DAN 2:23 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) Oh God of my ancestors, I thank you and praise you for the wisdom and power you have given to me. Now you’ve revealed to me what we asked you about because you’ve told us what the king is wanting to know.”

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 O God of my fathers, I thank you and praise you
⇔ for the wisdom and power you have given to me.
⇔ Now you have made known to me what we asked of you,
⇔ for you have made known to us the matter that concerns the king.”

UST God, whom my ancestors worshiped,
⇔ I thank you and I praise you,
⇔ because you have caused me to be wise and made me strong.
⇔ You have told me what my friends and I asked you to tell us;
⇔ and you have revealed to us what the king demanded to know.”

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE I thank you and praise you,
⇔ O God of my fathers,
⇔ who have given me wisdom and might,
⇔ and have now made known to me what we desired of you;
⇔ for you have made known to us the king’s matter.”

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 O God of my fathers, I acknowledge and glorify you,
⇔ for you have bestowed wisdom and power on me.
⇔ Now you have enabled me to understand what I requested from you.
⇔ For you have enabled me to understand the king’s dilemma.”

LSV You, O God of my fathers, I am thanking and praising, for wisdom and might You have given to me; and now, You have caused me to know that which we have sought from You, for the king’s matter You have caused us to know.”

FBV I give thanks and praise to you, God of my fathers, for you have given me wisdom and power. Now you have revealed to me what we asked you; you have revealed to us the king's dream.”

T4T God, whom my ancestors worshiped,
⇔ I thank you and I praise you,
⇔ because you have caused me to be wise and made me strong.
⇔ You have told me what my friends and I asked you to tell us;
⇔ and you have revealed to us what the king demanded to know.”

LEB   • To you, O God of my ancestors,[fn] I give thanks and I give praises,
• for the wisdom and the power you gave to me,
  • and now you have made known to me
• what we have asked from you,
  • for you have made known to us the matter of the king.”

2:20 Or “fathers”

BBE I give you praise and worship, O God of my fathers, who have given me wisdom and strength, and have now made clear to me what we were requesting from you: for you have given us knowledge of the king's business.

Moff God of my fathers, thee I thank and praise,
⇔ who hast given me wisdom and might,
⇔ who hast told me what we asked from thee:
⇔ for thou hast told us the king’s trouble.”

JPS I thank Thee, and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hath given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of Thee; for Thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.

ASV I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee; for thou hast made known unto us the king’s matter.

DRA To thee, O God of our fathers, I give thanks, and I praise thee: because thou hast given me wisdom and strength: and now thou hast shewn me what we desired of thee, for thou hast made known to us, the king’s discourse.

YLT Thee, O God of my fathers, I am thanking and praising, for wisdom and might Thou hast given to me; and now, Thou hast caused me to know that which we have sought from Thee, for the king's matter Thou hast caused us to know.'

Drby I thank thee, and I praise thee, O [fn]God of my fathers, Who hast given me wisdom and might, And hast made known unto me already what we desired of thee; For thou hast made known unto us the king's matter.

2.23 Elohim

RV I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee: for thou hast made known unto us the king’s matter.
(I thank thee/you, and praise thee/you, Oh thou/you God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast now made known unto me what we desired of thee/you: for thou/you hast made known unto us the king’s matter. )

SLT For thee, O God of my fathers, I praise and laud that thou gavest me wisdom and strength, and now didst make known to me what we sought from thee: for thou didst make known to us the king’s word.

Wbstr I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known to me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known to us the king's matter.

KJB-1769 I thank thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made known unto us the king’s matter.
(I thank thee/you, and praise thee/you, Oh thou/you God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee/you: for thou/you hast now made known unto us the king’s matter. )

KJB-1611 I thanke thee and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast giuen me wisedome and might, and hast made knowen vnto me now what we desired of thee: for thou hast now made knowen vnto vs the kings matter.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps I thanke thee and prayse thee O thou God of my fathers, that thou hast geuen me wisdome and strength, and hast shewed me now the thing that we desired of thee: for thou hast declared the kinges matter vnto vs.
(I thank thee/you and praise thee/you Oh thou/you God of my fathers, that thou/you hast given me wisdom and strength, and hast showed me now the thing that we desired of thee/you: for thou/you hast declared the kings matter unto us.)

Gnva I thanke thee and prayse thee, O thou God of my fathers, that thou hast giuen mee wisedome and strength, and hast shewed me nowe the thing that wee desired of thee: for thou hast declared vnto vs the kings matter.
(I thank thee/you and praise thee/you, Oh thou/you God of my fathers, that thou/you hast given me wisdom and strength, and hast showed me now the thing that we desired of thee/you: for thou/you hast declared unto us the kings matter. )

Cvdl I thanke the, and prayse the (O thou God off my fathers) that thou hast lent me wy?dome and strength, & hast shewed me the thinge, that we desyred off the, for thou hast opened the kynges matter vnto me.
(I thank them, and praise the (Oh thou/you God off my fathers) that thou/you hast lent me wisdom and strength, and hast showed me the thing, that we desired off them, for thou/you hast opened the kings matter unto me.)

Wycl God of oure fadris, Y knowleche to thee, and Y herie thee, for thou hast youe wisdom and strengthe to me; and now thou hast schewid to me tho thingis, whiche we preieden thee, for thou hast openyd to vs the word of the kyng.
(God of our fathers, I acknowledge to thee/you, and I praise thee/you, for thou/you hast given wisdom and strength to me; and now thou/you hast showed to me those things, which we prayed thee/you, for thou/you hast opened to us the word of the king.)

Luth Ich danke dir und lobe dich, GOtt meiner Väter, daß du mir Weisheit und Stärke verleihest und jetzt offenbaret hast, darum wir dich gebeten haben; nämlich du hast uns des Königs Sache offenbaret.
(I thanks you/to_you(sg) and praise you/yourself, God mine fathers, that you(sg) to_me wise_(people) and strength verleihest and now/currently revealed have, therefore we/us you/yourself requested have; namely you(sg) have us/to_us/ourselves the kings matter revealed.)

ClVg Tibi, Deus patrum nostrorum, confiteor, teque laudo, quia sapientiam et fortitudinem dedisti mihi, et nunc ostendisti mihi quæ rogavimus te, quia sermonem regis aperuisti nobis.
(Tibi, God of_the_fathers of_ours, confiteor, teque laudo, because wisdom and strength/courage you_gave to_me, and now showsti to_me which rogavimus you(sg), because conversation king aperuisti us. )

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.

2:23a

To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise,

You^(sing) are the God of my forefathers, and I thank you and praise you
My God, you^(sing) are the one whom my ancestors served/worshiped. I give you thanks and praise,

To You, O God of my fathers, I give thanks and praise: In 2:23 Daniel began to speak to God directly, using the second-person pronoun You. This is the climax of the prayer. The Aramaic word order of this sentence is unusual. The pronoun You comes before the verb to emphasize that God was the one Daniel praised. Use a word order that is natural for conveying this emphasis. For example:

To you do I give thanks and praise, God of my ancestors.

O God of my fathers: The Hebrew expression that the BSB translates as God of my fathers is a title for the one true God. It indicates that Daniel’s ancestors worshiped the Lord, the God of Israel, as Daniel himself did. In some languages it may be natural to make this explicit:

the God my ancestors served

the God my ancestors also worshiped

In some languages it may not be natural to address God directly with a title such as this. If that is true in your language, it may be best to translate this information as a separate statement. For example:

You are the God who was worshiped by my ancestors. (CEV)

fathers: Here the word fathers refers to Daniel’s parents, grandparents, and other ancestors, both male and female.

I give thanks and praise: The two expressions that the BSB translates as thanks and praise have similar meanings. The repetition of the idea adds emphasis. In some languages it may be natural to translate these two words with an expression that adds emphasis in a different way. For example:

I give heartfelt thanks

I greatly praise

I give thanks: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates here with the noun thanks means to express appreciation, to acknowledge with gratitude what God has done.

praise: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates with the noun praise means to “worship, adore.”

2:23b

because You have given me wisdom and power.

because you^(sing) have made me wise and you^(sing) have given me power to understand the dream.
for you^(sing) have made me wise. You^(sing) have given me the ability to understand this mystery.

because: In the Aramaic text this verse part connects to the previous verse part with a conjunction that the BSB translates as because. Here this conjunction introduces the reason why Daniel thanked and praised God. Connect these verse parts in a way that is natural in your language.

You have given me wisdom and power: The Aramaic words that the BSB translates as wisdom and power are the same ones that were used in 2:20b. In 2:20 Daniel praised God for being the one who gives wisdom and power in general. Here in 2:23b he praised God for giving him wisdom and power in this situation. See the note on 2:20b. In some languages it may be natural to translate wisdom and power using adjectives. For example:

You have made me wise and strong

wisdom: This refers to insight that God gives. See the Notes at 1:4b and 1:17a. See also the note on 2:20b.

power: In this context the Aramaic word that the BSB translates as power refers to a special ability. God gave Daniel the ability to know and understand the king’s dream. He could not have understood it by himself. See the Notes at 2:20b.

2:23c–d

These verse parts are a parallel couplet. 2:23d repeats the information in 2:23c in a different way, and the phrases “what we have requested” and “the dream of the king” refer to the same idea. This repetition is used for emphasis. The same verb that the BSB translates as “have made known” is also used in both verse parts.

In some languages this repetition may imply that the two verse parts refer to different things. If that is true in your language, it may be best to combine these verse parts. For example:

For when we asked you about the king’s matter/dream, you revealed it to us.

2:23c

And now You have made known to me what we have requested,

You^(sing) have revealed to me what we^(excl) asked.
You^(sing) have answered our^(excl) prayers.

And now You have made known to me what we have requested: Daniel thanked God for revealing or telling him the king’s dream and its meaning. See the Notes on the verb “tell” at 2:5b.

what we have requested: This refers to the prayer of Daniel and his friends in 2:18a. Daniel’s friends had done as he urged them and asked God to reveal the king’s dream.

we: The pronoun we is exclusive here. It refers to Daniel and his three friends.

General Comment on 2:23c

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in this verse part, translating it in the order in which events happened. For example:

We asked you to tell us something, and you told it to me.

2:23d

for You have made known to us the dream of the king.”

You^(sing) have explained to us^(excl) the king’s dream.”
You^(sing) have solved for us^(excl) the king’s problem/mystery.”

for: The Aramaic text connects this verse part to the previous verse part with a conjunction that the BSB translates as for. In this context it introduces a restatement of the previous verse part and helps to indicate that 2:23c and 2:23d form a parallelism. It also adds emphasis to the climax of the prayer. In some languages a conjunctioni will not be needed. Connect these verse parts in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

You told us what the king wants to know. (GW)

that is, you revealed to us the king’s dream

You have made known to us the dream of the king: This verse part tells more specifically what it was that God had made known to Daniel and his friends.

to us: God had revealed the dream to Daniel, and he was going to tell his friends. He was the representative of the four men. So Daniel used the plural pronoun us here, referring to himself and his friends. This is an exclusive pronoun.

the dream of the king: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as the dream of the king more literally uses the general term “the matter/word of the king.” It refers to the king’s dream and its meaning. Other ways to say this in English are:

what the king wants to know (GW)

the answer for the king (REB)

the king’s problem (NJB)

Parallel DAN 2:23