DAN 6:26 Interlinear View

6:26 Note: KJB: Dān.6.25

6:26 OSHB variant note: דארין: (x-qere) ’דָיְרִ֥ין’: lemma_1753 morph_AVqrmpa id_27JVz דָיְרִ֥ין

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 6:1–28: God delivered Daniel from the lions’ den

The new Persian king, Darius the Mede, chose Daniel to be one of the three officials who administered the kingdom. Daniel did his work so well that the other officials became jealous of him. One day they asked the king to pass a law that forbade praying to anyone but him for a period of thirty days. The king signed the law. Daniel, however, refused to obey it and continued to pray to the one true God, the God of Israel. When the king heard that Daniel had disobeyed the law, he ordered his soldiers to throw Daniel into the pit where he kept hungry lions. But God protected Daniel. The lions did not hurt him. When the king saw this, he punished Daniel’s enemies and honored Daniel and the God of Israel.

Other possible headings for this section include:

Daniel in the Pit of Lions (GNT)

Daniel and the Lions (NCV)

God protected Daniel from lions

Historical Background: The Persian empire under Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539/538 BC, when Daniel was over seventy years old.Daniel was taken captive and brought to Babylon in approximately 605 B.C. If he was 12 years old when he came, he would have been 78 when this story began. The Persian empire became larger than the Babylonian empire had ever been. It extended west to include both Egypt and Libya. It extended east as far as the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. It was the largest empire in the history of the world up to that time.

Some commentators think that Darius the Mede was another name or title for the Persian King Cyrus or for the governor under him, Gubaru.

Text:

The verse numbers in the NJPS and the NJB are different from the verse numbers in the BSB. For example, 6:1 in the NJPS and the NJB is 5:31 in the BSB. The difference is because the NJPS and NJB follow the numbers in the Hebrew Bible. These Notes follow the verse numbers in the BSB.

Special Problems:

1. Lists: The author liked to include lists. In Daniel 6, he listed the different officials who conspired against Daniel (6:1–2; 7). Some languages may not have so many terms for officials. The Notes will suggest some ways to translate these lists.

2. Repetition: The author liked to repeat words and phrases in order to create suspense and emphasis. The Notes will give some suggestions on how to translate words or phrases that are repeated.

3. Verbs of Speech: The author sometimes used more than one verb of speech to introduce a quotation. In some languages, this may not be natural. The Notes will offer some options on how to translate these verbs.

4. Synonyms: The author liked to use synonyms or near synonyms to refer to the same idea. For example: 6:7–9 (ordinance, law, decree); 6:14 (rescue, delivering); 6:26 (kingdom, dominion); 6:27b (signs, wonders). The Notes will suggest different ways to translate these terms.

Paragraph 6:25–27

Daniel 6:25 begins a new scene. This paragraph tells of King Darius’ reaction to Daniel’s rescue. He wrote a letter to the people in his kingdom, honoring Daniel’s God.

6:26a

I hereby decree

I King Darius make the following law:
I declare/command the following:

I hereby decree: See the Notes at 3:29a. The Aramaic expression that the BSB translates as I hereby decree is literally “from before me is set a command.” Emphasis is on the phrase “from before me.” It was the king himself who gave the command. Other ways English versions translate this are:

I command (GNT)

I decree (GW)

I hereby order the following:

decree: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as decree in this context means “command.”ṭeʿem “command.” HALOT, 1885. It also occurs in Daniel 3:10a, 3:29a, and 4:6a.

6:26b

that in every part of my kingdom, men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel:

Everyone in my kingdom is to fear Daniel’s God and revere him,
Everyone whom I rule must tremble with fear and awe before the God whom Daniel worships.
Everyone in my kingdom must fear and respect the God whom Daniel serves.

in every part of my kingdom: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as in every part of my kingdom is more literally “in all the dominion of my kingdom.” In this context it refers to all the land where the king ruled. Other ways to translate this are:

throughout my kingdom/realm

throughout my empire (GNT)

everywhere I rule

The decree was sent to all the people in every area of his kingdom. In some languages it may be necessary to make this idea explicit. For example:

among all the people over whom I rule

for all the people in my kingdom

men are to tremble in fear before the God of Daniel: The Aramaic clause is literally, “there shall be trembling and fearing before the God of Daniel.” The two verbs meaning “tremble” and “fear” occur together both here and in 5:19a, where the BSB translates them as “trembled” and “fear.” See the notes there.

The king was commanding that everyone should recognize the power of the God whom Daniel worshipped. They should honor him highly. English versions translate this in different ways:

with two verbs. For example:
fear and respect (GNT)
with one verb or phrase. For example:
tremble with terror (GW)
tremble in fear

Different languages have different ways to describe the way that people react when they are afraid. Choose an expression that is natural in your language. For example:

shake with fear

men: The word men refers to people in general, both men and women.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

people

men and women

the God of Daniel: The phrase God of Daniel here means “the God whom Daniel worshiped.”

6:26c–27

These verses are written in Hebrew poetic style. You should translate these verses in the same way you have translated Hebrew poetry elsewhere in the Old Testament. See the Notes at 2:20–23; 4:3; 4:34–35. Some English versions put each verse part on a new line to show the parallelism. You may wish to show that this is poetry in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

He is a living God, (GNT)

and he will rule forever.

His kingdom will never be destroyed,

and his power will never come to an end.

He saves and rescues;

he performs wonders and miracles

in heaven and on earth.

He saved Daniel from being killed by the lions.

In some languages it is unnatural to repeat information like this, so translators combine the information in the parallel lines. You will need to decide how best to translate the parallel lines in your language.

6:26c

For He is the living God, and He endures forever;

because he is the God who truly lives and lives forever.
You must fear him because he is the true God who/and will live forever
For he is the God who always lives, forever and ever.

For: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as For here introduces the reason for the king’s command. Introduce this reason in a way that is natural in your language.

He is the living God: See the Notes at 6:20b.A similar phrase is used in 4:34: “the one who lives forever.” Elsewhere in the O.T. is in Deuteronomy 5:26; Joshua 3:10; 1 Samuel 17:26. The king said that God was living, that is, powerful and active. In some languages it may be redundant to describe God as living. If that is true in your language, you may have another way to express this idea. For example:

the God who exists/acts

the true GodLucas (p. 158) notes that the epithet stresses the uniqueness of God, in contrast to idols.

and He endures forever: This line repeats the information from 6:26c in different words. Some versions begin a new line with this verse part to show the parallel lines.

The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as He endures forever means that God lives forever. See the Notes at 4:26b. Here are some other ways to translate this:

who continues forever (GW)

He will endure forever (NLT)

He lives forever (NCV)

forever: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as forever refers to the indefinite future, all ages to come. In this context, it indicates that God will always live.

6:26d

His kingdom will never be destroyed, and His dominion will never end.

No one will ever destroy his kingdom. He will rule forever.
No one will ever take away his power. His authority to rule will never end.
No one will ever be able to overthrow his kingdom.

His kingdom will never be destroyed: The clause His kingdom will never be destroyed indicates that nothing and no one will ever put an end to God’s rule, his kingly reign over his creation. This is a passive clause. If this is not natural in your language, you may translate it as an active clause. For example:

no one shall ever destroy his kingdom

no one will ever be able to overthrow his rule

His reign will never ceaseBFrCL88.

kingdom: See the Notes at 2:37b. The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as kingdom here refers to God’s reign or power to rule. For example:

His kingly power (REB)

His reign

His dominion will never end: This line repeats the meaning of the previous line, but in a different way. In some languages it may not be natural to repeat information like this. If that is true in your language you may combine the two lines in 6:26d. See the example in the Display.

The Aramaic clause that the BSB translates as will never end is literally “to the end.” There are at least two ways to translate this clause:

As a negative statement. For example:
His dominion has no end.
and his rule will never end (NLT)
his power will never come to an end (GNT)
As a positive statement. For example:
His authority is to the end (NET)
His power lasts to the end of time. (GW)
his sovereignty will last foreverBFrCL88.

If you choose to use an expression such as “to the end,” as in the GW, make sure that your readers will not think that God’s power will eventually end, when time itself comes to an end.

dominion: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as dominion is a synonym to the word “kingdom.”šalṭan “dominion.” HALOT, 1995. See also the Notes at 4:3d; 4:22d, 4:34e. In this context, it means:

his power (GW)

sovereignty (REB)

authority (NET)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / doublet

זאעין וְ⁠דָ֣חֲלִ֔ין