DAN 4:35 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.

OET (OET-RV) Compared to him, all the inhabitants of the earth are insignificant like ants—he issues his commands to the heavenly army and to earth’s inhabitants. No one can hold back his hand or has any right to ask him, ‘What have you done?’ ”

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 All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing;
⇔ he does according to his will among the army of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth.
⇔ No one can hold back his hand or say to him, ‘What have you done?’ ”

UST All the people in the world are very insignificant; we are not like him.
⇔ He has the power to do whatever he wants to do,
⇔ among the angels in heaven and among us people who live on the earth.
⇔ So no one can stop him,
⇔ and no one can challenge him, saying to him,
⇔ “Why are you doing these things?”

BSB All the peoples of the earth
⇔ are counted as nothing,
⇔ and He does as He pleases
⇔ with the army of heaven
⇔ and the peoples of the earth.
⇔ There is no one who can restrain His hand
⇔ or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’ ”

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing;
⇔ and he does according to his will in the army of heaven,
⇔ and amongst the inhabitants of the earth;
⇔ and no one can stop his hand,
⇔ or ask him, “What are you doing?”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET All the inhabitants of the earth are regarded as nothing.
⇔ He does as he wishes with the army of heaven
⇔ and with those who inhabit the earth.
⇔ No one slaps his hand
⇔ and says to him, ‘What have you done?’

LSV and all who are dwelling on the earth are reckoned as nothing, and according to His will He is doing among the forces of the heavens and those dwelling on the earth, and there is none that claps with his hand and says to Him, What have You done?

FBV Everyone who lives on earth are as nothing compared to him. He does whatever he chooses among the heavenly host and among those who live on earth. No one can hold him back from what he does, or ask him, “What are you doing?”

T4T All the people in the world are very insignificant;
⇔ we are not like him.
⇔ He has the power to do whatever he wants to do,
⇔ among the angels in heaven and among us people who live on the earth.
⇔ So no one can stop him [SYN],
⇔ and no one can challenge him,
⇔ saying to him, ‘Why are you doing these things?’

LEB No LEB DAN 4:35 verse available

BBE And all the people of the earth are as nothing: he does his pleasure in the army of heaven and among the people of the earth: and no one is able to keep back his hand, or say to him, What are you doing?

Moff before him the inhabitants of the earth are all reckoned as of no account; he does as he pleases in the hosts of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth, and none can interfere with him or ask him what

JPS (4-32) And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and He doeth according to His will in the host of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay His hand, or say unto Him: What doest Thou?

ASV and all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

DRA No DRA DAN 4:35 verse available

YLT and all who are dwelling on the earth as nothing are reckoned, and according to his will He is doing among the forces of the heavens and those dwelling on the earth, and there is none that doth clap with his hand, and saith to Him, What hast Thou done?

Drby And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; and he doeth according to his will in the army of the heavens, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

RV And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
(And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doth/does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What dost/do thou? )

SLT And all the generations of the earth being reckoned as nothing: and doing according to his station in the army of the heavens, and the generations of the earth: and there is none that shall strike upon his hand, and say to him, What didst thou?

Wbstr And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say to him, What doest thou?

KJB-1769 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?
(And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doth/does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What dost/do thou? )

KJB-1611 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and hee doth according to his will in the armie of heauen, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say vnto him, What doest thou?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps And all they that dwel vpon the earth, are to be reputed as nothing, and according to his will he worketh in the armie of heauen, among the inhabitours of the earth: and there is none that may resist his hand, or say vnto him, what doest thou?
(And all they that dwell upon the earth, are to be reputed as nothing, and according to his will he worketh/works in the army of heaven, among the inhabitants of the earth: and there is none that may resist his hand, or say unto him, what dost/do thou?)

Gnva No Gnva DAN 4:35 verse available

Cvdl in comparyson off whom, all they that dwell vpon the earth, are to be reputed as nothinge. He handleth acordinge to his will, amoge ye powers of heauen & amonge the inhabitours of the earth: and there is none that maye resiste his honde, or saye: what doest thou?
(in comparison off whom, all they that dwell upon the earth, are to be reputed as nothing. He handleth according to his will, among ye/you_all powers of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth: and there is none that may resiste his hand, or say: what dost/do thou?)

Wycl No Wycl DAN 4:35 verse available

Luth No Luth DAN 4:35 verse available

ClVg No ClVg DAN 4:35 verse available

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 4:34–35

In this paragraph, the king once again described what happened in his own words. He told how he changed his attitude. He acknowledged that God was the ruler over all people.

4:35a–b

Daniel 4:35a–b is in Aramaic poetic style. The first part states that God is more important and more powerful than all the people on earth. 4:35b further emphasizes this idea: God has control over all the angels in heaven and over all the people who live on earth.

4:35a

All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing,

Compared to the Most High God, all the people who live on earth are completely powerless/insignificant.
How powerless/weak are all the inhabitants of the earth!

All the peoples of the earth are counted as nothing: Nebuchadnezzar was emphasizing God’s power. This verse part includes an implied comparison: all the peoples of the earth, their power and glory, are like nothingSome ancient texts say “like/as nothing” rather than “like/as not.” In many languages there may be no difference in translation between the two options. compared to God and his power and glory. In some languages it may be natural to make this comparison explicit. For example:

All the people of the earth are nothing compared to him. (NLT)

There are two ways of understanding this clause:

The king was making a statement about his own attitude. He realized and stated that all the people of earth have no power in comparison to God’s power. For example:
Everyone who lives on earth is nothing compared to him (GW) (GW, REB, NLT, NCV)
The king was making a statement about God’s attitude. God considered all the people in this world as insignificant compared to his mighty power.See also the TH of Daniel. For example:
He looks on the people of the earth as nothing (GNT)
To him the nations are far less than nothing. (CEV) (GNT, CEV)

Several other translations are ambiguous (BSB, NET, RSV/NRSV, NJB). It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The king recognized that all human power was nothing to God’s power. Avoid implying that God does not care about people at all, or that he views them as worthless.

the peoples of the earth: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as the peoples is more literally “those who live.” The king was referring to every human being. Here is another way to translate this:

the inhabitants of the earth (RSV)

If a literal translation suggests that some people live not on earth but elsewhere, you may need to leave the phrase of the earth implicit. For example:

human beings

are counted as nothing: The verb are counted is passive. Following interpretation (1) in the previous note, it can be translated in at least two ways:

Using a passive verb. For example:
are seen to be nothing
Using an active verb. For example:
count for nothing
Using an adjective. For example:
are not truly important (NCV)
are insignificant

Translate this idea in a way that is natural in your language.

4:35b

and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth.

He does whatever he decides with angels in heaven and with people here on earth.
God has authority over both the angels in heaven and the people who live here on earth.

and He does as He pleases with the army of heaven and the peoples of the earth: This verse part indicates that God has power over all beings, those in heaven and those on earth.

He does whatever he wishes with the army of heaven and with those who live on earth. (GW)

He has authority over the angels in heaven and the people who live on earth.

The angelic host/armies and the whole human race are under his control.

angels in heaven and people on earth are under his control (GNT)

He does as He pleases: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as does means “perform an action, cause something to happen.” Here it has the sense “act toward, treat.” God freely chooses how to act with regard to beings in heaven and people on earth. Other ways to translate this include:

He does whatever he wishes (GW)

he does according to his will (ESV)

God does what he wants (NCV)

as He pleases: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as as He pleases is another form of the verb the BSB translates as “He wishes” in 4:17d, 4:25g, 4:32f.HALOT, 1962. In this context, the word implies deliberate action or choice. God acts exactly as he chooses to act. He does whatever he decides to do.

the army of heaven: The Aramaic expression that the BSB literally translates as the army of heavenHALOT, 1875. See also Daniel 3:20. probably refers, in this context, to the supernatural beings who live with God in heaven. Here is another way to translate this:

angels in heaven (GNT)

and the peoples of the earth: See the Notes at 4:35a. The same phrase is used here. Other ways English versions translate this expression are:

the inhabitants of the earth (RSV)

everyone on this earth (CEV)

those who live on earth (NLT)

4:35c

There is no one who can restrain His hand

No one can stop him from doing something.
No one is powerful enough to prevent God from acting as he chooses.
There is no one who can oppose the Most High God,

There is no one who can restrain His hand: This is the first clause of the fourth pair of clauses in the king’s speech. The phrase His hand is a metaphorical way of referring to God’s power. This entire clause is a figure of speech indicating that no one can stop God from doing as he chooses. There are two ways to translate it:

Translate the figure of speech. For example:
No one can stop his powerful hand (NCV)
Translate the meaning in a non-figurative way:
There is no one who can oppose him (GW)
No one can stop him or challenge him (NLT)
When God does something, no one can change it (NLT)

Translate the meaning in the way that is most natural in your language. In some languages the use of the figure His hand may not be natural. And in some languages it will cause your readers to assume that God has a physical body with physical hands. If this is the case in your language, you should translate the meaning of the figure.

can restrain His hand: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as can restrain literally means “strike.”HALOT. 1914. When someone strikes someone on the arm, it hinders or stops them from doing something. Here is another way to translate this:

slaps his hand (NET)

4:35d

or say to Him, ‘What have You done?’”

No one can ask him, “Why did you do that?”
Nor does anyone have the right to ask him why he did something.
and no one can question/criticize his actions/motives.

or: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as or here introduces a second thing that people cannot do. They cannot rebuke God for what he chooses to do. Translate this connector in a natural way in your language. In some languages it may be natural to say:

and says to him… (NET)

say to Him, ‘What have You done?’: No human being or supernatural being has the right to rebuke God for his actions. No one has the right to demand an explanation. They can, but God does not have to answer. There is no one with the right to judge God, no one to whom he is obliged to explain his actions. Other ways to translate this include:

say to him, “What do you mean by doing these things?” (NLT)

or say to him, “Explain why you have done this.”

say to Him: What follows is a question. So in some languages it may be natural to translate this as:

ask him (GW)

question him

‘What have You done?’: This is a question demanding that God explain why he acted as he did. It is not respectful or humble. Try to translate it in a way that is judgmental and arrogant. For example:

Why did you do that?

Explain your actions!

General Comment on 4:35d

This verse part contains a quotation within a quotation. In some languages it may be natural to use indirect speech for the embedded question. For example:

and no one can demand that God explain his actions

or question what he does (NCV)

or even ask why (CEV)

Parallel DAN 4:35