OET interlinear DAN 2:35

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:

1. 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)

2. The GNT has three sections:

(a) Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:1–13)

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

(c) Daniel tells the king the dream and explains it (2:24–49)

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 2:31–2:35

Daniel told the king what he had seen in his dream.

Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered

• Then the statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and clay collapsed all at once.

• Then suddenly the whole statue—iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold—fell and broke into pieces.

and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer.

• The pieces of the statue became like the chaff/dust lying on the threshing floor during the summer

• It broke into pieces as small as the pieces of straw left when a person threshes wheat during the harvest season.

• The pieces that were left were like fine powder, so small that

General Comment on 2:35b

• Translate the name of the harvest season. For example:

  in summer (NJB)

• Use the word meaning “harvest.” For example:

  during the harvestSee La Bible du Semeur.

• Omit the name of the season, if this information is implied by the context. For example:

  like chaff on a threshing floor (NLT)

This clause introduces a lot of information that may be new to people in your culture. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate some of this information in a general way. Keep the focus on the fact that the remaining pieces of the statue were very small. For example:

until nothing remained but pieces as fine/small as dust

In some cultures it will be good to add a footnote explaining threshing. For example:

Farmers in Israel separated the good grain from the useless parts by beating it or treading on it and then tossing it into the air. The wind blew away the smaller, lighter, useless parts. Daniel compared the remains of the statue to the small, useless parts of wheat, the chaff.

The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found.

• The wind blew all the pieces away and there was nothing left of the statue there.

• They were carried away by the wind and nothing was left behind.

• the wind blew them away. And nothing remained of the statue.

But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

• But the stone that struck the statue grew into a huge mountain. It became so big that it covered the entire world.

• However, the stone that hit the statue grew bigger and became as large as a tall mountain. It was so big that it spread over all the earth.

General Comment on 2:35

In the Aramaic text, 2:35 forms one long sentence. Most English versions break this up into two or more sentences. Use sentence lengths that are natural in your language. For example:

Then all at once, the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were smashed. They became like husks on a threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that struck the statue became a large mountain which filled the whole world. (GW)