Word Studies¶
Question¶
What historical and linguistic evidence bears on Daniel's composition date and historical reliability?
H8523 -- taltiy/telitay (third ruler, triumvir)¶
Original: תַּלְתִּי / תְּלִיתַי (Aramaic) Transliteration: taltiy / telithay Part of Speech: Adjective (denominative) Definition: BDB: "third (ruler), i.e. triumvir" -- derived from the root for "three" (H8532 telath)
Translations¶
- "third" (Dan 2:39) -- ordinal use: "another third kingdom"
- "ruler" / "third ruler" (Dan 5:7) -- the triumvir rank offer
Key Verses¶
- Dan 5:7 -- "shall be the third ruler (taltiy) in the kingdom" -- Belshazzar offers the highest rank he can give
- Dan 2:39 -- "another third (telitaya) kingdom of brass" -- ordinal numbering of kingdoms
Significance for Historicity¶
This rare Aramaic term appears only twice in Scripture. BDB defines the Dan 5:7 usage as "triumvir" -- a co-ruler of third rank. The Hebrew parser confirms תַלְתִּי is glossed "triumvir" in the BHSA data. If Nabonidus was first ruler and Belshazzar second (as co-regent), the highest rank Belshazzar could offer was third. This specific detail fits the co-regency situation unknown to classical historians but confirmed by cuneiform evidence (Nabonidus Cylinder).
H6902 -- qebal (receive, take)¶
Original: קְבַל (Aramaic) Transliteration: qebal Part of Speech: Verb Definition: BDB: "denominative Pa. receive" -- Syriac: "properly come in front of, come to meet" (compare German "entgegennehmen")
Translations¶
- "took" (Dan 5:31/6:1) -- Darius "took"/received the kingdom
- "ye shall receive" (Dan 2:6) -- gifts promised
- "shall take" (Dan 7:18) -- saints shall receive the kingdom
Key Verses¶
- Dan 6:1 [=5:31] -- "Darius the Median qabbel (received) the kingdom" -- Pael perfect 3ms. The Pael stem indicates active receiving, not conquering.
- Dan 2:6 -- "ye shall receive of me gifts" -- receiving from a giver
- Dan 7:18 -- "the saints of the most High shall take (receive) the kingdom" -- same verb for receiving divine grant
Significance for Historicity¶
All three occurrences involve receiving something granted by another authority. In Dan 5:31/6:1, Darius "received" the kingdom -- he did not conquer it. The Syriac cognate means "come in front of, come to meet" -- suggesting acceptance of what is offered. This aligns with Dan 9:1 where the passive Hophal "was made king" (hamlak) further confirms delegated authority. The same verb (qabbel) describes both Darius receiving the earthly kingdom (5:31) and the saints receiving the eternal kingdom (7:18).
H7981 -- shelet (to rule, have power)¶
Original: שְׁלֵט (Aramaic) Transliteration: shelet Part of Speech: Verb Definition: (Aramaic) have power, rule. Syriac cognate; corresponds to Biblical Hebrew H7980.
Translations and Occurrences in Daniel¶
| Verse | Form | Translation | Context |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dan 5:7 | yishlat (Impf.3ms) | "shall rule" | third ruler offer |
| Dan 5:16 | tishlat (Impf.2ms) | "shalt rule" | third ruler offer to Daniel |
| Dan 2:38 | hashletakh (Haph.Perf.3ms) | "hath made thee ruler" | God made Nebuchadnezzar ruler |
| Dan 2:39 | tishlat (Impf.3fs) | "shall bear rule" | third kingdom ruling |
| Dan 2:48 | hashleteh (Haph.Perf.3ms) | "made him ruler" | Daniel made ruler |
| Dan 3:27 | shelet (Perf.3ms) | "had" (power) | fire had no power |
| Dan 6:24 | shlitu (Perf.3mp) | "had the mastery" | lions had mastery |
Significance¶
The Haphel (causative) stem in Dan 2:38 and 2:48 shows that ruling authority comes from above -- God "made ruler" Nebuchadnezzar (2:38), Nebuchadnezzar "made ruler" Daniel (2:48). The Pe'al (simple) stem in Dan 5:7,16 describes the authority itself.
H4437 -- malku (kingdom, dominion, realm -- Aramaic)¶
Original: מַלְכוּ (Aramaic) Transliteration: malku Part of Speech: Feminine noun Definition: Royalty, reign, kingdom. 57 BLB occurrences.
Semantic Range in Daniel (BDB)¶
- Royalty/kingly authority -- Dan 4:23,26,28,31,33,36; Dan 5:20
- Organized world-kingdom -- Dan 2:39,40,41,42,44; 7:23,24,27
- Realm (territorial) -- Dan 5:7,11,16,29; 6:1,2,3,7,26
- Reign (time period) -- Dan 5:26; 6:28,28
Key Distribution¶
65 total KJV occurrences across Daniel and Ezra. The word appears in every chapter of Daniel's Aramaic section (2-7) and in the historical frame. Its use for "realm" in Dan 5:7,16,29 (the "third ruler in the kingdom") is distinct from its use for "world-kingdom" in Dan 2:39-44.
H324 -- achashdarpan (satrap)¶
Original: אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפַּן (Aramaic) Transliteration: achashdarpan Part of Speech: Masculine noun Definition: Satrap -- a provincial governor in the Persian Empire
All 9 Occurrences (Exclusively in Daniel)¶
- Dan 3:2 -- satraps summoned to dedication of image
- Dan 3:3 -- satraps gathered before the image
- Dan 3:27 -- satraps saw men unharmed by fire
- Dan 6:1 [=6:2] -- Darius set 120 satraps over kingdom
- Dan 6:2 [=6:3] -- Daniel preferred above satraps
- Dan 6:3 [=6:4] -- satraps sought occasion against Daniel
- Dan 6:4 [=6:5] -- satraps found no fault
- Dan 6:6 [=6:7] -- satraps assembled before king
- Dan 6:7 [=6:8] -- satraps consulted to make decree
Significance for Dating¶
This is a Persian loanword for a specifically Persian administrative office. Its presence in Daniel indicates familiarity with Persian governmental structures. The word appears in both the Nebuchadnezzar narrative (Dan 3) and the Darius narrative (Dan 6), suggesting the author used this term across different narrative settings. It corresponds to Biblical Hebrew H323 (used in Esther and Ezra).
Greek Loanwords in Daniel 3 (Musical Instruments)¶
H5481 -- sumponyah (dulcimer/bagpipe)¶
Original: סוּמְפּוֹנְיָה (Aramaic) From Greek: symphonia (συμφωνία) BDB: "bag-pipe, or double pipe, or Pan's pipe... loan-word from (late) Greek symphonia" (Krauss ii. 376, 390) Occurrences: Dan 3:5, 3:10, 3:15 only Note: BDB labels this a loanword from "(late) Greek" -- the qualification "late" is BDB's editorial judgment, not a feature of the word itself.
H7030 -- qitharos (lyre/harp)¶
Original: קִיתָרֹס (Aramaic) From Greek: kitharis (κίθαρις) BDB: "lyre, zither... loan-word from Greek kitharis" (Krauss i. 193: ii. 573) Occurrences: Dan 3:5, 3:7, 3:10, 3:15 only
H6460 -- pesanterin (psaltery)¶
Original: פְּסַנְטֵרִין (Aramaic) From Greek: psalterion (ψαλτήριον) BDB: "a (triangular) stringed instrument (Greek psalterion)" (Krauss i. 12, 99, 101; ii. 473) Occurrences: Dan 3:5, 3:7, 3:10, 3:15 only
Significance for Dating¶
All three Greek-derived musical instrument terms are confined exclusively to Daniel 3:5,7,10,15 -- the Babylonian court ceremony passage. BDB confirms all three as Greek loanwords. They appear nowhere else in the OT. The dating question: Greek musical terms could have entered the Near East before Alexander's conquests (331 BC) through trade contacts, as evidenced by Greek pottery and cultural artifacts in the ancient Near East. Alternatively, a 2nd-century author would naturally use Greek terms. The presence of only three Greek loanwords (all musical instruments) alongside many Aramaic and Persian terms is a datum to be weighed.
H6599 -- pithgam (decree, sentence)¶
Original: פִּתְגָּם Part of Speech: Masculine noun Definition: BDB: "of Persian origin" -- a judicial sentence or decree Occurrences: Est 1:20, Ecc 8:11 (only 2 occurrences in Biblical Hebrew) Note: Appears in the Biblical Hebrew vocabulary but labeled "of Persian origin" by BDB. Presence in Daniel would indicate Persian period familiarity.
H6925 -- qodam (before, in the presence of)¶
Original: קֳדָם (Aramaic) Transliteration: qodam Part of Speech: Preposition Definition: "before" (= Hebrew lipney) BDB: "42 preposition 'before' (so Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, etc.)"
Distribution¶
42 occurrences in Daniel and Ezra. Most frequent Aramaic preposition in Daniel. Top translations: "before" (15x), "before him" (6x), "before me" (5x).
Significance for Dating¶
BDB notes cognate forms in "Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene" -- these are early Aramaic dialects from the 8th-5th centuries BC. The fact that Daniel's Aramaic shares vocabulary with these early forms is relevant: Imperial Aramaic (6th-5th century BC) uses qodam, while later Western Aramaic dialects diverge. Similarly, abad (H5648) is noted by BDB as having parallels in "Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, Egyptian Aramaic."
H2377 -- chazon (vision) / H4759 -- mar'ah (vision/appearance) / H2493 -- chelem (dream)¶
Distribution Pattern¶
| Term | Language | Occurrences | Daniel Chapters |
|---|---|---|---|
| chazon (H2377) | Hebrew | 35 | Dan 1:17; 8:1,2,13,15,17,26; 9:21,24; 10:14; 11:14 |
| mar'ah (H4759) | Hebrew | 12 | Dan 10:7,7,8,16 |
| chelem (H2493) | Aramaic | 22 | Dan 2:4+; 4:2+; 5:12; 7:1 |
Significance¶
The distribution follows the language boundary: chelem is Aramaic-only (Dan 2-7), chazon and mar'ah are Hebrew (Dan 1, 8-12). This vocabulary distribution is consistent with the dan3-01 finding of compositional unity across the language boundary -- the vision vocabulary chains cross between sections in a coherent pattern.
H4430 -- melek (king, Aramaic)¶
Original: מֶלֶךְ (Aramaic) BLB Count: 180 Definition: King -- general Semitic term
Usage for Different Rulers¶
- Nebuchadnezzar: "melek malkayya" (king of kings) -- Dan 2:37
- Belshazzar: "malka" (the king) -- Dan 5:1,2,3,5,6,7,8,9,10 etc.
- Darius: "malka" (the king) -- Dan 6:6,7,8,9,12,13,14,15,16,18,19,20,24,25
- Artaxerxes: "melek malkayya" (king of kings) -- Ezra 7:12
Note: The text does not linguistically distinguish between Belshazzar's kingship and Nebuchadnezzar's. Both are simply "the king" (malka). However, the "third ruler" offer (5:7) implicitly acknowledges a hierarchy above Belshazzar.
Administrative/Legal Vocabulary Cluster (Daniel 6)¶
H633 -- esar (interdict, decree)¶
7 occurrences, all in Daniel 6 (6:8,9,10,13,13,14,16). Aramaic legal term for a binding prohibition.
H7010 -- qeyam (decree, statute)¶
2 occurrences, both in Daniel 6 (6:7,15/16). BDB notes Egyptian Aramaic parallels (qymyhm, Cooke 209).
H7560 -- resham (to sign, write)¶
7 occurrences, all in Daniel 5-6 (5:24,25; 6:8,9,10,12,13). Syriac cognate. BDB: "inscribe, sign."
H3792 -- kethab (writing, prescription)¶
12 occurrences in Daniel and Ezra. In Dan 5: writing on the wall (5:7,8,15,16,17,24,25). In Dan 6: written decree (6:9,10,11).
Significance¶
Daniel 6 contains a concentrated cluster of Aramaic legal/administrative vocabulary: esar (interdict), qeyam (statute), resham (sign), kethab (writing), achashdarpan (satrap). Several of these have cognates in Egyptian Aramaic and Syriac, pointing to the broader Aramaic legal tradition. The vocabulary is consistent with a Persian-period administrative context.
H5648 -- abad (to do, make -- Aramaic)¶
Original: עֲבַד (Aramaic) BLB Count: 28 BDB: "make, do (Syriac, Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, Egyptian Aramaic; = Biblical Hebrew abad, which see, but in meaning parallel to asah)"
Significance for Dating¶
BDB identifies cognates in five dialect groups: Syriac, Old Aramaic, Nabataean, Palmyrene, and Egyptian Aramaic. This comprehensive distribution indicates the word belongs to the common Aramaic vocabulary stretching from the earliest attestations. Like qodam (H6925), this places Daniel's Aramaic vocabulary within the broader Imperial Aramaic tradition rather than specifically late.