DAN 2:45 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

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 Just as you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain by no human hands and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will happen after this. The dream is true and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

UST That is the meaning of the rock that something cut from the mountain, the rock that will crush to tiny bits the statue that is made of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. O king, the great God has shown you what will truly happen in the future. And you can trust what I told you about the meaning of the dream."

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold, the great God has made known to the king what will happen hereafter. The dream is certain, and its interpretation sure.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET You saw that a stone was cut from a mountain, but not by human hands; it smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold into pieces. The great God has made known to the king what will occur in the future. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is reliable.”

LSV Because that you have seen that out of the mountain a stone has been cut without hands, and it has beaten the iron small, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God has made known to the king that which [is] to be after this; and the dream [is] true, and its interpretation steadfast.”

FBV in the same way that you saw the stone quarried from the mountain, but not by human hands, crush the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. The great God has revealed to Your Majesty what is to come. The dream is true, and the explanation is trustworthy.”

T4T That is the meaning of the rock that something cut from the mountain, the rock that will crush to tiny bits the statue that is made of iron, bronze, silver, and gold.
¶ O king, the great God has shown you what will truly happen in the future. And you can trust what I told you about the meaning of the dream.”

LEB _⌊Inasmuch as_⌋[fn] you saw that a stone from the mountain was chiseled out[fn] but not by hands, and that it crushed the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold, thereby the great God made known to the king what will be _⌊in the future_⌋,[fn] and the dream is certain and its explanation trustworthy.”

2:45 Literally “All of because that”

2:45 Or “became loose”

2:45 Literally “after this”

BBE Because you saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that by it the iron and the brass and the earth and the silver and the gold were broken to bits, a great God has given the king knowledge of what is to take place in the future: the dream is fixed, and its sense is certain.

Moff as you saw how the stone was hewn from the mountain by no human hands and how it broke to bits the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold. Great God has told the king what is to happen in the future: the dream is certain, and its meaning sure.”

JPS Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.'

ASV Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.

DRA According as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and broke in pieces, the clay, and the iron, and the brass, and the silver, and the gold, the great God hath shewn the king what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is faithful.

YLT Because that thou hast seen that out of the mountain cut hath been a stone without hands, and it hath beaten small the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king that which [is] to be after this; and the dream [is] true, and its interpretation stedfast.

Drby Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold, — the great [fn]God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter. And the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure.

2.45 Elohim

RV Forasmuch as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.
(Forasmuch as thou/you sawest/saw that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath/has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. )

SLT Because that thou sawest that the stone being cut from the rock not with hands, and it beat small the iron, the brass, the burnt clay, the silver and the gold: the great God made known to the king what to be after this: and the dream certain, and its interpretation faithful.

Wbstr Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain, without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation of it sure.

KJB-1769 Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure.[fn][fn]
(Forasmuch as thou/you sawest/saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath/has made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the interpretation thereof sure. )

2.45 without…: or, which was not in hands

2.45 hereafter: Chaldee, after this

KJB-1611 [fn][fn]Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was cut out of the mountaine without hands, and that it brake in pieces the yron, the brasse, the clay, the siluer, and the gold: the great God hath made knowen to the King what shall come to passe hereafter, & the dreame is certaine, and the interpretation thereof sure.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

2:45 Or, which was not in hand.

2:45 Cald. after this.

Bshps Like as thou sawest that without any handes there was cut out of the mount a stone, whiche brake the iron, the brasse, the clay, the siluer and gold in peeces: so the great God hath shewed the king what shall come to passe after this: This is a true dreame, & the interpretation of it is sure.
(Like as thou/you sawest/saw that without any hands there was cut out of the mount a stone, which brake the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver and gold in pieces: so the great God hath/has showed the king what shall come to pass after this: This is a true dream, and the interpretation of it is sure.)

Gnva Where as thou sawest, that the stone was cut of the mountaine without handes, and that it brake in pieces the yron, the brasse, the clay, the siluer, and the golde: so the great God hath shewed the King, what shall come to passe hereafter, and the dreame is true, and the interpretation thereof is sure.
(Where as thou/you sawest/saw, that the stone was cut of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold: so the great God hath/has showed the King, what shall come to pass hereafter, and the dream is true, and the interpretation thereof is sure. )

Cvdl And where as thou sawest, that without eny hondes there was cut out of the mount a stone, which brake the yron, the copper ye earth, the syluer and golde in peces: by that hath ye greate God shewed the kynge, what wyl come after this. This is a true dreame, and the interpretacion of it is sure.
(And where as thou/you sawest/saw, that without any hands there was cut out of the mount a stone, which brake the iron, the copper ye/you_all earth, the silver and gold in pieces: by that hath/has ye/you_all great God showed the king, what will come after this. This is a true dream, and the interpretation of it is sure.)

Wycl bi this that thou siest, that a stoon was kit doun of the hil with outen hondis, and maad lesse the tiel stoon, and irun, and bras, and siluer, and gold. Greet God hath schewid to the kyng, what thingis schulen come aftirward; and the dreem is trewe, and the interpretyng therof is feithful.
(by this that thou/you siest, that a stone was cut down of the hill without hands, and made less the tile stone, and iron, and brass, and silver, and gold. Greet God hath/has showed to the king, what things should come afterward; and the dream is true, and the interpreting thereof is faithful.)

Luth Wie du denn gesehen hast, einen Stein ohne Hände vom Berge herabgerissen, der das Eisen, Erz, Ton, Silber und Gold zermalmet. Also hat der große GOtt dem Könige gezeiget, wie es hernach gehen werde; und das ist gewiß der Traum, und die Deutung ist recht.
(How you(sg) because/than seen have, a stone without hands from_the mountains/hills herdemolished/ragged, the/of_the the iron, ore, Ton, silver(n) and Gold zermalmet. So has the/of_the large God to_him king(s) shown, as/like it afterwards go become; and the is certainly the/of_the dream, and the interpretation is right.)

ClVg Secundum quod vidisti, quod de monte abscissus est lapis sine manibus, et comminuit testam, et ferrum, et æs, et argentum, et aurum, Deus magnus ostendit regi quæ ventura sunt postea: et verum est somnium, et fidelis interpretatio ejus.
(After/Second that did_you_see, that from/about mountain abscissus it_is stone without hands, and comminuit testam, and iron, and brass, and silver, and gold, God big he_showed to_rule which to_come are afterwards: and true it_is a_dream/sleep, and faithful interpretation his. )

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 2:44–2:45

This paragraph introduces the new topic of a fifth kingdom. This kingdom will be different from all the other kingdoms. God himself will establish it, and it will last forever.

2:45a

And just as you saw a stone being cut out of the mountain without human hands,

¶ “This is the meaning of the rock that someone cut from a mountain. It was not a human being who did this. It was God.
¶ “This is what the dream meant when you saw someone cut out a stone from a mountain. It was not a human who cut it out. God made it happen.

And just as you saw: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as And just as you saw here introduces a summary statement. Daniel identified the new kingdom with the symbol of the rock in the king’s dream. Other ways to translate this include:

This is the meaning of the vision (NIV)

This is the meaning of your vision (REB)

That is the meaning of… (NLT)

Introduce this summary statement in a way that is natural in your language.

a stone being cut out of the mountain: See the Notes at 2:34a. See how you translated this idea there. For example:

Use a passive, as most English versions do. For example:
a stone was cut from a mountain (NET)
Use an indefinite form. For example:
someone/he cut out a stone

You may have another way in your language to imply that God caused this to happen. You should not make this explicit.

without human hands: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as without human hands is literally “not by hands” (NJPS). The phrase indicates that a human being did not do this. It implies that a supernatural being cut the rock from the mountain. See the Notes at 2:34a. Translate here as you did there. If you have a way of implying that God did this, without saying so explicitly, you should use that here.

2:45b

and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold,

That rock smashed the statue that was made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and baked clay.
Then the stone struck the statue made of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and baked clay and completely destroyed it.

and it shattered the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold: Daniel continued to summarize what the king had seen in his dream. Other ways to translate this include:

It smashed the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold. (GW)

and then shattering the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold (REB)

that crushed to pieces the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold (NLT)

the iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold: See the Notes on these terms at 2:32a, 2:32b, 2:32c, 2:33a. Here the materials are listed in almost reverse order, from the bottom to the top of the statue. The significance of this is not known, but it is good to maintain this order. In some languages it may be natural to say:

the statue of iron, bronze, clay, silver, and gold (NLT)

2:45c

so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future.

The great God has showed you^(sing) the king what will happen in the future.
The great God has revealed to Your Majesty what will happen in the future.

so the great God has told the king what will happen in the future: Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that his dream was a message from God. God was letting Nebuchadnezzar know what was going to happen in the coming years. Other ways to translate this include:

The great God was showing the king what will happen in the future. (NLT)

In this way the great God showed you what will happen. (NCV)

The great God is telling Your Majesty what will happen in the future. (GNT)

the great God: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as God can refer to a pagan god or the God of Israel. In this context, Daniel refers to the God of Israel. The BSB has supplied the definite article the. You should supply it if that gives the correct meaning, that there is one God, and he is great. It is important to make sure that your translation does not imply that there is another God who is not great.

great: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as great here is a title of respect for God and indicates that he is great in power. It is the same adjective that is used to describe an earthly king in 2:10b. In your translation, use a word that is appropriate for speaking highly of God’s power. It need not be the same word that you used to describe a human king. Here is another way to translate this:

mighty (REB)

has told the king: God had informed the king, through his dream, of future events. Use a verb that is appropriate for revealing information indirectly, such as through a dream. For example:

has let the king know

Daniel addressed the king in the third person in order to show respect. If this is not natural in your language, you can use the second person. If your language has a special way to show respect to someone who has a higher status, you should use it here. For example:

has shown your Majesty (NLT)

has revealed to you, sir

what will happen in the future: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as in the future is more literally “after this.” Other ways to translate this include:

what will happen in the future (NLT)

what will happen (NCV)

future events

2:45d

The dream is true, and its interpretation is trustworthy.”

I have told you the truth about your dream, and you can trust the interpretation.”
This was your^(sing) dream, and I have interpreted it correctly/accurately.”
This is exactly what you dreamed, and I have explained to you^(sing) its true meaning.”

The dream is true: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as true means “sure, certain.” There are two ways to interpret the clause that the BSB translates as The dream is true:

God had sent the dream and it gave an accurate description of future events. For example (combining the two clauses in 2:45d):
The dream and its interpretation are true and trustworthy. (REB) (CEV, NJB, REB, probably NCV, NLT, GW, REB)
It indicates that Daniel had accurately revealed the content of the dream. This was truly the dream. For example:
I have told you exactly what you dreamed (GNT) (GNT, probably NET)

Most English versions are similar to the BSB and can be understood either way, although interpretation (1) is the more natural understanding. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with the majority of English versions.

and its interpretation is trustworthy: The phrase and its interpretation is trustworthy means “and the way I have interpreted the dream is accurate.” Daniel claimed he had interpreted the dream correctly. The king could trust what he had said. Other ways to translate this include:

and its interpretation is reliable (NET)

and its interpretation sure (NIV)