DAN 2:21 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 2:19–23

God revealed to Daniel what the king had dreamed and what the dream meant. Daniel expressed his thanks to God.

The author has recorded Daniel’s prayer of thanks in poetic form. Some translations (for example, the NJB) indicate this by the way they print the lines. You may have a special way of writing poetic speech in your language. If so, you may use it here.

In his prayer of thanks, Daniel first refers to God in the third person (using the pronouns “he/him”). Then in 2:23 he switches to the second person (that is, using the pronoun “you”). In some languages this change may be unnatural. See the General Comment on 2:20–22.

2:21a–b

Biblical authors often wrote poetry in pairs of related lines. Daniel 2:21a and 2:21b form one of these pairs. They are closely related in that 2:21a gives a general principle and 2:21b gives an example of how that principle works out in history. If you are writing Daniel’s prayer as poetry, you may wish to print these lines as a couplet, in two lines. For example:

He controls the times and the seasons;

He makes and unmakes kings (GNT)

He determines the course of world events;

he removes kings and sets up other kings. (NLT)

2:21a

He changes the times and seasons;

He causes times and seasons to change.
It is you^(sing) who causes the times and the seasons to change each year.

He changes the times and seasons: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as changes here indicates that God can alter world history. He has power over all that happens, the different eras and ages of the world, and the various empires that rise and fall. Daniel was praising God for his control over time and history. Other ways to translate this include:

He controls the times and the seasons (GNT)

He determines the course of world events (NLT)

He: Daniel referred to God in the third person in order to show respect. However, this may not be natural in your language. If you used the second person at the beginning of the prayer in 2:20, you should use it again here.

times and seasons: The two words times and seasons are very close in meaning here. They probably refer to the times and seasons of history, that is, the ages or eras when different nations and rulers have power. Here is another way to translate this:

times and periods of history (GW)

In some languages it may be natural to combine the two words times and seasons into one idea. For example:

the course of world events (NLT)

human events (CEV)

2:21b

He removes kings and establishes them.

He takes away the power of kings and gives that power to others.
You^(sing) cause certain kings to rule and you^(sing) cause other kings to stop ruling.

He removes kings and establishes them: This verse part tells one way that God displays his control over human history. He causes some people to become kings and some kings he causes to stop ruling. He is in control of those events. Other ways to translate this include:

deposing some kings and establishing others (NET)

he removes kings and sets up other kings. (NLT)

He removes kings: Cultures have different ways to describe how people remove their kings from that powerful position. For example:

He takes away the power of kings (NCV)

he takes away their royal thrones/crowns

establishes them: Cultures also have different ways to speak of how a person becomes a king. Use a verb in your language that means, “to cause to rule.” For example:

raises up others (NIV)

gives their power to new kings (NCV)

puts others on the throne

them: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as them is literally “kings,” as in the first clause, “He removes kings.” It refers to different men, men whom God causes to become kings. Here is another way to translate this:

other kings (NLT)

General Comment on 2:21b

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the two clauses. For example:

you give rulers their power and take it away (CEV)

he makes and unmakes kings (GNT)

2:21c

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning.

He is the one who gives wise people their wisdom. He is the one who causes intelligent people to understand matters.
You^(sing) make people wise and you^(sing) help them to understand difficult things.

He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to the discerning: The two parts of this verse part are in poetic parallelism. The second line repeats the meaning of the first line in a different way. It is good to show this by translating them as a couplet. For example:

He gives wisdom to the wise;

he imparts knowledge to those who have understanding. (NET)

He gives wisdom to the wise

and knowledge to those who have insight. (GW)

If someone/anyone is wise, it is you who gave them their wisdom.

If someone/anyone is discerning, it is you who gave them their discernment.

He gives wisdom to the wise: If a person is wise, that wisdom has come from the Lord. This is very similar to the idea in 2:20. See the Notes at 2:20b. Other ways to translate this include:

He gives the wise their wisdom

Wise people receive their wisdom from you

And you are the source of wisdom (CEV)

Some languages may not have an abstract word that means wisdom. You may be able to say:
You are the one who makes a person wise
You make people wise

the wise: The phrase the wise here refers to people who know things others do not know, who give good advice, and who know how to make good decisions. They are not the same as the professional “wise men” of 2:12–14. Refer to these people in the way that is natural in your language. For example:

those who are wise

wise people

someone wise

and knowledge to the discerning: The phrase and knowledge to the discerning is short for “and he/God gives knowledge to the discerning.” If someone is knowledgeable or quick to learn and understand, it is God who has given them that ability. Other ways to translate this include:

you give discerning people their ability to discern

it is you who gives knowledgeable men their understanding

knowledge: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as knowledge can refer to the ability to gain knowledge, the power of knowing.See the Hebrew-English Lexicon by Brown, Driver, and Briggs, p. 1095. In some languages, there may not be an abstract word that means knowledge. It may be more natural to use a verb, such as “cause to understand.” For example:

and you make people understand things

and you help people to discern things

the discerning: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as the discerning is more literally “the knowers of understanding.” Here it probably refers to people who understand things easily and know many things. In this context it means much the same as “the wise.” Your language may have a special name for people such as this. The following are some English examples:

those who have understanding (RSV)

those who have insight (GW)

the scholars (NLT)

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.

OET interlinear DAN 2:21

Hebrew word order