OET interlinear DAN 1:2

1:2a

And the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah: The Hebrew expression that the BSB translates literally as the Lord delivered into his hand Jehoiakim king of Judah is a figure of speech. It indicates that God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to defeat Jehoiakim and gain power over him. Some other ways to translate this are:

the Lord delivered King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power (NET)

The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim (NLT)

This verse does not mean that Nebuchadnezzar personally defeated or captured Jehoiakim. His soldiers did the actual fighting under his command. So in some languages it may be necessary to say something like:

And the Lord allowed his men/soldiers to defeat Jehoiakim

the Lord: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as the Lord is one of the titles that the Bible uses to refer to the God of Israel. It means “master.” This title is different from the personal name for God, Yahweh, which the BSB usually spells as “the LORD,” with all capital letters. See how you translated this title in Genesis 4:4b, 6a.

Jehoiakim king of Judah: The author also used the phrase king of Judah to refer to Jehoiakim in 1:1a. In some languages it may not be natural to repeat this information here. If that is true in your language, you can refer to him in a different way, for example:

King Jehoiakim (GNT)

Jehoiakim (CEV)

1:2b

along with some of the articles from the house of God: This phrase indicates that the Lord also allowed Nebuchadnezzar power over some religious items used in the worship of God. This happened when Nebuchadnezzar’s army looted or stole some of the valuable objects that were in the temple of God in Jerusalem. In some languages it may be more natural to express this idea with another verb. For example:

The Lord gave him victory over King Jehoiakim of Judah and permitted him to take some of the sacred objects from the Temple of God. (NLT)

The Lord let him capture King Jehoiakim and seize some of the Temple treasures. (GNT)

some of the articles: The Babylonians took possession of some of the things that were in the Jewish temple.For the kinds of articles see 2 Chronicles 36:7, 10,18; Jeremiah 52:17–23 (586 B.C.); Ezra 1:9–11 (537 BC). They did not take them all, and the Hebrews continued to worship at the temple.However, about twenty later (in 586/7 B.C.) the Babylonians attacked the city again. At that time they took all the things that were left in the temple and carried them away to Babylon. They also destroyed the temple itself.

articles: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as articles is a general word that can refer to a variety of items. In this context, the word is used to refer to objects the Jewish people used in worship rituals. These objects included cups, bowls, lampstands, altars, and tables. These articles were very valuable. The Israelites had made some of them from gold or silver. Some other ways to describe these things in English are:

Temple treasures (GNT)

the things (NCV)

objects

vessels (RSV)

the house of God: Here the phrase the house of God refers to the building where Jewish people worshiped God in Jerusalem. Here is another way to translate this:

the temple of God (NIV)

See the key term “temple” in KBT.

1:2c

He carried these off: The Hebrew verb that the BSB translates as carried…off can mean “brought” or “carried,” depending on the context. Here is another way to translate this:

he brought them (RSV)

King Nebuchadnezzar did not bring or carry anything himself. He ordered his servants and soldiers to transport everything back to his country. So it may be natural to say:

He ordered that these be taken

He caused them to be brought

He caused his men to bring them

these: Scholars differ about what the Hebrew pronoun that the BSB translates as these refers to:

1. The pronoun these refers to the valuable articles from the temple in Jerusalem. For example:

   which he carried to Babylon and put… (NCV) (BSB, NCV)

2. The pronoun these refers to the human captives. For example:

   He took some prisoners back with him (GNT)

Most English translations leave the pronoun ambiguous. It is not clear whether the Babylonian army took Jehoiakim with them back to Babylon at this time. So it is recommended that you leave this ambiguous, referring to either the captives or the treasures or both.

to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god: Nebuchadnezzar’s men brought what they had taken from Jerusalem to their own temple in Babylon.

to the land of Shinar: The word Shinar is an ancient name for the land that later became the country of Babylonia. This land is now part of modern Iraq, south of the city of Baghdad. Genesis 10:10 and 11:1–9 mention that the tower of Babel was in the land of Shinar. See how you translated the name there. There are several possibilities:

• Transliterate Shinar, the old name for this area. For example:

  the land of Shinar (RSV)

• Use Babylonia, a later name for that land. For example:

  the land of Babylonia (NLT)

• Use the name Babylon, the capital city of that land, because that is where the king’s temple was. For example:

  in Babylon (GNT)

• Use the two names Shinar and Babylonia. For example:

  the land of Shinar, that is, Babylonia

It is important that people do not think that Shinar was a different place from Babylonia. If this is not clear from your translation, you may want to include a footnote that mentions this information.

to the house of his god: The phrase the house of his god refers to the building where the Babylonian people worshiped their god.

There is a textual problem here. Scholars disagree about whether the phrase to the house of his god was part of the original Hebrew text:

1. Some versions include the phrase to the house of his god. For example:

   to the temple of his god (NIV) (NIV, KJV, NASB, RSV, ESV, BSB, REB, NET, GW, GNT, NJPS)

2. Some versions do not include the phrase to the house of his god, since they consider that this phrase was not in the original Hebrew text. For example:

   These he brought to the land of Shinar, and placed the vessels in the treasury of his god. (NRSV) (NRSV, NLT, CEV, NCV)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). The author probably intended to contrast the phrase house of his god (1:2c) with “house of God” (1:2b ).

his god: The Hebrew noun that the BSB translates as his god here refers to the god or gods of a different, non-Jewish religion. In some languages it may not be possible to use the same word to describe the true God and other gods.The Translator’s Handbook on Daniel notes that in some languages it is very difficult to use the word for God for anything other than the true God. The authors suggest that in this case translators may have to translate “the place where he worshipped” or “the house of his religion.” If that is true in your language, there are at least two possibilities:

• Use a different expression in your language that describes idols or spirits that some people worship.

• Use a general expression that refers to a supernatural being or beings that some people worship. For example:

  the one they worshiped

A decision about this expression is very important, so you may need to consult with church and community leaders. When you choose an expression, check it in this context with other speakers of your language.

god: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as god is plural in form but can be either singular or plural in meaning. English versions disagree about whether they choose singular or plural:

1. god (BSB, KJV, RSV, GW, REB, CEV, NLT)

2. gods (NJB, GNT, NCV, NET)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), although the second view is also acceptable. The Babylonians did worship many different gods. Here the text probably refers to the god Marduk, the main god of the city of Babylon.

1:2d

where he put them in the treasury of his god: The Babylonian king put the valuable articles mentioned in 1:2b into the treasure house of his god. In some languages it may be natural to refer to them explicitly so that readers will understand that they are the same vessels. For example:

putting the vessels in the treasury of his own gods (NJB)

put: Nebuchadnezzar ordered his servants or soldiers to place these articles in the Babylonian temple treasury. In some languages it may be natural to indicate that he did not do this personally. For example:

caused them to be put

ordered his men to place them

in the treasury of his god: The treasury was the place where the king kept the valuable objects of the kingdom of Babylon. It may be possible to indicate its purpose without saying what sort of place it was. For example:

temple treasury (GW)

The treasures or valuable objects were connected with the people’s religion or dedicated to their god. The treasury was probably in their temple. Some ways to say this in English are:

temple storerooms (GNT)

the treasury of/for the temple of his god

his god: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as his god is the same as in 1:2d. Refer back to the god or gods worshiped by the Babylonians in a way that is natural in your language.