Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Read it in contextShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Accused
Start reading at Daniel 3:8 (Daniel 3:8 to Daniel 3:18).
An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
3:8Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.
3:9They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
3:10Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
3:11And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
3:12There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
3:13Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
3:14Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
3:15Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
3:16Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
3:17If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
3:18But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Study content, not yet reviewed.
Who
Who wrote the book? Daniel is the traditional author and the named recorder of the later visions. Jesus refers to Daniel the prophet; the date and compilation of the book are debated in historical scholarship. Biblical references: Daniel 7:1; Daniel 8:1; Daniel 12:4; Matthew 24:15. traditionally held
Who was present or being addressed in this passage? In the surrounding chapter context (Daniel 3:1–3:30): Nebuchadnezzar, the assembled officials, the accusers, and Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are involved in the image and furnace narrative. stated in the text
Who was the book written to? God's people living under foreign empires and later faithful readers seeking understanding. Within the stories, messages are also delivered to particular Babylonian and Persian rulers. Biblical references: Daniel 1:6; Daniel 4:1; Daniel 12:4. book background
What
What is the topic of this reading unit? Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Accused. Read Daniel 3:8 through Daniel 3:18 as a connected unit. interpretation
How does it contribute to the book? Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers. interpretation
When
When are the events or message set? The narratives and visions name rulers of Babylon and succeeding powers. Dates of visions and periods represented by symbols are different kinds of information. book background
Where
What is the book’s geographic setting? The narratives are set in exile under foreign rulers, while visions portray additional realms and future conflicts. book background
Where does the context start?
This passage sits in Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Accused (Daniel 3:8 to Daniel 3:18).
Start reading at Daniel 3:8. An editorial reading unit, not a claim that the surrounding context stops here. Book background below applies to the shared passage; individual verses may need more specific explanation.
How
How does this book connect with Jesus Christ? Jesus uses the title Son of man and refers to Daniel. The New Testament supplies connections to Daniel's visions; precise modern identifications and timetables still require careful argument. See Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 26:64. interpretation
How should this book guide our response? Remain faithful under pressure and reject confidence rooted in human power. Distinguish the book's supplied interpretations from later attempts to identify every symbol. interpretation
Cited: Daniel 3:8, Daniel 3:18, Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:15, Matthew 26:64
Who wrote it, and how we know
DanielNamed in Scripture
What Scripture saysLarge sections are written in the first person by Daniel, and Jesus refers to Daniel the prophet. Daniel 7:2Daniel 8:1Matthew 24:15
Early traditionJewish and Christian tradition names Daniel in the sixth century B.C.
What is debatedMany critical scholars date the book to the second century B.C. because of its detailed prophecy of that period. Jesus naming Daniel as a prophet is a significant argument for the traditional view.
Macro-Structure
See how this passage fits the chapter and the book.
Macro-Structure of Daniel 3
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Daniel places its narratives and visions in the setting of foreign empires and exile. The book itself supplies some interpretations of symbols; further timetables and modern identifications require separate argument and should be labeled accordingly. Local headings and stanza divisions are editorial reading aids adapted from public-domain BSB headings; verse boundaries and Scripture links use the KJV. Connections describe the surrounding book movement.
Connection to the wholeThis opening unit introduces the chapter’s movement. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
Connection to the wholeThis unit closes the chapter’s selected reading divisions. Dreams, deliverances, and judgments confront royal pride and show faithful witnesses living under successive rulers.
interpretation
Suggested literary divisions. Headings summarize the passage; they are not part of the biblical text.
Macro-Structure of Daniel
Prefilled outline, not yet reviewed.
Daniel places its narratives and visions in the setting of foreign empires and exile. The book itself supplies some interpretations of symbols; further timetables and modern identifications require separate argument and should be labeled accordingly.