On the basis of this consistent use, the translation a son of the gods is preferable and in keeping with Nebuchadnezzars comprehension at this point in his experience. Nebuchadnezzar at least respected the God of Israel, something which was quite untrue in the case of Antiochus Epiphanes.209 As recorded in the Word of God, it is characteristic of Gentile times that there will be tensions between obedience to God and obedience to men. It was similar in size to the region's palm trees. 201 Cf. smcas0247 options. This connotes slander or malicious accusation which devours the accused piece by piece. He appointed a king of his own choice there, received its heavy tribute and sent (them) to Babylon. 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. Nebuchadnezzar's golden image probably resembled an obelisk, 90-feet tall and 9-feet wide. Nebuchadnezzar apparently was seated in such a way as to be able to observe the interior of the furnace from a safe distance. But the main thrust of the passage is not an invented moral story which actually never happened, as critics infer, but rather a display of a God who is faithful to His people even in captivity and is ever ready to deliver those who put their trust in Him. The sheriffs were judges in a stricter sense of the term, that is, magistrates who gave a just sentence. {32} The head of the statue was made of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, {33} its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of brittle clay. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. Nebuchadnezzar not only recognizes the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego but now belatedly commends them for their trust in God even though it resulted in changing his word. 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). Plinys account of an all-gold image of Anaitis, which was looted by Antony, Hist, nat., xxxiii, 24.) And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. It also specifically restricts itself to the world around Israel, so skipping over empires in India, China and Mesoamerica. Although Nebuchadnezzar had tremendous wealth and could conceivably have erected this image of solid gold, it is probable that it was made of wood overlaid with gold as was customary. Although there is no clear proof that the fourth person in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was actually deity or an angelas all we have is Nebuchadnezzars conclusion on the basis of what he sawit may well be that the protector of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was Christ Himself appearing in the form of an angel. "This sojourn of Nabonidus in Arabia for 10 years is clearly the background of the story of Nebuchadnezzar in the wilderness," says Frahm. In the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem twice, but in the end, was exiled and forced to eat grass like an ox. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold - The time when he did this is not mentioned; nor is it stated in whose honor, or for what design, this colossal image was erected. "Nebuchadnezzar is one of those characters in the Bible for whom we have an enormous amount of data from non-biblical sources," says Eckart Frahm, a professor of Near Eastern languages and civilizations at Yale University. Undoubtedly there was resentment against these Jews who had been placed by Nebuchadnezzar in charge of the province of Babylon because they were of another race and of a captive people. Four fragments discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls contained what's now known as the Prayer of Nabonidus: Frahm says that the "exorcist" in the Nabonidus account is clearly Daniel, and it's easy to understand why the authors of Daniel would have substituted the "tyrant" Nebuchadnezzar in their retelling. This would not necessarily take very long, but it must have added a high note of tension to the entire situation as the multitude waited probably in dead silence. 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. 2 Then the king gave orders for all his officials to come togetherthe princes, governors, lieutenant governors, commissioners, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the other officials of the . The image was set up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. The expression Dura, as Leupold states, is a rather common name in Mesopotamia, being a name that is applicable to any place which is enclosed by a wall, and a number of locations bear this title as Keil points out.179 Both Keil and Young mention two possible locations which seem to be eliminated by being too far from Babylon. By that, we can safely assume that the statue could be visible. The flute was probably made of reeds with a sound similar to a fife. Theirs is the faith that says: Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him, Job 13:15.204. Particularly at the end of the Gentile period Israel will be in fiery affliction, but as Isaiah prophesied, But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. I'd forgotten that Daniel wasn't present with his friends when King Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the furnace. Therefore because the kings commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Nebuchadnezzar I was the most famous ruler of the Second Dynasty of Isin. They were willing to trust God even if He didn't save them, but in his amazing providence and care, He did save them. He set up the statue on the plain of Dura in the area of Babylon. It would be natural for Daniel, who may have written or at least edited this passage after the Persian government had come to power, to bring the various offices up-to-date by using current expressions. Nebuchadnezzar's Gold Statue King Nebuchadnezzar trained Daniel and his three friends for duty in the royal court. 189 R. D. Wilson, Biblical and Theological Studies, p. 296. Antiochus was attempting to destroy the Jewish religion, but this was not Nebuchadnezzars objective. He could not believe his eyes and in his excitement stood up and asked his counsellors whether the three men had not been cast bound into the midst of the fire. Actually, a slow fire would have been far more torture as Geoffrey King puts it, And then he lost his temper! You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. T. C. Mitchell and R. Joyce provide a table for all six instruments with their corresponding translations in nine different translations. I was afflicted [with an evil ulcer] for seven yearsand an exorcist pardoned my sins. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon. Page of 11 Next Page. In using the expression the most high God, Nebuchadnezzar was not disavowing his own deities but merely recognizing on the basis of the tremendous miracle which had been performed that the God of Israel was higher, hence the most high God.. "The rights of all idol worshippers will never truly be safe without the proper protections under federal law. Noe Falk Nielsen/NurPhoto via Getty Images, Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? Ten years later, Nebuchadnezzar returns and razes Solomon's temple to the ground. 16 iShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. Conservative scholarship is agreed that this is not part of the scriptural text, although it is possible that these men, godly as they were, might have expressed prayer in a similar way if time permitted. The text goes on to say that Nebuchadnezzar commanded all the leaders, magistrates and important personages of his kingdom to come to a special service for the idol. They ate and drank only healthy things and after training they were healthier than anyone else. 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. In the early 20th century, archaeologists excavating beneath the ruins of an ancient Babylonian palace found 14 vaulted rooms they first believed to be part of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon, but later figured out were part of a royal storehouse. Then they brought these men before the king. George III, seated on a balloon, points downwards with his sceptre to an image of Pitt (right) as a naked child, on a column which is inscribed 'Family Presumption'. The list of the officials gathered for the event has occasioned comment because some of them are Persian rather than Babylonian terms. Just as Nebuchadnezzar had acknowledged Daniels God at the conclusion of chapter 2, so here Nebuchadnezzar admitting the power of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego issues a decree in oriental style commemorating the event. Darius hurries to the lion's den the following day to see what happened to Daniel and learns to his astonishment that Daniel is . And most of us know who those kingdoms are, because in Daniel 2:38 God revealed that Nebuchadnezzar, representing Babylon, was that head of gold. 11.12.2021 . It was similar in size to the region's palm trees. Nebuchadnezzar (Nebuchadrezzar 1 ), son of Nabopolassar the Chaldean, was the Babylonian ruler who reigned over much of the civilized world in 604-562 BCE. There is no certainty, however, that there is a relationship between the destruction of Jerusalem and the erection of the image, although the general narrative and the fact that Daniel apparently is away would imply considerable passage of time. Then, chapter 3. 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