DAN 2:11 Parallel Verse View

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

OET (OET-RV) What you’re requesting, your majesty, is difficult, and no human can tell you what you dreamt—only the gods.”

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 thing that the king demands is difficult, and there is no one else who can show it to the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

UST What you are asking us to do is impossible. Only the gods can tell you what you dreamed, and they do not live among us!”

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE It is a rare thing that the king requires, and there is no other who can show it before the king except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET What the king is asking is too difficult, and no one exists who can disclose it to the king, except for the gods – but they don’t live among mortals!”

LSV and the thing that the king is asking [is] precious, and there are no others that show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.”

FBV What Your Majesty is asking is impossible! No one can tell Your Majesty what you dreamed, except the gods, and they do not live among us mortals.”

T4T What you are asking us to do is impossible. Only the gods can tell you what you dreamed, and they do not live among us!”

LEB And the thing that the king is asking is too difficult and _⌊there is no one who_⌋[fn] can reveal it to the king except the gods _⌊whose dwelling is not with mortals_⌋.”[fn]

2:11 Literally “there is not another”

2:11 Literally “concerning their dwelling is not with flesh”

BBE The king's request is a very hard one, and there is no other who is able to make it clear to the king, but the gods, whose living-place is not with flesh.

Moff The king is asking a hard thing, which none can tell him except the gods who dwell not with mortal men.”

JPS And it is a hard thing that the king asketh, and there is none other that can declare it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.'

ASV And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is no other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

DRA For the thing that thou askest, O king, is difficult; nor can any one be found that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose conversation is not with men.

YLT and the thing that the king is asking [is] precious, and others are there not that do shew it before the king, save the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.'

Drby For the thing that the king demandeth is extraordinary, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the [fn]gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

2.11 Elohim

RV And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
(And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. )

SLT And the word the king asked will be made rare, and there is not another that will show it before the king except the gods that their dwelling is not with flesh.

Wbstr And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is no other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.

KJB-1769 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
(And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can show it before the king, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh. )

KJB-1611 And it is a rare thing that the king requireth, and there is none other that can shew it before the King, except the gods, whose dwelling is not with flesh.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation)

Bshps For it is a rare matter that the king requireth, neither is there any that can certifie the king therof, except the gods whose dwelling is not with fleshe.
(For it is a rare matter that the king requireth, neither is there any that can certify the king thereof, except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.)

Gnva For it is a rare thing that the King requireth, and there is none other that can declare it before the King, except the gods whose dwelling is not with flesh.

Cvdl for it is a very harde matter, that the kynge requyreth. Nether is there eny, that can certifie the kynge theroff, excepte the goddes: whose dwellinge is not amonge the creatures.
(for it is a very hard matter, that the king requireth. Neither is there any, that can certify the king thereoff, except the gods: whose dwelling is not among the creatures.)

Wycl For the word which thou, kyng, axist, is greuouse, nether ony schal be foundun, that schal schewe it in the siyt of the king, outakun goddis, whos lyuyng is not with men.
(For the word which thou/you, king, askest/ask, is greuouse, neither any shall be foundun, that shall show it in the sight of the king, out-taken/except gods, whose living is not with men.)

Luth Denn das der König fordert, ist zu hoch, und ist auch sonst niemand, der es vor dem Könige sagen könne, ausgenommen die Götter, die bei den Menschen nicht wohnen.
(Because the the/of_the king demands, is to/for high, and is also otherwise no_one, the/of_the it before/in_front_of to_him king(s) say could, except/apart_from the gods, the at/in the people not live/reside.)

ClVg Sermo enim, quem tu quæris, rex, gravis est: nec reperietur quisquam qui indicet illum in conspectu regis, exceptis diis, quorum non est cum hominibus conversatio.
(Sermo because, which you(sg) whichris, king, serious/important/heavy it_is: but_not findetur anyone who/which indicate him in/into/on in_sight king, except gods, whose not/no it_is when/with to_humans conversation. )

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.

2:11a

What the king requests is so difficult

Your Majesty, you^(sing) have asked us^(excl) to do something that is too difficult/hard.
Sir, what you^(sing) have asked is beyond our ability.
To explain your^(sing) dream without hearing it first is impossible—

What the king requests is so difficult: The royal advisers again addressed the king in the third person to show respect. This may not be natural in your language. Another possibility is to use the second-person pronoun and a polite form of address. For example:

What you ask is too difficult, Your Majesty (GW)

Sir, what you^(sing) have asked us to do is too difficult.

so difficult: In this context the Aramaic word that the BSB translates so difficult means “impossible.” Some ways to say this in English are:

too hard (CEV)

impossible thing (NLT)

can’t be done (CEV)

2:11b

that no one can tell it to him except the gods,

Only the gods can reveal to you^(sing) what you dreamed,
Only the divine beings can reveal this dream to you^(sing).
except for divine beings,

no one can tell it to him except the gods: The advisers explained what they meant by saying the king’s command was “so difficult.” It was impossible for them to obey because no one could reveal the king’s dream to him. They could not know what he had dreamed unless he told them. They continued to address the king respectfully in the third person. Here are some different ways to translate this clause in English:

no one can find the king an answer to it, except the gods (NJB)

Sir, no one is able to do what you have asked. The gods alone can do it.

There is no one but the gods capable of revealing this thing to you, Your Majesty.

In some languages it may be natural to make explicit the reference of the pronoun it. For example:

no one can tell you what you dreamed (GW)

No one except the gods can tell you your dream (NLT)

no one can tell…except the gods: The phrase no one here in the BSB includes both human and divine persons, as the phrase except the gods makes clear. In some languages it may be natural or necessary to exclude the gods from phrase no one and say:

No human can…. Only the gods can….

except the gods: The phrase the gods here refers to the false deities that the Babylonians worshiped. In some languages you may have to use a different word for gods. For example:

divine beings

spirits

the ones/beings we worship

General Comment on 2:11b

In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a positive statement. For example:

Only the gods could tell the king this. (NCV)

2:11c

whose dwelling is not with mortals.”

and they do not live among us^(incl) human beings.
Those beings do not stay with mere people like us^(incl) so that we^(excl) could consult them.”
who are very far from us^(incl) human beings.”

whose dwelling is not with mortals: This verse part indicates that the gods do not live on earth, among human beings. The experts were implying that the gods were so distant that they could not consult them about the dream. Other ways to translate this include:

whose dwelling is not with flesh (RSV)

and they do not live here on earth with us^(incl)

mortals: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as mortals is more literally “flesh.” It emphasizes the weakness of human beings. Humans eventually die. Some ways to express this emphasis in English are:

with humans (NIV)

among mere human beings

among mortal men

In some languages it may be natural to use a first-person pronoun. For example:

with us^(incl)

among us^(incl) mortals

General Comment on 2:11

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some information in this verse. For example:

^11bOnly the gods can reveal what you have dreamed ^11cbut they do not live here with us mortals. ^11aHuman beings are not able to do something like this.