Daniel 3:1-30
Konteks3:1 1 King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden 2 statue made. 3 It was ninety feet 4 tall and nine feet 5 wide. He erected it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 3:2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, 6 and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he 7 had erected. 3:3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. 8
3:4 Then the herald 9 made a loud 10 proclamation: “To you, O peoples, nations, and language groups, the following command is given: 11 3:5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, 12 trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must 13 bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has erected. 3:6 Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately 14 be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!” 3:7 Therefore when they all 15 heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, 16 and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and language groups began bowing down and paying homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected.
3:8 Now 17 at that time certain 18 Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious accusations against 19 the Jews. 3:9 They said 20 to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! 21 3:10 You have issued an edict, O king, that everyone must bow down and pay homage to the golden statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music. 3:11 And whoever does not bow down and pay homage must be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 3:12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – and these men 22 have not shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a fit of rage 23 demanded that they bring 24 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before him. So they brought them 25 before the king. 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods and that you don’t pay homage to the golden statue that I erected? 3:15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the statue that I had made. If you don’t pay homage to it, you will immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is that god who can rescue you from my power?” 26 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar, 27 “We do not need to give you a reply 28 concerning this. 3:17 If 29 our God whom we are serving exists, 30 he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. 3:18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
3:19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed 31 toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders 32 to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated. 3:20 He ordered strong 33 soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 3:21 So those men were tied up while still wearing their cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, 34 and were thrown into the furnace 35 of blazing fire. 3:22 But since the king’s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted 36 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed 37 by the leaping flames. 38 3:23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace 39 of blazing fire while still securely bound. 40
3:24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, “Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and threw 41 into 42 the fire?” They replied to the king, “For sure, O king.” 3:25 He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!” 43 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out, 44 “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!”
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire. 45 3:27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically 46 unharmed by the fire. 47 The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!
3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, 48 “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel 49 and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring 50 the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than 51 serve or pay homage to any god other than their God! 3:29 I hereby decree 52 that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes 53 the god of Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego will be dismembered and his home reduced to rubble! For there exists no other god who can deliver in this way.” 3:30 Then Nebuchadnezzar 54 promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Daniel 3:6
Konteks3:6 Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately 55 be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!”
Daniel 1:1-21
Konteks1:1 In the third 56 year of the reign of King Jehoiakim of Judah, King Nebuchadnezzar 57 of Babylon advanced against Jerusalem 58 and laid it under siege. 59 1:2 Now the Lord 60 delivered 61 King Jehoiakim of Judah into his power, 62 along with some of the vessels 63 of the temple of God. 64 He brought them to the land of Babylonia 65 to the temple of his god 66 and put 67 the vessels in the treasury of his god.
1:3 The king commanded 68 Ashpenaz, 69 who was in charge of his court officials, 70 to choose 71 some of the Israelites who were of royal and noble descent 72 – 1:4 young men in whom there was no physical defect and who were handsome, 73 well versed in all kinds of wisdom, well educated 74 and having keen insight, 75 and who were capable 76 of entering the king’s royal service 77 – and to teach them the literature and language 78 of the Babylonians. 79 1:5 So the king assigned them a daily ration 80 from his royal delicacies 81 and from the wine he himself drank. They were to be trained 82 for the next three years. At the end of that time they were to enter the king’s service. 83 1:6 As it turned out, 84 among these young men 85 were some from Judah: 86 Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. 87 1:7 But the overseer of the court officials renamed them. He gave 88 Daniel the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah he named Shadrach, Mishael he named Meshach, and Azariah he named Abednego. 89
1:8 But Daniel made up his mind 90 that he would not defile 91 himself with the royal delicacies or the royal wine. 92 He therefore asked the overseer of the court officials for permission not to defile himself. 1:9 Then God made the overseer of the court officials sympathetic to Daniel. 93 1:10 But he 94 responded to Daniel, “I fear my master the king. He is the one who has decided 95 your food and drink. What would happen if he saw that you looked malnourished in comparison to the other young men your age? 96 If that happened, 97 you would endanger my life 98 with the king!” 1:11 Daniel then spoke to the warden 99 whom the overseer of the court officials had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah: 1:12 “Please test your servants for ten days by providing us with some vegetables to eat and water to drink. 1:13 Then compare our appearance 100 with that of 101 the young men who are eating the royal delicacies; 102 deal with us 103 in light of what you see.” 1:14 So the warden 104 agreed to their proposal 105 and tested them for ten 106 days.
1:15 At the end of the ten days their appearance was better and their bodies were healthier 107 than all the young men who had been eating the royal delicacies. 1:16 So the warden removed the delicacies and the wine 108 from their diet 109 and gave them a diet of vegetables instead. 1:17 Now as for these four young men, God endowed them with knowledge and skill in all sorts of literature and wisdom – and Daniel had insight into all kinds of visions and dreams.
1:18 When the time appointed by the king arrived, 110 the overseer of the court officials brought them into Nebuchadnezzar’s presence. 1:19 When the king spoke with them, he did not find among the entire group 111 anyone like Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, or Azariah. So they entered the king’s service. 112 1:20 In every matter of wisdom and 113 insight the king asked them about, he found them to be ten times 114 better than any of the magicians and astrologers that were in his entire empire. 1:21 Now Daniel lived on until the first 115 year of Cyrus the king.
[3:1] 1 sn The LXX introduces this chapter with the following chronological note: “in the eighteenth year of.” Such a date would place these events at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586
[3:1] 2 sn There is no need to think of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as being solid gold. No doubt the sense is that it was overlaid with gold (cf. Isa 40:19; Jer 10:3-4), with the result that it presented a dazzling self-compliment to the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s achievements.
[3:1] 3 sn According to a number of patristic authors, the image represented a deification of Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is not clear from the biblical text, however.
[3:1] 4 tn Aram “sixty cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 90 feet (27.4 m) high.
[3:1] 5 tn Aram “six cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.
[3:1] sn The dimensions of the image (ninety feet high and nine feet wide) imply that it did not possess normal human proportions, unless a base for the image is included in the height dimension. The ancient world knew of other tall statues. For example, the Colossus of Rhodes – the huge statue of Helios which stood (ca. 280-224
[3:2] 6 sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.
[3:2] 7 tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[3:3] 8 tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”
[3:4] 9 tn According to BDB 1097 s.v. כָּרוֹז the Aramaic word used here is a Greek loanword, but other scholars have argued instead for a Persian derivation (HALOT 1902 s.v. *כָּרוֹז).
[3:4] 10 tn Aram “in strength.”
[3:4] 11 tn Aram “they are saying.”
[3:5] 12 sn The word zither (Aramaic קִיתָרוֹס [qitaros]), and the words for harp (Aramaic פְּסַנְתֵּרִין [pÿsanterin]) and pipes (Aramaic סוּמְפֹּנְיָה [sumponÿyah]), are of Greek derivation. Though much has been made of this in terms of suggesting a date in the Hellenistic period for the writing of the book, it is not surprising that a few Greek cultural terms, all of them the names of musical instruments, should appear in this book. As a number of scholars have pointed out, the bigger surprise (if, in fact, the book is to be dated to the Hellenistic period) may be that there are so few Greek loanwords in Daniel.
[3:5] 13 tn The imperfect Aramaic verbs have here an injunctive nuance.
[3:6] 14 tn Aram “in that hour.”
[3:7] 15 tn Aram “all the peoples.”
[3:7] 16 tc Though not in the Aramaic text of BHS, this word appears in many medieval Hebrew
[3:8] 17 tc This expression is absent in Theodotion.
[3:8] 19 tn Aram “ate the pieces of.” This is a rather vivid idiom for slander.
[3:9] 20 tn Aram “answered and said,” a common Aramaic idiom that occurs repeatedly in this chapter.
[3:9] 21 sn O king, live forever! is a comment of typical court courtesy that is not necessarily indicative of the real sentiments of the speaker. Ancient oriental court protocol could sometimes require a certain amount of hypocrisy.
[3:12] 22 sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or due to being away on business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.
[3:13] 23 tn Aram “in anger and wrath”; NASB “in rage and anger.” The expression is a hendiadys.
[3:13] 24 tn The Aramaic infinitive is active.
[3:13] 25 tn Aram “these men.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid undue repetition.
[3:15] 26 tn Aram “hand.” So also in v. 17.
[3:16] 27 tc In the MT this word is understood to begin the following address (“answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar’”). However, it seems unlikely that Nebuchadnezzar’s subordinates would address the king in such a familiar way, particularly in light of the danger that they now found themselves in. The present translation implies moving the atnach from “king” to “Nebuchadnezzar.”
[3:16] 28 tn Aram “to return a word to you.”
[3:17] 29 tc The ancient versions typically avoid the conditional element of v. 17.
[3:17] 30 tn The Aramaic expression used here is very difficult to interpret. The question concerns the meaning and syntax of אִיתַי (’itay, “is” or “exist”). There are several possibilities. (1) Some interpreters take this word closely with the participle later in the verse יָכִל (yakhil, “able”), understanding the two words to form a periphrastic construction (“if our God is…able”; cf. H. Bauer and P. Leander, Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen, 365, §111b). But the separation of the two elements from one another is not an argument in favor of this understanding. (2) Other interpreters take the first part of v. 17 to mean “If it is so, then our God will deliver us” (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB). However, the normal sense of ’itay is existence; on this point see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 45, §95. The present translation maintains the sense of existence for the verb (“If our God…exists”), even though the statement is admittedly difficult to understand in this light. The statement may be an implicit reference back to Nebuchadnezzar’s comment in v. 15, which denies the existence of a god capable of delivering from the king’s power.
[3:19] 31 tn Aram “the appearance of his face was altered”; cf. NLT “his face became distorted with rage”; NAB “[his] face became livid with utter rage.”
[3:19] 32 tn Aram “he answered and said.”
[3:20] 33 tn This is sometimes taken as a comparative: “[some of the] strongest.”
[3:21] 34 sn There is a great deal of uncertainty with regard to the specific nature of these items of clothing.
[3:21] 35 tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
[3:22] 36 tn Aram “caused to go up.”
[3:22] 37 tn The Aramaic verb is active.
[3:22] 38 tn Aram “the flame of the fire” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NRSV “the raging flames.”
[3:23] 39 tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
[3:23] 40 sn The deuterocanonical writings known as The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three present at this point a confession and petition for God’s forgiveness and a celebration of God’s grace for the three Jewish youths in the fiery furnace. Though not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel, these compositions do appear in the ancient Greek versions.
[3:24] 41 tn Aram “we threw…bound.”
[3:24] 42 tn Aram “into the midst of.”
[3:25] 43 sn The phrase like that of a god is in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods.” Many patristic writers understood this phrase in a christological sense (i.e., “the Son of God”). But it should be remembered that these are words spoken by a pagan who is seeking to explain things from his own polytheistic frame of reference; for him the phrase “like a son of the gods” is equivalent to “like a divine being.”
[3:26] 44 tn Aram “answered and said.”
[3:26] 45 tn Aram “from the midst of the fire.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
[3:27] 46 tn Aram “in their bodies.”
[3:27] 47 tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”
[3:28] 48 tn Aram “answered and said.”
[3:28] 49 sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).
[3:28] 50 tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”
[3:28] 51 tn Aram “so that they might not.”
[3:29] 52 tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”
[3:29] 53 tn Aram “speaks negligence.”
[3:30] 54 tn Aram “and the king.” The proper name has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[3:6] 55 tn Aram “in that hour.”
[1:1] 56 sn The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim would be ca. 605
[1:1] 57 sn King Nebuchadnezzar ruled Babylon from ca. 605-562
[1:1] 58 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[1:1] 59 sn This attack culminated in the first of three major deportations of Jews to Babylon. The second one occurred in 597
[1:2] 60 tn The Hebrew term translated “Lord” here is אֲדֹנָי (’adonay).
[1:2] 62 tn Heb “hand,” which is often used idiomatically for one’s power and authority. See BDB 390 s.v. יָד 2.
[1:2] 63 tn Or “utensils”; or “articles.”
[1:2] 64 tn Heb “house of God.”
[1:2] 65 sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (cf. Gen 10:10; 11:2; 14:1, 9; Josh 7:21; Isa 11:11; Zech 5:11).
[1:2] 66 tn Or “gods” (NCV, NRSV, TEV; also later in this verse). The Hebrew term can be used as a numerical plural for many gods or as a plural of majesty for one particular god. Since Nebuchadnezzar was a polytheist, it is not clear if the reference here is to many gods or one particular deity. The plural of majesty, while normally used for Israel’s God, is occasionally used of foreign gods (cf. BDB 43 s.v. אֱלֹהִים 1, 2). See Judg 11:24 (of the Moabite god Chemosh); 1 Sam 5:7 (of the Philistine god Dagon); 1 Kgs 11:33 (of the Canaanite goddess Astarte, the Moabite god Chemosh, and the Ammonite god Milcom); 2 Kgs 19:37 (of the Assyrian god Nisroch). Since gods normally had their own individual temples, Dan 1:2 probably refers to a particular deity, perhaps Marduk, the supreme god of Babylon, or Marduk’s son Nabu, after whom Nebuchadnezzar was named. The name Nebuchadnezzar means “Nabu has protected the son who will inherit” (HALOT 660 s.v. נְבוּכַדְרֶאצַּר). For a discussion of how temples functioned in Babylonian religion see H. Ringgren, Religions of the Ancient Near East, 77-81.
[1:2] 67 tn Heb “brought.” Though the Hebrew verb “brought” is repeated in this verse, the translation uses “brought…put” for stylistic variation.
[1:3] 68 tn Or “gave orders to.” Heb “said to.”
[1:3] 69 sn It is possible that the word Ashpenaz is not a proper name at all, but a general term for “innkeeper.” See J. J. Collins, Daniel (Hermeneia), 127, n. 9. However, the ancient versions understand the term to be a name, and the present translation (along with most English versions) understands the word in this way.
[1:3] 70 sn The word court official (Hebrew saris) need not mean “eunuch” in a technical sense (see Gen 37:36, where the term refers to Potiphar, who had a wife), although in the case of the book of Daniel there was in Jewish literature a common tradition to that effect. On the OT usage of this word see HALOT 769-70 s.v. סָרֹיס.
[1:3] 72 tn Heb “and from the seed of royalty and from the nobles.”
[1:4] 73 tn Heb “good of appearance.”
[1:4] 74 tn Heb “knowers of knowledge.”
[1:4] 75 tn Heb “understanders of knowledge.”
[1:4] 76 tn Heb “who had strength.”
[1:4] 77 tn Heb “to stand in the palace of the king.” Cf. vv. 5, 19.
[1:4] 78 sn The language of the Chaldeans referred to here is Akkadian, an East Semitic cuneiform language.
[1:4] 79 tn Heb “Chaldeans” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NRSV). This is an ancient name for the Babylonians.
[1:5] 80 tn Heb “a thing of a day in its day.”
[1:5] 81 tn Heb “from the delicacies of the king.”
[1:5] 82 tn Or “educated.” See HALOT 179 s.v. I גדל.
[1:5] 83 tn Heb “stand before the king.”
[1:6] 84 tn Heb “and it happened that.”
[1:6] 85 tn Heb “among them”; the referent (the young men taken captive from Judah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:6] 86 tn Heb “the sons of Judah.”
[1:6] 87 sn The names reflect a Jewish heritage. In Hebrew Daniel means “God is my judge”; Hananiah means “the Lord is gracious”; Mishael means “who is what God is?”; Azariah means “the Lord has helped.”
[1:7] 88 tc The LXX and Vulgate lack the verb here.
[1:7] 89 sn The meanings of the Babylonian names are more conjectural than is the case with the Hebrew names. The probable etymologies are as follows: Belteshazzar means “protect his life,” although the MT vocalization may suggest “Belti, protect the king” (cf. Dan 4:8); Shadrach perhaps means “command of Aku”; Meshach is of uncertain meaning; Abednego means “servant of Nego.” Assigning Babylonian names to the Hebrew youths may have been an attempt to erase from their memory their Israelite heritage.
[1:8] 90 tn Heb “placed on his heart.”
[1:8] 91 tn Or “would not make himself ceremonially unclean”; TEV “become ritually unclean.”
[1:8] sn Various reasons have been suggested as to why such food would defile Daniel. Perhaps it had to do with violations of Mosaic law with regard to unclean foods, or perhaps it had to do with such food having been offered to idols. Daniel’s practice in this regard is strikingly different from that of Esther, who was able successfully to conceal her Jewish identity.
[1:8] 92 tn Heb “with the delicacies of the king and with the wine of his drinking.”
[1:9] 93 tn Heb “Then God granted Daniel loyal love and compassion before the overseer of the court officials.” The expression “loyal love and compassion” is a hendiadys; the two words combine to express one idea.
[1:10] 94 tn Heb “The overseer of the court officials.” The subject has been specified in the translation for the sake of clarity.
[1:10] 95 tn Heb “assigned.” See v. 5.
[1:10] 96 tn Heb “Why should he see your faces thin from the young men who are according to your age?” The term translated “thin” occurs only here and in Gen 40:6, where it appears to refer to a dejected facial expression. The word is related to an Arabic root meaning “be weak.” See HALOT 277 s.v. II זעף.
[1:10] 97 tn The words “if that happened” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.
[1:10] 98 tn Heb “my head.” Presumably this is an implicit reference to capital punishment (cf. NCV, TEV, CEV, NLT), although this is not entirely clear.
[1:11] 99 sn Having failed to convince the overseer, Daniel sought the favor of the warden whom the overseer had appointed to care for the young men.
[1:13] 100 tn Heb “let our appearance be seen before you.”
[1:13] 101 tn Heb “the appearance of.”
[1:13] 102 tn Heb “delicacies of the king.” So also in v. 15.
[1:13] 103 tn Heb “your servants.”
[1:14] 104 tn Heb “he”; the referent (the warden mentioned in v. 11) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[1:14] 105 tn Heb “listened to them with regard to this matter.”
[1:14] 106 sn The number ten is sometimes used in the OT as an ideal number of completeness. Cf. v. 20; Zech 8:23; Rev 2:10.
[1:15] 107 tn Heb “fat of flesh”; KJV, ASV “fatter in flesh”; NASB, NRSV “fatter” (although this is no longer a sign of health in Western culture).
[1:16] 108 tn Heb “the wine of their drinking.”
[1:16] 109 tn The words “from their diet” are not in the Hebrew text but have been added in the translation for clarity.
[1:18] 110 tn Heb “at the end of the days which the king said to bring them.”
[1:19] 111 tn Heb “from all of them.”
[1:19] 112 tn Heb “stood before the king.”
[1:20] 113 tc The MT lacks the conjunction, reading the first word in the phrase as a construct (“wisdom of insight”). While this reading is not impossible, it seems better to follow Theodotion, the Syriac, the Vulgate, and the Sahidic Coptic, all of which have the conjunction.
[1:21] 115 sn The Persian king Cyrus’ first year in control of Babylon was 539
