DAN 2:4 Interlinear View

2:4 OSHB variant note: ל/עבדי/ך: (x-qere) ’לְ/עַבְדָ֖/ךְ’: lemma_l/5649 n_0.0 morph_AR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms id_27ExP לְ/עַבְדָ֖/ךְ

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 2:4

The king’s advisers or dream experts responded to his command. In this verse the original text changes from the Hebrew language to the Aramaic language. This verse forms the transition. After 2:4a and until 7:28, the text is written in the Aramaic language.

2:4a

Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic,

¶ Then the advisers said to the king,
¶ The divination experts answered the king,

Then: The word Then in the BSB translates the common Hebrew connector w-. In this context it introduces the next event in the narrative. Introduce the next event in a way that is natural in your language.

the astrologers answered the king: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as astrologers is literally “Chaldeans,” as in 2:2a. See the notes there. In this context it refers in general to all the dream experts and other advisers that the king had summoned to him. It is good to refer back to this group in general. For example:

They (GNT)

the wise men (NCV)

the experts/advisers

in Aramaic: These words are in Hebrew, like the rest of the text up to this point. But at this point there is a change and the source text from 2:4b until 7:28 is written in the Aramaic language.

In the Hebrew text, this verse part contains a word meaning in Aramaic, that is, in the Aramaic language. Scholars disagree as to whether this word formed part of the original text of Daniel:

Some scholars think that this word was not originally in the Hebrew text. They suggest that it is an editorial note added by scribes at a later time. It indicates that the text that follows (up to 7:28) is written in Aramaic, not Hebrew. For example:
The wise men said to the king: [What follows is in Aramaic] (NET) (NIV11, RSV, NJB, NET)
Some scholars think that this word was part of the original text. The Hebrew text then indicates that the experts spoke to the king in the Aramaic language. For example:
The Chaldeans, speaking in Aramaic, said (REB) (BSB, NASB, KJV, ESV, NIV84, GW, GNT, NLT, CEV, NCV, REB, NJPS)

Option (1) is recommended. It is recommended that you do not translate the words in Aramaic in the text itself. Instead, you could put a footnote that reads something like:

From this point until 7:28, the source text is written in the Aramaic language.

See the discussion in the Introduction to the Notes. Aramaic was the common second language in the Ancient Near East at that time. Government officials especially used this language.

2:4b

“O king, may you live forever!

“Your Majesty, may you^(sing) live and rule forever!
“Our^(excl) King, we^(excl) pray that you^(sing) will live forever.

O king, may you live forever!: The experts addressed the king with respect. Languages often have special ways to address a king or other important people in authority. Some examples in English are:

Your Majesty, may you live forever! (GW)

May Your Majesty live forever! (GNT)

Long live the king! (NLT)

May the king live forever! (NIV)

This was a common way people greeted the king. It is a figure of speech that means that they wished the king a long and healthy life. Express this meaning in a way that is natural in your language. See also 1 Kings 1:31.

2:4c

Tell your servants the dream,

We^(excl) are your^(sing) servants. Tell^(sing) us^(excl) your dream,
Please tell^(sing) us^(excl) what happened in your^(sing) dream.
What happened in your^(sing) dream, sir/master? Tell us^(excl) that,

Tell your servants the dream: The advisers were speaking respectfully, requesting the king to tell them what he had dreamed. In some languages the imperative Tell may sound rude or too direct for speaking to the king. Express the request in a way that is polite in your language. For example:

We are your servants. Please tell us your dream… (CEV)

your servants: See the Notes at 1:12a. The experts referred to themselves in the third person. People spoke this way when they wanted to show respect to someone who had higher status. Your language may have other ways to show this. In some languages it may be necessary to use a first-person plural pronoun here. For example:

Tell us the dream (NET)

2:4d

and we will give the interpretation.”

and we^(excl) will explain/reveal its meaning to you^(sing).”
Then we^(excl) will tell you^(sing) what it means.”
and we^(excl) will tell/give you^(sing) its interpretation.”

and we will give the interpretation: The Aramaic text literally says “and we will show the interpretation.” This expression refers to revealing something that is not known or to interpreting something that is not understood. The dream experts told the king they would explain to him the meaning or significance of the details of his dream. Like Nebuchadnezzar, they believed that the gods sometimes revealed the future to people in dreams. Some ways to translate this in English are:

and we will reveal its meaning to you (NJB)

and we will tell you what it means (NLT)

we: This refers to the advisers, experts, and dream interpreters in general (the “astrologers” from 2:2a). If your language distinguishes between we inclusive and we exclusive, you should use we exclusive here.

General Comment on 2:4

The dream experts indicated that they would tell the king the meaning of his dream if and when he told them what he had dreamed. They said this politely. In some languages it may be natural to say more directly:

If you tell us the dream, we will interpret it for you.

When you tell us what you dreamed, we will tell you what it meant.

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

2:4 OSHB variant note: ל/עבדי/ך: (x-qere) ’לְ/עַבְדָ֖/ךְ’: lemma_l/5649 n_0.0 morph_AR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms id_27ExP לְ/עַבְדָ֖/ךְ

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 2:4

Hebrew word order