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.
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One response to “"An Ancient of Days" or "The Ancient of Days": Does it Really Matter?”
It could be El Elyon. 🙂