DAN 6:24 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) Then the king ordered the arrest of the men who had maliciously accused Daniel, and had them and their wives and children thrown into the lions’ den—they didn’t even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and tore them to pieces.

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 king gave an order, and they brought those men who had maliciously accused Daniel and threw them, their children, and their wives into the den of lions; and they had not reached the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

UST Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. When they were thrown into the pit, the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!

BSB At the command of the king, the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives. And before they had reached the bottom of the den, the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE The king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions—them, their children, and their wives; and the lions mauled them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET The king gave another order, and those men who had maliciously accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the lions’ den – they, their children, and their wives. They did not even reach the bottom of the den before the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

LSV And the king has spoken, and they have brought those men who had accused Daniel, and to the den of lions they have cast them, they, their sons, and their wives; and they have not come to the lower part of the den until the lions have power over them, and all their bones they have broken small.

FBV Then the king ordered the men who had accused Daniel to be brought and they were thrown into the lions' den along with their wives and children. Before they even reached the floor of the den the lions attacked them, ripping them to pieces.[fn]

6:24 “Ripping them to pieces”: literally, “crushing all their bones.”

T4T Then the king commanded that the men who had accused me should be seized and be thrown, along with their wives and children, into the pit where the lions were. When they were thrown into the pit, the lions leaped on them and crushed their bones before they fell onto the bottom of the pit!

LEB The king then commanded, and these men were brought _⌊who had accused Daniel_⌋,[fn] and they threw them and their children and their wives into _⌊the lion pit_⌋,[fn] and they had not reached the floor of the pit _⌊before_⌋[fn] the lions had overpowered them and they had crushed all of their bones.

6:24 Literally “they ate his pieces of Daniel”

6:24 Literally “pit of lions”

6:24 Literally “until that”

BBE And at the king's order, they took those men who had said evil against Daniel, and put them in the lions' hole, with their wives and their children; and they had not got to the floor of the hole before the lions overcame them and all their bones were broken.

Moff By order of the king, the men who had accused Daniel were then brought and flung into the den of lions, they and their children and their wives; before ever they reached the bottom of the den, the lions fell on them and crushed their bones to pieces.

JPS (6-25) And the king commanded, and they brought those men that had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and they had not come to the bottom of the den, when the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces.

ASV And the king commanded, and they brought those men that had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces, before they came to the bottom of the den.

DRA And by the king’s commandment, those men were brought that bad accused Daniel: and they were cast into the lions’ den, they and their children, and their wives: and they did not reach the bottom of the den, before the lions caught them, and broke all their bones in pieces.

YLT And the king hath said, and they have brought those men who had accused Daniel, and to the den of lions they have cast them, they, their sons, and their wives; and they have not come to the lower part of the den till that the lions have power over them, and all their bones they have broken small.

Drby And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces ere they came to the bottom of the den.

RV And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces, or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

SLT And the king said, and they brought these men that ate up Daniel piece meal, and cast into the lion’s den, them, their sons, and their wives; and they not down to the bottom of the den even till the lions had power over them, and they broke all their bones in pieces.

Wbstr And the king commanded, and they brought those men who had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and broke all their bones in pieces before they came to the bottom of the den.

KJB-1769 ¶ And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of lions, them, their children, and their wives; and the lions had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or ever they came at the bottom of the den.

KJB-1611 ¶ And the king commanded, and they brought those men which had accused Daniel, and they cast them into the den of Lyons, them, their children, and their wiues: and the Lyons had the mastery of them, and brake all their bones in pieces or euer they came at the bottome of the den.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And as for those men which had accused Daniel, the king commaunded to bring them, & to cast them into the lions denne, them, their children, & their wyues: so the lions had the maisterie of them, and brake all their bones asunder or euer they came at the grounde of the denne.
(And as for those men which had accused Daniel, the king commanded to bring them, and to cast them into the lions den, them, their children, and their wives: so the lions had the masterie of them, and brake all their bones asunder/apart or ever they came at the ground of the den.)

Gnva And by the commandement of the King these me which had accused Daniel, were brought, and were cast into the denne of lions, euen they, their children, and their wiues: and the lyons had the mastry of them, and brake all their bones a pieces, or euer they came at the groud of the denne.
(And by the commandment of the King these me which had accused Daniel, were brought, and were cast into the den of lions, even they, their children, and their wives: and the lions had the mastry of them, and brake all their bones apieces, or ever they came at the groud of the den. )

Cvdl And as for those men which had accused Daniel, the kige commaunded to bringe them, and to cast them in the lyons denne: them, their children and their wyues. So the lyons had the mastry of them, and brake all their bones a sonder, or euer they came at the grounde.
(And as for those men which had accused Daniel, the kige commanded to bring them, and to cast them in the lions den: them, their children and their wives. So the lions had the mastry of them, and brake all their bones a sonder, or ever they came at the ground.)

Wycl Forsothe the kyng comaundide, tho men, that accusiden Danyel, weren brouyt, and weren sent in to the lake of liouns, thei, and the sones of hem, and the wyues of hem; and thei camen not `til to the pawment of the lake, til the liouns rauyschiden hem, and al to-braken alle the boonys of hem.
(For_certain/Truly the king commanded, those men, that accusiden Daniel, were brought, and were sent in to the lake of lions, they, and the sons of hem, and the wives of hem; and they came not till to the pawment of the lake, till the lions rauyschiden hem, and all to-braken all the bones of hem.)

Luth Da ward der König sehr froh und ließ Daniel aus dem Graben ziehen. Und sie zogen Daniel aus dem Graben, und man spürete keinen Schaden an ihm; denn er hatte seinem GOtt vertrauet.
(So what/which the/of_the king very pleased/glad and left/let Daniel out_of to_him graven pull. And they/she/them pulled Daniel out_of to_him graven, and man felt none damage/harm(n) at/to him; because/than he had his God trusted.)

ClVg Jubente autem rege, adducti sunt viri illi, qui accusaverant Danielem: et in lacum leonum missi sunt, ipsi, et filii, et uxores eorum: et non pervenerunt usque ad pavimentum laci, donec arriperent eos leones, et omnia ossa eorum comminuerunt.
(Yubente however king, brought are men them, who/which accusaverant Danielem: and in/into/on lake lion sent are, themselves, and children, and wives their: and not/no they_arrived until to pavement pit, until arriperent them lions, and everything bones their comminuerunt. )

SOTN SIL Open Translation Notes:

Section 6:1–28: God delivered Daniel from the lions’ den

The new Persian king, Darius the Mede, chose Daniel to be one of the three officials who administered the kingdom. Daniel did his work so well that the other officials became jealous of him. One day they asked the king to pass a law that forbade praying to anyone but him for a period of thirty days. The king signed the law. Daniel, however, refused to obey it and continued to pray to the one true God, the God of Israel. When the king heard that Daniel had disobeyed the law, he ordered his soldiers to throw Daniel into the pit where he kept hungry lions. But God protected Daniel. The lions did not hurt him. When the king saw this, he punished Daniel’s enemies and honored Daniel and the God of Israel.

Other possible headings for this section include:

Daniel in the Pit of Lions (GNT)

Daniel and the Lions (NCV)

God protected Daniel from lions

Historical Background: The Persian empire under Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539/538 BC, when Daniel was over seventy years old.Daniel was taken captive and brought to Babylon in approximately 605 B.C. If he was 12 years old when he came, he would have been 78 when this story began. The Persian empire became larger than the Babylonian empire had ever been. It extended west to include both Egypt and Libya. It extended east as far as the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. It was the largest empire in the history of the world up to that time.

Some commentators think that Darius the Mede was another name or title for the Persian King Cyrus or for the governor under him, Gubaru.

Text:

The verse numbers in the NJPS and the NJB are different from the verse numbers in the BSB. For example, 6:1 in the NJPS and the NJB is 5:31 in the BSB. The difference is because the NJPS and NJB follow the numbers in the Hebrew Bible. These Notes follow the verse numbers in the BSB.

Special Problems:

1. Lists: The author liked to include lists. In Daniel 6, he listed the different officials who conspired against Daniel (6:1–2; 7). Some languages may not have so many terms for officials. The Notes will suggest some ways to translate these lists.

2. Repetition: The author liked to repeat words and phrases in order to create suspense and emphasis. The Notes will give some suggestions on how to translate words or phrases that are repeated.

3. Verbs of Speech: The author sometimes used more than one verb of speech to introduce a quotation. In some languages, this may not be natural. The Notes will offer some options on how to translate these verbs.

4. Synonyms: The author liked to use synonyms or near synonyms to refer to the same idea. For example: 6:7–9 (ordinance, law, decree); 6:14 (rescue, delivering); 6:26 (kingdom, dominion); 6:27b (signs, wonders). The Notes will suggest different ways to translate these terms.

Paragraph 6:23–24

The king ordered his men to take Daniel out of the lions’ pit. The officials who were his enemies died in his place.

6:24a

At the command of the king,

The king gave an order to his men ,
Then the king commanded his soldiers

At the command of the king: The Aramaic verb phrase that the BSB translates as At the command of the king is literally “and the king said.” In this context, it refers to an order or command. Here is another way to translate this:

The king gave a command (NRSV)

6:24b–c

the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought and thrown into the den of lions: The men did as the king had commanded. They arrested the officials and thrust them into the lions’ den. See how you translated this idea in 6:16b.

6:24b

the men who had falsely accused Daniel were brought

and they brought the officials who had wrongly/unfairly accused/charged Daniel
to arrest the officials who had made the complaint about Daniel. They brought them,

the men who had falsely accused Daniel: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as who had falsely accused Daniel is literally “who ate the pieces of Daniel.” See the Notes at 3:8. This is a figure of speech. It means “who had accused/denounced Daniel.” This phrase refers to the officials and administrators who told the king that Daniel was breaking the law by praying to God. See 6:13. Note that their accusation was not literally “false.” Daniel had in fact been praying to his God. The accusation, however, was made out of envy and concerned an unjust law. Here are some other ways to translate this idea:

the men who had maliciously accused Daniel (NET)

those who had denounced Daniel

the men who had brought charges against Daniel (CEV)

were brought: See the Notes at 3:13c; 5:13c. The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as a passive verb, were brought, is literally active, “they brought,” The subject “they” is indefinite. The king’s men, the king’s soldiers, went to the homes of these officials, and forced them to go to the lions’ den. There are at least two ways to translate this:

Using a passive verb. For example:
were brought in (NIV)
were arrested
Using an active verb. For example:
the king’s men brought them
the guards/soldiers arrested them
The king then sent for the men who had accused Daniel (NJB)

Translate the verb in a way that is natural in your language.

6:24c

and thrown into the den of lions—they and their children and wives.

and threw them into the den of lions. They threw their wives and children into the den too!
their wives and their children, and threw them all into the pit where the lions lived.

and thrown into the den of lions: See the Notes at 3:6; 6:7e. The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as a passive, thrown, is literally active, “they threw.” The king’s men lifted the officials up and dropped or pushed them into the den in a violent way. You may translate this

Using a passive verb. For example:
were…cast into the den of lions (ESV)
were…flung into the lion-pit (REB)
Using an active verb. For example:
they (indefinite) pushed them into the lions’ den
the king’s men shoved them into the pit where the lions lived

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

they and their children and wives: This phrase emphasizes the severity of the punishment. Not only did the king punish the officials, he also punished their wives and children. He threw them all into the den where the lions lived.

General Comment on 6:24b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the information, mentioning the families with the first verb (“brought”). For example:

The soldiers brought them, their wives and their children, and threw them all into the lions’ den.

General Comment on 6:24a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to make the command explicit. For example:

Then the king gave orders to arrest all those who had accused Daniel, and he had them thrown, together with their wives and children, into the pit filled with lions. (GNT)

Then the king commanded that the men who had accused Daniel be brought to the lions’ den. They, their wives, and their children were thrown into the den. (NCV)

6:24d

And before they had reached the bottom of the den,

Before they got to the bottom/ground,
Before they landed at the bottom of the pit,

And: The Aramaic connector that the BSB translates as And here introduces the next event in the narrative. Translate this connector in a way that is natural in your language.

before they had reached the bottom of the den: The Aramaic clause is literally, “they did not come to the bottom of the den until…”The connector is ʿaḏ di- This is an emphatic way of saying that the lions immediately attacked the officials. Emphasize this idea in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Before they even reached the bottom of the pit (NJB)

They had hardly reached the bottom of the den when… (NJPS)

had reached: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as had reached here means “got as far as, touched.” Other ways to translate this include:

hit (NLT)

landed

the bottom of the den: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as bottom can refer to the ground or simply the lowest part of the hole. Some scholars describe the den as an inclined slope that led to a pit. Translate this in a way that is natural in your language.

6:24e

the lions overpowered them and crushed all their bones.

the lions attacked and killed them, crunching them up, bones and all.
the lions leaped on them and chewed them up.

the lions overpowered them: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as overpowered here indicates that the lions successfully attacked the officials and their families. Other ways to say this in English are:

the lions leaped on them (NLT)

the lions pounced on them (GNT)

the lions had seized them (NJB)

and crushed all their bones: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as crushed all their bones is an emphatic way of stating that the lions tore these people to pieces. See how you translated the same verb in 2:34c, 2:40b, 2:44d, where the same verb is used of the stone shattering the image. The text implies that the lions were very hungry. They not only ate the people but chewed up their bones as well. Here are some other ways to translate this:

and tore them apart (NLT)

ripped them to pieces (CEV)

crunched them up, bones and allNew English Bible.

Translate this in a way that is most natural in your own language.

General Comment on 6:24d-e

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses. For example:

^24eThe lions leaped on them and tore them apart ^24dbefore they even hit the floor of the den. (NLT)

Parallel DAN 6:24