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Daniel spoke highly of the three to the King whenever opportunity afforded itself, so that they could also have honorable positions in the Province of Babylon.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|2:48-49|NKJV|Dan.2:48,49}}
Daniel spoke highly of the three to the King whenever opportunity afforded itself, so that they could also have honorable positions in the Province of Babylon.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|2:48-49|NKJV|Dan.2:48,49}}

==Daniel 3==

In {{Bibleref2|Daniel|3|NIV|Daniel Chapter 3}}, the narrative of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego describes how they were sent into a blazing fiery furnace because of their stand to exclusively serve their God alone. By God’s angel, they were delivered out of harm’s way from this order of execution by the King of Babylon.

=== Golden image ===
During the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar II, of Babylon, ''Nebuchadnezzar'' had a nine-storey high statue, made of gold,<ref>Apologetics Study Bible-HCSB, commentary on p. 1273 (3-1): “Ancient rulers commonly constructed large statues, such as the [[Great Sphinx]] in [[Egypt]], and the statue of [[Bel (god)|Bel]] ([[Marduk]]), a solid gold statue that stood 18 feet high in [[Babylon]].”</ref> stand erect in the [[Plain of Dura]]{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:1|NIV|v.1}} (The region around present day [[Karbala]], [[Iraq]]).<ref>Compare [http://lds.org/scriptures/bible-maps/map-5?lang=eng Old Testament Map #5. ''Plain of Dura''] with Map of [[Karbala|Karbala, Iraq]]</ref> The statue was either an [[Cult image|image]] of himself or possibly of the Babylonian god of wisdom, known as [[Nabu]].<ref>{{cite book | last = The Zondervan Corporation | first = | authorlink = | title = Archaeological Study Bible | publisher = The Zondervan Corporation | year = 2005 | location = The Book of Daniel (under the archaeological commentary) | page = 1389 | url = | doi = | id = | isbn = }}</ref> When the project was complete, he prepared a dedication ceremony to this image ordering all surrounding inhabitants to bow down and worship it. The consequence for not worshiping the idol, upon hearing the cue of instruments, was execution in a fiery furnace.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:2-9|NIV|v.2-9}}

===Fiery furnace===
During the dedication ceremony of the ''golden image'', certain officials noticed Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego not bowing down to the idol. Thus, Nebuchadnezzar was immediately notified.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:10-12|NIV|v.10-12}} The King was enraged and demanded that these three men come before him.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:13|NIV|v.13}} Nebuchadnezzar knew of these very men, because it was not too long ago when Daniel had petitioned the King to assign Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego over the affairs of the province of Babylon.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|2:48-49|NIV|Daniel 2: 48, 49}} Daniel was also very special to the King because he was able to interpret his dreams unlike any of the Chaldean wise men.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|2:24-25|NIV|Daniel 2: 24, 25}} So it is of no surprise that the King would offer one more chance for these three Jews, who held honorable positions to the King, to show their patriotism to Babylon.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:14-15|NIV|v.14, 15}}

Their response: "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and He will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:16-18|NIV|v.16-18}}

Nebuchadnezzar demanded that the execution furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. Valiant soldiers of the King’s army were ordered to firmly bind the fully clothed Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and cast them in the blazing furnace. Upon approaching the mouth of the furnace, the fire was so hot that the soldiers perished while attempting to throw in the three tightly bound Jews (who then fell in).{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:19-23|NIV|v.19-23}}

Execution in the form of ''burning'' was a typical practice of Babylonian rulers. According to Jeremiah 29:22, Nebuchadnezzar burned to death two men named [[Zedekiah]] and [[Ahab]]. Burning as a penalty for certain crimes appears twice in the [[Code of Hammurabi]], the system of law set forth by the Babylonian king in the 18th century BC. Another early Babylonian monarch, [[Rim-Sin]], also used burning as a form of execution.<ref>Apologetics Study Bible-HCSB, B&H Publishing Group, 2007, (ISBN 1586404466, ISBN 978-1-58640-446-8), p. 1274 (3-6)</ref>

===Deliverance===
When the King saw what appeared to be not three, but four men in the furnace, unbound and walking about, the fourth having a [[divinity|divine]] appearance, he called to them to come out. As the three convicted men came out unharmed, King Nebuchadnezzar acknowledged the power of their God, even going as far as to make a decree, whereby people of any nation who say anything against the God of the Jews are to be killed. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were then given promotions to their positions over the province of Babylon.{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:24-30|NIV|v.24-30}}

In Christian tradition, one interpretation of identifying the fourth man in the furnace is that of [[Christ]]{{Bibleref2c|Daniel|3:25|KJV|v.25}}, although he is more often shown in the arts as the [[Archangel]] [[Michael (archangel)|Michael]]. The pagan king reasoned that the being in the fire was divine. There are inscriptions found in excavations of ancient [[Ugarit]] ([[Ras Shamra]], on the coast of [[Syria]]), that use the expression “a son of the gods”.<ref>Apologetics Study Bible-HCSB, 2007, p. 1275 (3-25)</ref><ref>Compare: Genesis 18:1-10</ref>


== Prayer of Azariah ==
== Prayer of Azariah ==

Revision as of 06:31, 13 June 2015

"Mishael" redirects here. For Mishael is also the name of another minor biblical figure, see Mishael (disambiguation).
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by Simeon Solomon, 1863.

Daniel 3 (the third chapter of the Book of Daniel) tells how the three noble Jews Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were condemned to death in a fiery furnace because of the faithful refusal to worship any god but the God of Isarel, but saved by the angel of God and promoted to high office by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon.

Summary and commentary

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Jewish youths of noble birth "without physical defect, and handsome," were taken to Babylon to serve in the palace of King Nebuchadnezzar king's palace and learn the literature and language of the Chaldeans (meaning both the Babylonians and the court magicians–this background is related in chapter 1 of Daniel).[1] Soon they were appointed to high office over the province of Babylon (chapter 2, verse 49).[2] King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden statue on the plain of Dura in Babylon, and and commanded that all should worship it on pain of death, but Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not. Certain Chaldeans reported this to the king, who commanded that the three Jews be thrown into the fiery furnace, but when this was done God sent his angel to protect them. Nebuchadnezzar therefore promoted them over the province of Babylon, and decreed that any who spoke against their God should be torn limb from limb.[3]

Daniel's absence from the tale of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego suggests that it may originally have been an independent story; the word "Dura" (where the statue is erected) means simply "plain" or "fortress" and is not any specific place; the Greek historian Herodotus mentions a golden image of the god Bel in Babylon, but the gigantic size of this statue suggests that its origins lie in folklore.[4]

Composition and structure

Late 3rd century/early 4th century Christians depicted the fiery furnace in the Catacombs of Priscilla, Rome

Book of Daniel

Main article: Book of Daniel § structure

It is generally accepted that the Book of Daniel originated as a collection of folktales among the Jewish community in Babylon and Mesopotamia in the Persian and early Hellenistic periods (5th to 3rd centuries BCE), expanded by the visions of chapters 7-12 in the Maccabean era (mid-2nd century).[5] Modern scholarship agrees that Daniel is a legendary figure.[6] It is possible that the name was chosen for the hero of the book because of his reputation as a wise seer in Hebrew tradition.[7] The tales are in the voice of an anonymous narrator, except for chapter 4 which is in the form of a letter from king Nebuchadnezzar.[8] Chapter 3 is unique in that Daniel does not appear in it.

Daniel 3

Daniel 3 forms a chiasmus (a poetic structure in which the main point or message of a passage is placed in the centre and framed by further repetitions on either side) within Daniel 2-7, paired with Daniel 6, the story of Daniel in the lions' den:[9]

  • A. (2:4b-49) – A dream of four kingdoms replaced by a fifth
    • B. (3:1–30) – Daniel's three friends in the fiery furnace
      • C. (4:1–37) – Daniel interprets a dream for Nebuchadnezzar
      • C'. (5:1–31) – Daniel interprets the handwriting on the wall for Belshazzar
    • B'. (6:1–28) – Daniel in the lions' den
  • A'. (7:1–28) – A vision of four world kingdoms replaced by a fifth

Chapters 3 and 6 contain significant differences, however. The story of the fiery furnace does not include Daniel, while the sotry of the lions' den does not include Daniel's friends; the first story takes place under Nebuchadnezzar and the second under Darius; and in the first story the disobedience to the earthly ruler takes place in public, while in the second Daniel petitions God in private. The stories thus supplement each other to make the point that the God of the Jews will deliver those who are faithful to him.[10]

Etymologies

Chapters of the Book of Daniel
Daniel's Answer to the King by Briton Rivière

Additions to Daniel:

Their Hebraic names are Hananiah (חֲנַנְיָה), Mishael (מִישָׁאֵל) and Azariah (עֲזַרְיָה). It was probably by the King’s decree that Chief Official Ashpenaz assigned Chaldean names, so that Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach and Azariah became Abednego.Dan.1:3,7

In view of the possible foreign religious connotations attached to their names, commentators have questioned why Bible translators seldom use their original Hebrew names. It is speculated[by whom?] that they are identified mostly by their Chaldean names to maintain the accuracy of the dialogue given in the text. Since it would have been confusing to have the writer call them one thing and the King call them another, the story primarily uses their Chaldean names instead.[citation needed]

Hebrew etymologies

All three Hebrew names are theophoric:

  • Hananiah means "Jah who is gracious"
  • Misha'el means "Who is like God?"
  • Azariah means "Jah has helped"

Chaldean etymologies

It has been asserted[by whom?] that the names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego all pertain to pagan Babylonian gods.

  • Shadrach possibly is derived from Shudur Aku "Command of the moon god"[11]
  • Meshach is probably a variation of Mi•sha•aku, meaning "Who is what Aku is?", and may have been an alteration of his Hebrew name Mishael
  • Abednego is either a corrupted or deliberate use of Abednebo, "servant of Nebo/Nabu," or Abednergo, a variation of Abednergal, "servant of the god Nergal"[12]

Induction into Babylon

In Daniel (Daniy'el) Chapter 1Template:Bibleverse with invalid book, King Nebuchadnezzar wanted select men from Judah to learn the language and literature of Babylon. This would be a three-year training course to qualify those selected to serve in the King’s Palace. Those chosen were to partake of Babylonian royal food and wine. v.3–5 Among these men of Judah were Daniel (Belteshazzar), Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. v.6, 7 Because Daniel did not want to defile himself with the King’s food, he requested from his appointed guard to provide them vegetables and water for ten days. After the ten day trial, the four appeared better nourished and healthier than all the others who partook of the royal food. Thus, they were awarded the freedom to regularly have vegetables and water. v.8–16 Upon the King’s review, he also found them to be "ten times better than all the magicians and conjurers who were in all his realm". v.20

Daniel spoke highly of the three to the King whenever opportunity afforded itself, so that they could also have honorable positions in the Province of Babylon.Dan.2:48,49

Prayer of Azariah

In the "Prayer of Azariah," Azariah (Abednego) confesses their sins and the sins of Israel, and asks their God to save them in order to demonstrate God’s power to the Babylonians. It is followed by an account of an angel who came to make the inside of the furnace feel like a cool breeze over dew. An extended hymn of praise to their God for deliverance is found in the "Song of the Three Young Men."

The Prayer of Azariah appears in the Septuagint, but not the Masoretic Text. It is part of the Deuterocanon for Catholic and Orthodox Christians, but considered apocryphal by most Protestants and most Jews.

Eastern Orthodox observance

The song of the three youths is alluded to in odes seven and eight of the canon, a hymn sung in the matins service and on other occasions in the Eastern Orthodox Church, where their feast day is December 17 (along with Daniel). The Orthodox also commemorate them on the two Sundays before the Nativity of Christ. The reading of the story of the fiery furnace, including the song, is prescribed for the vesperal Divine Liturgy celebrated by the Orthodox on Holy Saturday. Likewise, the three are commemorated as prophets in the Calendar of Saints of the Lutheran Church on December 17 with Daniel.

The Three Young Men in the Fiery Furnace. The fourth is sometimes interpreted as being the Archangel Michael (15th century icon of the Novgorod school).

Literature

Music

Television

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fiery furnace.
Wikisource has the text of the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary article Shadrach.
Wikisource has the text of the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary article Meshach.
Wikisource has the text of the 1897 Easton's Bible Dictionary article Abednego.
Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article "Abednego".

References

Citations

  1. ^ Levine 2010, p. 1234-1235.
  2. ^ Levine 2010, p. 1239.
  3. ^ Levine 2010, p. 1239-1241.
  4. ^ Levine 2010, p. 1239, footnote 3.1-7.
  5. ^ Collins 1984, p. 29,34-35.
  6. ^ Collins 1984, p. 28.
  7. ^ Redditt 2008, p. 176-177,180.
  8. ^ Wesselius 2002, p. 295.
  9. ^ Redditt 2009, p. 177.
  10. ^ Seow 2003, p. 87.
  11. ^ JewishEncyclopedia.com, "Shadrach"
  12. ^ Easton's Bible Dictionary, "Abednego."

Bibliography

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