DAN 5:10 Interlinear View

5:10 OSHB variant note: עללת: (x-qere) ’עַלַּ֑ת’: lemma_5954 n_1 morph_AVqp3fs id_27dBb עַלַּ֑ת

5:10 Possibly ‘the previous queen’, i.e., the queen mother (as the next verse displays her knowledge of past events).

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–31: God judged King Belshazzar

The author continued to write in the Aramaic language. He wrote about how King Belshazzar gave a big banquet and made use of the sacred treasures from the Jerusalem temple. Belshazzar saw a hand writing a mysterious message on the wall. Only Daniel was able to explain the message, that God was about to punish Belshazzar. That same night an army of Medes and Persians conquered the city and killed Belshazzar.

English versions give different headings to Daniel 5. These include:

The Handwriting on the Wall (GW)

The Writing on the Wall (NIV)

King Belshazzar’s Banquet (CEV)

In some languages it may be more natural to write the heading in the form of a clause. For example, you could say:

King Belshazzar saw a hand write on the wall.

King Belshazzar had/gave a banquet/feast.

Some versions give headings to the subsections of Daniel 5. For example, the NLT has two headings:

The Writing on the Wall (5:1)

Daniel explains the writing (5:13)

The NRSV has three headings:

Belshazzar’s Feast (5:1)

The Writing on the Wall (5:5)

The Writing on the Wall Interpreted (5:13)

You should decide the number of headings that is best in your translation. The purpose of headings is to help readers to follow the events of the story. Headings also help the reader understand the relationships between the different parts of the story. You should try not to have more headings than necessary.

Historical Background:

Nabonidus was the king of Babylon from 556 to 539 B.C. Historical records indicate that he married Nitocris, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar, and that Belshazzar was their oldest son.See the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and the Nabonidus Chronicles. While Nabonidus was absent from Babylon during the last ten years of his reign, Belshazzar acted as king in his place.

Daniel 5 describes the last night of the Babylonian empire. From other historic sources we know that Cyrus, the king of Persia, attacked the Babylonian army during the 7th month of the year 539 B.C. On the 15th day of that month, they attacked the town of Sippar and King Nabonidus fled. The next day Cyrus’ army entered the city of Babylon without any battle and killed its ruler, Belshazzar. Daniel 5 describes what Belshazzar was doing on the last day of the Babylonian empire.

Paragraph 5:10–12

The queen now entered the banquet hall and addressed the king.

5:10a–b

Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall: These verse parts indicate that the queen came into the banquet room when and because she heard the men speaking. In this context, the two ideas are close in meaning. In some languages, it may not be necessary to translate the connection in an explicit way. The idea may be implied from the context. Here are some ways to indicate this connection:

The queen mother heard the noise made by the king and his noblemen and entered the banquet hall (GNT)

Then the king’s mother, who had heard the voices of the king and his royal guests, came into the banquet room. (NCV)

When the queen heard the king and his officials talking, she came in (CEV)

The queen heard the raised voices of the king and his noblemen. So she came into the banquet hall…

General Comment on 2:10a–b

In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of the two verbs in these verse parts. For example:

The queen herself entered the banquet hall when/because she heard the raised voices of the king and his nobles.

5:10a

Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen

¶ The queen heard the king and his nobles talking about this,
¶ Then because even she could hear their loud conversation/discussion,

Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen: In the Aramaic text, the word queen is emphasized by its position in the sentence. In Aramaic the word that the BSB translates as the queen is the first word in the sentence. The NIV follows the Aramaic order to show this emphasis:

The queen, hearing the voices of the king and his noble (NIV)

In some languages it may be natural to add this emphasis in a different way. For example:

The queen herself heard the king and his nobles speaking

Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles: The BSB has supplied the word Hearing. The Aramaic is more literally “because of the voices of the king and nobles,” as in the NASB. The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as outcry is a general one meaning “words, things, matters.” In this context it implies that the men were talking loudly. The queen could probably hear enough of their words to understand what was happening. And she could hear that they were alarmed and worried. It is good to translate in a way that implies this. For example:

hearing their raised voices

the outcry of the king and his nobles: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as outcry has a broad meaning of “words, matters, things.” In this context it refers to the loud discussion that the king and his lords were having. The queen could hear them talking and even shouting. She could hear the panic in their voices, and enough of the subject to understand what was happening. English translations express different parts of this meaning. For example:

the discussion of the king and his lords (NRSV)

the noise made by the king and his noblemen (GNT)

the king and his officials talking (CEV)

It is good to use an expression that indicates or implies both that the queen could hear the subject matter, and that the voices were loud. For example:

Hearing the loud discussion of the king and his nobles

When she heard the king and his nobles talking like this

Hearing their loud voices

the queen: The text does not identify who this person was. Scholars suggest that she was either Belshazzar’s motherAccording to Heroditus, the mother of Belshazzar was Nitocris the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. or Nabonidus’ mother, that is, Belshazzar’s grandmother.See Josephus. The mother of Nabonidus was named Adda-guppi. She was born in 650 and lived to the age of 104. The title could refer to Belshazzar’s wife, but 1:2 says that Belshazzar’s wives were already present at the banquet. If you have a general title for a queen, it is good to use that here. But if you must be more specific, it is recommended that you use a title that refers to the mother of the queen. For example:

the queen mother (NCV)

It is good to include a footnote saying that the text literally has “queen.” If you choose to translate with a general word for “queen,” you should include a note that says that this title here probably referred to the mother of the king. The mother of the king at this time was probably Nitocris, the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar and wife of Nabonidus.

5:10b

entered the banquet hall.

so she came into the banquet hall.
the queen mother entered the room where the king and his nobles/officials were eating/feasting.

entered the banquet hall: The queen entered the large room where the king and his guests were eating and drinking. Other ways to translate this include:

the queen entered the banqueting hall (REB)

came into the banquet room (NCV)

5:10c

“O king, may you live forever!” she said.

She said, “King Belshazzar, may you live for ever!
She addressed the king with respect, “Your Majesty, I wish you good health!

“O king, may you live forever!” she said: The Aramaic text says “the queen said.” The Aramaic language often repeats a person’s name or title when it first introduces them in a story. In some languages it may be more natural to follow the BSB and use a pronoun.

O king, may you live forever!: This was a common way people greeted the king. It is a figure of speech. It indicates that the speaker respected the king and wished him a long and healthy life. See 2:4b. Use a greeting that is natural in your language and expresses this same meaning. For example:

Long live the king!

In the Aramaic this is a second-person command addressed to the king. Some English versions follow this. For example:

O king, live forever! (NASB)

Your Majesty, may you live forever (GW)

Use a form that is natural in your language for showing respect and honor to someone in authority.

said: In some languages it may be necessary to identify to whom the queen was speaking. She was speaking to Belshazzar the king, who was probably her son. For example:

She said to Belshazzar (NLT)

5:10d

“Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow pale.

Do not be afraid. There is no need to look so white/frightened!
You do not have to look so pale and frightened! Cheer up!

Do not let your thoughts terrify you: The Aramaic clause that the BSB translates as Do not let your thoughts terrify you is literally “Do not let your thoughts alarm you.” See the Notes at 5:6a, where the same verb phrase occurs. The queen was telling the king not to panic or be afraid. She was implying that everything would be all right. In translating this, remember that the queen was probably the mother of the king. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Don’t be…afraid about this (NLT)

Please do not be so disturbed (GNT)

There is no need to panic.

In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a positive expression. For example:

Relax.

Calm down.

or your face grow pale: See the Notes at 5:6a. Here the text is more literally “Do not let your brightness be changed.” The queen told the king that he need or should not look so frightened. She implied that it was not necessary because there was nothing to be afraid of. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and don’t turn pale (GW)

Please do not…look so pale

There is no need to turn so white!

In some languages it may seem very strange to command someone not to change color. If that is true in your language, you may have to translate in a more general way. For example:

Please do not look so frightened.

There is no need to be so afraid/upset.

Cheer up!

General Comment on 5:10d

In some languages it may be natural to combine the two commands into one clause. Put the two ideas in the order that is most natural in your language and makes the meaning clear. For example:

Please do not panic and turn pale.

You do not have to turn white with fear!

You should/need not let yourself look so alarmed/upset.

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