Daniel 3

The King's Golden Image

1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an 1image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the 2province of Babylon.
2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the 3satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed: "To you the command is given, 4O peoples, nations and men of every language,
5 that at the moment you 5hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
6 "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be 6cast into the midst of a 7furnace of blazing fire."
7 Therefore * * at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Worship of the Image Refused

8 For this reason * at that time certain 8Chaldeans came forward and 9brought charges against the Jews.
9 They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: "10O king, live forever!
10 "You, O king, have 11made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to 12fall down and worship the golden image.
11 "But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.
12 "There are certain Jews whom you have 13appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded * * * you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up."
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in 14rage and anger gave orders to bring Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego; then these men were brought before the king.
14 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said to them, "Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do not serve 15my gods or worship the golden image that I have set up?
15 "Now if you are ready, 16at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery and bagpipe and all kinds of music, to fall down and worship the image that I have made, very well. But if you do not worship, you will immediately be 17cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire; and 18what god is there who can deliver you out of my hands?"
16 19Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to give you an answer concerning this matter.
17 "If it be so, our 20God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of blazing fire; and 21He will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
18 "22But even if He does not, 23let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up."

Daniel's Friends Protected

19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with 24wrath, and his facial expression was altered toward Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered by giving orders to heat the furnace seven times more than * it was usually heated.
20 He commanded certain valiant warriors who were in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast them into the furnace of blazing fire.
21 Then these men were tied up in their 25trousers, their coats, their caps and their other clothes, and were cast into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire.
22 For this reason *, because * the king's command was 26urgent and the furnace had been made extremely hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who carried up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
23 But these three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, 27fell into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire still tied up.
24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astounded and stood up in haste; he said to his high officials, "Was it not three men we cast bound into the midst of the fire?" They replied to the king, "Certainly, O king."
25 He said, "Look! I see four men loosed and 28walking about in the midst of the fire without harm, and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the 29gods!"
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he responded and said, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the 30Most High God, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego 31came out of the midst of the fire.
27 The 32satraps, the prefects, the governors and the king's high officials gathered around and saw in regard to these men that the 33fire had no effect on the bodies of these men nor was the hair of their head singed, nor were their 34trousers damaged, nor had the smell of fire even come upon them.
28 Nebuchadnezzar responded and said, "Blessed be the 35God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego, who has 36sent His angel and delivered His servants who put their 37trust in Him, violating the king's command, and yielded up their bodies so as 38not to serve or worship any god except their own God.
29 "Therefore I 39make a decree that any people, nation or tongue that speaks anything offensive against the God of 40Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their 41houses reduced to a rubbish heap, inasmuch * * as there is 42no other god who is able to deliver in this way."
30 Then the king 43caused Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper in the province of Babylon.

Images for Daniel 3

Cross References 43

  • 1. 1 Kings 12:28; Isaiah 46:6; Jeremiah 16:20; Daniel 2:31; Hosea 2:8; Hosea 8:4; Habakkuk 2:19
  • 2. Daniel 2:48; Daniel 3:30
  • 3. Daniel 3:3, 27; Daniel 6:1-7
  • 4. Daniel 3:7; Daniel 4:1; Daniel 6:25
  • 5. Dan 3:7, 10, 15
  • 6. Dan 3:11, 15, 21; Daniel 6:7
  • 7. Jeremiah 29:22; Ezekiel 22:18-22; Matthew 13:42, 50; Revelation 9:2; Revelation 14:11
  • 8. Daniel 2:2, 10; Daniel 4:7
  • 9. Ezra 4:12-16; Esther 3:8, 9; Daniel 6:12, 13
  • 10. Daniel 2:4; Daniel 5:10; Daniel 6:6, 21
  • 11. Esther 3:12-14; Daniel 3:4-6; Daniel 6:12
  • 12. Dan 3:5, 7, 15
  • 13. Daniel 2:49
  • 14. Daniel 2:12; Daniel 3:19
  • 15. Isaiah 46:1; Jeremiah 50:2; Daniel 3:1; Daniel 4:8
  • 16. Daniel 3:5
  • 17. Daniel 3:6
  • 18. Exodus 5:2; Isaiah 36:18-20; Daniel 2:47
  • 19. Daniel 1:7; Daniel 3:12
  • 20. Job 5:19; Psalms 27:1, 2; Isaiah 26:3, 4; Jeremiah 1:8; Jeremiah 15:20, 21
  • 21. 1 Samuel 17:37; Micah 7:7; 2 Corinthians 1:10
  • 22. Joshua 24:15; 1 Kings 19:14, 18; Isaiah 51:12, 13; Daniel 3:28
  • 23. Hebrews 11:25
  • 24. Esther 7:7; Daniel 3:13
  • 25. Daniel 3:27
  • 26. Exodus 12:33; Daniel 2:15
  • 27. Isaiah 43:2
  • 28. Psalms 91:3-9; Isaiah 43:2
  • 29. Jeremiah 1:8, 19; Jeremiah 15:21
  • 30. Daniel 3:17; Daniel 4:2
  • 31. Deuteronomy 4:20; 1 Kings 8:51; Jeremiah 11:4
  • 32. Daniel 3:2, 3
  • 33. Isaiah 43:2; Hebrews 11:34
  • 34. Daniel 3:21
  • 35. Daniel 2:47; Daniel 3:15-17
  • 36. Psalms 34:7, 8; Isaiah 37:36; Daniel 3:25; Daniel 6:22; Acts 5:19; Acts 12:7
  • 37. Psalms 22:4, 5; Psalms 40:4; Psalms 84:12; Isaiah 12:2; Isaiah 26:3, 4; Isaiah 50:10; Jeremiah 17:7
  • 38. Daniel 3:16-18
  • 39. Daniel 6:26
  • 40. Daniel 1:7, 19; Daniel 2:17, 49; Daniel 3:12
  • 41. Ezra 6:11; Daniel 2:5
  • 42. Daniel 2:47; Daniel 3:15
  • 43. Daniel 2:49; Daniel 3:12

Footnotes 27

Daniel 3 Commentaries

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