This verse constitutes an example of double parallelism within six lines. The structure may be outlined according to the following scheme, in which “=” marks items that are parallel to each other:

(A = B) + C = (D = E) + F

The translator may conserve this structure if it is natural in the receptor language. Or it may be possible to simplify it, as in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch,

([A = B] = [D = E])

and then combine lines C and F into a single element at the end of the verse; thus Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “It carried thick leaves and abundant fruit. In its shadow rested the animals; birds nested in its branches; and everything that lived received its nourishment from it (the tree).” Another possible model is the following: “It had beautiful leaves and much fruit on it. Animals rested under it and birds nested on its branches. It provided enough food for everyone on earth to eat.”

In it was food for all: it may be very inappropriate to use the preposition in to describe the relationship between the tree and its fruit. New Century Version has “On the tree was food for everyone.” Another way of saying this is “it provided enough food for all.”

The beasts of the field … birds of the air: in many languages the words of the field and of the air are redundant and may be omitted. Compare 2.38.

Dwelt: while the Aramaic word is general, the context with birds as subject makes it more appropriate in some languages to say “built their nests” as in Good News Translation or “found shelter” (Revised English Bible). New Revised Standard Version has “nested in its branches.”

All flesh: the expression is used to refer to every kind of living creature, whether animal or human.

Was fed from it: once again the passive form will have to be translated actively in many languages. It is possible to say something like “every creature got what it needed to eat from it” or “every living being ate from it.”

Quoted with permission from Péter-Contesse, René & Ellington, John. A Handbook on Daniel. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1994. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .