Accordingly, they confront the king with their confidence in God to such an extent that they say, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. Such an answer by itself might be considered arrogant and disrespectful to the king; but coupled with the explanation, it is clear that they feel their case is not in their hands anyway. At the end of three years, the four young men joined the royal court. In 2 Kings, we learn that the Judean King Jehoiakim refused to pay tribute to Babylon, so Nebuchanezzar invaded Judah to quash the rebellion. As Nebuchadnezzar watches at a safe distance, he is shocked at what he sees. That it's neither entirely factual nor entirely made up, Frahm says. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. The Golden head is stated to be Nebuchadn. illustration of such an Oriental tannur or tabun in Benzinger, Hebr. Dave Roos Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? In 601 B.C. (Wikipedia) King Nebuchadnezzar made a golden statue whose height was . Nebuchadnezzar went closer to the furnace and called out: 'Come out, you servants of the Most High God!' Everyone was amazed to see Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walk out of the fire unharmed. Of particular interest is the presence of a Greek money term, stater, in the Aramaic papyri from Egypt in documents of c. 400 B.C. "You have to look at the details," says Frahm. The gold consisted in overlaid plates, for which we possess not only abundant Classical evidence but also that of the Bible.178 The golden altar (Ex 39:38) was actually wood overlaid with gold (Ex 37:25-26). It is time to rehearse our understanding of this key prophecy of Daniel 2:32-35: This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Daniel 2:1-9. onward.190 The Greek mercenaries, who served as soldiers for various countries, are found more than one hundred years before Daniel, as for instance in the Assyrian army of Esarhaddon (682 b.c.) They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. In this chapter we see for the last time Daniels three companions, and no further reference is made to their subsequent experiences. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. But Herodotus statements about the golden idols in Babylon afford sufficient background. At the command of Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who could not obey the king in the matter of worshiping the image, do not hesitate to fulfill his command in this instance. lwjas0025 options. The Chaldeans approached the king with the customary courtesies addressing Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. They remind the king of the details of his decree and the penalty for disobedience. We all know the great story of Nebuchadnezzar's dream in which he saw a great image of a man, made out of different metals. Additionally, 60 cubits are approximately equivalent to 90 ft., or a 10-Storey building. portville central school yearbooks; jennette mccurdy astroseek. (There's no evidence that Nabonidus ate grass.). Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon (Dan 3:1). 122-24. The textual problem of Daniel 6:20 where Darius refers to the true God is decided in favor of the singular by Kittel207 rather than the plural. 2) Because of Daniel's promotion and his place in the royal court (Daniel 2:49), Nebuchadnezzar had exempted Daniel from the command to bow down to the golden statue. what happened to nebuchadnezzar's golden statue; what happened to nebuchadnezzar's golden statue. And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar plays a prominent role in the history of the Israelite people. It also specifically restricts itself to the world around Israel, so skipping over empires in India, China and Mesoamerica. The common excuses for moral and spiritual compromise, especially the blaming of contemporary influences, are contradicted by the faithfulness of these men. Threescore cubits is 60 cubits which is equivalent to 90 feets. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Chapter 3, the first of four chapters dealing with individuals, is an obvious preparation for chapter 4, which relates Nebuchadnezzars conversion. The fact that Daniel was so familiar with these offices is another evidence that he lived in the sixth century B.C.. As pointed out in an extended discussion by Leupold, the nature of this trial and persecution was quite different from that of Antiochus Epiphanes in the second century B.C. They refused to eat what the others ate. Nebuchadnezzar II reigned as king over the Babylonian Empire from 605-562 B.C. 16 iShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. Having given this preamble, Nebuchadnezzar now makes his decree. Taken as a whole, chapter 3 is a thrilling account of young men who remained true to God under severe trial. Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, 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. He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. The answer of the three men to Nebuchadnezzar left no doubt as to their determined purpose not to serve the gods of Babylon and worship the image. Nebuchadnezzar had now accomplished his purpose, his decree had been fulfilled, and he could leave to the furnace the task of consuming these men who had challenged his authority and his gods. Young, The Prophecy of Daniel, pp. He ought to have cooled the furnace seven times less if he had wanted to hurt them; but instead of that in his fury he heated it seven times more.205. The hair of the three Hebrews had not been singed, their garments in which they had been bound had not changed, and not even the smell of fire was retained. He asked them two questions: first, Do not ye serve my gods? and second, Do not ye worship the golden image which I have set up? The fact that he distinguished between serving his gods and worshiping the image, though they are interrelated, seems to confirm the idea that the worship is primarily political, although the fact that they do not worship his gods is a condemning circumstance. 205-7; F. Rosenthal, A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, p. 40. He handed over the kingdom to his son who later had him murdered. 4 young boys were among those chosen for deportation: Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Most contemporary scholars translate the phrase the Son of God, as a son of the gods. While it is entirely possible that the fourth person in the fiery furnace was indeed the Son of God, it would be doubtful whether Nebuchadnezzar would comprehend this, unless he had prophetic insight. It is useless to speculate how this related to Daniel himself. Although the full salutation to Nebuchadnezzar seems to have been omitted, Daniel gives the gist of their reply and in so doing answered the question raised by the king in verse 14 when he asked, Is it true? Actually there was no doubt about what they had done, but their purpose in not conforming was in question. smcas0247 options. None Can Rescue Like Him. The three men, however, also face the alternative that God might not deliver them. 144-45; Mitchell and Joyce, pp. Nebuchadnezzar II strengthened Babylon and brought it into its golden years, in which his offspring quickly tarnished and ended up destroying the nation. what happened to nebuchadnezzar's golden statue. They ate and drank only healthy things and after training they were healthier than anyone else. I'd forgotten that Daniel wasn't present with his friends when King Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the furnace. (Cf. The Babylonian Empire suffered major blows to its power when Nebuchadnezzar's sons lost a series of wars with Assyria, and their successors effectively became vassals of the Assyrian king. Incredibly, there is an independent record of a Babylonian king going mad and wandering in the wilderness for years. Idols overlaid with gold are mentioned in Isaiah 40:19 and Isaiah 41:7. It was quite clear to the Chaldeans also that the Jews did not worship the gods of Babylon and were actually a foreign element in the government. The question Nebuchadnezzar asked in verse 14, translated Is it true in the King James Version and Revised Standard Version, is translated Is it of purpose? in the American Standard Version. He appointed a king of his own choice there, received its heavy tribute and sent (them) to Babylon. Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks.com article: He was driven away from people and ate grass like the ox. He makes clear the alternative that they shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. The repetition of the entire edict no doubt was done with a flourish; and, although he was probably well aware of the jealousy of the Chaldeans and took this into account, he makes it clear that there is no alternative but to worship the image. In books like 2 Kings and Jeremiah, there are accounts of Nebuchadnezzar and later Babylonian kings that have been independently confirmed by ancient cuneiform tablets recovered from Babylonian sites. Even if God does not deliver them, however, this will not change their decision in which they refuse to worship the gods of Babylon as well as the golden image. The expression accused is a translation of an Aramaic expression common to Semitic languages which literally means, they ate their pieces, hence, to devour piecemeal. 2 Then the king commanded to call the magicians, and the astrologers, and the sorcerers, and the Chaldeans, for to shew the king his dreams. They were willing to trust God even if He didn't save them, but in his amazing providence and care, He did save them. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. 114-15. 181 Montgomery cites Oppert, Expdition scientifique en Msopotamia, 1:238 ff., expressing the belief that a massive square of brick construction found in situ, 14 metres square by 6 high, is the pedestal of Neb.s image (Montgomery, p. 197). 177 Ibid., p. 137; cf. Then they brought these men before the king. ): "There's no reason to doubt that this really happened," says Frahm of both the first Babylonian siege in 597 B.C.E. Montgomery suggests that the furnace must have been similar to our common lime-kiln, with a perpendicular shaft from the top and an opening at the bottom for extracting the fused lime; cf. Was it really true that their purpose in nonconformity was to dishonor the gods of Babylon and to disobey Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar I was the most famous ruler of the Second Dynasty of Isin. The ration list specifically mentions Jehoiachin, other Judean dignitaries and Jehoiachin's five sons. Not much help is given by attempting to find synonyms for these instruments as actually we do not have any information as to their precise character. He attacked Judah a year later and captured Jerusalem on March 16, 597, deporting King Jehoiachin to Babylon. Post Author: Post published: 23/05/2022 Post Category: kent island high school athletics Post Comments: lexington country club membership fee lexington country club membership fee The basis of his decree is the simple statement, because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort. It is clear at this point that though Nebuchadnezzar is greatly impressed, he has not yet been brought to the place where he is willing to put his trust in the God of Israel. Addressing the three faithful men in the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. It was immediately apparent to Nebuchadnezzar, as well as the others who watched, that the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was greater than the gods of Babylon. The fire was seven times hotter than ever and yet a fourth person showed up to save them and make sure they did not burn up. The horns blew, and the music played, and everyone bowed down and worshipped King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue. The quantities of the rations were sizable, which historians take as a sign that the exiled royal family were treated well in Babylon, and that Jehoiachin probably wasn't locked up for 37 years as related in 2 Kings 25:27. The strongest men in the army are selected, who bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as a preliminary to casting them in the burning fiery furnace. When the furnace, reached its proper heat, the king demanded immediate execution of his orders. Mar. The expression the Son of God (3:25) is a translation of the Aramaic bar elahin, which means a divine being. Nebuchadnezzar interprets this in verse 28 as a malak, meaning, an angel. The alternative that God sent a mighty angel to protect them is, of course, also plausible and in keeping with other Scripture. It symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar's vision of a future world empire, in which his own kingdom would be the dominant power. The sheriffs were judges in a stricter sense of the term, that is, magistrates who gave a just sentence. Are there also hints in the historical record? And in another unforgettable story in Daniel, Nebuchadnezzar is punished for his hubris and wanders the wilderness like a beast eating grass for seven years. 25:6, 9. The expression, But if not, should be understood as referring to the deliverance not to the ability of God. The rulers were lesser officials who were governors of the provinces subordinate to the chief governor.186 The list of officers stated in verse 2 is repeated in verse 3 and some of them are repeated in verse 27. 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