DAN 2:27 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) “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers are able to do what the king has demanded,” replied Daniel.

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 Daniel answered before the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers are able to show to the king the mystery that the king has asked.

UST I replied, “There are no wise men or fortune-tellers or men who work magic or men who work sorcery who can tell such things to you.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

CSB Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, medium, magician, or diviner is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about.

NLT Daniel replied, “There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortune-tellers who can reveal the king’s secret.

NIV Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,

CEV Daniel answered: Your Majesty, not even the smartest person in all the world can do what you are demanding.

ESV Daniel answered the king and said, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can show to the king the mystery that the king has asked,

NASB Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king has inquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.

LSB Daniel answered before the king and said, “As for the mystery about which the king is asking, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians, nor diviners are able to declare it to the king.

WEBBE Daniel answered before the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded can’t be shown to the king by wise men, enchanters, magicians, or soothsayers;

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(27-28)Daniel answered the king, “No mere human can solve the king’s mystery, I don’t care who it is—no wise man, enchanter, magician, diviner. But there is a God in heaven who solves mysteries, and he has solved this one. He is letting King Nebuchadnezzar in on what is going to happen in the days ahead. This is the dream you had when you were lying on your bed, the vision that filled your mind:

NET Daniel replied to the king, “The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king.

LSV Daniel has answered before the king and said, “The secret that the king is asking, the wise men, the enchanters, the scribes, the soothsayers, are not able to show to the king;

FBV “No wise men or enchanters or magicians or diviners can explain the mystery Your Majesty wants to know,” Daniel replied.

T4T I replied, “There are no wise men or fortune-tellers or men who work magic or men who work sorcery who can tell such things to you.

LEB Daniel answered the king and said, “The mystery that the king asks, no wise men, conjurers,[fn] magicians,[fn] or diviners are able to make known to the king.

2:27 Or “enchanters”

2:27 Or “soothsayer-priests”

NRSV Daniel answered the king, “No wise men, enchanters, magicians, or diviners can show to the king the mystery that the king is asking,

NKJV Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, “The secret which the king has demanded, the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, and the soothsayers cannot declare to the king.

NAB In the king’s presence Daniel made this reply: “The mystery about which the king has inquired, the wise men, enchanters, magicians, and diviners could not explain to the king.

BBE Then Daniel said in answer to the king, No wise men, or users of secret arts, or wonder-workers, or readers of signs, are able to make clear to the king the secret he is searching for;

Moff Daniel answered the king, “No sages, enchanters, magicians, or astrologers, can tell the king the mystery which the king has asked;

JPS Daniel answered before the king, and said: 'The secret which the king hath asked can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor astrologers, declare unto the king;

ASV Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king;

DRA And Daniel made answer before the king, and said: The secret that the king desireth to know, none of the wise men, or the philosophers, or the diviners, or the soothsayers can declare to the king.

YLT Daniel hath answered before the king and said, 'The secret that the king is asking, the wise men, the enchanters, the scribes, the soothsayers, are not able to shew to the king;

Drby Daniel answered in the presence of the king and said, The secret that the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the magicians, the scribes, the astrologers, shew unto the king;

RV Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, shew unto the king;
(Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret which the king hath/has demanded can neither wise men, enchanters, magicians, nor soothsayers, show unto the king; )

SLT Daniel answered before the king, and said, The secret that the, king asked, not the wise men, the enchanters, the sacred scribes, the diviners, shall be able to show to the king;

Wbstr Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded, the wise men , the astrologers, the magicians, the sooth-sayers, cannot show to the king;

KJB-1769 Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, shew unto the king;
(Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath/has demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; )

KJB-1611 Daniel answered in the presence of the King, and said, The secret which the King hath demanded, cannot the wise men, the astrologians, the magicians, y^e southsaiers shew vnto the king:
(Daniel answered in the presence of the King, and said, The secret which the King hath/has demanded, cannot the wise men, the astrologians, the magicians, the southsaiers show unto the king:)

Bshps Daniel aunswered in the presence of the king, and sayd: As for this secrete for the whiche the king maketh inquisition, there can neither the men of vnderstanding, nor soothsayers, nor the wyse men, nor readers of destinies declare it vnto the king:
(Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said: As for this secret for the which the king maketh/makes inquisition, there can neither the men of understanding, nor soothsayers, nor the wise men, nor readers of destinies declare it unto the king:)

Gnva Daniel answered in the presence of the King, and sayd, The secret which the King hath demanded, can neither the wise, the astrologians, the inchanters, nor the southsayers declare vnto the King.
(Daniel answered in the presence of the King, and said, The secret which the King hath/has demanded, can neither the wise, the astrologians, the enchanters, nor the southsayers declare unto the King. )

Cvdl Daniel answered the kynge to his face, and sayde: As for this secrete, for the which the kinge maketh inquisicion: it is nether the wyse, the sorcerer, the charmer ner the deuell coniurer, that can certifie the kynge off it:
(Daniel answered the king to his face, and said: As for this secret, for the which the king maketh/makes inquisicion: it is neither the wise, the sorcerer, the charmer nor the devil conjurer, that can certify the king off it:)

Wycl And Danyel answeride bifore the king, and seide, The priuytee which the kyng axith, wise men, and astronomyens, and dyuynours, and lokeris of auteris, moun not schewe to the kyng.
(And Daniel answered before the king, and said, The priuytee which the king axith, wise men, and astronomyens, and diviners, and lokeris of altars, may/can not show to the king.)

Luth Daniel fing an vor dem Könige und sprach: Das verborgene Ding, das der König fordert von den Weisen, Gelehrten, Sternsehern und Wahrsagern, stehet in ihrem Vermögen nicht, dem Könige zu sagen,
(Daniel caught at/to before/in_front_of to_him king(s) and spoke: The hidden thing, the the/of_the king demands from the ways/manners, Gelehrten, Sternsehern and fortune-tellers, stands in their assets/fortune not, to_him king(s) to/for say,)

ClVg Et respondens Daniel coram rege, ait: Mysterium, quod rex interrogat, sapientes, magi, arioli, et aruspices nequeunt indicare regi:
(And responding Daniel before king, he_said: Mysterium, that king asks, wise_people, magi, arioli, and aruspices they_cannot to_indicidate to_rule: )

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.

2:27

Daniel answered the king, “No wise man, enchanter, medium, or magician can explain to the king the mystery of which he inquires.

Daniel answered, “None of the wise advisers/sages can reveal this mystery that you^(sing) have asked about, my king. None of the enchanters, magicians, or astrologers can do this.
“This kind of secret is not something that any diviner or other occult/divination expert can reveal to you, Your Majesty,” Daniel answered.

Daniel answered the king: The Aramaic clause that the BSB translates as Daniel answered uses two verbs of speech. This formula gives some emphasis to Daniel’s words. Some versions translate both verbs. For example:

Daniel answered before the king and said (NASB)

Introduce Daniel’s answer in a way that is natural in your language.

As the NASB quotation just above shows, the Aramaic text includes the phrase “before the king.” This is the same expression that was used in 2:10a to refer to addressing someone of higher status. The BSB does not explicitly translate this phrase. If it is natural in your language, you may indicate that Daniel was addressing a king. It may be natural to do this with an introductory form of address. For example:

Daniel replied, “Your Majesty…” (GNT)

No wise man, enchanter, medium, or magician can explain to the king the mystery of which he inquires: Daniel told the king that none of the various Babylonian experts could tell him what he wanted to know. Here is another way to translate this:

Your Majesty, there is no wizard, magician, fortuneteller, or astrologer who can tell you that. (GNT)

In some languages it may be natural to use plural forms for the different types of experts. For example:

There are no wise men, enchanters, magicians, or fortunetellers who can reveal the king’s secret. (NLT)

It is not possible for any of the expert advisers to solve your mystery for you

No wise man, enchanter, medium, or magician: Notice that the list of experts in this verse part is not the same as the list in 2:2a or 2:10b. This implies that the author did not mean to give an exact list of all the experts. The names are probably examples of the various kinds of experts whom the king summoned. Your language may not have a specific term for each of these experts. You may have to use one term for two or three of the names listed here. Another option is to begin or end the list with a general term. For example:

Out of all your expert advisers—wise men, enchanters, magicians—there is no one who…

Among all your wizards, magicians, fortunetellers and other wise men there is none who…

wise man: This is the same expression that was used in 2:12. It seems to be a general term that could include any of the types of advisors that were mentioned. See the note on 2:12b.

enchanter: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as enchanter describes someone who performed rituals to obtain knowledge or to influence people’s futures. See the Notes at 2:2a and 2:10b.

magician: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as magician refers to a person who seemed to perform different occult functions. He probably interpreted dreams and foretold the future through divination. See the Notes at 2:2a and 2:10b.

medium: This term describes a new group of experts whom Daniel did not mention in 2:2a or 2:10b. The exact meaning of this word is uncertain. It has been translated in various ways by English versions:

astrologers (RSV)

fortuneteller (GW)

exorcists (NJB)

can explain to the king: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates explain is literally “tell.” The form of the verb can be interpreted differently:

It expresses a general truth: no human advisor would be able to reveal what the king wanted to know. For example:
can explain to the king (NCV) (BSB, NIV, NASB, ESV, KJV, NJPS, GW, NLT, GNT, REB, NCV, CEV)
It refers to what had happened in the past. For example:
None…has been able to tell the king (NJB) (NJB)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with the great majority of English versions.

to the king: Daniel spoke to the king in the third person, as Arioch did in 2:25. See the note on 2:25c. This indirect address was a way to show special respect in that culture. Indicate respect in a way that is natural in your language.

the mystery of which he inquires: This refers to the king’s question in 2:26. Be sure that this is clear in your translation. Some ways to say this in English are:

the secret about which you ask (REB)

what the king has demanded (GW)

See the Notes at 2:18a.

General Comment on 2:27

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in this verse, emphasizing “the mystery,” as in the Aramaic text. For example:

The mystery that the king is asking about is such that no wise men, astrologers, magicians, or diviners can possibly disclose it to the king. (NET)

As for the mystery about which the king has enquired, neither wise men, conjurers, magicians nor diviners are able to declare it to the king. (NASB)

Parallel DAN 2:27

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

Paragraph 2:26–28

2:27

General Comment on 2:27