Daniel 3:29 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore I make a decree: Any people, nation, or language that speaks anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego shall be torn limb from limb, and their houses laid in ruins, for there is no other god who is able to rescue in this way."

NIV: Therefore I decree that the people of any nation or language who say anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego be cut into pieces and their houses be turned into piles of rubble, for no other god can save in this way."

NASB: Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or population of any language that speaks anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be torn limb from limb and their houses made a rubbish heap, because there is no other god who is able to save in this way.'

CSB: Therefore I issue a decree that anyone of any people, nation, or language who says anything offensive against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego will be torn limb from limb and his house made a garbage dump. For there is no other god who is able to deliver like this."

NLT: Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!'

KJV: 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.

NKJV: Therefore I make a decree that any people, nation, or language which speaks anything amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made an ash heap; because there is no other God who can deliver like this.”

On multiple occasions, Nebuchadnezzar threatens those who disobey him with extreme violence (Daniel 2:5; 3:6). Here, again, he demands his opinion be enforced on pain of gruesome death. Very recently, the king had sarcastically asked what deity could possibly save anyone from his wrath (Daniel 3:15). He flew into a rage when three Hebrew men defied his orders (Daniel 3:16–19). That suddenly changed when the men were miraculously rescued (Daniel 3:24–26) and the king was forced to admit they'd been right to disobey his order (Daniel 3:28). This was not a complete acceptance of the Israelite's Lord as the One True God, but it was an admission that he was wrong to demand Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego worship an idol.

Nebuchadnezzar has come to admire the true God, but he did not rule out the existence of other gods. Nor did the king resolve to set those other idols aside. His initial anger was due to a misplaced belief that everyone—even the Jewish captives—could worship their own God and honor other gods. That confusion has not changed much, other than Nebuchadnezzar recognizing the power of the Israelite God to preserve his followers' lives.

Only by trusting in God's Son as Savior can a person truly know God (John 1:12; 14:6; Acts 4:12). Yet, even today, many people follow a subtle version of Nebuchadnezzar's mistake. They go through the motions of worshiping the Lord Sunday by Sunday without knowing Him personally. They believe it's possible to serve and honor other things—idols—and simply think of God as "best of many options" (Matthew 19:20–24; Mark 10:23–31; Luke 16:13).

Daniel 3:26–30 records the aftermath of king Nebuchadnezzar's failed attempt to punish those who defied his command to worship an idol (Daniel 3:16–19). The three men were seen alive inside a furnace, along with a fourth person (Daniel 3:24–25). When the three emerge completely unaffected by the flames, the king shockingly acknowledges that their faith was well-placed and that they were right to defy his order. He commands the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be protected from all criticism and promotes the three Hebrews once again (Daniel 2:48–49).

Nebuchadnezzar builds a golden idol, possibly inspired by the explanation of his own dream (Daniel 2:36–38). He commands all people to worship it, at a given musical signal, on pain of death. Three Hebrew men openly defy this command and are thrown into a superheated furnace. To his shock, the king sees a supernatural figure with the still-living Israelites. Not only do they survive, but their clothes aren't singed nor even smelling like smoke. The king praises their faith, and their God, commanding that no one speak ill of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

The first chapter of Daniel explained how four captive Israelite boys became respected advisors to a Babylonian king. Chapter 2 showed these men praying for divine wisdom to untangle that same king's dream. These events set the stage for this chapter and the famous trio of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. The men refuse to bow to an idol and are rescued from fiery death by God. This is the last mention of these men in Scripture, as focus shifts back to Babylon's kings and the prophet Daniel.

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.