Daniel 3:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the golden image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

NIV: Therefore, as soon as they heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp and all kinds of music, all the nations and peoples of every language fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

NASB: Therefore as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of musical instruments, all the peoples, nations, and populations of all languages fell down and worshiped the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

CSB: Therefore, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, and every kind of music, people of every nation and language fell down and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

NLT: So at the sound of the musical instruments, all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

KJV: 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.

NKJV: So at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the horn, flute, harp, and lyre, in symphony with all kinds of music, all the people, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the gold image which King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Babylonian culture believed in many deities. They expected their subjects to have varied beliefs about which gods to worship. The idol created by Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 3:1) represented the supremacy of Babylon and its religion over those of its subjects. In the king's mind, there was no reason for a person to refuse his command to worship the image (Daniel 3:2–6) unless they were refusing to submit to Babylon. Most of his subjects would have felt the same, with few objections to the order. Nebuchadnezzar was willing to admit the power of Daniel's God (Daniel 2:46–47) but had not come to worship the Lord as the One True God.

The musical cue for this act of worship was the playing of a wide variety of musical tools (Daniel 3:5). The previous list of instruments is repeated exactly here and will be used two more times in this passage (Daniel 3:10, 15). The repetition emphasizes the tight control and all-encompassing nature of Nebuchadnezzar's decrees.

Under threat of execution, those present at the dedication ceremony kowtow and worship the manmade object. However, some resisted. Daniel's three friends (Daniel 1:6–7) will soon be accused of disobeying the king's order, a charge they openly admit (Daniel 3:12, 16–18). Daniel is not mentioned in this incident. It's plausible that he was not present, or that the jealous court advisors were too afraid to challenge him (Daniel 2:48). What's implausible is that Daniel chose to dishonor God by committing idolatry (Daniel 1:8; 6:5–10).

In the end-times tribulation period, another despot will command everyone to worship an image. Those who comply with the command will receive a mark on the right hand or forehead that will allow them to buy and sell. Many who refuse to worship the image will die (Revelation 13:11–17).

Daniel 3:1–7 follows the incident where Daniel interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's frightening dream. It's possible that the king took pride in being depicted as a head of gold (Daniel 2:37–38), and so he makes a golden image of himself to be revered. The people of Babylon are commanded to worship this idol under threat of death: being burned alive. Repetition in the passage highlights the overbearing, controlling nature of the king's edict. This passage continues a segment of the Bible recorded in Aramaic (Daniel 2:4—7:28).

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.