DAN 2:14 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–49: Daniel explained the king’s dream

These Notes interpret Daniel 2:1–49 as a complete narrative unit. However, in some languages it may be helpful to divide this chapter into more than one section and to give each section a separate heading. For example:

The BSB has four sections.
1. Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream (2:1–13)
2. The Dream Revealed to Daniel (2:14–23)
3. Daniel Interprets the Dream (2:24–45)
4. Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel (2:46–49)
The GNT has three sections:

(a) Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:1–13)

(b) God shows Daniel what the dream means (2:14–23)

This section tells how Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream. He asked his advisers to tell him what he had dreamed and its meaning. They were unable to do so, and the king threatened them with death. But God revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel. Daniel then told the king what he had dreamed and what it meant. The king honored Daniel and Daniel’s God.

The climax of this narrative occurs in 2:47. There the king declared that the God whom Daniel worshiped was the greatest of all gods.

Special Translation Problems:

1. Lists: The author of the book of Daniel liked to use lists (2:2, 10). However, the author did not intend for these lists to be complete or exact. The lists usually provide examples of the types of people or things that belong in a certain group or category. The Notes will suggest options on how to translate these lists.

2. Synonyms: The text often uses different terms for similar ideas. For example, there are several verbs that mean “to reveal” or “to make known.” There are three different Aramaic verbs in 2:40 that mean “crush, break to pieces.” In some languages it may be difficult or confusing to use several different words for similar ideas. The Notes will suggest how you might translate these similar words and terms.

3. Poetry: You will need to think carefully about how you will translate the poetic section in this chapter (2:20–23). Authors of Hebrew poetry usually wrote using matching pairs of lines. The relationship between these parallel lines differs. Sometimes the second line repeats the information in the first line using different words. Sometimes the second line contrasts with the first line. Hebrew poetry also has word plays, figurative speech, and alliteration. It may not always be easy to translate these literary features into your language. The Notes will suggest ways of translating the different features of Hebrew poetry. For more information about how to translate Hebrew poetry, see the Bible Translation Handbook of the Psalms. The poetry in 2:20–23 is a song of praise or thanksgiving. If your language has a special poetic form that fits this song, you can use it here.

4. Ambiguity: In the section where Daniel interpreted the last part of the king’s dream, there are a number of ambiguous references. For example, in 2:44a Daniel referred to “those kings” without identifying who those kings were. In 2:44b Daniel spoke of “all these kingdoms.” The ambiguity may be deliberate, since the dream itself is a mystery. It will be important not to over-interpret these passages by assuming a particular historical context. The Notes will suggest several options for how to translate these verses.

5. Repetition: Daniel interpreted the meaning of the first three kingdoms in a very brief way. He used many more words to describe the fourth kingdom (2:36–45). In this section he also repeated much of what was described before. In this way, Daniel emphasized the fourth kingdom as the most important. Some of the repetition in this section emphasizes specific ideas. Sometimes the repetition has another function. You will need to evaluate if this kind of repetition is natural in your language. If not, you will need to find another way to emphasize these ideas.

Paragraph 2:14–16

Daniel was able to persuade the king to delay the executions and give him time to interpret the dream.

2:14a

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon,

¶ Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s guard, set out to execute the Babylonian sages/advisers.
¶ At that time the captain of the king’s guards was a man named Arioch. As Arioch was on his way to kill the divination experts in Babylon,

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon: This clause indicates the time at which Daniel intervened to prevent the executions. It indicates an important action and introduces a conversation that changes the narrative. Embedded in this clause is some background information, the name and position of the man in charge of the execution. In view of all this, in some languages it may be natural to translate this verse part using an independent clause or clauses. For example:

Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, was going to kill the wise men of Babylon. (NCV)

Arioch was the king’s official in charge of putting the wise men to death. He was on his way to have it done, when… (CEV)

the commander of the king’s guard: Arioch was in charge of a group of men, the king’s guard. The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as guard comes from a word meaning “kill.” One of the responsibilities of the men in the guard was to execute criminals and enemies. Here is another way to translate this:

who was in charge of the king’s executioners (NET)

The guard probably had other responsibilities as well, such as protecting the king. Most English translations therefore use the more general expression guard.

the king’s guard: The English word guard is a collective noun. It is singular in form but refers to a group of men.

had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon: This clause probably indicates that Arioch had left the king’s presence and was preparing to kill the wise men. He was on his journey to find them but had probably not started killing them yet. Other ways to translate this include:

set out to execute the wise men of Babylon (REB)

was leaving to kill the wise advisers in Babylon (NET)

was on his way to kill the Babylonian sages (NJB)

the wise men of Babylon: The phrase the wise men of Babylon refers in general to the king’s advisers and practitioners of divination. It includes all the experts who were mentioned in 2:2. See the Notes at 2:12b.

2:14b

Daniel replied with discretion and tact.

Daniel spoke to him with sensible, tactful words.
Daniel met him and spoke to him wisely,

Daniel replied with discretion and tact: The Aramaic text is more literally “Daniel returned counsel and prudence to Arioch.” It indicates that Daniel spoke to Arioch in a way that would not anger him and was wise in that situation. There are two ways to interpret and translate the phrase with discretion and tact in this context:

as two similar ideas. For example:
with wisdom and skill (NCV)
with prudence and discretion (NRSV)
as one idea, indicating that Daniel’s reply was characterized by “prudent counsel” or “tactful wisdom.” For example:
He spoke to him using shrewd judgment (GW)

Translate this in the way that is most natural in your language. In some languages it may be natural to use adjectives for both ideas. For example:

with shrewd and cautious words (NJB)

General Comment on 2:14

This verse contains background information concerning Arioch. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of information in this verse. For example:

^b At that time Arioch was the commander of the king’s guards. ^cAs he was going to kill the wise men of Babylon, ^aDaniel spoke to him with wisdom and skill. (NCV)

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

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.