DAN 2:28 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) “However, there is a god in the heavens who reveals mysteries, and he’s the one who’s shown you, King Nevukadnetstsar, what will happen in the days to come. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while you were in your bed:

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 However, there is a God in heaven, who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions of your head while on your bed.

UST But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. And he has shown in your dream what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you what you dreamed, and the vision you saw as you were lying on your bed.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

CSB But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these:

NLT But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed.

NIV but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:

ESV but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed are these:

NASB “However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the latter days. This was your dream and the visions in your mind while on your bed.

LSB However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will take place in the last days. This was your dream and the visions of your head while on your bed.

WEBBE but there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your head on your bed are these:

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 However, there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the times to come. The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed are as follows.

LSV but there is a God in the heavens, a revealer of secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar that which [is] to be in the latter end of the days. Your dream and the visions of your head on your bed are these:

FBV “But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has revealed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came to your mind as you were lying in bed were these.

T4T But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets. And he has shown in your dream what will happen in the future. Now I will tell you what you dreamed, the vision you saw as you were lying on your bed.

LEB But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what it is that will be at the end of days. This is your dream and the visions of your head on your bed.

NRSV but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has disclosed to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen at the end of days. Your dream and the visions of your head as you lay in bed were these:

NKJV But there is a God in heaven who reveals secrets, and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will be in the latter days. Your dream, and the visions of your head upon your bed, were these:

NAB But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what is to happen in the last days; this was your dream, the visions you saw as you lay in bed.

BBE But there is a God in heaven, the unveiler of secrets, and he has given to King Nebuchadnezzar knowledge of what will take place in the last days. Your dreams and the visions of your head on your bed are these:

Moff but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and he discloses to king Nebuchadnezzar what is to happen in the latter days. Your dream and the visions of your brain in bed are these:

JPS but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and He hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the end of days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

ASV but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

DRA But there is a God in heaven that revealeth mysteries, who hath shewn to thee, O king Nabuchodonosor, what is to come to pass in the latter times. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:

YLT but there is a God in the heavens, a revealer of secrets, and He hath made known to king Nebuchadnezzar that which [is] to be in the latter end of the days. 'Thy dream and the visions of thy head on thy bed are these:

Drby but there is a [fn]God in the heavens, who revealeth secrets, and maketh known to king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be at the end of days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed are these:

2.28 Elohim

RV but there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and he hath made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these:
(but there is a God in heaven that revealeth/reveals secrets, and he hath/has made known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy/Your dream, and the visions of thy/your head upon thy/your bed, are these: )

SLT But there is a God in the heavens revealing secrets, and he made known to king Nebuchadnezzar what to be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, it is thus:

Wbstr But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;

KJB-1769 But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy dream, and the visions of thy head upon thy bed, are these;[fn]
(But there is a God in heaven that revealeth/reveals secrets, and maketh/makes known to the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy/Your dream, and the visions of thy/your head upon thy/your bed, are these; )

2.28 maketh…: Chaldee, hath made known

KJB-1611 [fn]But there is a God in heauen that reuealeth secrets, and maketh knowen to the king Nebuchad-nezzar, what shalbe in the latter dayes. Thy dreame, and the visions of thy head vpon thy bed, are these.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

2:28 Cald. hath made knowen.

Bshps But there is a God in heauen that reuealeth secretes, & sheweth the king Nabuchodonozor what is for to come in the latter dayes. Thy dreame and that whiche thou hast seene in thyne head vpon thy bed, is this.
(But there is a God in heaven that revealeth/reveals secrets, and sheweth/shows the king Nabuchodonozor what is for to come in the latter days. Thy/Your dream and that which thou/you hast seen in thine/your head upon thy/your bed, is this.)

Gnva But there is a God in heauen that reueileth secrets, and sheweth the King Nebuchad-nezzar what shall bee in the latter dayes. Thy dreame, and the things which thou hast seene in thine heade vpon thy bed, is this.
(But there is a God in heaven that reveileth secrets, and sheweth/shows the King Nebuchad-nezzar what shall be in the latter days. Thy/Your dream, and the things which thou/you hast seen in thine/your head upon thy/your bed, is this. )

Cvdl Only God in heaue ca open secretes, and he it is, that sheweth the kinge Nabuchodonosor, what is for to come in the latter dayes. Thy dreame, and that which thou hast sene in thyne heade vpon thy bed, is this:
(Only God in heaven can open secrets, and he it is, that sheweth/shows the king Nebuchadnezzar, what is for to come in the latter days. Thy/Your dream, and that which thou/you hast seen in thine/your head upon thy/your bed, is this:)

Wycl But God is in heuene, that schewith priuytees, which hath schewid to thee, thou king Nabugodonosor, what thingis schulen come in the laste tymes. Thi dreem and visiouns of thin heed, in thi bed, ben sich.
(But God is in heaven, that schewith priuytees, which hath/has showed to thee/you, thou/you king Nebuchadnezzar, what things should come in the last times. Thy/Your dream and visions of thine/your head, in thy/your bed, been sich.)

Luth sondern GOtt vom Himmel, der kann verborgene Dinge offenbaren; der hat dem Könige Nebukadnezar angezeiget, was in künftigen Zeiten geschehen soll.
(rather God from_the heaven, the/of_the can hidden things reveal; the/of_the has to_him king(s) Nebukadnezar angezeiget, what/which in future times/periods happen should.)

ClVg sed est Deus in cælo revelans mysteria, qui indicavit tibi, rex Nabuchodonosor, quæ ventura sunt in novissimis temporibus. Somnium tuum, et visiones capitis tui in cubili tuo hujuscemodi sunt.
(but it_is God in/into/on the_sky revelans mysteries, who/which indicated to_you, king Nabuchodonosor, which to_come are in/into/on the_latest times. Somnium your(sg), and visions of_the_head yours(sg) in/into/on bed your of_this_kind are. )

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.

2:28a

But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries,

Only God who rules from heaven can reveal these mysteries.
“However, the true God in heaven can do what human experts cannot do. He is the one who reveals such secrets.

But: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as But here introduces a contrast with the previous verse. Although no human expert could reveal the king’s secret, there is a God in heaven who reveals such secrets. Express this contrast in a way that is natural in your language.

there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries: This sentence contrasts God with the various wise men mentioned in 2:27. He could do what they could not do. Translate this in a way that makes the contrast clear. For example:

the God who rules from heaven does reveal mysteries

a God in heaven: This is the same title for God that was used in 2:18. See the Notes at 2:18a. It refers to the true God. It does not indicate there is more than one God. In some languages it may therefore be necessary to say:

the God who is in heaven

In some languages it may be necessary to expand this phrase. For example:

the God who rules from heaven (CEV)

heaven: This refers to the place where God lives, not merely to the sky. See KBT for suggestions on how to translate this key term.

mysteries: This refers to secrets such as the king’s dream and its interpretation. These were things that only God could reveal. See the Notes in 2:18a and 2:27.

2:28b

and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in the latter days.

He has given this dream to you, my king, in order that you^(sing) may know what will happen in the time to come.
He has caused you^(sing) to have this dream in order that you^(sing) can know what will happen in the future.

and He has made known to King Nebuchadnezzar: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as has made known is the same as the verb translated as “will tell” in 2:25c. It means to inform or make something known. In this context it indicates that God gave Nebuchadnezzar the dream in order to let him know future events. God did not tell Nebuchadnezzar directly, and at this time Nebuchadnezzar did not yet know the meaning of the dream. Here is one way to translate this phrase:

He has given this dream to you, king, in order that you may know what will happen in the future.

In some languages, to express this idea, it may be natural to use a different verb tense or to speak of something that God had already done, such as giving the dreamThe Aramaic verb refers to something that God had already done. Most English versions translate it in the present perfect tense, as the BSB does. The reason for this tense may not be clear to readers, since God had not yet revealed the meaning of the dream to the king. Daniel was about to explain it to him. The GW translates this verb in the future tense.. For example:

he will tell King Nebuchadnezzar (GW)

King Nebuchadnezzar: Daniel spoke to the king in the third person. This was a way of showing respect to someone of higher status. see the Notes at 2:27b. If this is not natural in your language, you may use the second person. However, it is important to translate the attitude of respect. For example, you could say:

for God has told you, O King,…G has: “O King live forever.” This may be an assimilation to 2:24.

what will happen in the latter days: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates in the latter days is more literally “at the end of the days.”MT, Theodotian, G. The phrase occurs again in Daniel 10:14. It is traditionally translated as in the latter days.BSB, KJV, NASB, RSV, ESV. This phrase refers to a time in the future when there will be important changes. Scholars interpret it differently here.

The phrase refers in a general way to the future.Le Semeur; GeCL97; Baldwin (p. 93). For example:
in days to come (NIV)
in the future (GNT) (GNT, NLT, KJV, CEV, NCV, NIV, GW, NET)
The phrase is a technical term that refers to the end of time and history.Horst Seebass, TDOT 1 (1974): 207–12. See the discussion in Collins, p. 161. Other passages that interpret the phrase in this way include Ezekiel 38:16, Daniel 10:14, Hosea 3:5, Isaiah 2:2, and Micah 4:1). For example:
in the final days (NJB) (REB, NJB, NRSV, NJPS)

Interpretation (1) is probably best in this context. You may wish to follow the BSB, which uses a phrase which could mean either interpretation (1) and (2). The dream told about what would happen in the near as well as the distant future.

2:28c

Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these:

This is the dream you^(sing) dreamed as you lay on your bed.
I will now tell you^(sing) the vision that you saw while you were on your bed.

Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay on your bed were these: This verse part introduces Daniel’s explanation of the content and meaning of the king’s dream. Other ways to translate this include:

These, then, are the dream and the visions that passed through your head as you were lying in bed (NJB)

The dream and the visions you had while lying on your bed are as follows. (NET)

Now I will tell you your dream and the visions you saw as you lay on your bed. (NLT)

Your dream and the visions: In this context the Aramaic expressions that the BSB translates as Your dream and the visions probably refer to the same thing. The book of Daniel does not seem to distinguish between the two terms. For the plural visions, see the Notes at 2:1. Nebuchadnezzar probably dreamed the same dream on several different nights.

In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that the words dream and “vision” have the same meaning here. For example:

This is your dream, the vision you saw (NCV)

In some languages you may have only one word for these two terms. If that is true in your language, you may translate using just the one word. For example:

I will now tell you what you saw in your dream….

that came into your mind: The Aramaic expression that the BSB translates as that came into your mind is more literally “of your head,” as in the RSV. It indicates that the king did not see the visions with his physical eyes. They occurred while he was on his bed asleep.

as you lay on your bed: This phrase tells where the dream occurred. The king was in his bed. It is implied he was lying there asleep. Other ways to translate this include:

while you were asleep (GW)

while lying on your bed (NCV)

In some languages you may not need to make this information explicit, because it is implied by the context and the words “dream” and “visions.”

were these: This expression introduces the description of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The word these refers to the details of the dream that Daniel would tell the king. Daniel did not actually begin to describe those details until 2:31. He continued the introduction to his speech in 2:29–30. So in some languages it may be more natural to say something like:

I will now explain your dreams and the visions that passed through your mind.

Parallel DAN 2:28

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

Paragraph 2:26–28

2:28a

2:28b

2:28c