Aramaic word · H2002

הַמְנִיכָא

vehamonkha'

chain

This is a collar, torque or necklace, a loanword from Old Iranian (Persian). In Persian and Achaemenid court culture, a gold torque was a royal gift that marked someone the king honored. Greek borrowed the same word as maniakēs.

A Biblical Aramaic word, from the parts of the Old Testament written in Aramaic. Why Aramaic?

Appears 3 times in 3 verses of the Aramaic of the Old Testament. ·

What it means

necklace, chain

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 5:16

Range of meaning

This is a collar, torque or necklace, a loanword from Old Iranian (Persian). In Persian and Achaemenid court culture, a gold torque was a royal gift that marked someone the king honored. Greek borrowed the same word as maniakēs.

Against the English

'Chain' (KJV, BSB, WEB, NIV) makes modern readers think of linked jewelry. NASB's 'necklace' is neutral. YLT's 'bracelet' is inaccurate. None of them conveys that this was an official insignia.

How it drifted

Without the court background, the English suggests a reward in valuables instead of a mark of rank.

Used elsewhere in the period

Xenophon (Anabasis 1.2.27) lists a gold torque, bracelets, a dagger and a Persian robe as the honors a king gives. Herodotus also describes robes and gold ornaments as royal gifts of honor. Theodotion translates the word with maniakēs. A close biblical parallel is Joseph, whom Pharaoh dresses in fine linen and puts a gold chain on his neck when he makes him second in Egypt (Genesis 41:42).

From the study of Daniel 5:7

Range of meaning

Neck-chain, collar, torque (a rigid metal neck-ring). A Persian loanword, probably Old Persian *hamyānaka; compare Greek maniakēs, 'torque'.

Against the English

KJV and WEB 'chain of gold'; BSB 'gold chain'; YLT 'bracelet'. 'Chain' is fine, but a stiff gold torque is often a better picture.

Used elsewhere in the period

Theodotion's Greek translates it maniakēs. Polybius uses the same word for the torques of Gaulish warriors. Herodotus (3.20) and Xenophon (Anabasis 1.2.27) record gold torques and robes as Persian royal gifts of honour. Genesis 41:42 gives the same pattern at Pharaoh's court: Joseph receives fine garments and a gold chain when he is raised to second rank for interpreting a dream.

Where it appears

Daniel · 3

  1. Daniel 5:7 וְהַֽמְנִיכָ֤א and necklace the

    The king called out for the enchanters, astrologers, and diviners to be brought in, and he said to these wise men of Babylon, “Whoever reads this inscription and tells me its interpretation will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around his neck, and he will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

    Here: 'And the necklace': a word borrowed from Persian for a gold collar or torque, a typical Persian royal gift of honour.

  2. Daniel 5:16 וְהַֽמְנִיכָ֤א and necklace the

    But I have heard about you, that you are able to give interpretations and solve difficult problems. Therefore, if you can read this inscription and give me its interpretation, you will be clothed in purple and have a gold chain placed around your neck, and you will be made the third highest ruler in the kingdom.”

    Here: 'And the necklace,' a Persian loanword for a torque or collar. This was a recognized court decoration rather than ordinary jewelry.

  3. Daniel 5:29 וְהַֽמְנִיכָ֥א and necklace the

    Then Belshazzar gave the command, and they clothed Daniel in purple, placed a gold chain around his neck, and proclaimed him the third highest ruler in the kingdom.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.