DAN 4:11 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–37: God judged King Nebuchadnezzar

The author of Daniel 4 wrote in the Aramaic language. These Notes are based on the BSB, which is based on the Aramaic text called the MT (Masoretic Text). However, the early Greek translation known as the Septuagint is different from the Aramaic text in many places in Daniel 4. Scholars are uncertain why the two are so different. It may be that the Greek translators worked from an Aramaic text that was different from that of the MT. The Notes will discuss the differences between the two texts for certain important passages.

The verse numbers of the BSB and most English versions are different from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text. The NJPS and NJB are two exceptions. They follow the verse numbers in the Aramaic text.Baldwin (p. 107) notes that the chapter divisions in the present Aramaic text were not necessarily those of the original text. The difference in numbering can cause confusion when citing verses in different translations. For example, Daniel 4:1 in the BSB is 3:31 in the NJPS and NJB. Daniel 4:4 is 4:1 in the NJB and NJPS, and so on. When these Notes cite verses in the NJPS and the NJB, they will give both the verse numbers in those versions and the corresponding BSB verse numbers.

Versions give different headings to Daniel 4. For example:

Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream (NRSV)

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a tree (NLT)

A letter from Nebuchadnezzar about his insanity (GW)

In some languages it may be more natural that the heading be a full sentence. For example:

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a second dream

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a tree

Nebuchadnezzar wrote a letter about how he became insane

Special Problems:

1. Change of Speaker: In Daniel 4, the person who tells the story varies between the king and the narrator. For example:

A. In 4:1–18 the king told what happened to him in the first person.

B. In 4:19–27 the narrator told the story of how Daniel interpreted the king’s dream.

C. In 4:28–33 the narrator told what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

D. In 4:34–37 the king again spoke directly in the first person.

The Notes will inform you when there is a change of speaker and suggest how to translate these passages.

2. Repetition: When Daniel interpreted the king’s dream (4:19–27), he repeated parts of what the king had previously told him (in 4:10–16). Later, when the narrator told what happened to the king (4:28–33), he repeated what Daniel had said would happen (in 4:25). This kind of repetition creates suspense in the story. Repetition also helps to emphasize the main theme of the account. For example, at the end of the account, the king repeated information from the beginning (4:3, 34). This information is the theme of the chapter: God is sovereign over human rulers.

3. Synonyms: The author liked to use synonyms, different words with the same or similar meaning. In some cases, he used synonyms to emphasize an idea. For example, in 4:37 the king used three synonyms in the same sentence to emphasize the idea of praise. In some languages this may not be natural. The Notes will suggest other ways you can translate synonyms.

4. Commands: In the dream, the angel made a number of commands. The text does not usually say to whom the angel was giving these commands. Sometimes the angel commanded non-living objects to do something. In all these cases, the angel was speaking a message from God. And when God commands that something happen, it will certainly happen. In some languages it may not be natural to use commands in this way. If that is true in your language, you may be able to translate these commands as authoritative declarations. The Notes will give examples of how you may do this.

5. Poetic Parallelism: The author of Daniel 4 liked to use poetic form to communicate ideas. In Aramaic poetry, authors often used pairs of clauses to say the same thing in two different ways. This type of poetry has many different functions. Sometimes the author used poetry to emphasize themes. Other times he used poetry to mark the climax of a section. This kind of poetry may not be natural in your language. The Notes will describe the function of the poetic speech in Daniel. They will also suggest some options on how you might translate this type of poetry in your own language.

6. Form: The author wrote Daniel 4 in the form of a royal proclamation. This proclamation form gives authority to the account. The style of the proclamation is similar to that of a letter, and the beginning of the chapter is similar to other Aramaic letters. The king first identifies himself. Second, he indicates to whom he is writing, that is, those he intends to read his letter. Third, he greets his readers. In your language, people may have a different way of identifying the author or addressee of a letter. The Notes will suggest some options on how to translate this letter style.

7. Key Terms: Two key terms in Daniel 4 are “earth” and “heaven.” Both words have more than one meaning. The Aramaic word that the BSB generally translates as “earth” can mean either “ground,” “land,” or “world.” The Aramaic word that the BSB generally translates as “heaven” can mean either “sky” or “where God lives.” In 4:26 the author used the word “Heaven” to refer to God himself. The author plays on these two words and their meanings to highlight the main theme of the chapter: “God in heaven rules over the affairs of men on earth.” The Notes will explain the meaning of these two key terms in each context.

Paragraph 4:10–12

Nebuchadnezzar described the tree he had seen in his dream.

4:11a

The tree grew large and strong; its top reached the sky,

It became tall and strong, and its top seemed to touch the sky/clouds.
It grew so big and sturdy that it reached the sky/heavens

The tree grew large and strong: The tree was already tall, so in some languages it may be natural to say:

The tree grew taller and stronger. (NJB)

its top reached the sky: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as reached here indicates that the tree appeared to reach or touch the sky. This can be understood as a figurative way of saying that the tree was very tall. However, since this was a dream, it is possible that this is how it did appear to Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar probably believed the sky to be a flat surface, so he probably dreamed in those terms. A literal translation is therefore acceptable. Here is another way to translate this:

its top touched the sky (NIV)

Translate in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

it became…tall enough to reach the sky (GW)

its top: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as its top is the same as in 4:10c, where it is translated as “its height.”

the sky: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as the sky has two possible meanings:

The literal sky. In ancient thinking, the sky was a flat surface stretched out some distance above the earth.The stars were thought of as holes in this surface, holes that allowed in light from beyond the sky itself. For example:
its height reached the sky (NASB) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NASB, NJB, REB, NET, GW, NCV, NLT)
The place where God lives, heaven. For example:
its top reached to heaven (NRSV) (KJV, RSV/NRSV, ESV, CEV)

Some of the versions listed supporting interpretation (2) may be using “heaven” in a figurative way, as is common in poetry.

Nebuchadnezzar himself probably thought that the gods lived in the sky. So the two interpretations are not too different in this context. However, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). That probably best represents what Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. However, if it is more natural in your language to say “heaven” in this context, in a dream narrative, that is also acceptable.

General Comment on 4:11a

In some languages it may be natural to make a close connection between the clauses in 4:11a. For example:

It became strong enough and tall enough to reach the sky. (GW)

It grew bigger and bigger until it reached the sky. (GNT)

4:11b

and it was visible to the ends of the earth.

Everyone on earth could see it.
and could be seen all over the world.

it was visible to the ends of the earth: People all over the world could see this tree. In Nebuchadnezzar’s dream this was possible because the earth or world was probably flat. So something tall standing in the center could be seen everywhere.

it was visible: The phrase it was visible means “it could be seen.” If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, you may say:

everyone in the world could see it

people could see it from anywhere on earth

to the ends of the earth: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates the ends of the earth is an idiom. It refers to the farthest place on earth. The word that the BSB translates as the earth here is the same word as that translated as “the land” in 4:10b. Translate this idea in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Translate the idiom. For example:
the end of the whole earth (RSV)
Translate the meaning of the idiom. For example:
from anywhere on earth (NCV)
everywhere on earth (GW)

In some languages it may be natural to make it explicit that it was people living in the far parts of the earth who could see the tree. For example:

to people who lived everywhere on earth

could be seen by everyone in the world (GNT)

General Comment on 4:11a–b

It was because the tree was so tall that people could see it from all over the world. In some languages it may be natural to make this connection explicit. For example:

reaching high into the heavens for all the world to see (NLT)

The top of the tree touched the sky and so it could be seen from anywhere on earth (similar to NCV)

until it reached to heaven and could be seen from anywhere on earth (CEV)

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 4:11