Light in Babylon: A Commentary on Daniel (Chapter 3)

Written by Peter Rodriguez

The Book of Daniel – Chapter 3

Available in other languages: Português

Part 1: The Statue of Gold (1-6)

Reading time: 15 minutes

1: נבוכדנצר מלכא עבד צלם די דהב רומה אמין שתין פתיה אמין שת אקימה בבקעת דורא במדינת בבל Nebuchadnezzar the king made a statue of gold, its height sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits; he raised it up in the valley of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

2: ונבוכדנצר מלכא שלח למכנש לאחשדרפניא סגניא ופחותא אדרגזריא גדבריא דתבריא תפתיא וכל שלטני מדינתא למתא לחנכת צלמא די הקים נבוכדנצר מלכא And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the province, to come to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up.

3: באדין מתכנשין אחשדרפניא סגניא ופחותא אדרגזריא גדבריא דתבריא תפתיא וכל שלטני מדינתא לחנכת צלמא די הקים נבוכדנצר מלכא וקאמין לקבל צלמא די הקים נבוכדנצר Then were gathered the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the province, to the dedication of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up; and they stood before the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had raised up.

4: וכרוזא קרא בחיל לכון אמרין עממיא אמיא ולשניא And the herald proclaimed with might: “To you—the peoples, the nations, and the languages—it is said:

5: בעדנא די תשמעון קל קרנא משרוקיתא קיתרס סבכא פסנתרין סומפניה וכל זני זמרא תפלון ותסגדון לצלם דהבא די הקים נבוכדנצר מלכא At the time that you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, lyre, psaltery, symphony, and all the kinds of music, you are to fall down and pay homage to the statue of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king has raised up;

Zither, […], psaltery, symphony: These three words are Aramaic transliterations of Greek words: קיתרס (qitharos, /kiːˈθɑːrɒs/), פסנתרין (pesanterin, /pɛˈsɑːntɛrɪn/), and סומפניה (sumponeyah, /suːmˈpoʊnɪjɑ/).

• These terms found in the Book of Daniel are Aramaic transliterations, not Greek words.
• Out of the approximately 11,600 words in the book, these three are the only ones of Greek origin.
• They appear only in this chapter, just to refer to foreign musical instruments.

It is not surprising to find foreign musical instruments or other products in the Babylonian empire of Nebuchadnezzar II. Borrowing foreign words and importing goods from other peoples or nations has always been a common practice. In fact, many musical instruments we use today have names that originated in other languages. For example, words like piano and violin came from Italian and have since become part of the English language.

The same happens with Daniel’s use of foreign terms, such as qitharos (קיתרס) or pesanterin (פסנתרין).

Greek people—and their artifacts—were already present in the Semitic Near East long before Daniel’s time. This is evident also in inscriptions from Sargon of Assyria (724–705 B.C.), a king whose empire dominated the nations prior to Nebuchadnezzar II. In these inscriptions, Sargon mentions conquering the kings of Javan and bringing vast wealth, Greek people from various social classes, and many Greek goods to Assyria (source: Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia, by Daniel David Luckenbill).

Ezekiel, a prophet from the sixth and seventh centuries B.C. who was also in Babylon, mentions that Javan traded goods with the Phoenicians (Ezekiel 27:13, 19).

William F. Albright, an American archaeologist, says in his book From the Stone Age to Christianity that Greek ports and trading centers were established along the coasts of Syria and Palestine as early as the 6th century B.C. He states that Greek traders (and Greek mercenaries) were active in Western Asia and Egypt by the early 7th century B.C. Albright also mentions that Greek mercenaries served in the army of Nebuchadnezzar II. “The intercourse between the Hellenic peoples and Assyria seems to have been considerable. We know from Strabo, 13:2. 3, under the title of Lesbos, that Antimenidas [a Greek man], the brother of the poet Alcaeus, was in the Babylonian army at the time when Nebuchadnezzar was king. Strabo quotes Alcaeus, Ἀντιμενιδαν ὅν φησίν Ἀλκαῖος Βαβυλωνὶοις συμμαχοῖντα’ (‘fought along with the Babylonians as their ally’). The Assyrians possessed Cyprus—another source of Hellenic influence. The later Sargonids, Esarhaddon and Asshur-bani-pal, those who had the closest relationship with Babylon, had also the supremacy in Egypt, and now we know from Flinders Petrie and others, in the accounts they have given us of their explorations at Dapine [Daphnae], that there was, before the time of the Babylonian power, a Greek colony of old standing.” (H. D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, Pulpit Commentary)

Therefore, the Greeks existed long before they rose to prominence as a world power, and elements of Greek culture were imported by other peoples.

It is not surprising to find items of Greek origin—such as these three musical instruments—appearing in the Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar II or being mentioned in the Book of Daniel (a sixth century BC document).

Do you remember the statue made of different metals, with each metal representing a kingdom and period, that we saw in the previous chapter?

About a century before Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed that dream, the Greek poet Hesiod wrote in a poem: “a golden race of mortal men […]. They dwelt in ease and peace upon their lands with many good things, rich in flocks and loved by the blessed gods. […] a second generation which was of silver and less noble by far. It was like the golden race neither in body nor in spirit. […] when earth had covered this generation also—they are called blessed spirits of the underworld by men, and, though they are of second order, yet honour attends them also […] a third generation of mortal men, a brazen race, sprung from ash-trees; and it was in no way equal to the silver age, but was terrible and strong. They loved the lamentable works of Ares and deeds of violence; […] Thereafter, would that I were not among the men of the fifth generation, but either had died before or been born afterwards. For now truly is a race of iron, […].” (Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and Homerica, edited by Hugh G. Evelyn-White; emphasis added)

Hesiod wrote this about a century before the events recorded in the previous chapter took place.

So, the use of metals to represent peoples and ages was employed by the Greeks before Nebuchadnezzar had dreamed that dream.

Because peoples and cultures interact with one another, the use of metals to represent peoples and ages was a common practice in the ancient world. God was once again using human language and figures derived from the popular imagination to deliver his divine message. “‘Zoroaster saw a tree from whose roots sprang four trees of gold, silver, steel, and brass; and Ormuzd said to him, ‘This is the world; and the four trees are the four times which are coming.'” (F. W. Farrar, The Expositor’s Bible: The Book of Daniel) When God revealed to Daniel in a vision what He had shown Nebuchadnezzar in a dream, the meaning of the statue made of different metals was clear to Daniel, which led him to make mention of times and periods, and the rise and fall of kingdoms, in his praise to God.

So, the dream was given to Nebuchadnezzar to be understood by him.

The elements of the dream were not closed or sealed from his comprehension. And with its familiar symbols, they were given to be understood. However, the Babylonian king placed himself so far from the true God by transgression that its godly meaning and divine message could not be understood by him (Daniel 12:10).

In the vision, Daniel did not witness before his eyes the actual scenes of what would unfold up until our time and period.

All he saw was the statue and the other symbols.

The account says that Daniel and his friends prayed asking God to show them the secret of the king (the dream that he did not tell). And the account says that what was shown to Daniel was the secret: “the secret was revealed to Daniel in a vision at night”. As for the interpretation itself, it was not given in the vision.

To know the meaning of what he saw, Daniel relied on the wisdom and ability to understand dreams that God had specially given to him.

Everything related to the interpretation itself, it was made by Daniel using the special wisdom and ability that God had given him to interpret. God “made Daniel understand every vision and dreams.” (Daniel 1:17) He understood the dream, and because of this he knew what would happen in the future, not because he witnessed the actual scenes of what would happen. Everything that Daniel said about the future represented in the statue was completely based on inferences he made from the symbols that both he and Nebuchadnezzar saw. In fact, he was constantly saying that it was “based on the fact that you saw a […]”.

So, how did Daniel know that the different metals represented times and periods and peoples and kings?

He drew upon the symbolic language commonly used in his time, such as that used by the seventh-century Greek poet Hesiod.

In this way, God communicated his divine message in a manner the Babylonian king and his people could understand and easily remember, using familiar symbols.

But now, Nebuchadnezzar is misusing that divine revelation for his own glory—exalting the magnificence and power of his golden kingdom and consecrating the statue as an object of worship, for the glorification of human power. While the dream’s statue with its different materials revealed that the earthly kingdoms would pass away and ultimately be replaced by God’s eternal kingdom (“it is the one that will stand for the eternity”), Nebuchadnezzar defied this truth. He raised up a statue made entirely of gold, portraying his kingdom as eternal, indestructible, and all-powerful—one that would never pass away.

He now demands that everyone fall down and pay homage to the Babylonian empire and its monarch.

6: ומן די לא יפל ויסגד בה שעתא יתרמא לגוא אתון נורא יקדתא and whoever does not fall down and pay homage, at that same moment he shall be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.”

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Part 2: Three Men Choose to Stand Under the Bloodstained Banner (7-23)

Reading time: 8 minutes

7: כל קבל דנה בה זמנא כדי שמעין כל עממיא קל קרנא משרוקיתא קיתרס שבכא פסנטרין וכל זני זמרא נפלין כל עממיא אמיא ולשניא סגדין לצלם דהבא די הקים נבוכדנצר מלכא On this whole account, at the time when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, lyre, psaltery, symphony, and all the kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages fell down and paid homage to the statue of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king had raised up.

8: כל קבל דנה בה זמנא קרבו גברין כשדאין ואכלו קרציהון די יהודיא On this whole account, at that time, men of the Chaldeans drew near and maliciously denounced the Jehudites.

9: ענו ואמרין לנבוכדנצר מלכא מלכא לעלמין חיי They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, “May the king live forever!

10: אנתה מלכא שמת טעם די כל אנש די ישמע קל קרנא משרקיתא קיתרס שבכא פסנתרין וסיפניה וכל זני זמרא יפל ויסגד לצלם דהבא You, the king, have made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, lyre, psaltery, symphony, and all the kinds of music, shall fall down and pay homage to the statue of gold;

11: ומן די לא יפל ויסגד יתרמא לגוא אתון נורא יקדתא and whoever does not fall down and pay homage shall be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

12: איתי גברין יהודאין די מנית יתהון על עבידת מדינת בבל שדרך מישך ועבד נגו גבריא אלך לא שמו עליך מלכא טעם לאלהיך לא פלחין ולצלם דהבא די הקימת לא סגדין There are men of the Jehudites whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men set no regard upon you, O king: they do not serve your god and do not pay homage to the statue of gold that you have raised up.”

13: באדין נבוכדנצר ברגז וחמה אמר להיתיה לשדרך מישך ועבד נגו באדין גבריא אלך היתיו קדם מלכא Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and wrath, said to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king.

14: ענה נבכדנצר ואמר להון הצדא שדרך מישך ועבד נגו לאלהי לא איתיכון פלחין ולצלם דהבא די הקימת לא סגדין Nebuchadnezzar answered and said to them, “Is it intentionally, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you do not serve my gods and you do not pay homage to the statue of gold that I have raised up?

15: כען הן איתיכון עתידין די בעדנא די תשמעון קל קרנא משרוקיתא קיתרס שבכא פסנתרין וסומפניה וכל זני זמרא תפלון ותסגדון לצלמא די עבדת והן לא תסגדון בה שעתה תתרמון לגוא אתון נורא יקדתא ומן הוא אלה די ישיזבנכון מן ידי Now behold, you are ready, so that at the time that you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, zither, lyre, psaltery, symphony, and all the kinds of music, you fall down and pay homage to the statue that I have made; and if you do not pay homage, at that same moment you shall be thrown into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. And who is he? A God that can deliver you from my hands?¹And who is he: “Literally ‘who he god'” (Lexham English Bible)

16: ענו שדרך מישך ועבד נגו ואמרין למלכא נבוכדנצר לא חשחין אנחנה על דנה פתגם להתבותך Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, “We have no need to reply to you upon this word.

17: הן איתי אלהנא די אנחנא פלחין יכל לשיזבותנא מן אתון נורא יקדתא ומן ידך מלכא ישיזב If it is so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and from your hand, O king, he will deliver.

If it is so: If this is your decision.

18: והן לא ידיע להוא לך מלכא די לאלהיך לא איתנא פלחין ולצלם דהבא די הקימת לא נסגד And if it is not, be it known to you, O king, that your gods we will not serve, and to the statue of gold which you have raised up we will not pay homage.”

Your gods we will not serve: “This answer is firm and noble. It showed that their minds were made up, and that it was with them a matter of ‘principle’ not to worship false gods. The state of mind which is denoted by this verse is that of a determination to do their duty, whatever might be the consequences. The attention was fixed on what was ‘right,’ not on what would be the result. The sole question which was asked was, what ‘ought’ to be done in the case; and they had no concern about what would follow. True religion is a determined purpose to do right, and not to do wrong, whatever may be the consequences in either case. It matters not what follows – wealth or poverty; honor or dishonor; good report or evil report; life or death; the mind is firmly fixed on doing right, and not on doing wrong. This is ‘the religion of principle;’ and when we consider the circumstances of those who made this reply; when we remember their comparative youth […], and that they were captives in a distant land, and that they stood before the most absolute monarch of the earth, with no powerful friends to support them, and with the most horrid kind of death threatening them, we may well admire the grace of that God who could so amply furnish them for such a trial, and love that religion which enabled them to take a stand so noble and so bold.” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible)

19: באדין נבוכדנצר התמלי חמא וצלם אנפוהי אשתנו על שדרך מישך ועבד נגו ענה ואמר למזא לאתונא חד שבעה על די חזה למזיה Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression of his face was changed concerning Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. He answered and said to heat the furnace one seven times above that which it is seen to be heated.

20: ולגברין גברי חיל די בחילה אמר לכפתה לשדרך מישך ועבד נגו למרמא לאתון נורא יקדתא And to mighty men, mighty men of strength who were in his army, he said to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, to cast into the burning fiery furnace.

21: באדין גבריא אלך כפתו בסרבליהון פטישיהון וכרבלתהון ולבשיהון ורמיו לגוא אתון נורא יקדתא Then these men were bound in their coats, their tunics, and their turbans, and their clothing, and they were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

22: כל קבל דנה מן די מלת מלכא מחצפה ואתונא אזה יתירא גבריא אלך די הסקו לשדרך מישך ועבד נגו קטל המון שביבא די נורא Therefore, because that the word of the king was pressing, and the furnace heated exceedingly, the spark of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

23: וגבריא אלך תלתהון שדרך מישך ועבד נגו נפלו לגוא אתון נורא יקדתא מכפתין And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down in the midst of the burning fiery furnace, bound.

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Part 3: The Living God Rises from His Throne and Descends on Babylon (24-30)

Reading time: 20 minutes

24: אדין נבוכדנצר מלכא תוה וקם בהתבהלה ענה ואמר להדברוהי הלא גברין תלתא רמינא לגוא נורא מכפתין ענין ואמרין למלכא יציבא מלכא Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonished and rose up in haste. He answered and said to his counselors, “Have we not cast three men into the midst of the fire, bound?” They answered and said to the king, “Certainly, O king.”

25: ענה ואמר הא אנה חזה גברין ארבעה שרין מהלכין בגוא נורא וחבל לא איתי בהון ורוה די רביעיא דמה לבר אלהין He answered and said, “Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and his appearance, that of the fourth, resembles to a son of God!”

A son of God: More literally, “a son of Gods.”

In the Bible, a single pagan god is sometimes literally referred to in the plural form, “gods.” For example:

• “Chemosh your god [‘gods’]” (Judges 11:24)
• “Chemosh god [‘gods’] of Moab, and to Milcom god [‘gods’] of the sons of Ammon,” (1 Kings 11:33)

Another pagan king who used the plural form to refer to a single god was Nabonidus, the son of Nebuchadnezzar. He described his god, Sin, as: “Sin, the lords of the gods of heaven and the netherworld, the king of the gods, the ‘gods‘ of the gods, […]” (Nabonidus Cylinder from Ur, published by the Dutch historian Jona Lendering on Livius) In verse 12, Nebuchadnezzar’s god was literally referred to as “your god” (singular), while in verse 14, this same single god was, by the mouth of Nebuchadnezzar, literally referred to as “my gods” (plural).

And if we are to translate it literally, Daniel’s God is also refered to as “Gods.” For example:

• “the house of the Gods” (Dn 1:2)
• “I prayed to Jehovah my Gods” (Dn 9:4)
• “To Lord our Gods” (Dn 9:9)
• “Moses, servant of the Gods, […]” (Dn 9:11)

We can find the true God being referred to as ‘Gods’ in the words of pagans as well. For example:

• “The ark of God [‘Gods’] of Israel shall not stay with us, for His [‘his,’ not ‘their’] hand has been hard upon us, and upon Dagon our god [‘gods’].” (1 Samuel 5:7)

Therefore, given this linguistic context, the literal “son of Gods” can be appropriately translated as “son of God.”

Indeed, this is how that part of the verse is rendered in both ancient and modern translations:

• Septuagint: “the Son of God”
• Peshitta: “the Son of God”
• King James Version: “the Son of God”
• New King James Version: “the Son of God”

His appearance, that of the fourth, resembles to a son of God: To understand who this fourth man is, we need to explore the details presented in this chapter.

Nebuchadnezzar saw four men inside the furnace: “Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, […]” (Dn 3:25) Because he was referred to as a ‘man,’ the being that appeared in the furnace had human-like form—with a head, arms, legs, hands, etc. Yet, there was still something extraordinary about his appearance: “his appearance, that of the fourth, resembles to a son of God!” (Dn 3:25) The “son of God” in this context refers to a being with a different appearance. Nebuchadnezzar is not using the term in the way it is applied in the Bible to theocratic rulers, whose appearances are no different from other humans. Instead, he was describing a being whose appearance resembles that of a “son of God,” which means a being whose nature is different from that of a human.

Now, “son of man” is a phrase used in Daniel 2:38 and throughout the rest of the Bible to refer to human beings. Indeed, a man’s son is… a man. “To you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the sons of men.” (Proverbs 8:4)

This is the sense used by Daniel in chapter 7 as well, when, after seeing a series of hybrid animals, he finally sees someone “like a son of man” (Dn 7:13)—that is, someone like a human being.

The same applies to this “son of God.” The Bible says that Jesus “called God his own Father, making himself equal to God.” (John 5:18)

The fourth man in the furnace is described as a ‘man,’ yet he is also said to have the appearance of God. Such a unique description identifies him as the Angel of Jehovah, who appears throughout the Hebrew Scriptures with these same characteristics. Indeed, later in this chapter, Nebuchadnezzar says that the fourth man he saw was an Angel of God: “Blessed be their God […] who has sent his Angel” (Daniel 3:28). This Angel is the only one who can be called son of God in the sense of having the very nature of God.

Throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, this Angel is referred to as God, identifies himself as God, and is worshipped as God.

There is not enough space to list all these occurrences here, but the following Scripture provides an example that encompasses all the definitions given by Nebuchadnezzar about the Angel he saw: “And an Angel of Jehovah was seen by the woman, […]. And the woman came and spoke to her husband, saying, ‘A man of God has come to me, and his appearance, as the appearance of an Angel of the God, very fearful. […].’ And Manoah prayed to Jehovah, and said, ‘O, my Lord, the man of God whom you sent, please let him come in again to us […].’ And the God listened to the voice of Manoah, and an Angel of the God came again to the woman. […] And Angel of Jehovah was seen no more by Manoah and by his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an Angel of Jehovah, and Manoah said to his wife, ‘[…] we have seen God!'” (Judges 13:3-22; emphasis added)

“I am the God of your father,” once said this Angel about himself, “God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob.” (Ex 3:6)

This Angel, being God, possesses the appearance of God and is appropriately called “son of God,” just as in the Bible the sons of man are men.

Nebuchadnezzar’s vocabulary shows that Daniel and his friends had spoken to him about the true God on occasions not recorded in the Book of Daniel. In Daniel 3:26, Nebuchadnezzar refers to their God using the biblical terms “the Most High” and “the God”—terms not previously used by Daniel or his friends in their recorded conversations with the king. Up to this point of the book, in his conversations with Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel had referred to his God as “a great God” and “a God of heaven,” but not as “the Most High” and “the God.” Despite this, Nebuchadnezzar employs these biblical titles, indicating that he had been taught about the true God. And having been taught about the commandments of God, Nebuchadnezzar was fully aware that those three men would refuse to bow down to his statue. Up to that point, no mention had been made of their God. Nevertheless, Nebuchadnezzar arrogantly said: “And who is he? A God that can deliver you from my hands?” (Daniel 3:15; emphasis added)

“Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego answered and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, We have no need to reply to you upon this word.” (Dn 3:16)

Searching back in his memory, Nebuchadnezzar recalled in the fourth man the divine appearance of the one that Daniel and his friends talked about (“his appearance… it resembles”).

In the same way, Manoah and his wife had also heard descriptions about the appearance of the “visible God” (Genesis 16:13). At first, like Nebuchadnezzar, they referred to Him as “a man.” (After all, when God went to create man, He said to His Angel, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness.” [Genesis 1:26]) However, there was something extraordinary about His appearance—something that, in Manoah’s wife’s words, was very fearful. Like Nebuchadnezzar, they also noted that His appearance resembled the descriptions given about the appearance of the Angel of Jehovah. It was only later that they realized that he was the Angel of Jehovah himself—and they concluded, “[…] we have seen God!” (Judges 13:3-22).

And this same Angel came down on Babylon to protect his servants in the midst of the fire.

The living God walked with them in the fiery furnace, and none of them were burned.

In every interaction between God and mankind, in every visible appearance of the invisible God recorded in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in every encounter where heaven touched earth, it was always him—this Angel. And now, in the fiery furnace, He stood with these faithful young men, who had been bound and cast into the flames because of their loyalty to the commandments of God. This Angel, who was with them in their time of trial, is that same Angel who had been present with the people of God until that day, delivering them, lifting them up and carrying them since the days of old.

The word is true: No one comes to God except through his Son.

On his bed, shortly before he died, the now elderly Jacob invoked the blessing of this Angel upon his children, saying, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac habitually walked, the God who has fed me all my life to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil—may he [not ‘they,’ but ‘he’] bless these youths.” (Genesis 48:15-16)

Being himself God, this Angel is a son of God.

26: באדין קרב נבוכדנצר לתרע אתון נורא יקדתא ענה ואמר שדרך מישך ועבד נגו עבדוהי די אלהא עליא פקו ואתו באדין נפקין שדרך מישך ועבד נגו מן גוא נורא Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace. He answered and said, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, his servants—of the God, the Most High—come out and come here!” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out from the midst of the fire.

His servants: “Look! I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt; and his appearance, that of the fourth, resembles to a son of God! […] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, his servants—of the God, the Most High—come out and come here!” (Daniel 3:25-26)

27: ומתכנשין אחשדרפניא סגניא ופחותא והדברי מלכא חזין לגבריא אלך די לא שלט נורא בגשמהון ושער ראשהון לא התחרך וסרבליהון לא שנו וריח נור לא עדת בהון And gathered together, the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the counselors of the king saw these men, that the fire had no power over their bodies, and the hair of their head was not singed, and their coats were not changed, and the smell of fire had not passed on them.

28: ענה נבוכדנצר ואמר בריך אלההון די שדרך מישך ועבד נגו די שלח מלאכה ושיזב לעבדוהי די התרחצו עלוהי ומלת מלכא שניו ויהבו גשמיהון די לא יפלחון ולא יסגדון לכל אלה להן לאלההון Nebuchadnezzar answered and said, “Blessed be their God—of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego—who has sent his Angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and changed the word of the king, and gave up their bodies that they might not serve nor pay homage to any god except to their own God.

29: ומני שים טעם די כל עם אמה ולשן די יאמר שלה על אלההון די שדרך מישך ועבד נגוא הדמין יתעבד וביתה נולי ישתוה כל קבל די לא איתי אלה אחרן די יכל להצלה כדנה And by me a decree is made, that any people, nation, and language, that speaks erroneously concerning their God—of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego—he will be chopped to pieces, and his house will be laid in ruins, because that there is no other god who is able to deliver in this way.”

30: באדין מלכא הצלח לשדרך מישך ועבד נגו במדינת בבל Then the king made Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego prosper in the province of Babylon.

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Bibliography

Daniel David Luckenbill, Ancient Records of Assyria and Babylonia

William F. Albright, From the Stone Age to Christianity

H. D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, Pulpit Commentary

Hesiod, The Homeric Hymns, and Homerica, edited by Hugh G. Evelyn-White

F. W. Farrar, The Expositor’s Bible: The Book of Daniel

Albert Barnes, Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

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