t is likely that Nebuchadnezzar built this image about twenty years after the dream of the statue. Some scholars say it was near the end of his reign. The Bible Church
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Daniel Segment 3
All scripture is from the King James Version unless otherwise noted. Before beginning this study, I suggest you pray and ask God to guide you through this study. I also suggest that you do you own study of this material in order to ensure its accuracy.
Daniel 3:1 "Nebuchadnezzar 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."
t is likely that Nebuchadnezzar built this image about twenty years after the dream of the statue. Some scholars say it was near the end of his reign.
This image was obviously an obelisk, which is a large four-sided erect shaft with a pyramid shaped top. One can see obelisks in may places. Ancient Egypt used many obelisks, mostly erected in pairs near temples. The Washington Monument is an obelisk 55 feet wide and 555 feet tall. Obelisks can be seen today in Cairo, London, New York and Paris. The Eiffel tower is an obelisk of sorts. Traditional Egyptian obelisks were ten times taller that their width, as was this image.
The Babylonians were known to build obelisks but their obelisks were not quite as fine as those of Egypt. Babylonian obelisks were usually made of brick. Let me quote from the book, A Brief History Of Ancient, Mediaeval, And Modern Peoples, With Some Account Of Their Monuments, Institutions, Arts, Manners, And Customs by Joel and Esther Steele:
As the Chaldeans had no stone, they made their edifices of burnt or sun-dried bricks, strengthening the walls by layers of reed matting cemented with bitumen. Their temples were built in stories, each one smaller in area than the one below, thus forming an irregular pyramid. In later times the number of stories increased, and the outer walls of Babylonian temples were painted in colors consecrated to the heavenly bodies. That of Nebo at Borsippa 2 had its lowest stage black (Saturn), the next orange (Jupiter), then red (Mais), gold. (the sun), yellow (Venus), blue (Mercury), and silver (the moon). The gold and silver stages seem to have been covered, with thin plates of those metals. Either the sides or the angles of these structures exactly faced the cardinal points, and the base was strengthened by brick buttresses scientifically arranged. The royal name and titles were engraved upon each building-brick.
An obelisk is a monument to the fertility deity, Egyptian Osiris (AKA Ashar (Asher Asherah), Hades, Pluto, Tammuz, Adonis, Balder, Baal, Bel, Dionysus, Bacchus, Herne, Pan, and others). The obelisk was erected in Egypt as a monument to Osiris. It was a phallic symbol, the symbol of male fertility. The Asherah (called a grove in the KJV) is an obelisk, a phallic symbol erected to the fertility God Asherah, who was none other than Osiris.
Maypoles are manifestations of the same thing, obelisks. The worshippers, who are holding onto multi-colored lanyards connected to the obelisk, dance around it. That is a fertility rite. This dancing around a maypole is still practiced all over the world, especially in the USSR on May Day. But it is also a part of celebrations of spring in America. These celebrations descend form fertility rites practiced in spring at the equinox.
This obelisk was erected to all of Babylon's deities as can be discerned from verse 18, which see. The main god of the Babylonians was Bel, or Baal, or Asherah, or Osiris. Some suggest that the word, obelisk, is not from the Greek word obelus, which means a spit (like in a barbecue grill--a trident), but originally from the words, "o" "bell" and "isk" meaning Baal's shaft. In fact, the word obelus could easily have come from the word o-bel-isk. A spit or a trident can be shown to originate with a phallic symbol. The verb, spitted, means impaled. I will not get any more graphic than this.
It is to be noted that Daniel was absent from the Hebrew that worshipped the image. Only his three companions were implicated in this narrative. Why was Daniel not there? It could have been that he was out of town, but that is unlikely because the whole empire was required to worship this image. Could it be that Daniel was exempt from this worship? Yes. There are at least two reasons that he would have been exempt. The first is that Nebuchadnezzar exempted Daniel because of the interpretation of the dream. But that is unlikely because it would have included Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego. Another possibility is that the image was a monument to Daniel and by worshipping it, they worshipped Daniel. Daniel would have been the only one exempt from this in the entire kingdom. It is possible that even though Daniel would not have let the king worship him that the king went ahead anyway with the worship of Daniel through a monument dedicated to him. Remember that in 2:46 the king worshipped Daniel and ordered religious rites to be performed to Daniel. This is a distinct possibility, though it is more likely that the image was made for Nebuchadnezzar and the worship of it was to Nebuchadnezzar and his gods.
Dura means "wall" or "circuit wall", meaning a wall that encompassed the city. Two adjacent very thick walls surrounded Babylon. One surrounded the inner city and one the outer limits of the city. It was a very large city. There was considerable space between the two walls; space enough to have a park in the area. A good portion of Babylon was made up parks and gardens, and the distance between the walls allows for a park or plain between the walls. Since dura means "wall", then we could say that the image was erected in the plain of the walls. The "plain of the walls" would be between the two circuit walls of the city. Some say, however, that Dura was some six miles outside the walls. I tend to side with the obelisk being inside the outer wall where all could see it. The obelisk, being 90 feet tall, would tower above the buildings in Babylon, which were mostly one or two story edifices. It could be seen from all over town.
Daniel 3:2-3 "Then 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. {3} Then 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."
The modern words for these leaders are, in order of occurrence: princes, officials, deputies, astrologers, judges, lawyers, and rulers. They were ordered to be present by royal decree. They gathered in the plain to worship the image.
Daniel 3:4-6 "Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, {5} That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: {6} And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
The king's herald was like the President's press secretary. Like a press secretary speaks for the President, he spoke for the king. Every time the people heard religious music they were immediately to stop what they were doing and face the statue and worship it. The penalty for refusal was death. The fireplace where they were to be executed was heated until it glowed red. One must assume that air was fanned into the fire or the fireplace was well ported to allow large quantities of fresh air to be sucked into the fire to raise its temperature.
Today, on U.S. Military installations, revile and retreat, followed by the National Anthem are played daily. Revile is played at 6:00 AM when the flag is raised and retreat is sounded at 5:00 PM when the flag is lowered. The music is piped, via loudspeaker, to the entire installation. It is played loud enough to be heard, even in an automobile. The rule is that when either of these two calls are sounded everyone who hears them must face the flag and stand at attention and salute until the music ends, including those driving cars. They are to stop, pull over, exit the car and stand at attention and salute. (We used to rush to get off base before retreat was sounded at 5 PM so we wouldn't have to stop and exit our cars). This is much like the command given by Nebuchadnezzar. The music was probably played simultaneously at remote locations throughout the city so all could hear and all were to bow down and worship.
Daniel 3:7 "Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up."
So the instructions were carried out. All fell down and worshipped. Who wanted to be cast into the fire? All worshipped except for three: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.
Daniel 3:8-11 "Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. {9} They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. {10} Thou, 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 music, shall fall down and worship the golden image: {11} And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace."
These "Chaldeans" were the wise men, like those from the East who visited the Christ child. They were astrologers, learned men of the empire. They were also jealous of Daniel and his three companions for those four were appointed to positions of authority over these "Chaldeans". They jumped at the chance to accuse these Jews.
Daniel 3:12 "There 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."
The Chaldeans salivated over the possibility of having these hated superiors killed. All the more so since they were Jews. So they were quick to point out to the king the violations of his decree.
Daniel 3:13 "Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king."
Evidently Nebuchadnezzar was vain and impetuous. Had he not rewarded these three for their great contribution to him by giving them positions of importance in the empire? Had they not very favorably impressed him? He sure was quick to change his mind. A person with a short temper can become outraged in a moment as Nebuchadnezzar did. Perhaps he was afraid that his gods would take revenge on him and his kingdom if anyone disobeyed his order. Or, if he did indeed mean this to be worship of Daniel, perhaps he was outraged that Daniel's own three closest associates would not honor him.
Daniel 3:14-15 "Nebuchadnezzar 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? {15} Now 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 music, 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?"
Nebuchadnezzar gave them the benefit of the doubt. He would allow them to prove themselves by worshipping the image the next time the music sounded. They had two choices: worship or die. If they chose to die, Nebuchadnezzar said there was no god (it should be lower case "g" here, referring to Babylonian gods—most other translations catch this; a few don't), at least none of his gods, who could deliver them from it.
Daniel 3:16-18 "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. {17} If 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. {18} But 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."
This is a fabulous statement of faith. They were basically told to reject their God and worship other gods, or suffer death by torture, in this case the torture of being burned to death. In ancient Rome, Christians were given the same choice. Reject Christ and worship Caesar, or suffer all kinds of inhuman torture and death. True believers did not reject Christ and actually suffered those tortures until they died. It would have been so easy to reject Christ and be relieved of such treatment, but the faithful did not. There is a future Babylon, spoken of by John in the Book of Revelation that will give believers the same exact choice. Reject Christ and worship the image of the beast and accept his mark, or suffer starvation, exposure, and death. Or perhaps be publicly beheaded. I would not be surprised if the same instrument of execution will be used in this "enlightened" period that was used in an earlier period of "enlightenment", the French Revolution. That instrument was known as the guillotine. It would not surprise me if the False Prophet did not resurrect the guillotine.
The three said they would leave it up their God to deliver them. Even if He did not deliver them they would continue to serve Him. It is the same with us. We are to remain faithful unto God no matter the circumstances. Even death cannot separate us from God's love (Romans 8:38). Like Jesus said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." That is exactly what Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did:
Daniel 3:18 "But 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."
They did not fear Nebuchadnezzar; they feared Yehovah. Boy was Nebuchadnezzar upset!
Daniel 3:19-20 "Then 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. {20} And 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."
The Hebrew simply says "heat the furnace seven times mare than was usual heat it". I cannot quite say why the KJV translators said "one seven times more". Perhaps it is to tell the readers that this one furnace was heated seven times hotter than normal. Symbolically speaking, seven is perfection, so Nebuchadnezzar wanted it heated us as hot as it could be heated.
It is amazing how Nebuchadnezzar had forgotten the power of Yehovah and was going to test it again. Notice that Nebuchadnezzar's top military men were to cast them into the furnace. It is called a burning fiery furnace. In Modern English that can be rendered "a glowing hot furnace." Seven is a significant number meaning perfection. The fire was perfectly hot fire. It could be gotten no hotter.
Daniel 3:21 "Then 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."
Why does it say they had all of their clothing on when they were cast into the furnace? I believe it was to prolong their suffering. The clothing would cause them to live longer and feel the fear and pain of burning longer.
Daniel 3:22 "Therefore 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."
Here is another example of the impetuousness of Nebuchadnezzar. He was in such a hurry to burn the three Jews that he did not even consider the welfare of his top military men. He allowed valuable men who could not be replaced to die in order to assuage his vengeance.
Daniel 3:23 "And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace."
They fell, unharmed, right down in the middle of the furnace. It is obvious that there were openings into the furnace or fireplace where all could see into the flames. This is where the air entered to make the furnace hot. Since they fell, it is seemly that there was some kind of scaffold erected over the furnace. When the king's men ascended it with the three Jews, the flames, which naturally flow upward, killed them; but not before Meshach, Shadrach, and Abednego were cast in.
Daniel 3:24-25 "Then 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. {25} He 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."
The four bound men were loose and walking around in the furnace, evidently speaking to the one like a Son of God. Of course, there are some issues involved with this title. Angels were considered sons of God. Literal translations of this verse (like the ASV, Young's literal, Green's literal, and others) say "one like a son of the gods." The Hebrew is quite specific here, it is bar 'elahin, son of the gods. The KJV translators attributed this to Christ (the Son of God, using caps), but the original language does not. Nebuchadnezzar was basically stating he saw what was obviously an angel. Moffat uses the expression "like an angel." In fact this is confirmed by verse 28. Now, I certainly have no problem accepting that this was the Angel of the LORD, a theophany, or an appearance of God to men. And the Angel of the LORD, being God Himself, can certainly equate to the Son. In fact, verse 28 may very well be speaking of the Angel of the LORD. But that is not what is said in this verse.
Daniel 3:26-27 "Then 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. {27} And 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."
Now he recognizes the power of God (which he will forget again). He knows they are alive so he calls them out. Only the king could call them out for it was by his decree they were in there in the first place. It is amazing that not only were they not singed or burned, they did not even smell like smoke! I have a fireplace, and sometimes I smell like smoke after putting on just one log. If I burn outside in the field, I always come away smelling like smoke. Just a little breeze is all it takes to blow the smoke my direction. If the smoke even touches me for an instant, I smell like smoke. These men were in a protective bubble, a force field, if you will, and nothing in the furnace touched them.
Daniel 3:28 "Then 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.
The phrase "changed the king's word" can be dynamically translated "defied the king's word". Literally it is the former. But the grammar makes the word "changed" intentional. They intentionally changed the king's word. That is the equivalent of defiance. The Hebrew for word in this verse, is millah (4406), or command. They defied the king's command to worship the image. Nebuchadnezzar now praises them for their defiance. He said they did the right thing because they did it to worship Yehovah, Whom the king once again recognizes as all powerful. The term, "His angel" might very well be the Angel of the LORD, a theophany, or an appearance of God to men.
In Daniel 3:25, the Septuagint simply has "homoia huio Theou", "like a son of God". But here, the Septuagint states "ton angegelon autou", "the angel of Him", which is similar to the Angel of the LORD, but not exact. In the Septuagint, the Angel of the LORD is rendered: "auto o angellos kuriou" (The OT scribes replaced Yehovah with Adonai, which is rendered LORD in the OT. The Septuagint translators rendered Adonai or LORD (upper case) o kurios while lord (lower case) was rendered kurios. Here we have the "o" so it is LORD). That is not quite the same as this verse in Daniel. It is possible that the Angel of the LORD was meant and many theologians have said that this angel in the furnace was an Old Testament appearance of Christ. Perhaps, but the text does not bear this out.
Daniel 3:29 "Therefore 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."
This is great! But what about the next time Nebuchadnezzar forgets this? It is said that this incident happened shortly before Nebuchadnezzar's insanity, which we will discover in the next chapter. It was, then, shortly after this that Nebuchadnezzar was so enamored of his own accomplishments that God had to chasten him again, by making him insane. However, after his insanity, Nebuchadnezzar permanently acknowledged God.
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