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Verse

Daniel 3:26

ESV Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace; he declared, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.
NIV Nebuchadnezzar then approached the opening of the blazing furnace and shouted, "Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!" So Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego came out of the fire,
NASB Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the furnace of blazing fire; he said, 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, come out, you servants of the Most High God, and come here!' Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego came out of the middle of the fire.
CSB Nebuchadnezzar then approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire and called: "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, you servants of the Most High God—come out!" So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out of the fire.
NLT Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!' So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire.
KJV 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.
NKJV Then Nebuchadnezzar went near the mouth of the burning fiery furnace and spoke, saying, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, servants of the Most High God, come out, and come here.” Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego came from the midst of the fire.

What does Daniel 3:26 mean?

Leading up to this moment, Babylon's king, Nebuchadnezzar, was absolutely enraged by the defiance of three Hebrew captives (Daniel 3:16–18). In his anger, he commanded them to be thrown, immediately, into a superheated furnace (Daniel 3:19–23). Apparently, the king wanted to see the results of his spite—but instead of three charred corpses, he saw four men, all alive, and one with a supernatural appearance (Daniel 3:24–25). This abruptly changes the king's attitude. In fact, he not only wants the men to come out from the furnace, but he also wants to speak with them in person.

Here, the pagan king calls out to his intended victims, referring to them as "servants of the Most High God." His meaning is literal, and different from how that phrase might be used by a modern believer. Nebuchadnezzar still believed in many deities—but this experience has convinced him that the God of Israel is not merely strong (Daniel 2:47), but that He is the most powerful of these varied gods (Daniel 3:29).

This verse repeats the names of these three men, in the same pattern seen over a dozen times throughout the passage (Daniel 3:12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22, 23, 28, 29, 30). Repetition is a theme of this passage, in part for poetic rhythm, and partly to point out the heavy-handed nature of Nebuchadnezzar's rule.
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