Daniel 3

King Nebuchadnezzar made a statue of gold. It was sixty cubits high and six cubits wide. He set it up on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

1Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

NoteA cubit was about eighteen inches, the length of a forearm, so the statue stood roughly ninety feet high and nine feet wide. That is a very narrow ratio for a human figure, and the measurement may include a base or pillar it stood on. The Aramaic word covers any upright image, whether of a god or of the king himself; the text does not say which. From 2:4 to the end of chapter 7 the book is written not in Hebrew but in Aramaic, the everyday language of the Babylonian and Persian empires.

2Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent word to bring together the regional rulers, the deputy rulers, the governors, the advisers, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces. They were to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up.

2Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

NoteThe Aramaic titles here are a mixed set of Persian and Babylonian loanwords for imperial officials, and their exact ranks are no longer certain. The first, often translated "satrap," was the governor of a whole region of the empire; the rest descend through provincial and legal offices. The point of the long list is that the entire administration was summoned.

3So the regional rulers, the deputy rulers, the governors, the advisers, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the other officials of the provinces came together for the dedication of the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up. They stood in front of it.

3Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

4Then a herald called out in a loud voice, "People of every nation and language, here is what you are ordered to do.

4Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,

NoteA herald was the official crier who announced royal orders aloud, since most people could not read and there were no other means of publishing a decree. "People of every nation and language" reflects the empire's practice of deporting and resettling conquered populations, so that a Babylonian crowd really did contain many nationalities.

5As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and every kind of music, you must bow down and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

5That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:

NoteSeveral of the Aramaic instrument names are borrowed from Greek, and their exact identification is disputed; the list mixes wind, string, and possibly ensemble terms. The last word in the Aramaic may name a bagpipe-like instrument or may mean "in concert, all together." The King James "sackbut," "psaltery" and "dulcimer" are sixteenth-century guesses at these same words.

6Anyone who does not bow down and worship will be thrown that very moment into a blazing hot furnace."

6And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

NoteThe furnace was an industrial kiln of the kind used for firing brick and burning lime, big enough to walk into. It had an opening at the top for loading fuel and material and a door at ground level, which is why men "carry up" the prisoners in verse 22 while the king looks in at the entrance in verse 26.

7So as soon as all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, the people of every nation and language bowed down and worshiped the gold statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

7Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

8At that time some Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews.

8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.

NoteIn Daniel the word "Chaldean" is used two ways: for Babylonians as a people, and, as here, for a particular guild of trained scholars, diviners and astrologers attached to the court. The Aramaic phrase behind "brought charges against" is literally "ate the pieces of", an idiom for denouncing someone maliciously.

9They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, "O king, may you live forever.

9They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.

Note"May you live forever" was the fixed formula for opening a speech to a king, like "Your Majesty." It is court etiquette, not a wish for immortality.

10You, O king, gave an order that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and every kind of music must bow down and worship the gold statue,

10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:

11and that anyone who does not bow down and worship will be thrown into a blazing hot furnace.

11And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12There are some Jews you put in charge of the business of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These men have paid no attention to you, O king. They do not serve your gods, and they do not worship the gold statue you set up."

12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

NoteShadrach, Meshach and Abednego are the Babylonian names assigned to three young Judean exiles in chapter 1, whose Hebrew names were Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah. Renaming captives was a normal part of absorbing them into royal service.

13Then Nebuchadnezzar, in a burst of rage and anger, ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought in. So the men were brought before the king.

13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14Nebuchadnezzar said to them, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, is it true that you do not serve my gods and do not worship the gold statue I set up?

14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?

15Now, if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and every kind of music, bow down and worship the statue I made. Then all is well. But if you will not worship it, you will be thrown that very moment into a blazing hot furnace. And what god is there who can save you from my hands?"

15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer about this.

16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.

17If it is to be, the God we serve is able to save us from the blazing hot furnace, and he will save us from your hand, O king.

17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.

NoteThe Aramaic of this sentence is genuinely ambiguous and has been read two ways. It can mean "if it turns out that way, the God we serve is able to rescue us," or "if the God we serve exists, he is able to rescue us," or the opening words can attach to what follows as "if our God is able, he will rescue us." Ancient and modern translators have divided over it.

18But if he does not, you should know, O king, that we still will not serve your gods or worship the gold statue you set up."

18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.

19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the look on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was usually heated.

19Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

Note"Seven times" is a set idiom for the utmost degree, not a measurement of temperature. The phrase about his face means his expression changed, the King James "the form of his visage" is simply the look on his face.

20He ordered the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing hot furnace.

20And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

21So these men were tied up while still wearing their robes, their trousers, their turbans, and their other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing hot furnace.

21Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

NoteThe Aramaic names for these garments are rare and their meanings uncertain; they appear to describe Persian court dress, a cloak or mantle, leg coverings or trousers, and a cap or turban. The King James "hosen" meant leggings and "hats" head coverings. The detail matters because clothing is highly flammable, which sets up verse 27.

22Because the king's order was so urgent and the furnace was so hot, the flames killed the men who carried Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego up to it.

22Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Note"Carried up" reflects the shape of the furnace: the executioners had to climb to the loading opening at the top to drop the prisoners in, which put them directly over the flames.

23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down into the middle of the blazing hot furnace, still tied up.

23And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

24Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled. He jumped to his feet and said to his advisers, "Didn't we throw three men, tied up, into the fire?" They answered the king, "That is true, O king."

24Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

25He said, "Look, I see four men walking around in the middle of the fire. They are untied, and they are not hurt. And the fourth one looks like a son of the gods."

25He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.

NoteThe Aramaic phrase is "a son of the gods," or possibly "a son of God", the word for deity here is plural in form, and in this book's Aramaic that plural can mean either many gods or the single divine realm. "Son of" in Semitic idiom means "one belonging to the category of," so the phrase means a member of the heavenly beings, a divine figure. The King James "the Son of God" reflects a later Christian reading; a Babylonian king speaking here would mean a god or a supernatural being of some kind.

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came close to the opening of the blazing hot furnace and called out, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.

26Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.

Note"Most High God" was a title used widely across the ancient Near East for the supreme deity of a pantheon, so it is a phrase a Babylonian king could naturally use, without meaning what an Israelite would mean by it.

27The regional rulers, the deputy rulers, the governors, and the king's advisers crowded around. They saw that the fire had done nothing to the bodies of these men. Not one hair on their heads was scorched. Their robes were not damaged, and they did not even smell of smoke.

27And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.

28Then Nebuchadnezzar said, "Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He sent his angel and rescued his servants who trusted him. They defied the king's order and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.

28Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.

NoteThe word translated "angel" means simply "messenger", a being sent by God to act on his behalf. The rest of the verse says literally that they "gave over their bodies," that is, put their lives at the king's disposal rather than obey.

29So I now give this order: anyone from any people, nation, or language who says anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be cut to pieces, and their houses will be turned into piles of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this."

29Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.

NoteDismemberment and the destruction of the offender's house were standard penalties in Babylonian and Persian royal decrees; the phrasing is a legal formula, and the King James "made a dunghill" means reduced to a rubbish or refuse heap. "Says anything against" translates a word meaning to speak carelessly or offensively, not necessarily blasphemy in a technical sense.

30Then the king gave Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego higher positions in the province of Babylon.

30Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.