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OET (OET-LV) [fn] they_took_counsel_together all_of the_overseers_of the_kingdom the_prefects and_the_satraps the_counsellors and_the_governors to_establish the_regulation_of Oh/the_king and_to_make_stringent a_prohibition that every_of one_who he_will_ask a_petition from any_of god and_person until days thirty except from_you(ms) Oh/the_king he_will_be_thrown to_the_den_of the_lions.
6:8 Note: KJB: Dān.6.7
OET (OET-RV) Now, your majesty, sign the document and establish this law so that it can’t then be revoked according to the law of the Medes and Persians.”
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.
This paragraph indicates what the officials did as a result of what they had concluded in the previous paragraph. They went and spoke to the king in order to trap Daniel in connection with the laws of his God.
Therefore, O king, establish the decree and sign the document
You, our king, should issue the law and sign it
So, your Majesty, quickly make this new law and sign it.
Therefore: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as Therefore here adds emphasis or urgency to the officials’ request. Translate this idea in a way that is natural in your language.
O king: See the Notes at 6:7d.
establish the decree: See the Notes at 6:7b.
and sign the document: In this context there are two ways to interpret the Aramaic word that the BSB translates as sign:
It means “sign.”Goldingay (p. 120) suggests that it may mean “put your seal to.” The officials asked the king to sign or inscribe his name to the law. For example:
and sign it (GNT) (BSB, NASB, GW, GNT, CEV, NCV, NLT, KJV, RSV/NRSV, NJB, ESV)
It means “write.”rešem “to write.” HALOT, 1984. The officials asked the king to write the law down. For example:
and have it put in writing (REB) (NIV, REB, NJPS, NET)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).
the document: The phrase the document refers to the written form of the decree. The terms the document and “the decree” in the previous clause thus refer to the same law. Translate in such a way that the reader understands this.
so that it cannot be changed—
so that no one can change it.
Then no one can make any changes to the law,
so that it cannot be changed: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates so that here introduces a purpose clause. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
so that it may not be changed (NASB)
so that it cannot be altered (NIV)
so that it becomes unalterable (REB)
it cannot be changed: No one was to be allowed to alter this law. No one could change it. The BSB translates this as a passive clause. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this as an active clause. For example:
so that no one can change it
in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians, which cannot be repealed.”
The new law will then be like the rest of the laws of the Medes and Persians, which no one can annul/cancel.
just as no one can revoke/repeal any of our(incl) laws, the laws governing the Mede people and the Persian people.
in accordance with the law of the Medes and Persians: The Aramaic preposition that the BSB translates as in accordance with means “according to, in agreement with.” The law would be one of the laws of the Medes and Persians, and would function like their other laws. Here are some other ways to translate this:
The law would then correspond with the law of the Medes and Persians
The law would then conform to the law of the Medes and Persians
just as no written law of the Medes and Persians can be changed (CEV)
the law of the Medes and Persians: When the king made a law, it became part of the groups of laws that governed the Medes and the Persians. In some languages, you may have to include some implied information. For example:
the laws that govern the kingdom that the Medes and Persians rule/inhabit
the Medes and Persians: See how you translated the names of these people groups in 5:28, where the same phrase occurs.
which cannot be repealed: There are two ways to interpret the Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as be repealed:
It means “be removed, revoked.” For example:
cancelled (NCV) (BSB, GW, NIV, NCV, NASB, RSV/NRSV, ESV, NJB, REB, NLT)
It means “be changed.” According to this interpretation, it is a synonym to “changed” in 6:8b. For example:
changed (GNT) (GNT, CEV, KJV, NET)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). No one was allowed to revoke, cancel, or annul the laws of the Medes and the Persians. No one, not even the king, had the authority to put an end to the authority of these laws. See also Esther 1:19a and Esther 8:8c Use the expression that is natural for bringing a law to an end. For example:
revoked (NRSV)
put an end to
This is a passive clause. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this as an active clause. For example:
which no one can repeal/annul
cannot be repealed: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates cannot is an emphatic negative. Emphasize the impossibility of repealing the law in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
in no way be repealed
In some languages it may be natural to use a strong positive expression. For example:
must remain in force
are firmly established
In some languages it may be more natural to combine some of the information in this verse. For example:
8aSo let your Majesty issue and sign this law. 8b,dThen it will be unchangeable and irrevocable, 8clike the other laws of the Medes and Persians.
לָ֥א תֶעְדֵּֽא
(Some words not found in UHB: agreed all administrators_of of,the_kingdom the,prefects and,the,satraps the,counselors and,the,governors to,establish ordinance_of Oh/the=king and,to,make_stringent decree that/who all that/who prays prayer from/more_than all/each/any/every god_of and,person until days thirty therefore/except from=you(ms) Oh/the=king thrown to,the_den_of of,the_lions )
Alternate translation: “cannot be canceled”
6:8 cannot be changed . . . cannot be revoked: Cp. Esth 1:19. Human laws all pass away, but God’s law lasts forever (Pss 93:5; 119:152). This devotion to established laws was one of the special features of the Persian Empire. Eventually, the profusion of laws so swamped them in bureaucracy that they could not function efficiently.
OET (OET-LV) [fn] they_took_counsel_together all_of the_overseers_of the_kingdom the_prefects and_the_satraps the_counsellors and_the_governors to_establish the_regulation_of Oh/the_king and_to_make_stringent a_prohibition that every_of one_who he_will_ask a_petition from any_of god and_person until days thirty except from_you(ms) Oh/the_king he_will_be_thrown to_the_den_of the_lions.
6:8 Note: KJB: Dān.6.7
OET (OET-RV) Now, your majesty, sign the document and establish this law so that it can’t then be revoked according to the law of the Medes and Persians.”
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.
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