DAN 2:26 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.)

2:26 OSHB variant note: ה/איתי/ך: (x-qere) ’הַֽ/אִיתָ֣/ךְ’: lemma_d/383 morph_ATi/Ta/Sp2ms id_27Jdu הַֽ/אִיתָ֣/ךְ

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 The king said to Daniel (whose name was Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw and its interpretation?”

UST The king said to me, whose new name was Belteshazzar, “Is this true? Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE The king answered Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and its interpretation?”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The king then asked Daniel (whose name was also Belteshazzar), “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I saw, as well as its interpretation?”

LSV The king has answered and said to Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, “Are you able to cause me to know the dream that I have seen, and its interpretation?”

FBV The king asked Daniel (also called Belteshazzar), “Are you really able to tell me what my dream was, and what it means?”

T4T The king said to me, whose new name was Belteshazzar, “Is this true? Can you tell me what I dreamed and what it means?”

LEB _⌊The king then asked_⌋[fn] and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Are you able to make known to me the dream that I have seen and its explanation?”[fn]

2:26 Literally “The king answered”

2:26 Or “interpretation”

BBE The king made answer and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Are you able to make clear to me the dream which I saw and its sense?

Moff And the king said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, “Can you tell me the dream I saw and tell me what it means?”

JPS The king spoke and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar: 'Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?'

ASV The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?

DRA The king answered, and said to Daniel, whose name was Baltassar: Thinkest thou indeed that thou canst tell me the dream that I saw, and the interpretation thereof?

YLT The king hath answered and said to Daniel, whose name [is] Belteshazzar, 'Art thou able to cause me to know the dream that I have seen, and its interpretation?'

Drby The king answered and said unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream that I have seen, and its interpretation?

RV The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
(The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou/you able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? )

SLT The king answered and said to Daniel, his name Belteshazzar, Is it to thee to be able to make known to me the dream that I saw, and its interpretation?

Wbstr The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known to me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation of it?

KJB-1769 The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?
(The king answered and said to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou/you able to make known unto me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? )

KJB-1611 The King answered and said to Daniel whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to make knowen vnto me the dreame which I haue seene, and the interpretation thereof?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps Then aunswered the king and sayd vnto Daniel, whose name was Baltassar: Art thou able to shewe me the dreame which I haue seene, and the interpretation therof?
(Then answered the king and said unto Daniel, whose name was Baltassar: Art thou/you able to show me the dream which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?)

Gnva Then answered the King, and sayde vnto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou able to shew me the dreame, which I haue seene, and the interpretation thereof?
(Then answered the King, and said unto Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar, Art thou/you able to show me the dream, which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof? )

Cvdl The answered the kynge, and sayde vnto Daniel, whose name was Balthasar: Art thou he, yt cast shewe me ye dreame, which I haue sene, & the interpretacion therof?
(The answered the king, and said unto Daniel, whose name was Balthasar: Art thou/you he, it cast show me ye/you_all dream, which I have seen, and the interpretation thereof?)

Wycl The kyng answeride, and seide to Danyel, to whom the name was Balthasar, Whethir gessist thou, that thou maist verili schewe to me the dreem which Y siy, and the interpretyng therof?
(The king answered, and said to Daniel, to whom the name was Balthasar, Whether gessist thou/you, that thou/you mayest/may verily/truly show to me the dream which I see, and the interpreting thereof?)

Luth Der König antwortete und sprach zu Daniel, den sie Beltsazar hießen: Bist du, der mir den Traum, den ich gesehen habe und seine Deutung zeigen kann?
(The king replied and spoke to/for Daniel, the they/she/them Beltsazar they_were_called: Bist you(sg), the/of_the to_me the dream, the I seen have and his interpretation shown can?)

ClVg Respondit rex, et dixit Danieli, cujus nomen erat Baltassar: Putasne vere potes mihi indicare somnium, quod vidi, et interpretationem ejus?
(Respondit king, and he/she_said Danieli, whose name was Baltassar: Putasne really/truly you_can to_me to_indicidate a_dream/sleep, that I_saw, and interpretation his? )

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

Four World Empires

Two panoramic visions in Daniel present God’s sovereignty over history. Nebuchadnezzar had the first vision (ch 2), and Daniel had another like it (ch 7). In each of these visions, four of the kingdoms of the world are presented.

There have always been questions about the identities of the four empires, but historically there has also been considerable consensus. Hippolytus (AD 170–236), one of the early church fathers, identified the four kingdoms as Babylonia, Media-Persia, Greece, and Rome. The church father and historian Eusebius of Caesarea (AD 260–340) initially identified the first kingdom as Assyria (which once also controlled Babylon), but he later agreed with Hippolytus, as did most of the church fathers. Later, Jerome and Augustine accepted this same understanding, and conservative interpreters largely still agree.

In antiquity and in our era, some interpreters have argued that Greece is the fourth empire, treating Media and Persia as separate kingdoms. This interpretation is due in part to denying the possibility of prediction, assuming the book was written before the Roman Empire had arisen. But Media and Persia are usually regarded as one empire, and the Median kingdom had been mostly assimilated by the Persians by the time Cyrus II conquered Babylon in 539 BC.

Rome is then seen as the fourth kingdom, but the bestial, demonic, and inhumane characteristics of the vision extend beyond the historical Rome. The visions also represent a panorama of the whole world and its governments; all will be destroyed and replaced by the Kingdom of God, the “rock . . . cut from a mountain” (2:34). The metals of the statue become progressively less valuable in chapter 2, while the animal imagery of chapter 7 becomes more menacingly fierce, violent, and inhumane. These features represent a deterioration of human civilization across the centuries, even as the Kingdom of God grows in power and stature (2:35).

Passages for Further Study

Dan 2:1-49; 7:1-28

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 2:26–28

Daniel told the king that God had revealed to him the king’s dream. He introduced one of the central themes of the chapter: only God can reveal mysteries.

2:26a

The king responded to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar,

¶ The king asked Daniel (that is, Belteshazzar),
¶ The king questioned Daniel (now known as Belteshazzar):

The king responded to Daniel, whose name was Belteshazzar: The Aramaic expression that the BSB translates as responded is the same one that was used in 2:5a, 2:10a, and 2:20a. See the Notes on those verses.

whose name was Belteshazzar: The phrase whose name was Belteshazzar gives background information about Daniel. When Daniel came to Babylon, the Babylonians changed his name to Belteshazzar, which was a Babylonian name. See 1:7. There are several ways to indicate this in a translation. For example:

that is, Belteshazzar

(also called Belteshazzar) (NIV)

(now known as Belteshazzar)

Present this background information in a natural way in your language.

2:26b

“Are you able to tell me what I saw in the dream, as well as its interpretation?”

“Can you^(sing) really tell me what I dreamed and interpret what it means?”
“Are you^(sing) able to reveal what I have dreamed and tell me what it means?”

Are you able to tell me what I saw in the dream, as well as its interpretation?: The king’s question expressed doubt or uncertainty. He was not sure that Daniel could reveal what he had dreamed. English versions express the doubt in different ways. For example:

Is this true? Can you tell me what my dream was and what it means? (NLT)

Can you really tell me my dream and its interpretation?

Express the king’s uncertainty in a way that is natural in your language.

tell me: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as tell means “reveal, explain.” See the Notes at 2:25c. Here is another way to translate this:

make known to me (RSV)

what I saw in the dream: Languages have different ways to speak about the content of dreams. Some ways that English versions translate this are:

what my dream was (NLT)

the dream I had (GW)

what I dreamed (GNT)

Express the idea in a way that is natural in your language.

as well as its interpretation: The phrase as well as its interpretation in this context is short for “and are you able to interpret my dream?” Other ways to say this include:

and its meaning (GW)

and what it means (NLT)

and can you tell me its interpretation?

Parallel DAN 2:26

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

Paragraph 2:26–28

2:26a

2:26b