Daniel 3:27 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men. The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them.

NIV: and the satraps, prefects, governors and royal advisers crowded around them. They saw that the fire had not harmed their bodies, nor was a hair of their heads singed; their robes were not scorched, and there was no smell of fire on them.

NASB: The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men, nor was the hair of their heads singed, nor were their trousers damaged, nor had even the smell of fire touched them.

CSB: When the satraps, prefects, governors, and the king's advisers gathered around, they saw that the fire had no effect on the bodies of these men: not a hair of their heads was singed, their robes were unaffected, and there was no smell of fire on them.

NLT: Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

KJV: And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's counsellers, 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.

NKJV: And the satraps, administrators, governors, and the king’s counselors gathered together, and they saw these men on whose bodies the fire had no power; the hair of their head was not singed nor were their garments affected, and the smell of fire was not on them.

It's not surprising to read that many, many witnesses wanted to examine three men who had just experienced miraculous rescue. These men refused the king's order to worship an idol (Daniel 3:16–18)..The command was meant to affirm the supremacy of Babylonian gods. In response, Nebuchadnezzar ordered the Israelites bound, in their clothes, and thrown into a superheated furnace (Daniel 3:19–23). Here, we see that every facet of the king's temper tantrum was foiled. The men survive—though the king's own soldiers died throwing them into the fire—they are free of their bonds, and even their clothes are unaffected (Daniel 3:24–26).

More importantly, the king is deeply struck by the supremacy of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 1:6–7). Moments ago, he was fuming in anger at being defied, but soon he will declare that these men were right to disobey his orders (Daniel 3:28).

This combination of details harmonizes with the language used to record this passage. Most of the Old Testament, including the book of Daniel, was written in Hebrew. This portion (Daniel 2:4—7:28) is in Aramaic: the common language of Babylon in Daniel's era. These incidents speak to, or about, the Gentile people. Here, God makes it clear that the most powerful kings have no effect, whatsoever, on the Lord's power over His people or the affairs of the world. Mighty Nebuchadnezzar, king of the world's most powerful empire, was helpless against God's will.

In the tribulation period 144,000 believing Jews will emerge unharmed from a fiery persecution during Antichrist's reign of terror (Revelation 7:1–8; 12:13–14). Isaiah foretold this protection. In Isaiah 43:1–3 he writes these words of God: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by my name, you are mind. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lᴏʀᴅ your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior."

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.