DAN 2:2 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none 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 Then the king gave orders to summon the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers and the Chaldeans to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

UST The next morning he summoned his men who worked magic, fortune-tellers, those who worked sorcery, and those who studied the stars. Because he had forgotten what he had dreamed, he insisted that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood there in front of the king,

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans be called to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

WMBB Then the king commanded that the magicians, the enchanters, the sorcerers, and the Kasdim be called to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

NET The king issued an order to summon the magicians, astrologers, sorcerers, and wise men in order to explain his dreams to him. So they came and awaited the king’s instructions.

LSV and the king says to call for enchanters, and for conjurers, and for sorcerers, and for Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dreams. And they come in and stand before the king;

FBV So the king summoned the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers to tell him what he had dreamed. They came in and stood before him.

T4T The next morning he summoned his men who worked magic, fortune-tellers, those who worked sorcery, and those who studied the stars. Because he had forgotten what he had dreamed, he insisted that they tell him what he had dreamed. As they stood there in front of the king,

LEB So the king said to call the magicians[fn] and the conjurers[fn] and the sorcerers and the _⌊astrologers_⌋[fn] to tell to the king his dreams. And they came in and they stood _⌊before_⌋[fn] the king.

2:2 Or “soothsayer-priests”

2:2 Or “enchanters”

2:2 Literally “Chaldeans”

2:2 Literally “to the face of”

BBE Then the king gave orders that the wonder-workers, and the users of secret arts, and those who made use of evil powers, and the Chaldaeans, were to be sent for to make clear to the king his dreams. So they came and took their places before the king.

Moff So he had the magicians and the enchanters and the sorcerers and the diviners summoned, to tell the king what he had dreamed. In they came and stood before the king.

JPS Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.

ASV Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

DRA Then the king commanded to call together the diviners and the wise men, and the magicians, and the Chaldeans: to declare to the king his dreams: so they came and stood before the king.

YLT and the king saith to call for scribes, and for enchanters, and for sorcerers, and for Chaldeans, to declare to the king his dreams. And they come in and stand before the king;

Drby And the king commanded to call the scribes, and the magicians, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to shew the king his dreams; and they came and stood before the king.

RV Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the enchanters, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to tell the king his dreams. So they came in and stood before the king.

SLT And the king will say to call to the sacred scribes, and to the enchanters, and to the sorcerers, and to the Chaldeans, to announce to the king his dreams. And they will come and stand before the king.

Wbstr Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, to show the king his dream. So they came and stood before the king.

KJB-1769 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king.
(Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to show the king his dreams. So they came and stood before the king. )

KJB-1611 Then the King commanded to call the Magicians, and the Astrologers, and the Sorcerers, and the Caldeans, for to shew the King his dreames: so they came and stood before the king.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Then the king commaunded to cal the wise men, and soothsayers, & sorcerers, and the Chaldees, for to shew the king his dreame: So they came, & stoode before the king.
(Then the king commanded to call the wise men, and soothsayers, and sorcerers, and the Chaldees, for to show the king his dream: So they came, and stood before the king.)

Gnva Then the King commanded to call the inchanters, and the astrologians and the sorcerers, and the Caldeans for to shewe the King his dreames: so they came and stoode before the King.
(Then the King commanded to call the enchanters, and the astrologians and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans for to show the King his dreams: so they came and stood before the King. )

Cvdl Then the kynge comaunded to call together all ye soythsayers, charmers, witches and Caldees, for to shewe the kynge his dreame. So they came, and stode before the kynge.
(Then the king commanded to call together all ye/you_all soothsayers, charmers, witches and Chaldees, for to show the king his dream. So they came, and stood before the king.)

Wycl Therfor the kyng comaundide, that the dyuynours, and astronomyens, and witchis, and Caldeis schulden be clepid togidere, that thei schulden telle to the kyng hise dremys; and whanne thei weren comun, thei stoden bifor the king.
(Therefore the king commanded, that the diviners, and astronomyens, and witchis, and Chaldees should be called together, that they should tell to the king his dremys; and when they were come, they stood before the king.)

Luth Und er hieß alle Sternseher, und Weisen und Zauberer und Chaldäer zusammenfordern, daß sie dem Könige seinen Traum sagen sollten. Und sie kamen und traten vor den König.
(And he was_called all Sternseher, and ways/manners and Zauberer and Chaldeans togetherfordern, that they/she/them to_him king(s) his dream say should. And they/she/them came and occurred before/in_front_of the king.)

ClVg Præcepit autem rex ut convocarentur arioli, et magi, et malefici, et Chaldæi, ut indicarent regi somnia sua. Qui cum venissent, steterunt coram rege.
(He_commanded however king as convocarentur arioli, and magi, and malefici, and Chaldæi, as to_indicidatent to_rule dreams his_own. Who when/with they_would_have_come, they_stood before king. )

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 2:1–3

This paragraph introduces the problem that is resolved in this section. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, was troubled by his dreams. He asked his advisers to explain them to him.

2:2a

So the king gave orders to summon the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers

so he ordered the magicians, religious/occult experts, sorcerers, and other pagan experts
So he/Nebuchadnezzar commanded his servants to bring to him all his experts/advisers, that is, the experts in magic, the pagan scholars, the enchanters, and the wizards.

So: The Hebrew connector that the BSB translates as So here introduces a result clause. Use a form that naturally expresses this meaning in your language.

the king gave orders to summon: The king gave orders to his servants to summon his advisers. Other ways to translate this include:

The king sent for… (GW)

He called in… (NLT)

In some languages it may be necessary to mention who the king commanded to summon the officers. If that is true in your language, you can say:

He commanded his servants to summon…

the king: This refers to King Nebuchadnezzar. Refer to him in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

he summoned

the magicians, enchanters, sorcerers, and astrologers: The author referred to these experts in two other lists in this chapter. The names vary in each list. This probably indicates that the lists are only giving examples of the various experts whom the king summoned.Lucas, p. 70; Goldingay, p. 46. Lucas explains that the author was not using the terms in order to give an exact list of those who came, but instead, he wanted to show the impressive group of people that Daniel had to compete with. Their failure gave even greater prominence to Daniel’s success.

In some languages you may not have specific terms for each of the experts in this list. If you only have two or three terms, you may use those here.

the magicians: See the Notes on “magicians” at Daniel 1:20b. Translate it here the way you did there. Either:

Use a general term for a person who uses the occult to determine the future or to learn secrets. Most English versions have magicians. However, in this context, the word “magician” does not have the modern meaning of someone who performs illusions or tricks for entertainment. Use a word that avoids this idea. For example:
mages
Translate this term more specifically, describing what the magicians did. For example:
fortunetellers (GNT)
dream interpretersft Collins
diviners

enchanters: See the Notes on enchanters at 1:20b. These were men who were skilled at interpreting signs when people were sick. They were also skilled at performing rituals in order to influence people’s futures. The English word enchanters refers to people who cast a spell on someone by using a charm or magic (enchantment). Use an expression that communicates this idea as closely as possible. For example:

soothsayersA soothsayer is a person who claims to be able to foretell the future. (NJB)

witchdoctors

sorcerers: This is the only place in Daniel where this term occurs. It refers to experts who were skilled in using charms and incantations. Here is another way to translate this:

wizards (REB)

astrologers: The Hebrew word that the BSB translates as astrologers is literally “Chaldeans.” This word has different meanings in Daniel, depending on the context (see 1:4d). In this context, the term refers to people who were experts in the occult and magical rites. They were people who were skilled at solving mysteries. For example:

wizards (GNT)

wise men (CEV)

General Comment on 2:2a

In some languages it may be helpful to introduce this list with a general expression like “The king summoned all the experts who interpreted dreams, including….” Some languages may prefer to list the four groups in a different order. For example:

counselors, advisors, magicians, and wise men (CEV)

2:2b

to explain his dreams.

to come and explain his dream.
He wanted them to tell him the meaning of his dream.

to explain his dreams: There are two ways to interpret the Hebrew phrase that the BSB translates as to explain his dreams:

The king wanted the experts to interpret his dream. For example:
to come and explain the dream to him (GNT) (BSB, GNT, NJB, NET, CEV, NJB, REB)
The king wanted the experts to tell him the content of his dream. For example:
to tell the king his dreams (ESV) (NIV, NASB, RSV/NRSV, ESV, NCV, NLT, GW)

If you must make a choice, it is recommended that you focus on option (1). Nebuchadnezzar wanted his advisers to tell him the meaning of his dream. He believed that it signified or warned of events that were to take place in the real world. Of course, interpreting the dream involved knowing what the dream was. It is probable that the king did in fact remember the dream but wanted to test his advisers.

2:2c

When they came and stood before the king,

After they had arrived and stood before him,
And so they all entered the king’s presence.

When they came and stood before the king: The Hebrew text connects this verse part to the previous verse part with a common conjunction that many versions translate as “so.” Here it introduces what the king’s advisers did when they received his command to come: they came. Introduce this in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

so they came to the king (GW)

They arrived and stood before the king. (NJB)

As they stood before the king (NLT)

they came: The king’s advisers entered the king’s palace or court.

and stood before the king: The phrase stood before is an idiom that indicates that they approached someone who had higher status. In some languages there may be a different idiom that expresses this idea. If the idea is not clear from using an idiom, it may be best to leave it implicit. For example: