DAN 2:10 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.)

OET (OET-RV) “There’s no one in the whole world who could tell the king that,” the astrologers answered the king. “No great and powerful king has asked any magician or enchanter or astrologer to do that before!

2:10 OSHB variant note: כשדי/א: (x-qere) ’כַשְׂדָּאֵ֤/י’: lemma_3779 morph_ANgmpc/Sp1cs id_27tc4 כַשְׂדָּאֵ֤/י

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 The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth who is able to reveal the matter for the king, for no great and powerful king has asked such a thing from any magician or enchanter or Chaldean.

UST The men who studied the stars replied to the king, “There is no one on the earth who can do what you ask! There is no king, even a great and mighty king, who has ever asked his men who work magic or his fortune-tellers or men who study the stars to do something like that!

BSB The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests! No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE The Chaldeans answered the king and said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter, because no king, lord, or ruler has asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.

WMBB The Kasdians answered the king and said, “There is not a man on the earth who can show the king’s matter, because no king, lord, or ruler has asked such a thing of any magician, enchanter, or Chaldean.

NET The wise men replied to the king, “There is no man on earth who is able to disclose the king’s secret, for no king, regardless of his position and power, has ever requested such a thing from any magician, astrologer, or wise man.

LSV The Chaldeans have answered before the king, and are saying, “There is not a man on the earth who is able to show the king’s matter; therefore, no king, chief, and ruler, has asked such a thing as this of any scribe, and enchanter, and Chaldean;

FBV The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth could tell the king what he dreamed! Never before has a king, however great and powerful, demanded this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer!

T4T The men who studied the stars replied, “There is no one on the earth who can do what you ask! There is no king, even a great and mighty king, who has ever asked his men who work magic or his fortune-tellers or men who study the stars to do something like that!

LEB The _⌊astrologers_⌋[fn] answered the king and said, “There is not a man on earth that is able to reveal the word of the king; _⌊in fact_⌋,[fn] no great and powerful king has ever asked a thing like this of any magician[fn] or conjurer[fn] or _⌊astrologer_⌋.[fn]

2:10 Literally “Chaldeans”

2:10 Literally “all because that”

2:10 Or “soothsayer-priest”

2:10 Or “enchanter”

2:10 Literally “Chaldean”

BBE Then the Chaldaeans said to the king in answer, There is not a man on earth able to make clear the king's business; for no king, however great his power, has ever made such a request to any wonder-worker or user of secret arts or Chaldaean.

Moff The diviners answered the king, “There is not a man on earth who could tell what the king demands; no monarch, however great and mighty, has ever asked such a thing of any magician or enchanter or diviner.

JPS The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said: 'There is not a man upon the earth that can declare the king's matter; forasmuch as no great and powerful king hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.

ASV The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter, forasmuch as no king, lord, or ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.

DRA Then the Chaldeains answered before the king, and said: There is no man upon earth, that can accomplish thy word, O king, neither doth any king, though great and mighty, ask such a thing of any diviner, or wise man, or Chaldean.

YLT The Chaldeans have answered before the king, and are saying, 'There is not a man on the earth who is able to shew the king's matter; therefore, no king, chief, and ruler, hath asked such a thing as this of any scribe, and enchanter, and Chaldean;

Drby The Chaldeans answered before the king and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king's matter; therefore there is no king, however great and powerful, that hath asked such a thing of any scribe, or magician, or Chaldean.

RV The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: forasmuch as no king, lord, nor ruler, hath asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean.
(The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter: forasmuch as no king, lord, nor ruler, hath/has asked such a thing of any magician, or enchanter, or Chaldean. )

SLT The Chaldean answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the dry land that shall be able to show the king’s word: for which cause that every king, leader, and ruler, asked not a word like this to any sacred scribe, and enchanter, and Chaldean.

Wbstr The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king's matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that hath asked such things of any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.

KJB-1769 ¶ The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can shew the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean.
(¶ The Chaldeans answered before the king, and said, There is not a man upon the earth that can show the king’s matter: therefore there is no king, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any magician, or astrologer, or Chaldean. )

KJB-1611 ¶ The Caldeans answered before the King, and said, There is not a man vpon the earth that can shew the kings matter: therefore there is no King, lord, nor ruler, that asked such things at any Magician, or Astrologer, or Caldean.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Upon this the Chaldees gaue aunswere before the king, and sayde: There is no man vpon earth that can tell the thing which the king speaketh of, yea there is neither king, prince, nor lorde, that euer asked such thinges at a wyse man, soothsayer, or Chaldean.
(Upon this the Chaldees gave answer before the king, and said: There is no man upon earth that can tell the thing which the king speaketh/speaks of, yea there is neither king, prince, nor lord, that ever asked such things at a wise man, soothsayer, or Chaldean.)

Gnva Then the Caldeans answered before the King, and sayde, There is no man vpon earth that can declare the Kings matter: yea, there is neither king nor prince nor lorde that asked such things at an inchanter or astrologian or Caldean.
(Then the Chaldeans answered before the King, and said, There is no man upon earth that can declare the Kings matter: yea, there is neither king nor prince nor lord that asked such things at an enchanter or astrologian or Chaldean. )

Cvdl Vpon this, the Caldees gaue answere before the kynge, and sayde: there is no man vpon earth, that can tell the thinge, which ye kynge speaketh of: Yee there is nether kynge prynce ner LORDE, that euer axed soch thinges at a soythsayer, charmer or Caldeer:
(Upon this, the Chaldees gave answer before the king, and said: there is no man upon earth, that can tell the thing, which ye/you_all king speaketh/speaks of: Ye/You_all there is neither king prince nor LORD, that ever asked such things at a soythsayer, charmer or Caldeer:)

Wycl Therfor Caldeis answeriden bifor the kyng, and seiden, Kyng, no man is on erthe, that mai fille thi word; but nether ony greet man and myyti of kyngis axith siche a word of ony dyuynour, and astronomyen, and of a man of Caldee.
(Therefore Chaldees answered before the king, and said, King, no man is on earth, that may fill thy/your word; but neither any great man and mighty of kings axith such a word of any diviner, and astronomyen, and of a man of Caldee.)

Luth Da antworteten die Chaldäer vor dem Könige und sprachen zu ihm: Es ist kein Mensch auf Erden, der sagen könne, das der König fordert. So ist auch kein König, wie groß oder mächtig er sei, der solches von irgendeinem Sternseher, Weisen oder Chaldäer fordere.
(So replied the Chaldeans before/in_front_of to_him king(s) and said to/for him: It is no/not person on/in/to earth/land/ground, the/of_the say could, the the/of_the king demands. So is also no/not king, as/like large or powerful he be, the/of_the such from anyem Sternseher, ways/manners or Chaldeans fordere.)

ClVg Respondentes ergo Chaldæi coram rege, dixerunt: Non est homo super terram, qui sermonem tuum, rex, possit implere: sed neque regum quisquam magnus et potens verbum hujuscemodi sciscitatur ab omni ariolo, et mago, et Chaldæo.
(Responding therefore Chaldæi before king, they_said: Not/No it_is human over the_earth/land, who/which conversation your(sg), king, can to_fill: but nor of_kings anyone big and powerful the_word/saying of_this_kind sciscitatur away all ariolo, and mago, and Chaldæo. )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:1–49: Daniel explained the king’s dream

These Notes interpret Daniel 2:1–49 as a complete narrative unit. However, in some languages it may be helpful to divide this chapter into more than one section and to give each section a separate heading. For example:

The BSB has four sections.
1. Nebuchadnezzar’s Troubling Dream (2:1–13)
2. The Dream Revealed to Daniel (2:14–23)
3. Daniel Interprets the Dream (2:24–45)
4. Nebuchadnezzar Promotes Daniel (2:46–49)
The GNT has three sections:

(a) Nebuchadnezzar’s dream (2:1–13)

(b) God shows Daniel what the dream means (2:14–23)

This section tells how Nebuchadnezzar had a disturbing dream. He asked his advisers to tell him what he had dreamed and its meaning. They were unable to do so, and the king threatened them with death. But God revealed the meaning of the dream to Daniel. Daniel then told the king what he had dreamed and what it meant. The king honored Daniel and Daniel’s God.

The climax of this narrative occurs in 2:47. There the king declared that the God whom Daniel worshiped was the greatest of all gods.

Special Translation Problems:

1. Lists: The author of the book of Daniel liked to use lists (2:2, 10). However, the author did not intend for these lists to be complete or exact. The lists usually provide examples of the types of people or things that belong in a certain group or category. The Notes will suggest options on how to translate these lists.

2. Synonyms: The text often uses different terms for similar ideas. For example, there are several verbs that mean “to reveal” or “to make known.” There are three different Aramaic verbs in 2:40 that mean “crush, break to pieces.” In some languages it may be difficult or confusing to use several different words for similar ideas. The Notes will suggest how you might translate these similar words and terms.

3. Poetry: You will need to think carefully about how you will translate the poetic section in this chapter (2:20–23). Authors of Hebrew poetry usually wrote using matching pairs of lines. The relationship between these parallel lines differs. Sometimes the second line repeats the information in the first line using different words. Sometimes the second line contrasts with the first line. Hebrew poetry also has word plays, figurative speech, and alliteration. It may not always be easy to translate these literary features into your language. The Notes will suggest ways of translating the different features of Hebrew poetry. For more information about how to translate Hebrew poetry, see the Bible Translation Handbook of the Psalms. The poetry in 2:20–23 is a song of praise or thanksgiving. If your language has a special poetic form that fits this song, you can use it here.

4. Ambiguity: In the section where Daniel interpreted the last part of the king’s dream, there are a number of ambiguous references. For example, in 2:44a Daniel referred to “those kings” without identifying who those kings were. In 2:44b Daniel spoke of “all these kingdoms.” The ambiguity may be deliberate, since the dream itself is a mystery. It will be important not to over-interpret these passages by assuming a particular historical context. The Notes will suggest several options for how to translate these verses.

5. Repetition: Daniel interpreted the meaning of the first three kingdoms in a very brief way. He used many more words to describe the fourth kingdom (2:36–45). In this section he also repeated much of what was described before. In this way, Daniel emphasized the fourth kingdom as the most important. Some of the repetition in this section emphasizes specific ideas. Sometimes the repetition has another function. You will need to evaluate if this kind of repetition is natural in your language. If not, you will need to find another way to emphasize these ideas.

Paragraph 2:10–11

The king’s experts and advisers all assured the king that his demand was impossible. Nobody could tell the king his dream. Only a god could do that.

2:10a

The astrologers answered the king, “No one on earth can do what the king requests!

¶ The king’s advisers said to him, “No one in the whole world can do what Your Majesty has asked.
¶ But the divination/occult experts gave this reply, “Sir, there is no human being who can tell you^(sing) what you dreamed!

The astrologers: The phrase The astrologers here refers back in general to the king’s experts and advisers listed in 2:2a. See the Notes at 2:4a and translate it as you did there.

answered the king: See the Notes at 2:5a. In this context the Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates answered the king introduces a response that disagrees with someone of higher status. Use an appropriate expression in your language. For example:

responded to the king

asserted

objected to the king’s command

No one on earth can do what the king requests!: This is an emphatic way for the advisers to say that they could not do what the king asked. They thought that it was impossible for anyone to do it. Other ways to translate this include:

No one on earth can tell the king what he asks. (GW)

no human being can fulfill your Majesty’s request

There is no one on earth who can reveal what the king demands! (NRSV)

No one on earth: The phrase No one on earth means “nobody at all.” No human being could know what someone else had dreamed about. Here is another way to translate this:

Nobody in the world (NJB)

can do what the king requests: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as can do what the king requests is literally “who will be able to tell the king’s matter/thing.” This refers to the king’s problem or question concerning what he saw in his dream. In some languages it may be natural to make this explicit. For example:

can tell the king his dream (NLT)

the king: Again the experts addressed the king in the third person to show respect. In some languages it may be more natural to address him with second-person pronouns like “you” and “your.” For example:

There is no one on the face of the earth who can tell Your Majesty what you want to know. (GNT)

Your Majesty, you are demanding the impossible! (CEV)

2:10b

No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer.

No other great and mighty king like you has ever asked his advisers, magicians, or enchanters to do anything like this.
Not even the most powerful king has ever asked his experts to tell him what he dreamed.

In the Aramaic text, 2:10b is connected to the previous verse part with a connector that some versions translate as “for.” In this context it introduces a further explanation of why the advisers/experts should not be required to tell the king his dream. The BSB leaves this connector untranslated, since it is implied by the context.

No king, however great and powerful, has ever asked anything like this of any magician, enchanter, or astrologer: The royal advisers protested to the king that his demand was unprecedented. That is, no king had ever made such a demand before. The implication is that the king should not expect to have his demand fulfilled. Other ways to translate this include:

No other king, no matter how great and powerful, has ever asked such a thing of any magician, psychic, or astrologer (GW)

No king, not even the most famous and powerful, has ever ordered his advisors, magicians, or wise men to do such a thing (CEV)

No great and powerful king has ever asked the fortune-tellers, magicians, or wise men to do this. (NCV)

No king, however great and powerful: There are two ways to understand the Aramaic words that the BSB translates as No king, however great and powerful:

The words great and powerful function as adjectives describing the king. For example:
no great and powerful king (ESV) (BSB, ESV, NIV, RSV/NRSV, NET, GW, NCV, CEV, REB, NLT)
The words great and powerful are titles referring to other rulers: “the great one,” “the mighty one.” For example:
no other king, governor or chief (NJB)
no great king or ruler (NASB) (NASB, NJB, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with the majority of English versions.

No king: The royal advisers were saying that Nebuchadnezzar was the only king to have made such a request. In some languages it may be natural to say:

No other king (GW)

however great and powerful: The words great and powerful mean much the same thing in this context. They refer to a man with power over others. The advisers implied that Nebuchadnezzar was a great and powerful king. They were suggesting that he should behave like other great kings and not make such demands of his advisers. Other ways to translate this include:

regardless of his position and power (NET)

not even the most famous and powerful (CEV)

not even the greatest and most powerful (GNT)

any magician, enchanter, or astrologer: This list of experts is not the same as the list in 2:2a, where there is a fourth term, “sorcerer.” These names may be simply examples of the various kinds of experts whom the king summoned. You could begin the list with a general phrase. For example, “any of his experts, such as….” In some languages there may be only one or two terms to express this category. You may wish to say something like:

any of his various wise men

In some languages it may be natural to use plural forms. For example:

has ever asked the fortune-tellers, magicians, or wise men to do this (NCV)

magician: See the Notes at 2:2a.

enchanter: See the Notes at 2:2a.

astrologer: See the Notes at 2:2a.

General Comment on 2:10b

In some languages it may be natural to translate this as two shorter, positive sentences. For example:

Many great and mighty kings have ruled. You are the only one to have made such a demand of his magicians, enchanters, and wise men!

Parallel DAN 2:10

Section 2:1–49: Daniel explained the king’s dream

Paragraph 2:10–11

2:10a

2:10b

General Comment on 2:10b