Daniel

The term that is transliterated as “Daniel” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign for the letter D and for “lion,” referring to the story in Daniel 6. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Daniel” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Swiss-German Sign Language it is translated with the sign for “prayer” that illustrates Daniel’s close relationship with God.


“Daniel” in Swiss-German Sign Language, source: DSGS-Lexikon biblischer Begriffe , © CGG Schweiz

For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .

Following is a hand colored stencil print on washi of Daniel by Sadao Watanabe (1965):

Image taken with permission from the SadaoHanga Catalogue where you can find many more images and information about Sadao Watanabe. For other images of Sadao Watanabe art works in TIPs, see here.

The following is a stained glass window depicting Daniel by Endre Odon Hevezi and Gyula Bajo from 1965 for the Debre Libanos Monastery, Oromia, Ethiopia:

Photo by Timothy A. Gonsalves, hosted by Wikimedia Commons under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )

See also Daniel.

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Daniel in the Lions’ Den and Daniel .

Translation commentary on Bel and the Dragon 1:19

If integrated into the book of Daniel: 14.19.

Then Daniel laughed … and said: Instead of laughed, Good News Translation has “began to laugh,” which is a possible interpretation of the Greek tense here. It suggests that Daniel laughed, and that what he then says was spoken in laughter, or at least amusement. Daniel is laughing, of course, at the irony of the situation. The king stands there loudly proclaiming the might of his god Bel, while evidence of Bel’s falsity lies on the floor right in front of him. Alternative models are “Laughing, Daniel said to the king” and “Daniel said, while laughing.”

Restrained the king from going in: The Greek suggests that Daniel physically restrained the king, perhaps taking hold of him by the arm or such; it does not suggest any show of force. Good News Translation apparently takes the restraint to be verbal, and puts restraining words in Daniel’s mouth: “Before you enter the temple.” This is possible, but New English Bible expresses it better with “held back the king from going in.”

Notice whose footsteps these are is literally “know whose footprints these are.” New Revised Standard Version has corrected footsteps to “footprints.” Good News Translation “tell me whose footprints you see there” is appropriate to the situation. New American Bible has Daniel ask a simple question: “whose footprints are these?” Another possibility is “Whose footprints do you think these are [or, could be]?” or “I wonder who left all those footprints?” (Contemporary English Version). The translator must decide whether Daniel speaks in seriousness or mock bewilderment.

Quoted with permission from Bullard, Roger A. and Hatton, Howard A. A Handbook on The Shorter Books of the Deuterocanon. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2006. For this and other handbooks for translators see here.