cha.yil denotes strength expressed in forceful people and actions, and in a tree becoming strong.

The attested uses chiefly place cha.yil in scenes of forceful human action or authority: a herald’s proclamation, men assigned to bind captives, a king’s summons, and action against the Judahites. It also describes the tree in Daniel’s vision as becoming strong; its construct occurrence in the statement about the Most High’s rule is less readily isolated from the translation.

1. Strength expressed in forceful action or authority · dominant

   The absolute singular noun occurs where a herald proclaims, where men are commanded to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, where the king summons Babylon’s wise men, and where opponents cause the Judahites to cease. In Daniel 3:4 the APB renders the proclamation “with strength”; in Daniel 3:20 it renders the men as “mighty men,” while Ezra 4:23 describes the action as “by force of arm.” The construct form in Daniel 4:32 occurs within the declaration that the Most High rules the kingdom of men, though the translation does not isolate its contribution.

   Daniel 3:4Daniel 3:20Daniel 5:7Ezra 4:23Daniel 4:32
2. Strength in the growth of the tree · occasional

   In Daniel 4:11, the masculine singular absolute form occurs in the vision’s description of a tree that grows, with the APB rendering the clause “became strong” before describing its height reaching the heavens.

   Daniel 4:11

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB varies its presentation across the verses, using “with strength,” “mighty men,” “became strong,” and “by force of arm.” Its wording cannot determine the term’s precise contribution in every clause, especially Daniel 4:32 and Daniel 5:7.