DAN 1:17 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, blue:Elohim.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT As for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and insight in all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

UST And God gave to us four young men wisdom and the ability to study many things that Babylonians had written and studied. And he also gave to me the ability to understand the meaning of visions and dreams.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in all sorts of literature and wisdom – and Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.

LSV As for these four boys, God has given to them knowledge and understanding in every [kind of] literature, and wisdom; and Daniel has given instruction about every [kind of] vision and dreams.

FBV God gave these four young men the ability to learn and understand in all areas of literature and knowledge, while Daniel was also given the gift of interpreting all kinds of visions and dreams.

T4T And God gave to us four young men wisdom and the ability to study many things that Babylonians had written and studied. And he also gave to me the ability to understand the meaning of visions and dreams.

LEB _⌊And as for these four young men_⌋,[fn] God[fn] gave to them knowledge and insight into all literature and wisdom, and Daniel had insight into all visions[fn] and dreams.

1:17 Literally “And these young men, four of them”

1:17 Hebrew “the God”

1:17 Hebrew “vision”

BBE Now as for these four young men, God gave them knowledge and made them expert in all book-learning and wisdom: and Daniel was wise in all visions and dreams.

Moff To these four youths God granted knowledge and skill in all literature and science, and Daniel especially became an adept in all the lore of visions and dreams.

JPS Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

ASV Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

DRA And to these children God gave knowledge, and understanding in every book, and wisdom: but to Daniel the understanding also of all visions and dreams.

YLT As to these four lads, God hath given to them knowledge and understanding in every [kind of] literature, and wisdom; and Daniel hath given instruction about every [kind of] vision and dreams.

Drby As for these four youths, [fn]God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

1.17 Elohim

RV Now as for these four youths, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

SLT And these four children, God gave to them knowledge and understanding in all writing and wisdom: and Daniel understood in every vision and dreams.

Wbstr As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.

KJB-1769 ¶ As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.[fn]

1.17 Daniel…: or, he made Daniel understand

KJB-1611 ¶ As for these foure children, God gaue them knowledge, and skil in all learning and wisedome, [fn]and Daniel had vnderstanding in all visions and dreames.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

1:17 Or, hee made Daniel vnderstand.

Bshps As for these foure children, God gaue them knowledge and vnderstanding in all learning & wysdome: also he gaue Daniel vnderstanding of all visions and dreames.
(As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and understanding in all learning and wisdom: also he gave Daniel understanding of all visions and dreams.)

Gnva As for these foure children, God gaue them knowledge, and vnderstanding in al learning and wisedome: also he gaue Daniel vnderstanding of all visions and dreames.
(As for these four children, God gave them knowledge, and understanding in all learning and wisdom: also he gave Daniel understanding of all visions and dreams. )

Cvdl God gaue now these foure spryngaldes connynge and lernynge in all scripture and wisdome: but vnto Daniel specially, he gaue vnderstondinge off all visions and dreames.
(God gave now these four springaldes cunning and learning in all scripture and wisdom: but unto Daniel specially, he gave understanding off all visions and dreams.)

Wycl Forsothe to these children God yaf kunnyng and lernyng in ech book, and in al wisdom; but to Daniel God yaf vndurstondyng of alle visiouns and dremys.
(For_certain/Truly to these children God gave cunning and learning in each book, and in all wisdom; but to Daniel God gave understanding of all visions and dremys.)

Luth Aber der GOtt dieser vier gab ihnen Kunst und Verstand in allerlei Schrift und Weisheit; Daniel aber gab er Verstand in allen Gesichten und Träumen.
(But the/of_the God this four gave to_them Kunst and mind in all_sorts_of_things writing and wise_(people); Daniel but gave he mind in all/everyone visions/facesn and dreamsn.)

ClVg Pueris autem his dedit Deus scientiam et disciplinam, in omni libro et sapientia: Danieli autem intelligentiam omnium visionum et somniorum.
(Pueris however his he_gave God knowledge and discipline, in/into/on all book and wisdom: Danieli however intelligence of_all visions and somniorum. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:1–21: Daniel and his friends began to serve King Nebuchadnezzar

This section forms the introduction to the first division and to the book of Daniel as a whole. It tells how some Hebrew boys came to live in Babylon and serve the Babylonian king.

God allowed the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, to defeat the king of Judah. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered his chief official to choose some boys from Judah and to train them to work in the government of Babylon. Daniel and his three friends were among these boys. They excelled in their studies and the king was pleased with the wise advice they gave.

The phrase “the Lord delivered” (“Adonay gave” in Hebrew) occurs in 1:2, the phrase “God had granted” (“Elohim had given” in Hebrew) occurs in 1:9, and the phrase “God gave” (“Elohim gave” in Hebrew) occurs in 1:17. (1:2a, 1:9, 1:17a). The author used these phrases to emphasize that the Lord is sovereign over the events of history and the lives of his people. God has authority over what happens to Gentile nations and also what happens to his people. This is the theme of this chapter.

Paragraph 1:17–21

Some English versions include verse 17 with the previous paragraph (for example, the NRSV and NJB). However, it seems appropriate to begin a new paragraph at this verse, as the GNT and BSB do. Daniel 1:17 introduces the climax of the chapter. God blessed Daniel and his three friends. The king was very pleased with their wisdom and he accepted them into his service.

1:17a

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom.

¶ God helped these four young men to learn many/varied subjects, all the knowledge and writings of the Babylonians.
¶ God gave to each of these four youths the ability to study and understand every different topic/aspect of Babylonian literature and learning.

To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding in every kind of literature and wisdom: God helped Daniel and his three friends to benefit from their Babylonian education. They learned easily and well.

In some languages it may be more natural to choose a different verb. For example:

God made all four of these young men smart and able to understand all different kinds of literature and learning

God caused these four young men to be wise and to understand all kinds of literature and learning.

To these four young men: The BSB follows the Hebrew by putting the phrase these four young men first in the sentence for emphasis. In this context, the phrase these four young men is the topic that the author wants to focus on. See the General Comment on 1:17a for a way to reorder this verse part.

God gave: This is the third time that the Hebrew verb, translated as gave here, occurs in the chapter with God as the one doing the action. This key phrase divides the chapter into three parts. It emphasizes that God was in control of the events that happened in the life of Daniel.

gave knowledge: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as knowledge also occurs in the phrase “quick to understand” in 1:4b. See the note there. God gave the four young men the ability the king was looking for. Some ways that English versions have translated this include:

gave them learning (RSV)Goldingay, p. 4.

made…intelligent (NJPS)

made them smart (CEV)

Translate this in a way that is natural in your language.

understanding: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as understanding can mean “insight, understanding, good sense.” Some ways that English versions have translated this are:

skill (RSV)

wisdom (CEV)

every kind of literature and wisdom: This phrase explains what kinds of things the young men could understand.

literature: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as literature means “scroll, book” or “writing.” Here it refers to the written works of the Babylonians.

and wisdom: The young men also understood all kinds of intellectual studies. The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as wisdom is the same as in 1:4b.

General Comment on 1:17a

In some languages it may be natural to reorder this verse part with the subject at the beginning. For example:

God gave these four men… (GW)

Consider if there is another way to indicate the topic of the sentence.

1:17b

And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.

And as for Daniel, God also gave him the ability to understand the various kinds of dreams and visions.
God also gave Daniel special ability to explain any dream. He could also interpret any vision.

And Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams: As well as the knowledge and understanding that the four friends received, Daniel received a special ability. He could interpret the meaning of visions and dreams. Other ways to translate this include:

And God gave Daniel the special ability to interpret the meanings of visions and dreams (NLT)

And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds (NIV)

Daniel could also tell the meaning of dreams and visions. (CEV)

And Daniel had insight into: The four men were the topic of 1:17a. Daniel alone is the topic of 1:17b. Introduce this shift in topic in a way that is natural in your language.

had insight: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as had insight means “discerned, had insight.” See the note on “quick to understand” in 1:4b. Not only did God help Daniel understand all kinds of literature and learning, but he also gave him insight into the meaning of dreams. Other ways to translate this are:

Daniel also could understand…

God gave Daniel special ability in understanding… (NLT)

God gave Daniel the ability to understand and explain…

all kinds of visions and dreams: The Hebrew says more literally “all visions and dreams.” The Babylonians studied and classified different kinds of dreams. Other ways to translate this include:

every kind of vision and dream (NJB)

visions and dreams (GNT)

visions and dreams: Prophets often had visions. A vision is like a dream, except that a person is usually awake. Sometimes he may be in a trance. In visions, people see and hear things that they would not ordinarily see and that other people cannot see or hear. In the Bible, God often gave a prophet a special vision when he had something important to communicate to his people.

In contrast to visions, dreams usually occur at night when people are asleep. However, in the book of Daniel, these two words overlap in meaning. If your language has a word for dreams but it does not have a word for visions, you may have to use a descriptive phrase to translate the meaning of visions. For example:

dreams and other special messages from God

BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:

Map

Judah Is Exiled to Babylon

Daniel 1; 2 Kings 24-25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 39; 52

One of the most significant events in the story of the Old Testament is the exile of Judah to Babylon in 586 B.C. This event–actually the third in a series of exiles to Babylon (the others occurring in 605 B.C. and 597 B.C.)–precipitated several crises in the nation and in Judaism. The northern kingdom of Israel had already been exiled to Assyria over a century earlier in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 15:29; 17:1-6; 1 Chronicles 5:26; see also “Israelites Are Exiled to Assyria” map), and in some ways that exile was even more devastating. Nevertheless, the Temple of the Lord remained intact in Jerusalem as a place where the faithful could continue to offer their sacrifices. With the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord at the hands of the Babylonians, however, sacrifices could no longer be offered at the Tabernacle or Temple of the Lord (Leviticus 17:2-4; Deuteronomy 12:5-7), and the Lord’s promise to provide a land for his people and a descendant on the throne of David no doubt seemed abandoned. At the same time, however, the Judean exiles were allowed to maintain their religious traditions in Babylon, and many even began to thrive there, including Daniel and his friends, who served at the royal court (Daniel 1; see also “The Land of Exile” map). One of the last kings of Babylon expanded Babylonia further by capturing the desert oases of Dumah, Tema, Dedan, and Yathrib (see “Oases of the Arabian Desert” map), but eventually the Median Empire to the north merged with the Persian Empire to the southeast and conquered the Babylonian Empire. King Cyrus of Persia then decreed that the exiled Judeans, now called “Jews,” could return to their homeland if they desired (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1-2; see also “Jews Return from Exile” map).

Parallel DAN 1:17

Section 1:1–21: Daniel and his friends began to serve King Nebuchadnezzar

Paragraph 1:17–21

1:17a

General Comment on 1:17a

1:17b

Judah Is Exiled to Babylon