אָת

From the study of Daniel 4:3

Range of meaning

A sign, a portent, a meaningful extraordinary event. It is the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ʾôt ("sign": the rainbow, circumcision, the plagues of Egypt). The stress falls on what the event points to and makes known, not just on the fact that it is unusual.

Against the English

English "sign" can sound weak (a road sign, a symptom) or can mean an omen people read to predict the future. In Daniel it is a powerful act that reveals who is really in control.

Used elsewhere in the period

Biblical Aramaic uses it only three times: here, in 4:2, and in Darius's decree in 6:27 ("he performs signs and wonders in heaven and on earth"). In both places a pagan king uses it to praise Israel's God. Its Hebrew cognate is common in the Exodus tradition (Exod 7:3; Deut 4:34; 6:22; 26:8).

From the study of Daniel 6:27

Range of meaning

ʾāt: a sign, a visible token that points beyond itself and shows who acted. tĕmah: a wonder, something that causes astonishment, from a root meaning 'to be amazed, stunned'. Together they form a fixed pair for God's extraordinary public acts.

Against the English

Most versions use 'signs and wonders'. NLT adds 'miraculous'. That is fair, but it puts the stress on the supernatural mechanism, whereas the original pair stresses what the acts reveal (sign) and the reaction they produce (wonder).

Used elsewhere in the period

The Aramaic pair occurs only in Daniel: here and in Nebuchadnezzar's letter (3:32–33 MT = 4:2–3 English), 'How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders!' It is the Aramaic equivalent of Hebrew ʾōtôt ûmôpĕtîm, the Exodus formula for the plagues and the sea crossing (Exod 7:3; Deut 4:34; 6:22; 26:8; Jer 32:20–21; Ps 135:9). Theodotion's Greek renders it sēmeia kai terata, the phrase later used in the New Testament.

From the study of Daniel 4:2

Range of meaning

Aramaic counterpart of Hebrew ʾôt: a sign, a token, an event or object that points to something beyond itself and confirms or reveals it. In Biblical Aramaic it occurs only in Daniel (3:32, 3:33 [English 4:2–3]; 6:28 [English 6:27]), each time paired with 'wonders' and each time describing what God has done.

Against the English

English 'sign' is accurate. NIV and NLT add 'miraculous', which narrows it. A sign need not be a suspension of nature. What makes it a sign is that it points to God's rule. In this chapter the 'sign' includes a dream, a sentence of judgment carried out, and a restoration.

How it drifted

In modern church language 'signs and wonders' often means healings and spectacular miracles worked through people. That is a later and narrower use of the phrase.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Hebrew pair ʾōtôt ûmôp̄tîm, 'signs and wonders', is the standard summary of the plagues and the Exodus (Deut 4:34; 6:22; 26:8; Ps 135:9). The Aramaic ʾāt is used in Imperial Aramaic and later Aramaic for a sign or mark. In Daniel the pair is put into the mouths of foreign kings (Nebuchadnezzar here, Darius in 6:27).