DAN 4:13 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) I was looking at the visions in my mind as I lay in bed, and then, wow, a holy sentinel came down from the heavens.

4:13 Note: KJB: Dān.4.16

4:13 OSHB variant note: אנוש/א: (x-qere) ’אֲנָשָׁ֣/א’: lemma_606 morph_ANcmsd/Td id_27pV4 אֲנָשָׁ֣/א

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 I was looking in the visions of my head as I lay on my bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven.

UST While I was still lying on my bed, I saw a vision. In the vision I saw a holy angel coming down from heaven.

BSB As I lay on my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher,[fn] a holy one, coming down from heaven.

4:13 Or an angelic watcher or a messenger; also in verses 17 and 23

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE “I saw in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a holy watcher came down from the sky.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET While I was watching in my mind’s visions on my bed,
⇔ a holy sentinel came down from heaven.

LSV I was looking, in the visions of my head on my bed, and behold, a sifter, even a holy one, from the heavens is coming down.

FBV As I went on dreaming, lying on my bed, I saw a watcher, a holy one,[fn] coming down from heaven.

4:13 “A watcher, a holy one”: this is usually understood to be an angel.

T4T While I was still lying on my bed, I saw another vision. In the vision I saw a holy angel coming down from heaven.

LEB “ ‘I was looking in the vision of my head as I lay on my bed,and, look, a watcher,[fn] and a holy one, came down from heaven.

4:13 Or “angelic being”

BBE In the visions of my head on my bed I saw a watcher, a holy one, coming down from heaven,

Moff In the visions of my brain in bed I looked, and there was one of the angel-guard! He came down from heaven

JPS (4-10) I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven.

ASV I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven.

DRA Let his heart be changed from man’s, and let a beast’s heart be given him; and let seven times pass over him.

YLT 'I was looking, in the visions of my head on my bed, and lo, a sifter, even a holy one, from the heavens is coming down.

Drby I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from the heavens;

RV I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven.

SLT I was seeing in the visions of my head upon my bed, and lo, a watcher and holy one came down from the heavens;

Wbstr I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold, a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven;

KJB-1769 I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven;

KJB-1611 I sawe in the visions of my head vpon my bed, & behold, a watcher and an holy one came downe from heauen.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps I sawe in the visions of my head vpon my bed, and beholde a watcher and a holy one came downe from heauen,
(I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and behold a watcher and a holy one came down from heaven,)

Gnva Let his heart be changed from mans nature, and let a beasts heart be giuen vnto him, and let seuen times be passed ouer him.
(Let his heart be changed from mans nature, and let a beasts/animals heart be given unto him, and let seven times be passed over him. )

Cvdl I sawe in my heade a vision vpon my bed: & beholde, a watcher (eue an holy angel) came downe from heauen,
(I saw in my head a vision upon my bed: and behold, a watcher (eue an holy angel) came down from heaven,)

Wycl His herte be chaungid fro mannus herte, and the herte of a wielde beeste be youun to hym, and seuene tymes be chaungid on hym.
(His heart be changed from man’s heart, and the heart of a wild beast/animal be given to him, and seven times be changed on him.)

Luth Und das menschliche Herz soll von ihm genommen und ein viehisch Herz ihm gegeben werden, bis daß sieben Zeiten über ihm um sind.
(And the humane heart should from him taken and a viehisch heart him given become, until that seven times/periods above him around/by/for are.)

ClVg Cor ejus ab humano commutetur, et cor feræ detur ei: et septem tempora mutentur super eum.
(Heart his away human commutetur, and heart wild be_given to_him: and seven times changeur over him. )

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 4:1–37: God judged King Nebuchadnezzar

The author of Daniel 4 wrote in the Aramaic language. These Notes are based on the BSB, which is based on the Aramaic text called the MT (Masoretic Text). However, the early Greek translation known as the Septuagint is different from the Aramaic text in many places in Daniel 4. Scholars are uncertain why the two are so different. It may be that the Greek translators worked from an Aramaic text that was different from that of the MT. The Notes will discuss the differences between the two texts for certain important passages.

The verse numbers of the BSB and most English versions are different from the verse numbers in the Aramaic text. The NJPS and NJB are two exceptions. They follow the verse numbers in the Aramaic text.Baldwin (p. 107) notes that the chapter divisions in the present Aramaic text were not necessarily those of the original text. The difference in numbering can cause confusion when citing verses in different translations. For example, Daniel 4:1 in the BSB is 3:31 in the NJPS and NJB. Daniel 4:4 is 4:1 in the NJB and NJPS, and so on. When these Notes cite verses in the NJPS and the NJB, they will give both the verse numbers in those versions and the corresponding BSB verse numbers.

Versions give different headings to Daniel 4. For example:

Nebuchadnezzar’s second dream (NRSV)

Nebuchadnezzar’s dream about a tree (NLT)

A letter from Nebuchadnezzar about his insanity (GW)

In some languages it may be more natural that the heading be a full sentence. For example:

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a second dream

Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about a tree

Nebuchadnezzar wrote a letter about how he became insane

Special Problems:

1. Change of Speaker: In Daniel 4, the person who tells the story varies between the king and the narrator. For example:

A. In 4:1–18 the king told what happened to him in the first person.

B. In 4:19–27 the narrator told the story of how Daniel interpreted the king’s dream.

C. In 4:28–33 the narrator told what happened to Nebuchadnezzar.

D. In 4:34–37 the king again spoke directly in the first person.

The Notes will inform you when there is a change of speaker and suggest how to translate these passages.

2. Repetition: When Daniel interpreted the king’s dream (4:19–27), he repeated parts of what the king had previously told him (in 4:10–16). Later, when the narrator told what happened to the king (4:28–33), he repeated what Daniel had said would happen (in 4:25). This kind of repetition creates suspense in the story. Repetition also helps to emphasize the main theme of the account. For example, at the end of the account, the king repeated information from the beginning (4:3, 34). This information is the theme of the chapter: God is sovereign over human rulers.

3. Synonyms: The author liked to use synonyms, different words with the same or similar meaning. In some cases, he used synonyms to emphasize an idea. For example, in 4:37 the king used three synonyms in the same sentence to emphasize the idea of praise. In some languages this may not be natural. The Notes will suggest other ways you can translate synonyms.

4. Commands: In the dream, the angel made a number of commands. The text does not usually say to whom the angel was giving these commands. Sometimes the angel commanded non-living objects to do something. In all these cases, the angel was speaking a message from God. And when God commands that something happen, it will certainly happen. In some languages it may not be natural to use commands in this way. If that is true in your language, you may be able to translate these commands as authoritative declarations. The Notes will give examples of how you may do this.

5. Poetic Parallelism: The author of Daniel 4 liked to use poetic form to communicate ideas. In Aramaic poetry, authors often used pairs of clauses to say the same thing in two different ways. This type of poetry has many different functions. Sometimes the author used poetry to emphasize themes. Other times he used poetry to mark the climax of a section. This kind of poetry may not be natural in your language. The Notes will describe the function of the poetic speech in Daniel. They will also suggest some options on how you might translate this type of poetry in your own language.

6. Form: The author wrote Daniel 4 in the form of a royal proclamation. This proclamation form gives authority to the account. The style of the proclamation is similar to that of a letter, and the beginning of the chapter is similar to other Aramaic letters. The king first identifies himself. Second, he indicates to whom he is writing, that is, those he intends to read his letter. Third, he greets his readers. In your language, people may have a different way of identifying the author or addressee of a letter. The Notes will suggest some options on how to translate this letter style.

7. Key Terms: Two key terms in Daniel 4 are “earth” and “heaven.” Both words have more than one meaning. The Aramaic word that the BSB generally translates as “earth” can mean either “ground,” “land,” or “world.” The Aramaic word that the BSB generally translates as “heaven” can mean either “sky” or “where God lives.” In 4:26 the author used the word “Heaven” to refer to God himself. The author plays on these two words and their meanings to highlight the main theme of the chapter: “God in heaven rules over the affairs of men on earth.” The Notes will explain the meaning of these two key terms in each context.

Paragraph 4:13–16

In this paragraph the king continued to tell Daniel his dream.

4:13a

As I lay on my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind

¶ “I lay in my bed, still dreaming,
¶ “Next, in my dream

As I lay on my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind: This expression introduces a new part of the king’s dream. Some languages may have a special way to introduce a new part of a dream or vision. If that is true in your language, you may use that way here. The BSB uses the word also to indicate that this is a new part of the king’s dream. The following are some other ways English versions do this:

Then as I lay there dreaming (NLT)

As I was looking at those things…I saw (NCV)

I watched the visions passing through my head as I lay in bed: …Next… (NJB[4:10])

As I lay on my bed: See the Notes at 2:28c and 4:5b. The phrase also occurs at 4:10a.

I also saw in the visions of my mind: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as the visions of my mind is literally “the visions of my head.” See the Notes at 4:5b. The phrase also occurs at 4:10a. Translate this in a way that is natural in your language for referring to dreams that come during sleep.

4:13b

a watcher, a holy one,

and suddenly there appeared a watcher, an angel,
I saw an angel of God, alert and watchful.

4:13a-b

I also saw in the visions of my mind a watcher, a holy one: While the king was dreaming about the tree, a figure appeared in his dream. This figure was apparently human-like in form. It is described as a watcher and a holy one.

a watcher, a holy one: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as a watcher, a holy one, is literally “a watcher and a holy one.” The two Aramaic terms refer to the same being. They are two different descriptions of the one human-like figure that the king saw. In your translation, it is important that your readers do not think that there were two different beings. It may be necessary to combine the terms into one expression. For example:

A holy angel (CEV)

A holy watcher (NRSV)

an angel, alert and watchful (GNT)

a watcher: This expression is one of a number of expressions in Daniel referring to heavenly beings.For example, “angel” (3:28); “one of those who were standing there [before God]” (7:16); “Michael, one of the chief princes” (10:13). The term may refer to a special class of angels. Just as human kings had watchmen, so God had supernatural watchmen who provided for and controlled his heavenly kingdom. English versions have translated this expression in different ways. For example, you may:

Translate literally. For example:
watcher (NRSV)
an observer (NCV)
Describe what the watcher does. For example:
alert and watchful (GNT)
messenger (NIV)
Indicate who the watcher was. For example:
A holy angel (CEV)

a holy one: In this context the Aramaic expression that the BSB translates as holy explains who the watcher was, rather than his moral character. He was a holy one, a being who came from God and belonged to God. See also the discussion in the Notes at 4:8c. The same word is used in the plural to refer to angels in Psalm 89:7. See how you translated it there. For example:

angel (GNT)

of/from God

one of God’s holy ones

4:13c

coming down from heaven.

who came down from heaven.
He came from God in heaven.

coming down from heaven: This expression describes “the holy one, the messenger.” This holy one came from heaven.