DAN 2:15 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) He asked the king’s commander Aryok, “Why did the king come to that sudden decision?” Aryok explained what had happened,

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 He answered and said to Arioch, the commander of the king, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch made the matter known to Daniel.

UST I asked Arioch, “Why has the king made such a harsh decree?” So Arioch told me all that had happened because of the king’s dream.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE He answered Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the decree so urgent from the king?” Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET He inquired of Arioch the king’s deputy, “Why is the decree from the king so urgent?” Then Arioch informed Daniel about the matter.

LSV He has answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why [is] the sentence so urgent from before the king?” Then Arioch has made the thing known to Daniel,

FBV Daniel asked him, “Why would the king issue such a harsh decree?” So Arioch explained to Daniel what had happened.

T4T I asked Arioch, “Why has the king made such a harsh/terrible decree?” So Arioch told me all that had happened because of the king’s dream.

LEB _⌊He asked_⌋[fn] and said to Arioch, the royal official of the king, “_⌊Why_⌋[fn] is the decree from the king so severe?” Then Arioch explained the matter[fn] to Daniel.

2:15 Literally “he answered”

2:15 Literally “Over what”

2:15 Or “situation”

BBE He made answer and said to Arioch, O captain of the king, why is the king's order so cruel? Then Arioch gave Daniel an account of the business.

Moff He said to Arioch the king’s captain, “Why is the king’s edict so ruthless?” Arioch told Daniel;

JPS he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain: 'Wherefore is the decree so peremptory from the king?' Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

ASV he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

DRA And he asked him that had received the orders of the king, why so cruel a sentence was gone forth from the face of the king. And when Arioch had told the matter to Daniel,

YLT He hath answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, 'Wherefore [is] the sentence so urgent from before the king?' Then Arioch hath made the thing known to Daniel,

Drby he answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so rigorous from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

RV he answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Wherefore is the decree so urgent from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

SLT He answered and said to Arioch the king’s ruler, For what the severe edict from before the king? Then Arioch made known the word to Daniel.

Wbstr He answered and said to Arioch the king's captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

KJB-1769 He answered and said to Arioch the king’s captain, Why is the decree so hasty from the king? Then Arioch made the thing known to Daniel.

KJB-1611 Hee answered and said to Arioch the Kings captaine, Why is the decree so hastie from the King? Then Arioch made the thing knowen to Daniel.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps He aunswered and sayde vnto Arioch the kinges captayne: why is the sentence so hastie from the king? Then Arioch tolde Daniel the matter.
(He answered and said unto Arioch the kings captain: why is the sentence so hasty from the king? Then Arioch told Daniel the matter.)

Gnva Yea, he answered and sayde vnto Arioch the kings captaine, Why is the sentence so hastie from the king? Then Arioch declared the thing to Daniel.
(Yea, he answered and said unto Arioch the kings captain, Why is the sentence so hasty from the king? Then Arioch declared the thing to Daniel. )

Cvdl He answered, and sayde vnto Arioch beinge then the kinges debyte: Why hath the kynge proclamed so cruell a sentence? So Arioch tolde Daniel the matter.
(He answered, and said unto Arioch being then the kings debyte: Why hath/has the king proclaimed so cruel a sentence? So Arioch told Daniel the matter.)

Wycl And he axide hym, that hadde take power of the kyng, for what cause so cruel a sentence yede out fro the face of the kyng. Therfor whanne Ariok hadde schewid the thing to Danyel,
(And he asked him, that had take power of the king, for what cause so cruel a sentence went out from the face of the king. Therefore when Ariok had showed the thing to Daniel,)

Luth Und er fing an und sprach zu des Königs Vogt Arioch: Warum ist so ein streng Urteil vom Könige ausgegangen? Und Arioch zeigte es dem Daniel an.
(And he caught at/to and spoke to/for the kings Vogt Arioch: Why is so a streng verdict from_the king(s) assumed? And Arioch showed it to_him Daniel at/to.)

ClVg Et interrogavit eum, qui a rege potestatem acceperat, quam ob causam tam crudelis sententia a facie regis esset egressa. Cum ergo rem indicasset Arioch Danieli,
(And asked him, who/which from king power had_received, how because cause tam cruel opinion from face king was gone_out. Since therefore thing indicasset Arioch Danieli, )

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.

2:15a

“Why is the decree from the king so harsh?” he asked.

He asked the royal officer, Arioch, “Sir, may I ask why the king’s decree is so severe?”
asking the reason for the king’s harsh/severe order.

Why is the decree from the king so harsh?: The Aramaic question is more literally, “Why is decree from the king harsh?” The BSB has supplied the word so, as is natural in English to add emphasis and intensity. The RSV supplies emphasis by saying:

Why has the king issued such a harsh decree? (NLT)

In some languages, this question may seem too direct or even rude. If that is so in your language, you may need to express the question in a different way that would be polite in your language. For example:

May I ask why the king has issued this severe decree?

harsh: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as harsh occurs only here and in 3:22 in the Old Testament. Scholars interpret this word in different ways:

The word means “harsh, severe.” For example:
cruel orders (CEV) (BSB, GW, GNT, NLT, NIV, NJB, CEV, NCV, RSV)
The word means “urgent.” For example:
urgent (NET) (NJPS, NRSV, NET, NASB, KJV, ESV, REB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). In some languages it may be natural to focus on the punishment that the decree ordered. For example:

Why did the king order such a terrible punishment? (NCV)

he asked: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates asked is literally, “he answered and said.” See the Notes at 2:5a; 2:10a. In some languages it may not be natural to use two verbs like this. If that is true in your language, you may use one verb. For example:

he said to Arioch, the king’s captain (RSV)

General Comment on 2:15a

In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech for this question. For example:

he asked Arioch why the king had issued such a harsh order (GNT)

2:15b

At this time Arioch explained the situation to Daniel.

Then Arioch explained everything to Daniel.
So Arioch told Daniel what had happened.

At this time: The Aramaic conjunction that the BSB translates as At this time introduces what Arioch said next. Arioch replied when and because Daniel asked him this question. Here are some other way to translate this:

So (GNT)

Then (NET)

Some English versions leave this conjunction implicit. It is recommended that you introduce what Arioch replied in a way that is natural in your language.

Arioch explained the situation to Daniel: Arioch explained to Daniel why the king had ordered the advisers to be executed. Other ways to say this include:

Arioch informed Daniel about the matter. (NET)

Arioch told Daniel what had happened (GNT)

Arioch explained the whole situation.

the situation: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as situation can mean “word” or “thing.” In this context it refers to the situation in general. Other ways to translate it include:

everything (GW)

all that had happened (NLT)

Parallel DAN 2:15

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

Paragraph 2:14–16

2:15a

General Comment on 2:15a

2:15b