Bible Strands
Daniel 3:7
Therefore, as soon as all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and all kinds of music, the people of every nation and language would fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator describes the moment Nebuchadnezzar’s officials trigger a musical signal to enforce his decree. Every nation and language group present responds by prostrating themselves before the golden statue.
The words — The Aramaic phrase דְּנָה זִמְנָא (de.Nah zim.Na') translates to "at this time," marking the immediate trigger for the commanded worship. The verb שָֽׁמְעִין (sha.me.'In) denotes the active hearing that precedes the physical response.
The thread — The motif of forced universal worship appears in Revelation 12:9, where Satan deceives the whole world, and Jeremiah 51:7, which depicts Babylon’s intoxicating influence over the nations.
Why it lands — The text records that sensory cues and imperial authority compel uniform prostration before a man-made image. It requires the reader to distinguish between coerced conformity and genuine allegiance.
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
Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
Cross-references
- Jeremiah 51:7 Babylon was a gold cup in the hand of the LORD, making the whole earth drunk. The nations drank her wine; therefore the nations have gone mad.
- 1 John 5:19 We know that we are of God, and that the whole world is under the power of the evil one.
- Revelation 12:9 And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
- Revelation 13:3 One of the heads of the beast appeared to have been mortally wounded. But the mortal wound was healed, and the whole world marveled and followed the beast.
- Revelation 13:8 And all who dwell on the earth will worship the beast—all whose names have not been written from the foundation of the world in the Book of Life belonging to the Lamb who was slain.
- Revelation 13:14 Because of the signs it was given to perform on behalf of the first beast, it deceived those who dwell on the earth, telling them to make an image to the beast that had been wounded by the sword and yet had lived.
- Revelation 17:8 The beast that you saw—it was, and now is no more, but is about to come up out of the Abyss and go to its destruction. And those who dwell on the earth whose names were not written in the Book of Life from the foundation of the world will marvel when they see the beast that was, and is not, and yet will be.
- Revelation 19:20 But the beast was captured along with the false prophet, who on its behalf had performed signs deceiving those who had the mark of the beast and worshiped its image. Both the beast and the false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur.
- Acts 14:16 In past generations, He let all nations go their own way.