Jeremy Thompson Catholic PhD in Biblical Languages, Programmer, Runner

Well, I had a wonderful time with Christo (my thesis supervisor) and Karyn (a peer at the University of Stellenbosch) after SBL.  But, now back to the important business of blogging.  Today’s Old Testament lectionary reading is from Daniel 7.  Once I get past the narratives at the beginning of Daniel, I very much feel as though I am in over my head.  So, I looked to see what resources I could find online.

On Google Books, there is a free chapter (well almost the whole chapter) from a short monograph on the Book of Daniel written by John Collins.  Collins’ larger commentary on Daniel is often cited as the best reference material for the book; however, the shorter monograph may be a bit more accessible.  The chapter contains an outline of chapter 7 and covers the genre, setting and intention of the individual units.  This was a very helpful resource for me.

The Old Testament lectionary reading today is from Daniel 7.  This is probably one of the most interesting chapters in the entire Bible, but the lectionary reading is only a part of it.  Do yourself a favor and go back and read the part about the beasts.  My blog is not really a place to deal with a chapter like Daniel 7.  I simply do not have the time to do it justice. You should probably check out John Collins – Daniel: A Commentary on the Book of Daniel (Hermeneia: a Critical and Historical Commentary on the Bible) if this passage or the book as a whole interests you.


At any rate, I did decide to give you a something from the chapter that is a little random and perhaps even meaningless (If you insist on a very literal translation, I guess it could be very important).  Many translations (ESV – Sorry, John Piper, NASB, NJPS, KJV, NET Bible) render a part of Daniel 7.9 as “and the Ancient of Days” (whether or not “days” is capitalized varies).   This is actually a mistranslation because the word “the” is not actually there.  The translation should be “and an Ancient of days.”  The NRSV is the closest with “and an Ancient One” to which the translators have also attached a note that it is literally “an Ancient of days.”

So what does it matter?  I’m not sure if it matters at all.  Collins who also translates “an Ancient of Days” suggests that this is YHWH.  I’m assuming that those who translate “the Ancient of Days” would also suggest that this is YHWH.  Make of it what you will, I’m just saying.

Related Posts:

Book – A Commonly Perpetuated Mistranslation

Genesis 1.1 and the Importance of Comparing Translations