Bible Strands
Daniel 3:23
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, firmly bound, fell into the blazing fiery furnace.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the moment King Nebuchadnezzar’s officials cast Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego into the furnace after the king’s decree. The scene occurs immediately after the flames killed the soldiers who carried them, marking the execution phase of the command.
The words — The Aramaic verb נְפַ֛לוּ (ne.Fa.lu) literally means “they fell,” describing the physical descent of the bound men into the furnace. The noun גֻבְרַיָּ֤/א (guv.rai.Ya') translates to “the men,” specifically identifying Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The thread — The narrative pattern of righteous figures being cast into lethal confinement appears in Jeremiah 38:6 and Daniel 6:16, while Psalms 34:19 records the principle that the Lord delivers the righteous from their afflictions. These passages trace a consistent biblical motif of divine rescue following judicial condemnation.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to observe that physical binding and lethal threat do not nullify the sequence of divine deliverance. It demands acknowledgment that the narrative records a historical event before asserting the theological outcome of that event.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed–nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 38:6 So they took Jeremiah and dropped him into the cistern of Malchiah, the king’s son, which was in the courtyard of the guard. They lowered Jeremiah with ropes into the cistern, which had no water but only mud, and Jeremiah sank down into the mud.
- Daniel 6:16 So the king gave the order, and they brought Daniel and threw him into the den of lions. The king said to Daniel, “May your God, whom you serve continually, deliver you!”
- Psalms 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him from them all.
- Psalms 66:11 You led us into the net; You laid burdens on our backs.
- Psalms 124:1 A song of ascents. Of David. If the LORD had not been on our side—let Israel now declare—
- Lamentations 3:52 Without cause my enemies hunted me like a bird.
- 2 Corinthians 1:8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
- 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
- 1 Peter 4:12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial that has come upon you, as though something strange were happening to you.