DAN 4:20 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) You saw that tree that grew and became strong, and whose top reached the sky and was visible all over the world,

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 tree that you saw, which grew and became strong, and whose top reached to heaven and was visible to all the earth

UST In your dream you saw a very strong and very tall tree. It seemed to reach to the sky, with the result that everyone in the world could see it.

BSB The tree you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky and was visible to all the earth,

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE The tree that you saw, which grew and was strong, whose height reached to the sky and its sight to all the earth;

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The tree that you saw that grew large and strong, whose top reached to the sky, and which could be seen in all the land,

LSV The tree that you have seen, that has become great and strong, and its height reaches to the heavens, and its vision to all the land,

FBV “The tree you saw was growing strong and tall, reaching high into the sky so it could be seen by everyone in the whole world.

T4T In your dream/vision you saw a very strong and very tall tree. It seemed to reach to the sky, with the result that everyone in the world could see it.

LEB The tree that you saw, which grew and became strong and its height reached to heaven[fn] and _⌊it was visible to the end of the whole earth_⌋,[fn]

4:20 Or “the sky”

4:20 Literally “its appearance to the all the earth”

BBE The tree which you saw, which became tall and strong, stretching up to heaven and seen from the ends of the earth;

Moff The tree you saw, that grew and grew strong till it was high as heaven and visible

JPS (4-17) The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

ASV The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;

DRA And whereas the king saw a watcher, and a holy one come down from heaven, and say: Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, and let it be bound with iron and brass among the grass without, and let it be sprinkled with the dew of heaven, and let his feeding be with the wild beasts, till seven times pass over him.

YLT The tree that thou hast seen, that hath become great and strong, and its height doth reach to the heavens, and its vision to all the land,

Drby The tree that thou sawest, which grew and was strong, whose height reached unto the heavens, and the sight of it to all the earth;

RV The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
(The tree that thou/you sawest/saw, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; )

SLT The tree that thou sawest that increased and was strong, and its height will reach to the heavens, and its sight to all the earth,

Wbstr The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose hight reached to the heaven, and the sight of it to all the earth;

KJB-1769 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth;
(The tree that thou/you sawest/saw, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof to all the earth; )

KJB-1611 The tree that thou sawest, which grew, and was strong, whose height reached vnto the heauen, and the sight thereof to all the earth:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps As for the tree that thou sawest, which was great and mightie, whose heyght reached vnto the heauen, and the sight therof through all the world,
(As for the tree that thou/you sawest/saw, which was great and mighty, whose height reached unto the heaven, and the sight thereof through all the world,)

Gnva Where as the King sawe a watchman, and an holy one, that came downe from heauen, and said, Hew downe the tree and destroy it, yet leaue the stumpe of the rootes thereof in the earth, and with a bande of yron and brasse binde it among the grasse of the fielde, and let it be wette with the dewe of heauen, and let his portion be with the beastes of the fielde, till seuen times passe ouer him,
(Where as the King saw a watchman, and an holy one, that came down from heaven, and said, Hew down the tree and destroy it, yet leave the stump of the roots thereof in the earth, and with a bande of iron and brass bind it among the grass of the field, and let it be wet with the dew of heaven, and let his portion be with the beasts/animals of the field, till seven times pass over him, )

Cvdl As for the tre that thou sawest which was so greate & mightie, whose heyth reached vnto the heauen, and his bredth in to all the worlde:
(As for the tree that thou/you sawest/saw which was so great and mighty, whose height reached unto the heaven, and his breadth in to all the world:)

Wycl Sotheli that the kyng siy a wakere and hooli come doun fro heuene, and seie, Hewe ye doun the tree, and distrie ye it, netheles leeue ye the seed of rootis therof in erthe, and be he boundun with irun and bras, in erbis with out forth, and be he bispreynt with the deew of heuene, and his mete be with wielde beestis, til seuene tymes be chaungid on hym;
(Truly that the king saw a wakere and holy come down from heaven, and say, Hewe ye/you_all down the tree, and destroy ye/you_all it, nevertheless leave ye/you_all the seed of roots thereof in earth, and be he bound with iron and brass, in herbs with out forth, and be he bispreynt with the dew of heaven, and his meet be with wild beasts/animals, till seven times be changed on him;)

Luth Daß aber der König einen heiligen Wächter gesehen hat vom Himmel herabfahren und sagen: Hauet den Baum um und verderbet ihn, doch den Stock mit seinen Wurzeln laßt in der Erde bleiben; er aber soll in eisernen und ehernen Ketten auf dem Felde im Grase gehen und unter dem Tau des Himmels liegen und naß werden und sich mit den Tieren auf dem Felde weiden, bis über ihm sieben Zeiten um sind:
(That but the/of_the king a holy watchman/keeper seen has from_the heaven descend and say: Hauet the tree around/by/for and corrupted him/it, though/but the Stock with his roots(n) let in the/of_the earth/land/ground remain/stay; he but should in iron and brazen chains on/in/to to_him field in_the grasse go and under to_him dew the heavens lie/lay and naß become and itself/yourself/themselves with the animals on/in/to to_him field graze, until above him seven times/periods around/by/for are:)

ClVg Quod autem vidit rex vigilem, et sanctum descendere de cælo, et dicere: Succidite arborem, et dissipate illam, attamen germen radicum ejus in terra dimittite, et vinciatur ferro et ære in herbis foris, et rore cæli conspergatur, et cum feris sit pabulum ejus, donec septem tempora mutentur super eum:
(That however he_saw king vigilem, and holy to_descend from/about the_sky, and to_say: Succidite a_treem, and dissipate her, attamen germen roots his in/into/on earth/land dismissese, and to_be_defeatedatur with_iron and to_be in/into/on herbis outside, and rore heavens conspergatur, and when/with wild_animals be pabulum his, until seven times let_them_change over him: )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s 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 4:19–23

In this paragraph Daniel began to interpret the king’s dream.

4:20–22a

In Daniel 4:20–21, Daniel repeated most of what the king had said about the tree.He does not repeat the phrase “from it all flesh was fed.” Then in 4:22 Daniel explained that the tree symbolized the king. The order of these clauses creates suspense. This ordering also places the emphasis on the last clause, 4:22a, “you, O king, are that tree!” In some languages, however, it may be more natural to present this information in a different order. The Notes will suggest some ways you may do this. For example, it may be natural to begin with the point of comparison:

The tree that you saw in your dream was you, O king. That tree grew and became strong.

4:20a

The tree you saw

As you were dreaming, you saw a tree.
In your dream, you saw a tree.

The tree you saw: See the Notes at 4:10b. The king had seen a tree in his dream, and this tree is the main topic of the dream. Introduce this topic in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

You saw a tree in your dream (NCV)

You described a tree that you saw in a dream.

Now concerning the tree you dreamed about

4:20b

that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky

It grew tall and strong. It grew until its top seemed to touch the clouds.
It grew tall and strong until the top of the tree was high in the sky.

that grew large and strong, whose top reached the sky: See the Notes at 4:11a. Translate in the same or a similar way here. In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a complete sentence. For example:

It grew large and strong, and its top reached to the sky.

In your dream this tree grew to become strong and tall, so tall that it seemed to touch the sky.

4:20c

and was visible to all the earth,

People could see the tree from anywhere on earth.
It grew so high that everyone in the world could see the tree.

was visible to all the earth: See the Notes at 4:11b. Other ways to translate this include:

which could be seen in all the land (NET)