Daniel

This is the twenty-first in a series of biblical summaries from David Dorsey's book: The Literary Structure of the Old Testament.  This is the fifth in the sub-series of major prophets, covering Daniel.

Hebrew introduction: Daniel and his three friends in king's training (1)
Aramaic section (2-7)
    a   vision of the four kingdoms (in human image) (2)
         b   martyr story: God saves Daniel's three friends in the fiery furnace (3)
              c   Nebuchadnezzar's pride and Yahweh's sovereignty (4)
              c'  Belshazzar's pride and Yahweh's sovereignty (5)
         b'  martyr story: God saves Daniel in the lion's den (6)
    a'  vision of the four kingdoms (in images of beasts) (7)
Hebrew section (8-12)
    a   vision of two kingdoms (Persia and Greece; metaphor of beasts) (8)
         b   vision of the seventy "sevens" (9)
    a'  vision of two kingdoms (Persia and Greece; metaphor of man) (10-12)

The book is made up of three sections: an introduction written in Hebrew, a middle section written in Aramaic, and a third section written in Hebrew again.  David Dorsey writes that these language shifts may very well help to reinforce the book's shifts in focus.  Beginning in Hebrew matches well with the situation of Hebrew-speaking Jews just arriving in Babylon from Judah, which is what happens in chapter 1.  Of the second section, Dorsey writes: "The shift in chapters 2-7 to Aramaic, the international language at the time, coincides with the shift in these chapters to a focus on the international events of world history.  Also, the Jewish participants in chapters 2-7 are now fully assimilated members of the court in Babylon and certainly speak Aramaic." (259)  This reinforces that God is not only God of Israel, but God of all nations.  Finally, the shift back to Hebrew reinforces a shift in focus back to Israel's future in their own land, and the way that two present world powers, Persia and Greece will affect them.

The 'a' pattern of the Aramaic section links two visions.  Both concern four kingdoms.  The first section features a human image.  The second section features an image of beasts.

The 'b' pattern of the Aramaic section links two martyr stories.  In the first, God saves Daniel's three friends.  In the second, God saves Daniel.

The 'c' pattern of the Aramaic section links two stories of prideful Babylonian kings and Yahweh's sovereignty over their circumstances.