DAN 2:22 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.)

2:22 OSHB variant note: ו/נהיר/א: (x-qere) ’וּ/נְהוֹרָ֖/א’: lemma_c/5094 a n_0.0 morph_AC/Ncmsd/Td id_279Yh וּ/נְהוֹרָ֖/א

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 reveals the deep and hidden things;
⇔ he knows what is in the darkness,
⇔ and the light dwells with him.

UST He reveals things that are very mysterious;
⇔ he is surrounded by light but he knows things that are hidden
⇔ as though they were in the darkness.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE He reveals the deep and secret things.
⇔ He knows what is in the darkness,
⇔ and the light dwells with him.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(19-23)That night the answer to the mystery was given to Daniel in a vision. Daniel blessed the God of heaven, saying,
  “Blessed be the name of God,
  forever and ever.
He knows all, does all:
  He changes the seasons and guides history,
He raises up kings and also brings them down,
  he provides both intelligence and discernment,
He opens up the depths, tells secrets,
  sees in the dark—light spills out of him!
God of all my ancestors, all thanks! all praise!
  You made me wise and strong.
And now you’ve shown us what we asked for.
  You’ve solved the king’s mystery.”

NET he reveals deep and hidden things.
⇔ He knows what is in the darkness,
⇔ and light resides with him.

LSV He is revealing deep and hidden things; He has known what [is] in darkness, and light has dwelt with Him.

FBV He reveals deep, mysterious things. He knows what lies in darkness, and light lives in his presence.

T4T He reveals things that are very mysterious;
⇔ he is surrounded by light,
⇔ but he knows things that are hidden as though they were in the darkness.

LEB • He reveals the deep and the hidden things; he knows what is in the darkness,
• and the light dwells with him.

BBE He is the unveiler of deep and secret things: he has knowledge of what is in the dark, and the light has its living-place with him.

Moff he reveals what is deep and mysterious,
⇔ he knows what is in the darkness,
⇔ and with him dwells the light.

JPS He revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him.

ASV he revealeth the deep and secret things; he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

DRA He revealeth deep and hidden things, and knoweth what is in darkness: and light is with him.

YLT He is revealing deep and hidden things; He hath known what [is] in darkness, and light with Him hath dwelt.

Drby It is he that revealeth the deep and secret things; He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

RV he revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
(he revealeth/reveals the deep and secret things: he knoweth/knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth/dwells with him. )

SLT He uncovered deep and hidden things: he knew what in darkness, and light lodged with him.

Wbstr He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.

KJB-1769 He revealeth the deep and secret things: he knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him.
(He revealeth/reveals the deep and secret things: he knoweth/knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth/dwells with him. )

KJB-1611 He reuealeth the deepe and secret things: hee knoweth what is in the darknes, & the light dwelleth with him.
(He revealeth/reveals the deep and secret things: he knoweth/knows what is in the darknes, and the light dwelleth/dwells with him.)

Bshps He reuealeth the deepe & secrete thinges, he knoweth the thing that lieth in darknesse, for the light dwelleth with him.
(He revealeth/reveals the deep and secret things, he knoweth/knows the thing that lieth/lies in darkness, for the light dwelleth/dwells with him.)

Gnva Hee discouereth the deepe and secrete things: he knoweth what is in darkenes, and the light dwelleth with him.
(He discovereth the deep and secret things: he knoweth/knows what is in darkness, and the light dwelleth/dwells with him. )

Cvdl he openeth the depe secretes: he knoweth ye the thynge that lyeth in darknesse, for the light dwelleth with him.
(he openeth/opens the deep secrets: he knoweth/knows ye/you_all the thing that lieth/lies in darkness, for the light dwelleth/dwells with him.)

Wycl he schewith deepe thingis and hid, and he knowith thingis set in derknessis, and liyt is with hym.
(he schewith deep things and hid, and he knoweth/knows things set in darkness, and light is with him.)

Luth er offenbaret, was tief und verborgen ist; er weiß, was in Finsternis liegt; denn bei ihm ist eitel Licht.
(he revealed, what/which deep and hidden/concealed is; he white, what/which in darkness lies(v); because/than at/in him is vain light(n).)

ClVg Ipse revelat profunda et abscondita, et novit in tenebris constituta: et lux cum eo est.
(Exactly_that revelat deep and hidden, and he_knows in/into/on darkness constituta: and light when/with by_him it_is. )

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 2:19–23

God revealed to Daniel what the king had dreamed and what the dream meant. Daniel expressed his thanks to God.

The author has recorded Daniel’s prayer of thanks in poetic form. Some translations (for example, the NJB) indicate this by the way they print the lines. You may have a special way of writing poetic speech in your language. If so, you may use it here.

In his prayer of thanks, Daniel first refers to God in the third person (using the pronouns “he/him”). Then in 2:23 he switches to the second person (that is, using the pronoun “you”). In some languages this change may be unnatural. See the General Comment on 2:20–22.

2:22

In 2:22 Daniel uses figurative language. If you have the same figures of speech, you can use them here. If you do not, you may use a different figure or simply translate the meaning.

2:22a

He reveals the deep and hidden things;

He reveals mysteries and explains things that are hard to understand.
You^(sing) explain to people even the most secret mysteries.

He reveals the deep and hidden things: This is figurative language. It indicates that God reveals mysteries and secrets, things that people cannot know by themselves. The king’s dream was an example of one such deep and hidden thing. Other ways to translate this include:

who uncovers depths and mysteries (NJB)

He makes known secrets that are deep and hidden (NCV)

reveals: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as reveals means to uncover or show something concealed or unknown. It is a different form of the verb “was revealed” that was used in 2:19a. See the note there. Other ways to translate this include:

explain (CEV)

makes known (NCV)

In some languages a verb like reveals may require an indirect object to indicate to whom the things are revealed. For example:

he reveals deep and mysterious things to people

deep and hidden things: The two adjectives deep and hidden overlap in meaning, and they are both used in figurative ways. In some languages it may be more natural to combine the ideas in a different way. For example:

deep mysteries (REB)

the most mysterious secrets

deep: In this verse Daniel used the word deep in a figurative way to refer to things that are hard to understand. The word deep may not have this figurative meaning in your language. Use an expression that is clear in your language. For example:

matters that are hard to understand

hidden: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates literally as hidden is used figuratively here. It means “secret things” or “mysteries,” referring to such things as the king’s dream that people could not know naturally. Other English versions have:

mysterious (RSV)

secret (GNT)

The word hidden may not have this figurative meaning in your language. If you have another expression that has this meaning, you may use it here. For example, you may say:

matters that are beyond human understanding

2:22b

He knows what lies in darkness,

He knows what is hidden in dark places.
You^(sing) know/see everything that humans cannot know/see.

He knows what lies in darkness: Daniel continued to praise God, saying that he knows things that are impossible for human beings to know. Darkness does not hide anything from him. Another way to translate this is:

[He] sees in the darkThe Message

what lies in darkness: Daniel used the word darkness in a figurative way. The phrase what lies in darkness not only refers to what is difficult for our eyes to see but also to what is difficult for our minds to understand and interpret. It does not refer to a specific thing or a specific dark place.

In some languages it may be necessary to indicate in some way that the language is figurative or even to translate the meaning directly. For example:

he knows what is hidden in darkness (NCV)

he knows what lies hidden in darkness (NLT)

he fully understands what is a mystery to humans

2:22c

and light dwells with Him.

With him is light.
With you^(sing) there is light.
You^(sing) are the one who causes people to understand what they could not know by themselves.

and: The Aramaic conjunction that the BSB translates as and here introduces a continuation and expansion of the previous thought.

light dwells with Him: The Aramaic expression that the BSB translates literally as light dwells with Him means that where God is, there is light. This is a metaphor. Just as light reveals things and makes them clear, so God reveals secrets and mysteries and makes their meaning clear. Other ways to translate this include:

he himself is surrounded by light (GNT)

light is all around him (NCV)

In some languages it may not be natural to use light in this figurative way. If that is true in your language, you may have to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:

with him is the light of truth

General Comment on 2:20–22

In 2:20–22, Daniel referred to God in the third person. This was a way Jewish people showed respect to God. If this is unnatural in your language, you can translate the prayer using second-person pronouns. For example:

^20aOur God, your name will be praised forever and forever.

^20bYou are all-powerful and you know everything.

^21aYou control human events—

^21bYou give rulers their power and take it away,

^21cand you are the source of wisdom and knowledge.

^22aYou explain deep mysteries,

^22b-cbecause even the dark is light to you. (CEV)