DAN 2:14 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) Aryok was the captain of the king’s guards who’d been sent to execute the Babylonian wise men, but Daniel spoke to him with wise and prudent caution.

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 Then Daniel replied with prudence and discretion to Arioch the captain of the guard of the king, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.

UST Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, came to kill us. But I spoke to him very wisely and tactfully.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, who had gone out to kill the wise men of Babylon.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Then Daniel spoke with prudent counsel to Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s executioners and who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.

LSV Then Daniel has replied [with] counsel and discretion to Arioch chief of the executioners of the king, who has gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.

FBV Daniel approached Arioch, the commander of the imperial guard, whom the king had put in charge of the order to execute all the wise men of Babylon.[fn] Wisely and tactfully

2:14 It appears Arioch intended to collect all the wise men together before executing them.

T4T Arioch, the commander of the king’s guards, came to kill us. But I spoke to him very wisely and tactfully/skillfully.

LEB Then Daniel responded prudently and discretely to Arioch, the commander of the imperial guard of the king, who had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon.

BBE Then Daniel gave an answer with wisdom and good sense to Arioch, the captain of the king's armed men, who had gone out to put to death the wise men of Babylon;

Moff Daniel spoke with sense and tact to Arioch the captain of the king’s executioners, who had come to kill the sages of Babylon.

JPS Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and discretion to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;

ASV Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, who was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;

DRA Then Daniel inquired concerning the law and the sentence, of Arioch the general of the king’s army, who was gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon.

YLT Then Daniel hath replied [with] counsel and discretion to Arioch chief of the executioners of the king, who hath gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon.

Drby Then Daniel answered with counsel and prudence to Arioch the chief of the king's bodyguard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

RV Then Daniel returned answer with counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon;
(Then Daniel returned answer with council/counsel and prudence to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon; )

SLT At that time Daniel turned back counsel and reason to Arioch, leader of the king’s executioners, that went forth to kill to the wise of Babel:

Wbstr Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king's guard, who had gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:

KJB-1769 ¶ Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon:[fn][fn]
(¶ Then Daniel answered with council/counsel and wisdom to Arioch the captain of the king’s guard, which was gone forth to slay the wise men of Babylon: )

2.14 answered…: Chaldee, returned

2.14 captain…: or, chief marshal: Chaldee, chief of the executioners, or, slaughtermen

KJB-1611 ¶ Then Daniel [fn]answered with counsell and wisedome to Arioch the [fn]captaine of the Kings guard, which was gone foorth to slay the wise men of Babylon.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

2:14 Cald. returned.

2:14 Or, chiefe marshall. Cald. chiefe of the executioners or slaughtermen.

Bshps Then Daniel stayed the counsell and decree with Arioch the captayne of the kinges garde, who was gone foorth to put to death the wise men of Babylon.
(Then Daniel stayed the council/counsel and decree with Arioch the captain of the kings garde, who was gone forth to put to death the wise men of Babylon.)

Gnva Then Daniel answered with counsel and wisedome to Arioch the Kings chiefe stewarde, which was gone foorth to put to death the wise men of Babel.
(Then Daniel answered with council/counsel and wisdom to Arioch the Kings chief stewarde, which was gone forth to put to death the wise men of Babel. )

Cvdl Then Daniel enquered Arioch the kynges stewarde, off the iudgment and sentence, that was gone forth alredy to kyll soch as were wyse at Babilon.
(Then Daniel enquered Arioch the kings stewarde, off the judgement and sentence, that was gone forth already to kill such as were wise at Babylon.)

Wycl Thanne Danyel axide of the lawe and sentence, of Ariok, prynce of chyualrie of the kyng, that was gon out to sle the wise men of Babiloyne.
(Then Daniel asked of the law and sentence, of Ariok, prince of chyualrie of the king, that was going out to slay/kill the wise men of Babylon.)

Luth Da vernahm Daniel solch Urteil und Befehl von dem obersten Richter des Königs, welcher auszog, zu töten die Weisen zu Babel.
(So heard Daniel such verdict and command(n) from to_him top Richter the kings, which auszog, to/for kill the ways/manners to/for Babel.)

ClVg Tunc Daniel requisivit de lege atque sententia ab Arioch principe militiæ regis, qui egressus fuerat ad interficiendos sapientes Babylonis.
(Then Daniel requisivit from/about lawfully and_yet opinion away Arioch prince military king, who/which going_out had_been to interficiendos wise_people Babylonis. )

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 2:14–16

Daniel was able to persuade the king to delay the executions and give him time to interpret the dream.

2:14a

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon,

¶ Arioch, who was in charge of the king’s guard, set out to execute the Babylonian sages/advisers.
¶ At that time the captain of the king’s guards was a man named Arioch. As Arioch was on his way to kill the divination experts in Babylon,

When Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon: This clause indicates the time at which Daniel intervened to prevent the executions. It indicates an important action and introduces a conversation that changes the narrative. Embedded in this clause is some background information, the name and position of the man in charge of the execution. In view of all this, in some languages it may be natural to translate this verse part using an independent clause or clauses. For example:

Arioch, the commander of the king’s guard, was going to kill the wise men of Babylon. (NCV)

Arioch was the king’s official in charge of putting the wise men to death. He was on his way to have it done, when… (CEV)

the commander of the king’s guard: Arioch was in charge of a group of men, the king’s guard. The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as guard comes from a word meaning “kill.” One of the responsibilities of the men in the guard was to execute criminals and enemies. Here is another way to translate this:

who was in charge of the king’s executioners (NET)

The guard probably had other responsibilities as well, such as protecting the king. Most English translations therefore use the more general expression guard.

the king’s guard: The English word guard is a collective noun. It is singular in form but refers to a group of men.

had gone out to execute the wise men of Babylon: This clause probably indicates that Arioch had left the king’s presence and was preparing to kill the wise men. He was on his journey to find them but had probably not started killing them yet. Other ways to translate this include:

set out to execute the wise men of Babylon (REB)

was leaving to kill the wise advisers in Babylon (NET)

was on his way to kill the Babylonian sages (NJB)

the wise men of Babylon: The phrase the wise men of Babylon refers in general to the king’s advisers and practitioners of divination. It includes all the experts who were mentioned in 2:2. See the Notes at 2:12b.

2:14b

Daniel replied with discretion and tact.

Daniel spoke to him with sensible, tactful words.
Daniel met him and spoke to him wisely,

Daniel replied with discretion and tact: The Aramaic text is more literally “Daniel returned counsel and prudence to Arioch.” It indicates that Daniel spoke to Arioch in a way that would not anger him and was wise in that situation. There are two ways to interpret and translate the phrase with discretion and tact in this context:

as two similar ideas. For example:
with wisdom and skill (NCV)
with prudence and discretion (NRSV)
as one idea, indicating that Daniel’s reply was characterized by “prudent counsel” or “tactful wisdom.” For example:
He spoke to him using shrewd judgment (GW)

Translate this in the way that is most natural in your language. In some languages it may be natural to use adjectives for both ideas. For example:

with shrewd and cautious words (NJB)

General Comment on 2:14

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

^b At that time Arioch was the commander of the king’s guards. ^cAs he was going to kill the wise men of Babylon, ^aDaniel spoke to him with wisdom and skill. (NCV)

Parallel DAN 2:14

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

Paragraph 2:14–16

2:14a

2:14b

General Comment on 2:14