DAN 7:9 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=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) I kept looking in the vision while thrones were set up and the ancient one took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow, and his hair looked like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were burning fire.[ref]

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 kept looking
⇔ until thrones were set in place,
⇔ and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
⇔ His clothing was white as snow,
⇔ and the hair of his head was like pure wool.
⇔ His throne was flames of fire,
⇔ its wheels were burning fire.

UST Then while I watched,
⇔ thrones were put in the places where they belonged,
⇔ and God, the one who had been living forever, sat on one of the thrones.
⇔ His clothes were as white as snow,
⇔ and his hair was as white as pure wool.
⇔ His throne had wheels that were blazing with fire,
⇔ and his throne was also blazing.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE “I watched until thrones were placed,
⇔ and one who was Ancient of Days sat.
⇔ His clothing was white as snow,
⇔ and the hair of his head like pure wool.
⇔ His throne was fiery flames,
⇔ and its wheels burning fire.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET “While I was watching,
⇔ thrones were set up,
⇔ and the Ancient of Days took his seat.
⇔ His attire was white like snow;
⇔ the hair of his head was like lamb’s wool.
⇔ His throne was ablaze with fire
⇔ and its wheels were all aflame.

LSV I was seeing until thrones have been thrown down, and the Ancient of Days is seated, His garment [is] white as snow, and the hair of His head [is] as pure wool, His throne flames of fire, its wheels burning fire.

FBV While I was watching, thrones were set up and the Ancient of Days took his seat.[fn] His clothes were white as snow and his hair looked like the purest wool. His throne blazed like flames; its wheels like burning fire.

7:9 “Took his seat”: in other words, to begin judgment.

T4T Then while I watched,
⇔ thrones were put in the places where they belonged,
⇔ and God, the one who had been living forever, sat on one of the thrones.
⇔ His clothes were as white as snow,
⇔ and his hair was as white as pure/clean wool.
⇔ His throne had wheels that were blazing with fire,
⇔ and his throne was also blazing.

LEB “_⌊I continued watching_⌋[fn] until thrones were placed and an Ancient of Days sat; his clothing was like white snow and the hair of his head was like pure wool and his throne was a flame[fn] of fire and its wheels[fn] were burning fire.

7:9 Literally “I was watching”

7:9 Or “ablaze with”

7:9 Aramaic “wheel”

BBE I went on looking till the seats of kings were placed, and one like a very old man took his seat: his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like clean wool; his seat was flames of fire and its wheels burning fire.

Moff I watched until an Assize was held, when a primeval Being sat on the throne of justice, with robes white as snow, the hair of his head pure white like wool; his throne was a blaze of flames and its wheels were burning fire,

JPS I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was as white snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.

ASV I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.

DRA I beheld till thrones were placed, and the Ancient of days sat: his garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like clean wool: his throne like flames of fire: the wheels of it like a burning fire.

YLT 'I was seeing till that thrones have been thrown down, and the Ancient of Days is seated, His garment as snow [is] white, and the hair of his head [is] as pure wool, His throne flames of fire, its wheels burning fire.

Drby I beheld till thrones were set, and the Ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was flames of fire, [and] its wheels burning fire.

RV I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire.
(I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit: his raiment/clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames, and the wheels thereof burning fire. )

SLT I was seeing even till thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days sat, his garment white as snow, and the hair of his head as pure wool: his throne a flame of fire, his wheels a burning fire.

Wbstr I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

KJB-1769 ¶ I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.

KJB-1611 ¶ I beheld till the thrones were cast downe, and the Ancient of dayes did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the haire of his head like the pure wooll: his throne was like the fierie flame, and his wheeles as burning fire.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps I behelde till the thrones were set vp, & the auncient of dayes did sit: whose garment was white as snowe, and the heeres of his head lyke the pure wooll: his throne was like the firie flambe, and his wheeles as burning fire.
(I beheld till the thrones were set up, and the ancient of days did sit: whose garment was white as snow, and the hairs of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire.)

Gnva I behelde, till the thrones were set vp, and the Ancient of dayes did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the heare of his head like the pure wooll: his throne was like the fierie flame, and his wheeles as burning fire.
(I beheld, till the thrones were set up, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hear of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. )

Cvdl I loked till the seates were prepared, ad till the olde aged sat him downe. His clothinge was as white as snowe, and the hayres of his heade like the pure woll. His trone was like the firie flame, and his wheles as the burnynge fyre.
(I looked till the seats were prepared, and till the old aged sat him down. His clothing was as white as snow, and the hairs of his head like the pure wool. His throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as the burning fire.)

Wycl Y bihelde, til that trones weren set, and the elde of daies sat; his cloth was whijt as snow, and the heeris of his heed weren as cleene wolle, his trone was as flawmes of fier, hise wheelis weren fier kyndlid.
(I beheld, till that trones were set, and the old of days sat; his cloth was white as snow, and the hairs of his heed were as clean wool, his throne was as flames of fire, his wheelis were fire kindled.)

Luth Solches sah ich, bis daß Stühle gesetzt wurden; und der Alte setzte sich, des Kleid war schneeweiß und das Haar auf seinem Haupt wie reine Wolle; sein Stuhl war eitel Feuerflammen, und desselbigen Räder brannten mit Feuer.
(Such saw I, until that chairs/stools set(v) became; and the/of_the Alte sat itself/yourself/themselves, the garment what/which snow_white and the hair on/in/to his head as/like puree wool; be chair/stool what/which vain fire(n)flammen, and of_the_same Räder burntn with fire(n).)

ClVg Aspiciebam donec throni positi sunt, et antiquus dierum sedit. Vestimentum ejus candidum quasi nix, et capilli capitis ejus quasi lana munda: thronus ejus flammæ ignis: rotæ ejus ignis accensus.
(Aspiciebam until throni placed are, and antiquus days sedit. Vestimentum his candidum as_if nix, and hair of_the_head his as_if wool clean: thronus his flames fire: wheels his fire accensus. )

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

The Little Horn

The little horn in Daniel’s vision stands for a king; it has personal features such as human eyes and a mouth. This imagery is characteristic of apocalyptic literature. The little horn captures Daniel’s attention because of its “boastful speech” and its violent actions against other kings, God’s people, and the Most High.

What or who is the little horn? The little horn of Daniel 7:8 is closely tied to the figures of evil in 9:27 and 11:40-45. Antiochus IV Epiphanes (8:9-14, 23-25; 11:21-39) has characteristics similar to the little horn of 7:8, but they do not appear to be identical. Ancient and modern interpreters have held that the little horn is the Antichrist to come. Some maintain that certain historical persons of the Greek and Roman empires have preliminarily fulfilled the vision (e.g., Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Nero, Caligula, Domitian). According to this view, this being yet to come will be a man, not a demon or Satan.

It is also helpful to see the little horn as representing the embodiment of evil that is directed against God and his people. Some interpreters believe that no single man will fulfill this vision, but that the vision represents the evil forces at work in the world. Others hold that the Antichrist has already come. The idea of the Antichrist does seem to have an ultimate fulfillment, as suggested by the New Testament (see 2 Thes 2:3-12; 1 John 2:18; 4:3; 2 Jn 1:7; Rev 13:1, 5; 16:13-14; 17:11; 19:20-21; 20:10).

Regardless, this little horn reminds God’s people that evil violently opposes God and his people. The king described here usurps the kingdoms of this world (Dan 7:8), but his demonic system will not prevail because evil will be destroyed. God’s people can take comfort in knowing that this onslaught and manifestation of evil will be short lived (Rev 12:12) and the works of this hellish kingdom will be demolished (Dan 7:11-12). God’s chosen leader, the one “like a son of man” installed by the Ancient One (7:13-14), will rule by God’s divine approval and power, and his reign will prevail in an indestructible kingdom. God’s people are encouraged to endure and be faithful. They live in hope of a righteous kingdom in which God will live among his people (see Rev 21:3). “The passionate commitment of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!” (Isa 9:7).

Passages for Further Study

Dan 7:8, 11, 20-21, 24-26; 8:9-12; 9:26-27; Mark 13:14; 2 Thes 2:5-12; 2 Jn 1:7; Rev 13:1-10; 20:10

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 7:1–28 Daniel dreamed about four beasts

Daniel had a vision of four beasts on earth and of God on his throne in heaven. One of the heavenly beings explained to Daniel that the four beasts represented four earthly kingdoms.

Paragraph 7:9–10

Daniel’s vision continued. He saw God on his throne beginning to judge all people.

These verses resemble Hebrew poetry, with parallelism within each verse. There is an introductory formula (“as I looked”) and then three sets of doublets, parallel lines. Several English versions print these verses as poetry, and you may wish to translate them as such. For example:

⁹As I looked:

Thrones of judgment were set in place,

The Ancient of Days seated himself.

His clothes were white like snow,

The hair of his head, pure as wool.

Fiery his throne,

Blazing its wheels!

¹⁰A river of fire poured out,

Streaming from his presence.

A thousand thousands were serving him

there,

Tens of thousands of his servants

were standing before him.

The court sat in judgment,

And the books were opened.

7:9a

As I continued to watch,

¶ While I was watching,
¶ I continued to see/watch this vision.

As I continued to watch: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as As I continued to watch is more literally “I was watching/looking until .…” This phrase here indicates that Daniel was continuing to describe his vision. Indicate this continuation in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

While I was looking (GNT)

While I was watching (NJB)

I watched as (NLT)

7:9b

thrones were set in place,

thrones were placed there.
They prepared/arranged great seats for judges/judging,

thrones were set in place: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as were set in place means “were placed.” It is a passive verb and the text does not indicate who moved the thrones. It could have been angels, or it could have been that the thrones just appeared as though God had placed them there. There are two ways to translate this clause:

Using a passive verb. For example:
thrones were put in place (NLT)
Using an active verb. For example:
they set/put thrones in place

thrones: In this context the Aramaic word for thrones refers to special seats where kings and judges sat to judge the people.

7:9c

and the Ancient of Days took His seat.

The One who is ancient/old in years sat down on his throne.
and the Ancient/Eternal One/God seated himself to begin judging.

and the Ancient of Days took His seat: God himself sat down on one of the thrones. He sat down to judge. It is good to use an expression that is used for a judge sitting down in preparation for issuing his decisions.

the Ancient of Days: This is a title for God. It indicates great respect and refers to God as the one who had lived from ancient times. He had been the one God since before history began. For example:

one that was ancient of days (RSV)

One who had been living forever (GNT)

the Ancient One (NRSV)

the Eternal God (CEV)

took His seat: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as took His seat is literally “sat.” It indicates that God himself sat on one of the thrones. For example:

sat on his throne (NCV)

sat down on one of the thrones (GNT)

7:9d

His clothing was white as snow,

His clothes were white like snow,
He was wearing robes as white as pure/fresh snow,

His clothing was white as snow: This is a comparison. The clothing of the divine Judge was white like snow is white. Indicate this comparison in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

He was wearing clothes that were white like snow

He was wearing clothes that were snowy-white

clothing: Use a general word. If it is necessary to be specific, it is good to refer to the sort of clothes a judge wears. For example:

robes

white as snow: The point of this comparison is that the clothes were pure or bright white, like snow shining in the sunshine. See how you translated this idea in Matthew 28:3 and Revelation 1:14. You may need to supply some information and say:

bright/pure white, like clean/fresh snow

In some cultures snow is unknown. In those cultures it may be necessary to say simply:

bright white

7:9e

and the hair of His head was like pure wool.

and the hair on his head was as white as wool.
and his hair was as white as pure/clean wool.

the hair of His head was like pure wool: The Aramaic text is more literally “was pure like wool.” The color of the hair is compared to that of wool. Wool is not normally or naturally a bright white, so it may be natural to say:

the hair of his head was like clean/pure wool

the hair of his head as pure as wool (NJB)

the hair of His head: In some languages it may be natural to simply say:

his hair

7:9f

His throne was flaming with fire,

The throne on which he sat was blazing with fire,
His great seat was burning brightly,

His throne was flaming with fire: The Aramaic text says, “his throne was flames of fire.” The throne appeared to consist of burning flames. Here are some other ways to translate this:

His throne was fiery flames (RSV)

His throne was ablaze with fire (NET)

Fiery was his throne!

7:9g

and its wheels were all ablaze.

and the wheels on it were flaming/burning.
and it was set on blazing wheels.

and its wheels were all ablaze: The throne had wheels, and these also were burning like fire. Here are some other ways to translate this:

and its wheels were burning fire (GW)

and the wheels of his throne were blazing with fire (NCV)

Burning/Blazing were its wheels!

General Comment on 7:9f–g

Daniel 7:9g indicates that this throne had wheels. This has not been mentioned before and may require some explanation or introduction. This may involve combining the two clauses. For example:

^7f-gHis throne was a blazing fire with fiery wheels (CEV)

^7f-gHis throne, mounted on fiery wheels, was blazing with fire. (GNT)

^7f-gHe sat on a fiery throne with wheels of blazing fire. (NLT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

כָרְסָוָן֙ רְמִ֔יו

thrones set_in_place

If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “someone set thrones in their places”

וְ⁠עַתִּ֥יק יוֹמִ֖ין

and_[one],ancient_of days

This is a title for God that means he is eternal. Alternate translation: “and the One Who Has Lived Forever” or “the One Who Has Always Lived”

יְתִ֑ב לְבוּשֵׁ֣⁠הּ & וּ⁠שְׂעַ֤ר רֵאשֵׁ⁠הּ֙

took_~_seat his_of,clothing & and,the_hair_of of,his_head

This passage describes God as sitting down, with clothing and hair like a person. This does not mean that God really is like this, but it is how Daniel saw God in a vision.

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

יְתִ֑ב

took_~_seat

This is an idiom that means he sat down. Alternate translation: “sat down on his throne”

לְבוּשֵׁ֣⁠הּ ׀ כִּ⁠תְלַ֣ג חִוָּ֗ר

his_of,clothing like,snow white

His clothing is compared to snow to show that it was very white. Alternate translation: “His clothing was very white”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / simile

וּ⁠שְׂעַ֤ר רֵאשֵׁ⁠הּ֙ כַּ⁠עֲמַ֣ר נְקֵ֔א

and,the_hair_of of,his_head like,wool pure

Something about God’s hair looked like pure wool. This could mean: (1) it was very white or (2) it was thick and curly.

כַּ⁠עֲמַ֣ר נְקֵ֔א

like,wool pure

Alternate translation: “was like clean wool” or “was like wool that is washed”

כָּרְסְיֵ⁠הּ֙ שְׁבִיבִ֣ין דִּי־נ֔וּר גַּלְגִּלּ֖וֹ⁠הִי נ֥וּר דָּלִֽק

his_of,throne flames that/who fire its_of,wheels fire burning

This describes the throne of God and its wheels as if they were made of fire. The words flames and burning fire mean basically the same thing and can be translated the same way.

גַּלְגִּלּ֖וֹ⁠הִי

its_of,wheels

It is unclear why God’s throne is described as having wheels. Thrones normally do not have wheels, but the text clearly states that this throne has some kind of wheels. Use a general term for wheels if possible.

Parallel DAN 7:9