但以理书 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Simplified)
金像和火窑
3 尼布甲尼撒王造了一尊高二十七米、宽二点七米的金像，立在巴比伦省的杜拉平原。 2 他派人召集总督、行政官、省长、谋士、库房官、审判官、司法官及各省的所有官员，前来参加他所立之像的奉献礼。 3 于是总督、行政官、省长、谋士、库房官、审判官、司法官及各省的官员齐来参加尼布甲尼撒王所立之像的奉献礼，站在那像面前。
4 传令官大声宣布说：“各族、各邦、各语种的人啊，王有令， 5 ‘你们一听见角、笛、弦琴、竖琴、瑟、笙等各种乐器奏响，就要叩拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。 6 不叩拜的人必立刻被抛进烈焰熊熊的火窑。’” 7 于是，各族、各邦、各语种的人一听见角、笛、弦琴、竖琴、瑟等各种乐器的声音，就都叩拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。
8 那时，有几个占星家前来控告犹大人。 9 他们对尼布甲尼撒王说：“愿王万岁！ 10 王啊，你曾下令，角、笛、弦琴、竖琴、瑟、笙等各种乐器一奏响，每个人都要叩拜金像。 11 不叩拜的人必被扔进烈焰熊熊的火窑。 12 然而，王啊，有几个犹大人，就是王委派负责巴比伦省事务的沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌，却不理会你的命令，不事奉你的神明，也不祭拜你立的金像。” 13 尼布甲尼撒王勃然大怒，下令将沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌带来。于是他们被带到王面前。 14 尼布甲尼撒问他们：“沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌啊，你们真的不事奉我的神明，不祭拜我立的金像吗？ 15 现在你们准备好，一听见角、笛、弦琴、竖琴、瑟、笙等各种乐器的声音，就要叩拜我造的像。不然，必立刻将你们扔进烈焰熊熊的火窑。那时什么神明能从我手中救你们呢？”
16 沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌答道：“尼布甲尼撒啊，我们无需为此事回答你。 17 王啊，我们若真被扔进烈焰熊熊的火窑，我们所事奉的上帝必能救我们脱离火窑，祂必从你手中救我们。 18 即或不然，王啊，你要明白，我们也不会事奉你的神明或祭拜你立的金像。”
19 尼布甲尼撒怒气填胸，向沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌大发雷霆，下令将火窑烧得比平时热七倍， 20 又命令军中的勇士将沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌绑起来，扔进烈焰熊熊的火窑。 21 这三人穿着外袍、裤子等衣物，戴着头巾，被绑着扔进烈焰熊熊的火窑。 22 因为王的命令紧急，窑烧得非常热，火焰烧死了那些抬沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌的人。 23 沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌三人被绑着落入烈焰熊熊的火窑。
24 这时，尼布甲尼撒王惊奇地跳起来，问谋士：“我们绑起来扔进火里的不是三个人吗？”他们答道：“王啊，是的。” 25 王说：“看啊，我见有四个人在火中走来走去，没有被绑着，也没有被烧伤，第四个人的面貌好像神明的儿子。”
26 于是，尼布甲尼撒走近火窑的门，喊道：“至高上帝的仆人沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌啊，出来吧，到这里来吧。”沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌便从火中出来。 27 那些总督、行政官、省长和王的谋士上前围观，见火焰没有烧伤他们的身体，他们的头发没有烧焦，衣服没有烧坏，身上甚至没有火燎的气味。 28 尼布甲尼撒说：“沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌的上帝当受称颂！祂差遣天使拯救那些信靠祂的仆人。他们无视王命，宁肯死也不供奉、祭拜其他神明。 29 现在我下令，不论何民、何邦、何族，若毁谤沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌的上帝，必被碎尸万段，他们的家必沦为废墟，因为没有别的神明能这样施行拯救。” 30 于是，王让沙得拉、米煞、亚伯尼歌在巴比伦省身居高位。
Daniel 3
Swedish New Living Bible (Nya Levande Bibeln)
Männen i den brinnande ugnen
3 Kung Nebukadnessar lät tillverka en guldstaty, som var trettio meter hög och tre meter bred och ställde upp den på Duraslätten i provinsen Babylon.
2 Sedan skickade han bud till furstar, landshövdingar, officerare, domare, skattmästare, rådgivare och lagmän i alla provinser i riket och inbjöd dem att komma till avtäckningen av statyn.
3 När de allesammans hade samlats och stod framför monumentet,
4 ropade en härold ut följande befallning från kungen:Folk från alla länder och av alla språkgrupper:
5 När ni hör ljudet av horn, flöjter, cittror, lyror och harpor ska ni falla ner och tillbe kung Nebukadnessars guldstaty.
6 Den som vägrar att göra det kommer omedelbart att kastas i den brinnande ugnen.
7 När orkestern började spela föll folk av alla nationaliteter ner och tillbad statyn.
8 Men några ämbetsmän gick till kungen och beskyllde en del judar för att ha vägrat att tillbe statyn. De sa:
9-10 Ers Majestät stiftade en lag att alla måste falla ner och tillbe guldstatyn så snart musiken hördes,
11 och du gav befallning om att den som vägrade skulle kastas i en brinnande ugn.
12 Men Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego, några judar som du har tillsatt att förvalta Babylons furstendöme, har trotsat dig genom att vägra tjäna dina gudar och tillbe statyn.
13 Nebukadnessar blev då fruktansvärt arg och befallde att Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego skulle föras fram till honom.
14 Är det sant, Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego, att ni vägrar att tjäna mina gudar och tillbe den guldstaty jag har rest? frågade kungen.
15 I så fall ska jag ge er en chans till. Om ni faller ner och tillber statyn nästa gång musiken hörs, är allt bra igen. Men om ni vägrar kommer ni att kastas i den brinnande ugnen ögonblickligen. Och vilken gud kan då rädda er ur min hand?
16 Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego svarade: Kung Nebukadnessar, vi är inte alls bekymrade för vad som ska hända oss.
17 Ers Majestät ska veta att om vi blir kastade i den brinnande ugnen, är vår Gud mäktig att befria oss!
18 Men om han inte gör det, så kan vi ändå inte under några omständigheter tjäna dina gudar eller tillbe den guldstaty som du har låtit göra.
19 Då blev Nebukadnessar rasande på Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego, och hans ansikte mörknade av vrede. Han befallde att ugnen skulle göras sju gånger hetare än vanligt.
20 Sedan gav han några av sina starkaste soldater order att binda Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego och kasta dem i elden.
21 Man band dem med kraftiga rep innan man kastade in dem i ugnen fullt påklädda.
22-23 Men eftersom kungen i sin vrede hade befallt att ugnen skulle vara extra het, slog lågorna ut och brände ihjäl de soldater som fått i uppgift att kasta ner Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego i de flammande lågorna.
24 När Nebukadnessar satt och tittade in i elden, hoppade han plötsligt upp och utropade förskräckt: Kastade vi inte in tre män i ugnen? Jo, visst gjorde vi det, Ers Majestät, svarade hans rådgivare.
25 Men titta där! skrek Nebukadnessar. Jag ser fyra män, som går omkring i elden. De är inte bundna och har inte ens blivit brända av lågorna, och den fjärde ser ut som en gud!
26 Nebukadnessar gick närmare öppningen och ropade: Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego, den högste Gudens tjänare! Kom ut! Kom ut!Då klev de ut ur elden.
27 När furstarna, landshövdingarna, officerarna och rådgivarna trängdes omkring dem, såg de att elden inte på något sätt hade skadat dem. Inte ens håret på deras huvuden var svett. Deras kläder var oskadade, och det luktade inte ens rök om dem!
28 Då sa Nebukadnessar: Välsignad vare Sadraks, Mesaks och Abed-Negos Gud, som skickade sin ängel att befria sina trogna tjänare. De trotsade min befallning och var villiga att dö hellre än att tjäna och tillbe någon annan gud än sin egen.
29 Därför befaller jag att den som säger något emot Sadraks, Mesaks och Abed-Negos Gud, från vilket land, vilken språkgrupp eller religion han än kommer, ska slitas i stycken, och hans hus ska förvandlas till en stenhög, för ingen annan kan göra vad deras Gud har gjort.
30 Sadrak, Mesak och Abed-Nego befordrades av kungen till högt uppsatta poster och blev hedrade män i provinsen Babylon.
Kungens dröm om ett träd
31 Detta är den proklamation som kung Nebukadnessar sände ut till varje folk och språkgrupp i hela världen:Jag hälsar er och önskar er välgång!
32 Jag vill att ni allesammans ska veta vilket märkligt under den allra högste Guden har gjort med mig.
33 Det är obegripligt - ett mäktigt under! Nu vet jag säkert att Guds rike ska bestå för evigt, från generation till generation.
但以理書 3
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
金像和火窯
3 尼布甲尼撒王造了一尊高二十七米、寬二點七米的金像，立在巴比倫省的杜拉平原。 2 他派人召集總督、行政官、省長、謀士、庫房官、審判官、司法官及各省的所有官員，前來參加他所立之像的奉獻禮。 3 於是總督、行政官、省長、謀士、庫房官、審判官、司法官及各省的官員齊來參加尼布甲尼撒王所立之像的奉獻禮，站在那像面前。
4 傳令官大聲宣佈說：「各族、各邦、各語種的人啊，王有令， 5 『你們一聽見角、笛、弦琴、豎琴、瑟、笙等各種樂器奏響，就要叩拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。 6 不叩拜的人必立刻被拋進烈焰熊熊的火窯。』」 7 於是，各族、各邦、各語種的人一聽見角、笛、弦琴、豎琴、瑟等各種樂器的聲音，就都叩拜尼布甲尼撒王所立的金像。
8 那時，有幾個占星家前來控告猶大人。 9 他們對尼布甲尼撒王說：「願王萬歲！ 10 王啊，你曾下令，角、笛、弦琴、豎琴、瑟、笙等各種樂器一奏響，每個人都要叩拜金像。 11 不叩拜的人必被扔進烈焰熊熊的火窯。 12 然而，王啊，有幾個猶大人，就是王委派負責巴比倫省事務的沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌，卻不理會你的命令，不事奉你的神明，也不祭拜你立的金像。」 13 尼布甲尼撒王勃然大怒，下令將沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌帶來。於是他們被帶到王面前。 14 尼布甲尼撒問他們：「沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌啊，你們真的不事奉我的神明，不祭拜我立的金像嗎？ 15 現在你們準備好，一聽見角、笛、弦琴、豎琴、瑟、笙等各種樂器的聲音，就要叩拜我造的像。不然，必立刻將你們扔進烈焰熊熊的火窯。那時什麼神明能從我手中救你們呢？」
16 沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌答道：「尼布甲尼撒啊，我們無需為此事回答你。 17 王啊，我們若真被扔進烈焰熊熊的火窯，我們所事奉的上帝必能救我們脫離火窯，祂必從你手中救我們。 18 即或不然，王啊，你要明白，我們也不會事奉你的神明或祭拜你立的金像。」
19 尼布甲尼撒怒氣填胸，向沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌大發雷霆，下令將火窯燒得比平時熱七倍， 20 又命令軍中的勇士將沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌綁起來，扔進烈焰熊熊的火窯。 21 這三人穿著外袍、褲子等衣物，戴著頭巾，被綁著扔進烈焰熊熊的火窯。 22 因為王的命令緊急，窯燒得非常熱，火焰燒死了那些抬沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌的人。 23 沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌三人被綁著落入烈焰熊熊的火窯。
24 這時，尼布甲尼撒王驚奇地跳起來，問謀士：「我們綁起來扔進火裡的不是三個人嗎？」他們答道：「王啊，是的。」 25 王說：「看啊，我見有四個人在火中走來走去，沒有被綁著，也沒有被燒傷，第四個人的面貌好像神明的兒子。」
26 於是，尼布甲尼撒走近火窯的門，喊道：「至高上帝的僕人沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌啊，出來吧，到這裡來吧。」沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌便從火中出來。 27 那些總督、行政官、省長和王的謀士上前圍觀，見火焰沒有燒傷他們的身體，他們的頭髮沒有燒焦，衣服沒有燒壞，身上甚至沒有火燎的氣味。 28 尼布甲尼撒說：「沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌的上帝當受稱頌！祂差遣天使拯救那些信靠祂的僕人。他們無視王命，寧肯死也不供奉、祭拜其他神明。 29 現在我下令，不論何民、何邦、何族，若譭謗沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌的上帝，必被碎屍萬段，他們的家必淪為廢墟，因為沒有別的神明能這樣施行拯救。」 30 於是，王讓沙得拉、米煞、亞伯尼歌在巴比倫省身居高位。
Daniel 3
New English Translation
Daniel’s Friends Are Tested
3 [a] King Nebuchadnezzar had a golden[b] statue made.[c] It was 90 feet[d] tall and 9 feet[e] wide. He erected it on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then King Nebuchadnezzar sent out a summons to assemble the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates,[f] and all the other authorities of the province to attend the dedication of the statue that he[g] had erected. 3 So the satraps, prefects, governors, counselors, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other provincial authorities assembled for the dedication of the statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected. They were standing in front of the statue that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.[h]
4 Then the herald[i] made a loud[j] proclamation: “To you, O peoples, nations, and language groups, the following command is given:[k] 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither,[l] trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must[m] bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has erected. 6 Whoever does not bow down and pay homage will immediately[n] be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire!” 7 Therefore when they all[o] heard the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes,[p] and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and language groups began bowing down and paying homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had erected.
8 Now[q] at that time certain[r] Chaldeans came forward and brought malicious accusations against[s] the Jews. 9 They said[t] to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever![u] 10 You have issued an edict, O king, that everyone must bow down and pay homage to the golden statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music. 11 And whoever does not bow down and pay homage must be thrown into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—and these men[v] have not shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in a fit of rage[w] demanded that they bring[x] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego before him. So they brought them[y] before the king. 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods and that you don’t pay homage to the golden statue that I erected? 15 Now if you are ready, when you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the statue that I had made. If you don’t pay homage to it, you will immediately be thrown into the midst of the furnace of blazing fire. Now, who is that god who can rescue you from my power?”[z] 16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied to King Nebuchadnezzar,[aa] “We do not need to give you a reply[ab] concerning this. 17 If[ac] our God whom we are serving exists,[ad] he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. 18 But if he does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”
19 Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage, and his disposition changed[ae] toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He gave orders[af] to heat the furnace seven times hotter than it was normally heated. 20 He ordered strong[ag] soldiers in his army to tie up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to throw them into the furnace of blazing fire. 21 So those men were tied up while still wearing their cloaks, trousers, turbans, and other clothes,[ah] and were thrown into the furnace[ai] of blazing fire. 22 But since the king’s command was so urgent, and the furnace was so excessively hot, the men who escorted[aj] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were killed[ak] by the leaping flames.[al] 23 But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace[am] of blazing fire while still securely bound.[an]
God Delivers His Servants
24 Then King Nebuchadnezzar was startled and quickly got up. He said to his ministers, “Wasn’t it three men that we tied up and threw[ao] into[ap] the fire?” They replied to the king, “For sure, O king.” 25 He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!”[aq] 26 Then Nebuchadnezzar approached the door of the furnace of blazing fire. He called out,[ar] “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the most high God, come out! Come here!”
Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego emerged from the fire.[as] 27 Once the satraps, prefects, governors, and ministers of the king had gathered around, they saw that those men were physically[at] unharmed by the fire.[au] The hair of their heads was not singed, nor were their trousers damaged. Not even the smell of fire was to be found on them!
28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed,[av] “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel[aw] and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring[ax] the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than[ay] serve or pay homage to any god other than their God! 29 I hereby decree[az] that any people, nation, or language group that blasphemes[ba] the God of Shadrach, Meshach, or Abednego will be dismembered and his home reduced to rubble! For there exists no other god who can deliver in this way.” 30 Then Nebuchadnezzar[bb] promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the province of Babylon.
Footnotes
- Daniel 3:1 sn The LXX introduces this chapter with the following chronological note: “in the eighteenth year of.” Such a date would place these events at about the time of the destruction of Jerusalem in 586 b.c. (cf. 2 Kgs 25:8). However, there seems to be no real basis for associating the events of Daniel 3 with this date.
- Daniel 3:1 sn There is no need to think of Nebuchadnezzar’s image as being solid gold. No doubt the sense is that it was overlaid with gold (cf. Isa 40:19; Jer 10:3-4), with the result that it presented a dazzling self-compliment to the greatness of Nebuchadnezzar’s achievements.
- Daniel 3:1 sn According to a number of patristic authors, the image represented a deification of Nebuchadnezzar himself. This is not clear from the biblical text, however.
- Daniel 3:1 tn Aram “60 cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 90 feet (27.4 m) high.
- Daniel 3:1 tn Aram “6 cubits.” Assuming a length of 18 inches for the standard cubit, the image would be 9 feet (2.74 m) wide.sn The dimensions of the image (90 feet high and 9 feet wide) imply that it did not possess normal human proportions, unless a base for the image is included in the height dimension. The ancient world knew of other tall statues. For example, the Colossus of Rhodes—the huge statue of Helios which stood (ca. 280-224 b.c.) at the entrance to the harbor at Rhodes and was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world—was said to be 70 cubits (105 ft or 32 m) in height, which would make it even taller than Nebuchadnezzar’s image.
- Daniel 3:2 sn The specific duties of the seven types of officials listed here (cf. vv. 3, 27) are unclear. The Aramaic words that are used are transliterations of Akkadian or Persian technical terms whose exact meanings are uncertain. The translations given here follow suggestions set forth in BDB.
- Daniel 3:2 tn Aram “Nebuchadnezzar the king.” The proper name and title have been replaced by the relative pronoun (“he”) in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Daniel 3:3 tc The LXX and Theodotion lack the words “that Nebuchadnezzar had erected.”
- Daniel 3:4 tn According to BDB 1097 s.v. כָּרוֹז the Aramaic word used here is a Greek loanword, but other scholars have argued instead for a Persian derivation (HALOT 1902 s.v. *כָּרוֹז).
- Daniel 3:4 tn Aram “in strength.”
- Daniel 3:4 tn Aram “they are saying.”
- Daniel 3:5 sn The word zither (Aramaic קִיתָרוֹס [qitaros]), and the words for harp (Aramaic פְּסַנְתֵּרִין [pesanterin]) and pipes (Aramaic סוּמְפֹּנְיָה [sumponeyah]), are of Greek derivation. Though much has been made of this in terms of suggesting a date in the Hellenistic period for the writing of the book, it is not surprising that a few Greek cultural terms, all of them the names of musical instruments, should appear in this book. As a number of scholars have pointed out, the bigger surprise (if, in fact, the book is to be dated to the Hellenistic period) may be that there are so few Greek loanwords in Daniel.
- Daniel 3:5 tn The imperfect Aramaic verbs have here an injunctive nuance.
- Daniel 3:6 tn Aram “in that hour.”
- Daniel 3:7 tn Aram “all the peoples.”
- Daniel 3:7 tc Though not in the Aramaic text of BHS, this word appears in many medieval Hebrew mss, some LXX mss, and the Vulgate (cf. vv. 5, 10, 15).
- Daniel 3:8 tc This expression is absent in Theodotion.
- Daniel 3:8 tn Aram “men.”
- Daniel 3:8 tn Aram “ate the pieces of.” This is a rather vivid idiom for slander.
- Daniel 3:9 tn Aram “answered and said,” a common Aramaic idiom that occurs repeatedly in this chapter.
- Daniel 3:9 sn O king, live forever! is a comment of typical court courtesy that is not necessarily indicative of the real sentiments of the speaker. Ancient oriental court protocol could sometimes require a certain amount of hypocrisy.
- Daniel 3:12 sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or absence prompted by business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.
- Daniel 3:13 tn Aram “in anger and wrath”; NASB “in rage and anger.” The expression is a hendiadys.
- Daniel 3:13 tn The Aramaic infinitive is active.
- Daniel 3:13 tn Aram “these men.” The pronoun is used in the translation to avoid undue repetition.
- Daniel 3:15 tn Aram “hand,” as also in v. 17.
- Daniel 3:16 tc In the MT this word is understood to begin the following address (“answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar’”). However, it seems unlikely that Nebuchadnezzar’s subordinates would address the king in such a familiar way, particularly in light of the danger that they now found themselves in. The present translation implies moving the verse-dividing atnakh from “king” to “Nebuchadnezzar.”
- Daniel 3:16 tn Aram “to return a word to you.”
- Daniel 3:17 tc The ancient versions typically avoid the conditional element of v. 17.
- Daniel 3:17 tn The Aramaic expression used here is very difficult to interpret. The question concerns the meaning and syntax of אִיתַי (ʾitay, “is” or “exist”). There are several possibilities. (1) Some interpreters take this word closely with the participle later in the verse יָכִל (yakhil, “able”), understanding the two words to form a periphrastic construction (“if our God is…able”; cf. H. Bauer and P. Leander, Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen, 365, §111b). But the separation of the two elements from one another is not an argument in favor of this understanding. (2) Other interpreters take the first part of v. 17 to mean “If it is so, then our God will deliver us” (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB). However, the normal sense of ʾitay is existence; on this point see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 41, §95. The present translation maintains the sense of existence for the verb (“If our God…exists”), even though the statement is admittedly difficult to understand in this light. The statement may be an implicit reference back to Nebuchadnezzar’s comment in v. 15, which denies the existence of a god capable of delivering from the king’s power, thus their statement is rhetorically adapted to the perspective of the person they are addressing.
- Daniel 3:19 tn Aram “the appearance of his face was altered”; cf. NLT “his face became distorted with rage”; NAB “[his] face became livid with utter rage.”
- Daniel 3:19 tn Aram “he answered and said.”
- Daniel 3:20 tn This is sometimes taken as a comparative: “[some of the] strongest.”
- Daniel 3:21 sn There is a great deal of uncertainty with regard to the specific nature of these items of clothing.
- Daniel 3:21 tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
- Daniel 3:22 tn Aram “caused to go up.”
- Daniel 3:22 tn The Aramaic verb is active.
- Daniel 3:22 tn Aram “the flame of the fire” (so KJV, ASV, NASB); NRSV “the raging flames.”
- Daniel 3:23 tn Aram “into the midst of the furnace.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
- Daniel 3:23 sn The deuterocanonical writings known as The Prayer of Azariah and The Song of the Three present at this point a confession and petition for God’s forgiveness and a celebration of God’s grace for the three Jewish youths in the fiery furnace. Though not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel, these compositions do appear in the ancient Greek versions.
- Daniel 3:24 tn Aram “we threw…bound.”
- Daniel 3:24 tn Aram “into the midst of.”
- Daniel 3:25 sn The phrase like that of a god is in Aramaic “like that of a son of the gods.” Many patristic writers understood this phrase in a christological sense (i.e., “the Son of God”). But it should be remembered that these are words spoken by a pagan who is seeking to explain things from his own polytheistic frame of reference; for him the phrase “like a son of the gods” is equivalent to “like a divine being.” Despite the king’s description though, the fourth person probably was an angel who had come to deliver the three men, or was a theophany.
- Daniel 3:26 tn Aram “answered and said.”
- Daniel 3:26 tn Aram “from the midst of the fire.” For stylistic reasons the words “the midst of” have been left untranslated.
- Daniel 3:27 tn Aram “in their bodies.”
- Daniel 3:27 tn Aram “the fire did not have power.”
- Daniel 3:28 tn Aram “answered and said.”
- Daniel 3:28 sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).
- Daniel 3:28 tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”
- Daniel 3:28 tn Aram “so that they might not.”
- Daniel 3:29 tn Aram “from me is placed an edict.”
- Daniel 3:29 tn Aram “speaks negligence.”
- Daniel 3:30 tn Aram “and the king.” The proper name has been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
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