OET interlinear DAN 1:20

1:20a

Nebuchadnezzar asked the young men questions to test their wisdom and understanding. The Hebrew text connects this verse to the previous verse with a common conjunction that several English versions translate as “And.” Here it introduces a clause that adds to the praises of Daniel and his friends in 1:19. The BSB does not explicitly translate this conjunction. Introduce this clause in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Whenever the king asked for advice (CEV)

Every time the king asked them about something important (NCV)

No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised (GNT)

In every matter of wisdom and understanding: This refers to any question or problem that a person needed wisdom to answer or solve. In some languages it may be necessary to make this connection between matter and wisdom and understanding more explicit. For example:

about things that required wisdom and insight (GW)

all the things that only a wise person could understand and advise him about

matter: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as matter is very general. It can refer to any kind of question or problem that the king might have had. In some languages it may be necessary to use a more specific expression. For example:

inquiry

subject/topic

wisdom and understanding: The Hebrew expression that the BSB translates as wisdom and understanding is literally “wisdom of understanding.” Most English versions connect the two nouns with the word and.

wisdom: The Hebrew word for wisdom is the same word that is translated as “wisdom” in 1:4b. It is good to use the same word to indicate that the king found the qualities he was looking for.

understanding: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as understanding is the same as in 1:4b, in the phrase “quick to understand.” Other ways to translate this word are:

insight (GW)

balanced judgment (NLT)

about which the king consulted them: This clause expresses an action that the king repeated many times. He asked the four men many questions over a period of time. In some languages it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

Whenever the king asked them about things that required knowledge or insight… (GW)

No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised… (GNT)

1:20b

he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom: The king judged or evaluated Daniel and his friends. He also judged or evaluated his own magicians and enchanters. Daniel and his friends proved to be better advisors. They were wiser, more capable, competent, and knowledgeable. Here is another way to translate this:

he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom (NLT)

he found them: This introduces the results of the king’s evaluation. Languages have different ways to introduce this kind of information. In some languages it may be more natural to use a different verb. For example:

the king realized that they were….

he saw that they were

they showed themselves to be

they proved to be

them: The pronoun them refers to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Here is another way to translate this:

These four (GNT)

ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters: This expresses a comparison. It compares Daniel and his friends to all the magicians and enchanters. Specifically, the king compared their advice and their wisdom. In some languages it may be more natural to make this explicit. For example:

the king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom (NLT)

he found their wisdom was ten times better than that of his other advisors and magicians (CEV)

ten times better: Here ten times is used as a figure of speech. It is an emphatic way to say “very much better.” In some languages it may not be natural to use this figure of speech about a quality like wisdom that cannot be measured. If that is true in your language, there are several other possible ways to translate this:

• Indicate that the four men knew ten times as much as the others. For example:

  knew ten times more than… (GNT)

• Use a different idiom to express the comparison. For example:

  were head and neck above the others

• Express the meaning directly. For example:

  were much, much better/wiser

magicians: The same Hebrew word is used to describe the Egyptian magicians in the story of Joseph and Moses (Genesis 41:8; Exodus 7:11). It is good to use a word that refers to someone who predicts the future and has other unusual or supernatural powers. It should not indicate that these powers are from God.

Most versions translate this in a general way as magicians. But it is also possible to translate more specifically, referring to what a magician in those days did. For example:

fortuneteller (GNT)

diviners

dream interpreters

enchanters: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as enchanters refers to people who know how to speak magical words (incantations, charms, or spells). Other ways to translate this include:

soothsayers (NJB)

spell makers/speakers

in his entire kingdom: The word kingdom refers both to the country and the people that the king ruled. See “kingdom” in KBT.