Daniel 5:11

Daniel 5:11

There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

a. ASV: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, were found in him; and the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made him master of the magicians, enchanters, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;

b. YLT: There is a man in thy kingdom in whom is the spirit of the holy gods: and, in the days of thy father, light, and understanding, and wisdom -- as the wisdom of the gods -- was found in him; and king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, chief of the scribes, enchanters, Chaldeans, soothsayers, established him -- thy father, O king --

c. Classic Amplified: There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the Spirit of the holy God [or gods], and in the days of your father light and understanding and wisdom like the wisdom of the gods were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar, your father—the king, I say, your father—appointed him master of the magicians, enchanters or soothsayers, Chaldeans, and astrologers,

d. Septuagint: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the Spirit of God; and in the days of thy father watchfulness and understanding were found in him; and king Nabuchodonosor thy father made him chief of the enchanters, magicians, Chaldeans, [and] soothsayers. 

e. Stone Edition Torah/Prophets/ Writings: There is a man in your kingdom in whom is the spirit of the Holy God; and in your [grand] father’s days, brilliance, understanding and wisdom like the wisdom like the wisdom of God were found in him; and King Nebuchadnezzar, your [grand] father, made him chief of the necromancers, astrologers, Chaldean [stargazers] and demonists. 

1. “There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods…”

a. There is [Strong: 383 ʼîythay, ee-thah'ee; (Aramaic) corresponding to H3426; properly, entity; used only as a particle of affirmation, there is:—art thou, can, do ye, have, it be, there is (are), × we will not.]

b. [a] man [Strong: 1400 gᵉbar, gheb-ar'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H1399:—certain, man.]

c. [in thy] kingdom [Strong: 4437 malkûw, mal-koo'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H4438; dominion (abstractly or concretely):—kingdom, kingly, realm, reign.]

d. [in] whom [is] [Strong: 1768 diy dee (Aramaic) apparently for 1668; that, used as relative conjunction, and especially (with a preposition) in adverbial phrases; also as preposition of:--X as, but, for(-asmuch +), + now, of, seeing, than, that, therefore, until, + what (-soever), when, which, whom, whose.]

e. [the] spirit [Strong: 7308 rûwach, roo'-akh; (Aramaic) corresponding to H7307:—mind, spirit, wind.]

f. [of the] holy [Strong: 6922 qaddîysh, kad-deesh'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H6918.:—Holy (One), saint.]

g. gods [Strong: 426 ʼĕlâhh, el-aw'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H433; God:—God, god.]

2. “...and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him…”

a. [and in the] days [Strong: 3118 yôwm, yome; (Aramaic) corresponding to H3117; a day:—day (by day), time.]

b. [of thy] father [Strong: 2 ʼab, ab; (Aramaic) corresponding to H1:—father.]

1). The Jewish translation has “grandfather”. 

c. light [Strong: 5094 nᵉhîyr, neh-heere'; (Aramaic) or נְהִירוּ nᵉhîyrûw; (Aramaic), from the same as H5105; illumination, i.e. (figuratively) wisdom:—light.]

d. [and] understanding [Strong: 7924 soklᵉthânûw, sok-leth-aw-noo'; (Aramaic) from H7920; intelligence:—understanding.]

e. [and] wisdom [Strong: 2452 chokmâh, khok-maw'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H2451; wisdom:—wisdom.]

f. [like the] wisdom [Strong: 2452 chokmâh, khok-maw'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H2451; wisdom:—wisdom.]

g. [of the] gods [Strong: 426 ʼĕlâhh, el-aw'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H433; God:—God, god.]

h. [was] found [in him] [Strong: 7912 shᵉkach, shek-akh'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H7911 through the idea of disclosure of a covered or forgotten thing; to discover (literally or figuratively):—find.]

3. “...whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers;”

a. [whom the] king [Strong: 4430 melek, meh'-lek; (Aramaic) corresponding to H4428; a king:—king, royal.]

b. Nebuchadnezzar [Strong: 5020 Nᵉbûwkadnetstsar, neb-oo-kad-nets-tsar'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H5019:—Nebuchadnezzar.]

c. [thy] father [Strong: 2 ʼab, ab; (Aramaic) corresponding to H1:—father.]

d. [the] king [Strong: 4430 melek, meh'-lek; (Aramaic) corresponding to H4428; a king:—king, royal.]

e. made [Strong: 6966 qûwm, koom; (Aramaic) corresponding to H6965:—appoint, establish, make, raise up self, (a-) rise (up), (make to) stand, set (up).]

f. master [Strong: 7229 rab, rab; (Aramaic) corresponding to H7227:—captain, chief, great, lord, master, stout.]

g. [of the] magicians [Strong: 2749 charṭôm, khar-tome'; (Aramaic) the same as H2748:—magician.]

1). Daniel had already shown to the Babylonian king and his leadership about his relationship to the one true God and that it was He alone who could answer the unanswerable. The entire second chapter of Daniel explains what happened when Nebuchadnezzar dreamed a dream that he forgot and demanded of the wise men not only the interpretation but the dream also (Daniel 2:25-49). It was because of this incident and Daniel’s faithfulness that Nebuchadnezzar promoted him the chief of the magicians of Babylon. A more familiar word would be “Magi”. Daniel’s influence over this group can be seen hundreds of years later at the birth of Christ.

a). Matthew 2:1, 2 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,

2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

h. astrologers [Strong: 826 ʼashshâph, ash-shawf'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H825:—astrologer.]

i. Chaldeans [Strong: 3779 Kasday, kas-dah'-ee; (Aramaic) corresponding to H3778; a Chaldaean or inhabitant of Chaldaea; by implication, a Magian or professional astrologer:—Chaldean.]

j. [and] soothsayers [Strong: 1505 gᵉzar, ghez-ar'; (Aramaic) corresponding to H1504; to quarry; determine:—cut out, soothsayer.]