DAN 1:20 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs.
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 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters, who were in his entire kingdom.

UST In all important matters which the king inquired of us, he found that what we four men advised was ten times as good as what all the magicians and sorcerers in his kingdom advised.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE In every matter of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters who were in all his realm.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET In every matter of wisdom and insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire.

LSV and [in] any matter of wisdom [and] understanding that the king has sought of them, he finds them ten hands above all the enchanters, the conjurers, who [are] in all his kingdom.

FBV Whatever subject the king asked them about, everything that required wisdom of understanding,[fn] he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.

1:20 The Hebrew does not say “wisdom and understanding” as most versions translate it. Some argue that “wisdom of understanding” indicates a superlative, in that the highest form of wisdom is indicated. Others suggest that “understanding” qualifies the term “wisdom,” indicating that this wisdom did not include so-called Babylonian “wisdom” of astrology and divination etc.

T4T In all important matters, the king found that what we four men advised was ten times as good as what all the magicians and sorcerers/fortune-tellers in his kingdom advised.

LEB And in every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king inquired from them, he found them ten times better than all of the magicians[fn] and conjurers[fn] that _⌊were in his entire kingdom_⌋.[fn]

1:20 Or “soothsayer-priests”

1:20 Or “enchanters”

1:20 Literally “in the whole of his kingdom”

BBE And in any business needing wisdom and good sense, about which the king put questions to them, he saw that they were ten times better than all the wonder-workers and users of secret arts in all his kingdom.

Moff and on every point of science and knowledge about which the king put questions to them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in all his realm.

JPS And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.

ASV And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.

DRA And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the diviners, and wise men, that were in all his kingdom.

YLT and [in] any matter of wisdom [and] understanding that the king hath sought of them, he findeth them ten hands above all the scribes, the enchanters, who [are] in all his kingdom.

Drby And in all matters of judicious wisdom, as to which the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the scribes [and] magicians that were in all his realm.

RV And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king inquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm.
(And in every matter of wisdom and understanding, concerning which the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in all his realm. )

SLT And every word of the wisdom of understanding which the king sought from them, and he will find them ten hands over all the sacred scribes, the enchanters which were in all his kingdom.

Wbstr And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king inquired of them, he found them ten times superior to all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.

KJB-1769 And in all matters of wisdom and understanding, that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.[fn]

1.20 wisdom…: Heb. wisdom of understanding

KJB-1611 And in all matters of [fn]wisedome and vnderstanding that the king enquired of them, hee found them ten times better then all the Magicians and Astrologers that were in all his Realme.
(And in all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better then all the Magicians and Astrologers that were in all his Realm.)

1:20 Heb. wisedome of vnderstanding.

Bshps In all matters of wysdome and vnderstanding that the king enquired of them, he founde them ten times better then all the wyse men and soothsayers that were in all his realme.
(In all matters of wisdom and understanding that the king enquired of them, he found them ten times better then all the wise men and soothsayers that were in all his realm.)

Gnva And in all matters of wisedome, and vnderstanding that the King enquired of them, hee founde them tenne times better then all the inchanters and astrologians, that were in all his realme.
(And in all matters of wisdom, and understanding that the King enquired of them, he found them ten times better then all the enchanters and astrologians, that were in all his realm. )

Cvdl which in all wisdome and matters off vnderstodinge, that he enquered off them, founde them ten tymes better, the all the soythsayers and charmers, that were in all his realme.
(which in all wisdom and matters off understanding, that he enquered off them, found them ten times better, the all the soothsayers and charmers, that were in all his realm.)

Wycl And ech word of wisdom and of vndurstondyng, which the king axide of hem, he foond in hem ten fold ouer alle false dyuynouris and astronomyens, that weren in al his rewme.
(And each word of wisdom and of understanding, which the king asked of hem, he found in hem ten fold over all false divineris and astronomyens, that were in all his realm.)

Luth Und der König fand sie in allen Sachen, die er sie fragte, zehnmal klüger und verständiger denn alle Sternseher und Weisen in seinem ganzen Reich.
(And the/of_the king found they/she/them in all/everyone things, the he they/she/them asked, ten_times smarter and more_reasonable because/than all Sternseher and ways/manners in his entire Reich.)

ClVg Et omne verbum sapientiæ et intellectus, quod sciscitatus est ab eis rex, invenit in eis decuplum super cunctos ariolos et magos qui erant in universo regno ejus.
(And everything the_word/saying of_wisdom and understanding, that sciscitatus it_is away to_them king, he_found in/into/on to_them decuplum over together soothsayers and magicians who/which they_were in/into/on in_the_universe kingdom his. )

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.

1:20a

In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king consulted them,

Whenever the king asked them about a difficult problem or question,
The king asked them about various challenging issues,

Nebuchadnezzar asked the young men questions to test their wisdom and understanding. The Hebrew text connects this verse to the previous verse with a common conjunction that several English versions translate as “And.” Here it introduces a clause that adds to the praises of Daniel and his friends in 1:19. The BSB does not explicitly translate this conjunction. Introduce this clause in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Whenever the king asked for advice (CEV)

Every time the king asked them about something important (NCV)

No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised (GNT)

In every matter of wisdom and understanding: This refers to any question or problem that a person needed wisdom to answer or solve. In some languages it may be necessary to make this connection between matter and wisdom and understanding more explicit. For example:

about things that required wisdom and insight (GW)

all the things that only a wise person could understand and advise him about

matter: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as matter is very general. It can refer to any kind of question or problem that the king might have had. In some languages it may be necessary to use a more specific expression. For example:

inquiry

subject/topic

wisdom and understanding: The Hebrew expression that the BSB translates as wisdom and understanding is literally “wisdom of understanding.” Most English versions connect the two nouns with the word and.

wisdom: The Hebrew word for wisdom is the same word that is translated as “wisdom” in 1:4b. It is good to use the same word to indicate that the king found the qualities he was looking for.

understanding: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as understanding is the same as in 1:4b, in the phrase “quick to understand.” Other ways to translate this word are:

insight (GW)

balanced judgment (NLT)

about which the king consulted them: This clause expresses an action that the king repeated many times. He asked the four men many questions over a period of time. In some languages it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

Whenever the king asked them about things that required knowledge or insight… (GW)

No matter what question the king asked or what problem he raised… (GNT)

1:20b

he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom.

they proved/showed to him that they were many times wiser than all the magicians and religious/occult experts in his entire kingdom/empire.
and they always answered well/wisely, giving advice much/far better than that of all the experts in magic and pagan scholars in Babylonia.

he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom: The king judged or evaluated Daniel and his friends. He also judged or evaluated his own magicians and enchanters. Daniel and his friends proved to be better advisors. They were wiser, more capable, competent, and knowledgeable. Here is another way to translate this:

he found them ten times more capable than any of the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom (NLT)

he found them: This introduces the results of the king’s evaluation. Languages have different ways to introduce this kind of information. In some languages it may be more natural to use a different verb. For example:

the king realized that they were….

he saw that they were

they showed themselves to be

they proved to be

them: The pronoun them refers to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Here is another way to translate this:

These four (GNT)

ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters: This expresses a comparison. It compares Daniel and his friends to all the magicians and enchanters. Specifically, the king compared their advice and their wisdom. In some languages it may be more natural to make this explicit. For example:

the king found the advice of these young men to be ten times better than that of all the magicians and enchanters in his entire kingdom (NLT)

he found their wisdom was ten times better than that of his other advisors and magicians (CEV)

ten times better: Here ten times is used as a figure of speech. It is an emphatic way to say “very much better.” In some languages it may not be natural to use this figure of speech about a quality like wisdom that cannot be measured. If that is true in your language, there are several other possible ways to translate this:

Indicate that the four men knew ten times as much as the others. For example:
knew ten times more than… (GNT)
Use a different idiom to express the comparison. For example:
were head and neck above the others
Express the meaning directly. For example:
were much, much better/wiser

magicians: The same Hebrew word is used to describe the Egyptian magicians in the story of Joseph and Moses (Genesis 41:8; Exodus 7:11). It is good to use a word that refers to someone who predicts the future and has other unusual or supernatural powers. It should not indicate that these powers are from God.

Most versions translate this in a general way as magicians. But it is also possible to translate more specifically, referring to what a magician in those days did. For example:

fortuneteller (GNT)

diviners

dream interpreters

enchanters: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as enchanters refers to people who know how to speak magical words (incantations, charms, or spells). Other ways to translate this include:

soothsayers (NJB)

spell makers/speakers

in his entire kingdom: The word kingdom refers both to the country and the people that the king ruled. See “kingdom” in KBT.

General Comment on 1:20

It may be natural to translate this as two or more separate sentences. For example:

Every time the king asked them about something important, they showed much wisdom and understanding. They were ten times better than all the fortune-tellers and magicians in his kingdom! (NCV)

Parallel DAN 1:20

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

Paragraph 1:17–21

1:20a

1:20b

General Comment on 1:20

Judah Is Exiled to Babylon