DAN 4:37 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) Now I, Nevukadnetstsar, praise, extol, and honour the king of the heavens, because everything he does is, and his methods are just, and he’s able to humble those who become proud.

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 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, extol, and honor the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right, and his ways are just; and he is able to humble those who walk in pride.

UST Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and honor God, the king who rules in heaven. All of his actions are just and right. And he is able to cause to become humble those who are proud, like I was.

BSB Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all His works are true and all His ways are just. And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

CSB Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and glorify the King of the heavens, because all his works are true and his ways are just. He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

NLT “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and glorify and honor the King of heaven. All his acts are just and true, and he is able to humble the proud.”

NIV Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

CEV That's why I say: "Praise and honor the King who rules from heaven! Everything he does is honest and fair, and he can shatter the power of those who are proud."

ESV Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are right and his ways are just; and those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

NASB “Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

LSB Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, exalt, and honor the King of heaven, for all His works are true and His ways just, and He is able to humble those who walk in pride.”

1ST Now I, Nebukadne’tstsar, praise, exalt and honour the King of the Heavens, all of whose deeds are true and his ways just, and who can put down people who walk in pride.’

WEBBE Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honour the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those who walk in pride he is able to abase.

WMBB (Same as above)

MSG ^(36-37)“At the same time that I was given back my mind, I was also given back my majesty and splendor, making my kingdom shine. All the leaders and important people came looking for me. I was reestablished as king in my kingdom and became greater than ever. And that’s why I’m singing—I, Nebuchadnezzar—singing and praising the King of Heaven:
  “Everything he does is right,
  and he does it the right way.
He knows how to turn a proud person
  into a humble man or woman.”

NET Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, for all his deeds are right and his ways are just. He is able to bring down those who live in pride.

LSV Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and exalting and honoring the King of the heavens, for all His works [are] truth, and His paths judgment, and those walking in pride He is able to humble.”

FBV So now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise, honor, and glorify the King of Heaven, for everything he does is right, and his ways are true. He is able to humble those who are proud.

T4T Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and honor [DOU] God, the king who rules in heaven. All of his actions are just and right. And he is able to cause to become humble those who are proud, like I was.”

LEB No LEB DAN 4:37 verse available

NRSV Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, for all his works are truth, and his ways are justice; and he is able to bring low those who walk in pride.

NKJV Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all of whose works are truth, and His ways justice. And those who walk in pride He is able to put down.

BBE Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, give worship and praise and honour to the King of heaven; for all his works are true and his ways are right: and those who go in pride he is able to make low.

Moff Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and exalt and honour the King of heaven, for all he does is right, his dealings are all just, and haughty men he is able to abase.”

JPS (4-34) Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven; for all His works are truth, and His ways justice; and those that walk in pride He is able to abase.'

ASV Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and extol and honor the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways justice; and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

DRA No DRA DAN 4:37 verse available

YLT 'Now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, am praising and exalting and honouring the King of the heavens, for all His works [are] truth, and His paths judgment, and those walking in pride He is able to humble.'

Drby Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of the heavens, all whose works are truth, and his paths judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

RV Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
(Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven; for all his works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. )

SLT Now I Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and honor to the king of the heavens, that all his works are truth, and his paths judgment: and that they going about in pride, he being able to bring low.

Wbstr Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honor the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.

KJB-1769 Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgment: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.
(Now I Nebuchadnezzar praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and his ways judgement: and those that walk in pride he is able to abase. )

KJB-1611 Now I Nebuchad-nezzar praise, and extoll and honour the King of heauen, all whose workes are truth, and his waies iudgement, and those that walke in pride he is able to abase.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Now therfore I Nabuchodonozor prayse, and extol, & magnifie the king of heauen, whose workes are all trueth, & his wayes iudgement, and those that walke in pryde he is able to abase.
(Now therefore I Nabuchodonozor praise, and extol, and magnify the king of heaven, whose works are all truth, and his ways judgement, and those that walk in pride he is able to abase.)

Gnva No Gnva DAN 4:37 verse available

Cvdl The dyd I Nabuchodonosor, loaue, magnifie and prayse the kynge of heauen: for all his workes are true, and his wayes right. As for those that go on proudly, he is able to bri bringe them downe.
(The did I Nebuchadnezzar, loaue, magnify and praise the king of heaven: for all his works are true, and his ways right. As for those that go on proudly, he is able to bri bring them down.)

Wycl No Wycl DAN 4:37 verse available

Luth No Luth DAN 4:37 verse available

ClVg No ClVg DAN 4:37 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 4:36–37

After the king repented, he was able to think and act like a human again.

4:37a

Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven,

¶ So now, I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and honor and glorify the King who rules in heaven.
¶ That is why, I, the king, greatly/highly praise and honor God who reigns in heaven,

Now: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as Now is an adverb that indicates time. See also 2:23c, 3:15a. In this context, it also introduces a result clause. Translate this idea in a way that is natural in your language. Other ways English versions translate this idea are:

So now (NJPS)

That’s why I say (CEV)

I, Nebuchadnezzar: See the Notes at 4:4a.The king spoke in the first person in Daniel 4:1–18. The king mentioned his name to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say. If it is unnatural in your language for someone to state his name in this way, you may have another way to express this same emphasis. For example:

I, the king,

I, your^(plur) king

praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven: The king used three words to emphasize how greatly he honored God. In some languages it may be unnatural to use three synonyms like this. If this is the case in your language, you may be able to use one or two verbs with the same meaning. It is important to keep the same emphasis. For example:

with my whole heart I praise God, who rules in heaven.

I give highest praises to the King who rules in heaven

praise: See the Notes at 2:23a; 4:34c, and see how you translated this word there.

exalt: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as exalt means “lift up, praise.”

glorify: See the Notes at 4:34d. The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as glorify is a synonym to “praise” and “exalt.”

the King of heaven: King Nebuchadnezzar called God the King of heaven. You can also say:

the king who rules in heaven (CEV)

God, who rules in heaven

heaven: In this context, the word heaven refers to the place where God lives, the supernatural realm.

4:37b

for all His works are true

because everything that God does is right
for God does everything according to what is true

for: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as for introduces three reasons why the king praised God. Introduce these reasons in a way that is natural in your language. Here is another way to translate this:

because (NIV)

all His works are true: God always acts in a way that is good and right. He never makes mistakes or fails to act justly. Other ways to translate this include:

Everything that God has done is right

God does everything according to what is right.

all His works: The Aramaic expression that the BSB literally translates as all His works refers to the things that God does or has done, his activity. You can say:

all that God does

everything he does (NIV)

all his deeds/actions

true: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as true means, in this context, “in accordance with what is right or true.” Other ways to translate this include:

right (NIV)

just (NJPS)

goodGeCL97

4:37c

and all His ways are just.

and all his actions are just
and just/fair.

Daniel 4:37c is in parallelism to 4:37b. The two parts express different aspects of the same meaning.

and all His ways are just: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as His ways is literally “his paths.” It is used figuratively to speak of God’s activity in the world. In some languages it may be natural to translate this idea using a verb. For example:

and the way God does things is just

just: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as just is a close synonym to “truth” in 4:37b.The Aramaic word here is diyn. HALOT, 1852 has: “justice.” The KJV has: “judgment.” However, the latter does not fit the context. Here it has the sense of “fair.” English versions translate it as:

just (GNT)

right (NJB)

fair (CEV)

General Comment on 4:37b–c

In some languages it may be more natural to combine these two parts into one:

^b-cEverything that God does is right and just.

^b-cAll God’s deeds are completely just/fair.

4:37d

And He is able to humble those who walk in pride.

And he is able to humble those who live with a proud heart/mind.
He humiliates those who act in an arrogant way.

And: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates And here introduces the third reason why the king praised God. Translate this idea in a way that is natural in your language.

those who walk in pride: The verb walk here refers to a customary or habitual manner of living. God is able to humble anyone and everyone who thinks and acts in an arrogant, prideful way. Other ways to translate this include:

those who behave arrogantly (NJPS)

anyone who is full of pride

in pride: In this context, the Aramaic word that the BSB translates as pride has a negative sense. The word describes a person who thinks he is more important than he is. In some languages it may be natural to translate this idea using an adverb or adjective. For example:

arrogantly (GW)

with arrogant behavior/attitude

thinking themselves great/big

He is able to humble: The Aramaic expression that the BSB translates as He is able to humble is literally “he is able to make low.” Here is another way to translate this:

he can humiliate (GW)

God is not just able to humble proud people, but he actually does so. If a literal translation would mean that God is only able to do so, it may be necessary to say:

he brings down those who live in a high/arrogant way

God will humiliate proud people

General Comment on 4:37d

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the phrases in 4:37d. For example:

And those who walk in pride he is able to humble. (NIV)

Parallel DAN 4:37