Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
These names are the Babylonian names given to Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, respectively. The renaming signifies the attempt of the Babylonian empire to assimilate these Jewish men into their culture, stripping them of their Hebrew identity. Historically, this reflects the broader context of the Babylonian Exile, where the Jewish people were taken captive and faced pressures to conform to foreign customs and religions. The steadfastness of these men in retaining their faith despite their new identities is a testament to their unwavering commitment to God.

replied to the king
The act of replying to King Nebuchadnezzar, a powerful and often tyrannical ruler, demonstrates remarkable courage. In the ancient Near Eastern context, kings were seen as absolute authorities, often considered divine or semi-divine. The boldness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in addressing the king directly highlights their faith and conviction, prioritizing their allegiance to God over their fear of earthly power.

O Nebuchadnezzar
Addressing the king by name, rather than using a title of reverence, indicates a level of familiarity and perhaps a subtle challenge to his authority. This approach underscores their respect for the king as a ruler but also their recognition of a higher divine authority. It reflects the biblical theme of God's sovereignty over earthly rulers, a recurring motif throughout the Book of Daniel.

we have no need to answer you
This phrase signifies their confidence and assurance in their faith. The Hebrew root here conveys a sense of not being obligated or compelled to justify their actions to the king. It reflects a deep trust in God's will and protection, emphasizing that their ultimate accountability is to God, not to human authority. This statement is a powerful declaration of faith, illustrating the principle that true believers are called to stand firm in their convictions, regardless of external pressures.

in this matter
The "matter" refers to the king's demand for them to worship the golden image he had set up. This phrase encapsulates the central conflict of the narrative: the choice between idolatry and fidelity to God. Historically, idol worship was a common practice in Babylon, and refusal to participate was not only a religious defiance but also a political rebellion. The steadfastness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego serves as an inspirational example of faithfulness, encouraging believers to remain true to their convictions even when faced with severe consequences.

(16) O Nebuchadnezzar.--They mention the king by name, so as to make their address correspond with his (Daniel 3:14). His attention would in this way be directed to the strong antithesis between his statement (Daniel 3:15) and theirs (Daniel 3:17). Great though the distinction was between king and subject in such a country as Babylon, yet that distinction was lost when any collision occurred between duty to Jehovah and obedience to a royal edict.

We are not careful.--More correctly, as translated by Theodotion, We have no need--i.e., it is needless for us to give any reply.

Verses 16-18. - Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If 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. But 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. The Septuagint Version differs in several slight points from the Massoretic. "And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the King Nebuchadnezzar, O king, we have no need to answer thee in regard to this command, for our God in the heavens is one Lord, whom we fear, who is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and will deliver us out of thy hands, and then it shall be manifest to thee that we neither serve thy gods, nor the golden image which thou hast set up do we worship." In this version we see the sixteenth verse agrees with the Massoretic: in the next verses there are considerable differences. The Septuagint translator seems to have read some part of דתל (dehal) instead of פלחין (paleheen). We cannot be certain that Κύριος represents יהוה, here, from the fact that the mannerism of the translator expresses itself in a preference for rendering אלהים by Κύριος. The Septuagint has τῶν χειρῶν instead of τῆς χειρός. Not improbably the original was dual, but the dual had practically disappeared from Hellenistic Greek. There seems a reference to the creed of the Jew (Deuteronomy 6:4) and to Psalm 115:3; speaking of God as "God of heaven" occurs in the previous chapter, ver. 18, and in ver. 28 Daniel speaks of his God as "in the heaven." However suitable, the first portion is yet to be put aside as an addition. The second portion of this differing clause occurs in Theodotion, and of it we shall shortly speak. There are several other less important differences over which we need not delay. Theodotion has, like the Septuagint, ἐν οὐρανοῖς, and like the Septuagint has the enclitic connection γὰρ, instead of the somewhat abrupt connection of the Massoretic, although the phrase, "in the heavens," has thus the support of the two. The Peshitta Version has to some extent resulted from the abrupt beginning to the seventeenth verse as it appears in the Massoretic. The Peshitta renders the opening clause, "our Lord is merciful." As in the Septuagint, so in the Peshitta, the word פִתְגַם (pith'gam) is taken as meaning "decree;" but miltha precedes it, which must be rendered, "matter of the decree." Otherwise there is nothing worthy of notice in the Peshitta Version of these verses. Jerome begins the seventeenth verse with "ecce entre," which is not so much a difference of reading from the Massoretic as a difference of rendering from the Authorized. It is clear that the Massoretic punctuation implies something awanting. הֵן in Biblical Aramaic means "if," and איתי "it is," that is, "if it be." One feels inclined to think that, suppressed, there was some statement equivalent to "if it be his good pleasure," thus manifesting a readiness to submit to God's will. According to the Massoretic, what follows asserts merely the ability of Jehovah, "our God whom we worship," to deliver his servants from the burning fiery furnace, and even from the hand of the great king himself; but there is no assertion that he will deliver them. The Septuagint Version presents a different aspect, as also Theodotion and the Peshitta. The mental attitude of the Massoretic is very different from the mood of later times. The versions, save Jerome, declare that God wilt deliver them out of the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. If they had received this assurance from God, there was in a sense less of witness-bearing to God than if they had not. The text of the Massoretic is here to be preferred. It is implied also in the meaning of the following verse. Even if God did not deliver them, still their determination is fixed - they will not worship the gods of the king, nor will they worship the golden image he has set up. It sometimes seems as if, even in our own day, we should be the better for the advent of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. There is still a demand that the people of God worship the golden image in the shape of wealth. The ministers of God are, we are told, not to denounce the wrongs of the world, lest the rich be offended. Wealth is not the only form of the golden image which men may be called upon to worship; the breath of popular applause may call them to denounce employers of labour unjustly on penalty of being dismissed or held up to reprobation. It is not the side that is important, but the motive; the cause of the poor may be pleaded as unjustly as that of the rich.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Shadrach,
שַׁדְרַ֤ךְ (šaḏ·raḵ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 7715: Shadrach -- Babylonian name of one of Daniel's companions

Meshach,
מֵישַׁךְ֙ (mê·šaḵ)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 4336: Meshach -- a Babylonian name

and Abednego
נְג֔וֹ (nə·ḡōw)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5665: Abed-nego -- 'servant of Nebo', Babylonian name of one of Daniel's companions

replied
עֲנ֗וֹ (‘ă·nōw)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 6032: To answer

to the king,
לְמַלְכָּ֑א (lə·mal·kā)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine singular determinate
Strong's 4430: A king

“O Nebuchadnezzar,
נְבֽוּכַדְנֶצַּ֔ר (nə·ḇū·ḵaḏ·neṣ·ṣar)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 5020: Nebuchadnezzar -- a Babylonian king

we
אֲנַ֧חְנָה (’ă·naḥ·nāh)
Pronoun - first person common plural
Strong's 586: We

have
לָֽא־ (lā-)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3809: Not, no

no need
חַשְׁחִ֨ין (ḥaš·ḥîn)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine plural
Strong's 2818: To be necessary, to need

to answer you
לַהֲתָבוּתָֽךְ׃ (la·hă·ṯā·ḇū·ṯāḵ)
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8421: To return

in
עַל־ (‘al-)
Preposition
Strong's 5922: Above, over, upon, against

this
דְּנָ֛ה (də·nāh)
Pronoun - masculine singular
Strong's 1836: This

matter.
פִּתְגָ֖ם (piṯ·ḡām)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 6600: A word, answer, letter, decree


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OT Prophets: Daniel 3:16 Shadrach Meshach and Abednego answered the king (Dan. Da Dn)