כְּלַפִּ֣ידֵי אֵ֔שׁ
and,eyes_of,his [were]_like,torches_of flaming
His eyes were bright with light as if they were flaming torches. Alternate translation: “his eyes were so bright that it seemed they had torches burning inside them”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
וּזְרֹֽעֹתָיו֙ וּמַרְגְּלֹתָ֔יו כְּעֵ֖ין נְחֹ֣שֶׁת קָלָ֑ל
and,arms_of,his and,feet_of,his [were]_like_[the],appearance_of copper/brass/bronze//coin polished
His arms and feet were as shiny as if they were made of polished bronze. Alternate translation: “his arms and feet shone like polished bronze that reflects the light around it”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / simile
וְק֥וֹל דְּבָרָ֖יו כְּק֥וֹל הָמֽוֹן
and,the_sound_of his_words_of,his [was]_like,the_sound_of multitude
His voice was so loud that it was as if a crowd of people were all talking loudly. Alternate translation: “and his voice was as loud as a huge crowd all calling out together”
10:5-6 The man dressed in linen clothing is an unidentified messenger of the Lord (cp. 10:16, 18; 12:6-7; see also Ezek 9:3).
OET (OET-LV) And_body_of_his was_like_chrysolite and_face_of_his was_like_the_appearance_of lightning and_eyes_of_his were_like_torches_of fire and_arms_of_his and_feet_of_his were_like_the_appearance_of bronze burnished and_the_sound_of his_words/messages_of_his was_like_the_sound_of a_multitude.
OET (OET-RV) His body sparkled like a jewel, his face was brilliant like lightning, his eyes were like flaming torches, his arms and his feet were like the gleam of polished bronze, and his voice was loud like the sound of a huge crowd.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The Hebrew text, lemmas, and morphology are all thanks to the OSHB and some of the glosses are from Macula Hebrew.
Open Bible Data site copyright © 2023–2026 Freely-Given.org.
Python source code for creating these static pages is available on GitHub under an open licence.
For Bible data copyrights, see the details for each displayed Bible version.
The Open English Translation (OET) main site is at OpenEnglishTranslation.Bible or OET.Bible.