Daniel 3.12-Envious Babylonian Officials Accuse Shadrach, Meshach And Abednego Of Disobeying Nebuchadnezzar's Command To Worship The Gold Statue
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday June 14, 2012
Daniel: Daniel 3:12-Envious Babylonian Officials Accuse Shadrach, Meshach And Abednego Of Disobeying Nebuchadnezzar’s Command To Worship The Gold Statue
Lesson # 87
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 3:1.
This evening we will study Daniel 3:12.
Daniel 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent word to assemble the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 3 Then the satraps, the prefects and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates and all the rulers of the provinces were assembled for the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. 4 Then the herald loudly proclaimed: “To you the command is given, O peoples, nations and men of every language, 5 that at the moment you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, you are to fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. 6 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall immediately be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire.” 7 Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations and men of every language fell down and worshiped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. 8 For this reason at that time certain Chaldeans came forward and brought charges against the Jews. 9 They responded and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: “O king, live forever! 10 You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe and all kinds of music, is to fall down and worship the golden image. 11 But whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a furnace of blazing fire. 12 There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego. These men, O king, have disregarded you; they do not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up.” (NASB95)
“There are certain Jews” is composed of the particle of existence ʾî∙ṯǎy (אִיתַי) (ee-thah´ee), “there is” and this is followed by the masculine plural form of the noun geḇǎr (גְּבַר) (gheb-ar´), “certain” which is modifying the masculine plural ethnic noun yehû∙ḏāy (יְהוּדָי) (yeh-hoo-day), “Jews.”
In Daniel 3:12, Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is employing the figure of “asyndeton.”
The Holy Spirit through Daniel uses this figure because He wants the reader to dwell or meditate upon this statement in order that they may comprehend the implication of these charges, namely, it will result in the death of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
The particle ʾî∙ṯǎy indicates the existence of something and denotes certain Jews “existing in the state of being” disrespectful of Nebuchadnezzar and who don’t serve his god, i.e. they didn’t worship the golden statue he erected of himself.
The proper name yehû∙ḏā(h), “the Jews” is referring to those members of the human race who are descendants racially of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and members of the nation of Israel and thus, denotes nationality distinguishing the Jew from the Gentile and specifically, from the Babylonians, i.e. Chaldeans.
This noun is modified by the noun geḇǎr, which means “certain men” and is referring to certain Jewish men who are identified by these dignitaries as being Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
“Whom you have appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon” is a causal clause since the conjunction dî is a marker of cause meaning that it is introducing a statement which presents the reason why Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego did not show respect for Nebuchadnezzar by refusing to worship the golden statue he erected of himself.
The word introduces a statement which reminds the king that he appointed these three over the administration of the province of Babylon.
This indicates that this appointment was the reason why they did not show proper respect for the king and didn’t worship the golden statue.
The implication is that their promotion went to their heads and caused them to be arrogant in thinking that it was beneath them to worship the golden statue the king erected of himself.
The English translations interpret dî at this point in Daniel 3:12 as functioning as a relative pronoun and translate it “whom” (NET, ESV, NASB95, NIV).
However, this would serve to make the statement here redundant since the pronominal suffix him∙mô, “them” is the direct object of the verb menā(h).
This would literally make the sentence read: “There are certain Jewish men whom you assigned them over the administration of the province of the city of Babylon.”
This is why the translations omit him∙mô, “them” from the translation.
“You have appointed” is composed of the third person masculine singular paʿʿel (Hebrew: piel) active perfect form of the verb menā(h) (מְנָה) (men-aw´), “you have appointed” which is followed by the particle yāṯ (יָת) (yath), which is marking the third person masculine plural pronominal suffix him∙mô (הִמֹּו) (him-mo´) as the direct object of the verb menā(h) and is not translated.
The verb menā(h) means “to assign” in the sense of appointing someone to a particular duty or task and refers to Nebuchadnezzar “assigning” to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego the duty or task of administrating over the province of the city of Babylon.
The pronominal suffix him∙mô means “them” and is a marker of relative reference referring again to certain Jewish men who are identified as Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
“Over the administration of the province of Babylon” is composed of the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al), “on” and its object is the feminine singular noun ʿǎḇî∙ḏā(h) (עֲבִידָה) (ab-ee-daw´), “the administration” which is followed by the feminine singular construct form of the noun meḏî∙nā(h) (מְדִינָה) (med-ee-naw´), “the province of” and then we have the feminine singular proper noun bā∙ḇěl (בָּבֶל) (baw-bel´), “Babylon.”
The noun ʿǎḇî∙ḏā(h) refers to the administration of a governmental region and denotes the “administration” of the province of the city of Babylon.
It speaks of the performance of executive duties over the province of the city of Babylon by Daniel’s three friends.
The noun meḏî∙nā(h) means “province” referring to a governmental administrative district and here it refers to the province of the city of Babylon.
This word is the object of the preposition ʿǎl, which is a marker of authority meaning that Daniel requested that Nebuchadnezzar appoint his three friends the administration “over” the entire province of the city of Babylon.
The proper noun bā∙ḇěl refers to the province of Babylon as indicated by the noun meḏî∙nā(h), “province,” which is modifying it.
The Babylonian empire was divided into provinces or satrapies, of which Babylon was one.
Thus, this proper noun refers to the province of the city of Babylon.
“These men, O king, have disregarded you” is composed of the masculine plural form of the noun geḇǎr (גְּבַר) (gheb-ar´), “men” which is modified by the plural demonstrative pronoun ʾil∙lēḵ (אִלֵּךְ) (il-lake´), “these” and then we have the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), which is negating the meaning of the third person masculine plural peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active perfect form of the verb śîm (שִׂים) (soom), “have disregarding” which is followed by the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al) and its object is the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix -ḵ (־ךְ), “you” and then we have the masculine singular form of the noun mě∙lěḵ (מֶלֶךְ) (meh´-lek), “O king” and this is followed by the masculine singular noun ṭeʿēm (טְעֵם) (teh-ame´), which is not translated.
The noun geḇǎr is in the plural and means “men,” i.e. a human adult male and is a reference of course to Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
The plural demonstrative pronoun ʾil∙lēḵ is modifying this word and is anaphoric pointing back to this noun.
This verb śîm means “to show regard for, to show respect” and is used with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as its subject and Nebuchadnezzar as its object.
The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the negative particle lā(ʾ), which means “absolutely no” since it functions as a marker of emphatic negation.
Thus, the verb denotes that these dignitaries were accusing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as “having absolutely no respect” for Nebuchadnezzar’s command to worship the gold statue of himself.
The noun ṭeʿēm means “a command” and refers of course to the command Nebuchadnezzar issued to the various dignitaries throughout his kingdom to bow down and worship the gold statue which he constructed of himself and failure to do so will result in the death penalty.
The word is modified by the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix -ḵ and is a reference or course to Nebuchadnezzar.
It is the object of the preposition ʿǎl, which functions as a marker of advantage indicating that the dignitaries are accusing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego of not showing proper respect “for” the king’s command.
At this point in Daniel 3:12, Daniel under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is once again employing the figure of “asyndeton.”
The Holy Spirit through Daniel uses this figure because He wants the reader to dwell or meditate upon this statement in order that they may comprehend the implication of this charge, namely, it will result in the death of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego.
It is designed to dwell upon the conviction and courageousness and loyalty to the Lord of these three so as to inspire the reader to follow their example.
“They do not serve your gods” is composed of the preposition lĕ (לְ) (leh) which is not translated and its object is the masculine plural noun ʾělāh (אֱלָהּ) (el-aw´), “gods” which is modified by the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix -ḵ (־ךְ), “your” and then we have the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), “not,” which is negating the meaning of the masculine plural peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb pelǎḥ (פְּלַח) (pel-akh´), “they do serve.”
The verb pelǎḥ means “to serve deity” implying submission and thus giving honor and worship.
The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the negative particle lā(ʾ), which means “by no means” since it functions as a marker of emphatic negation.
Thus, these two words denote that these dignitaries were accusing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as “by no means serving” Nebuchadnezzar’s god.
The noun ʾělāh means “god” since it refers to the gold statue that Nebuchadnezzar erected of himself.
Though the word is in the plural, it is used by the dignitaries in their accusation against Daniel’s friends to describe this gold statue as one of the king’s many gods.
This is indicated by the fact that the first statement “these men have absolutely no respect for your command O king” is referred to in the third statement “that is, by no means do they worship the gold statue which you erected.”
Thus, the noun ʾělāh means “god” rather than “gods” referring to the gold statue since it is found in a statement couched between two statements that are both referencing the king’s command to worship the gold statue.
“Or worship the golden image which you have set up” is composed of the conjunction wa (וְ) (waw), “or” which is followed by the preposition lĕ (לְ) (leh) which is not translated and its object is the masculine singular form of the noun ṣelēm (צְלֵם) (tseh´-lem), “the image” which is modified by the masculine singular noun dehǎḇ (דְּהַב) (deh-hab´), “gold” and then we have the particle dî (דִּי) (dee), “which” and this is followed by the second person masculine singular hafʿel (Hebrew: hiphil) active perfect form of the verb qûm (קוּם) (koom), “set up” which is followed by the negative particle lā(ʾ) (לָא) (law), “not,” which is negating the meaning of the masculine plural peʿal (Hebrew: qal) active participle form of the verb seḡiḏ (סְגִד) (seg-eed´), “worship.”
The verb seḡiḏ means “to worship” referring to the act of committing idolatry.
The word’s meaning is emphatically negated by the negative particle lā(ʾ), which means “by no means” since it functions as a marker of emphatic negation.
Thus, these two words denote that these dignitaries were accusing Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego as “by no means worshipping” the golden statue of Nebuchadnezzar, which he erected.
Daniel 3:12 “There are certain Jewish men, because you assigned them the administration over the province of the city of Babylon-Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, these men have absolutely no respect for your command O king. By no means do they serve your god, that is, by no means do they worship the gold statue which you erected.” (My translation)
In Daniel 3:12, we have one charge and not three which is directed at Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego by certain unidentified dignitaries in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.
Namely, they disobeyed the king’s command, which they describe as refusing to worship his god and refusing to worship the gold statue he erected.
This indicated by the fact that the noun ʾělāh in the statement “by no means do they serve your god” refers to the gold statue that Nebuchadnezzar erected of himself.
Though the word is in the plural, it is used by the dignitaries in their accusation against Daniel’s friends to describe this gold statue as one of the king’s many gods.
This is indicated by the fact that the first statement “these men have absolutely no respect for your command O king” is referred to in the third statement “that is, by no means do they worship the gold statue which you erected.”
Thus, the noun ʾělāh means “god” rather than “gods” since it is found in a statement couched between two statements that are both referencing the king’s command to worship the gold statue.
Therefore, the dignitaries are viewing this gold statue as another one of Nebuchadnezzar’s gods when in reality it is statue of himself.
In Daniel 3:12, these envious dignitaries remind Nebuchadnezzar that he appointed these three over the administration of the province of Babylon.
They are saying that this appointment was the reason why they did not show proper respect for the king and didn’t worship the golden statue.
The implication is that their promotion went to their heads and caused them to be arrogant in thinking that it was beneath them to worship the gods of the king and the golden statue the king erected of himself.
They were implying that the king was at fault for the insubordination of these three.
Their statement is a rebuke to the king himself since they are telling him it was because he promoted these three to such high positions that they became arrogant and were insubordinate to him.
They got away with the rebuke because they were pretending to be looking out for the king’s interests when in reality they were seeking to destroy Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego because they were envious of their promotion over them.
They also got away with this rebuke because they could substantiate the charges since they knew that these three would not disobey their God and worship idols and would be willing to die for their loyalty to their God when confronted by the king.
They were proven right about these three according to Daniel 3:16-18.
This charge that is leveled against Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego is the truth of course and not a lie.
It was certainly not a crime or a sin since God forbids idolatry.