5665. Abed Nego
Lexical Summary
Abed Nego: Abed-nego

Original Word: עֲבֵד נְגוֹא
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: `Abed Ngow'
Pronunciation: ah-BED NEH-go
Phonetic Spelling: (ab-ade' neg-o')
KJV: Abed-nego
NASB: Abed-nego
Word Origin: [(Aramaic) of foreign origin]

1. Abed-Nego, the name of Azariah

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Abed-nego

(Aramaic) of foreign origin; Abed-Nego, the name of Azariah -- Abed-nego.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
(Aramaic) of foreign origin
Definition
"servant of Nebo," Bab. name of one of Daniel's companions
NASB Translation
Abed-nego (14).

Brown-Driver-Briggs
עֲבֵד נְגוֺ proper name, masculine comrade of Daniel (Biblical Hebrew id.); — Daniel 2:49; Daniel 3:12 10t. 3, +עֲבֵד נְגוֺא Daniel 3:29; = עֲזַרְיָה Daniel 2:17.

Topical Lexicon
Name and Identity

Abed-Nego (עֲבֵד נְגוֹא, servant of Nego/Nebo) is one of the three Judean exiles whom Babylonian officials renamed in their attempt to assimilate the young captives taken with Jehoiakim in 605 B.C. Along with Shadrach and Meshach, Abed-Nego is consistently linked to Daniel (Belteshazzar) as the LORD preserved a faithful remnant within Nebuchadnezzar’s court.

Occurrences in Scripture

The name appears fourteen times, all in Daniel 2–3:
Daniel 2:49
Daniel 3:12, 3:13, 3:14, 3:16, 3:19, 3:20, 3:22, 3:23, 3:26 a, 3:26 b, 3:28, 3:29, 3:30

Historical Setting

Nebuchadnezzar’s first deportation uprooted Jerusalem’s nobility, placing them in a polytheistic environment devoted to political power and pagan worship. The king’s renaming strategy reflected an imperial claim over their identities, yet the narrative repeatedly calls Abed-Nego and his companions “Jews,” underlining their enduring covenantal identity.

Faith under Trial

The climax of Abed-Nego’s account is the fiery furnace narrative. Summoned before the king for refusing to bow to the golden image, the three reply, “If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:17–18). Abed-Nego embodies uncompromising loyalty to the LORD, trusting divine sovereignty regardless of outcome.

Divine Deliverance and Witness

Nebuchadnezzar observes “four men, unbound and unharmed” (Daniel 3:25). The miraculous preservation of Abed-Nego and his companions serves three purposes:

1. Vindication of Yahweh before the nations.
2. Confirmation that faithfulness is possible in exile.
3. Foreshadowing ultimate deliverance in Messiah, the One who is present “like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25).

Prophetic and Typological Significance

The furnace ordeal anticipates eschatological themes: persecution of the saints, divine presence amid tribulation, and the eventual confession of pagan rulers. Nebuchadnezzar’s decree—“There is no other god who can deliver like this” (Daniel 3:29)—prefigures the universal acknowledgment of the LORD proclaimed by prophets such as Isaiah 45:22–23.

Ministry Lessons

• Conscience above compliance: Civil service can be rendered without moral compromise (compare Romans 13:1 with Acts 5:29).
• Corporate courage: The steadfastness of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego is portrayed collectively; fellowship strengthens resolve.
• God-honoring promotion: “Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego in the province of Babylon” (Daniel 3:30). Advancement follows faithfulness, not capitulation.

Intertextual Echoes

Later biblical writers allude to furnace imagery (Isaiah 48:10; 1 Peter 1:7) and to divine companionship in trials (Hebrews 13:5). Abed-Nego’s experience provides the narrative backdrop for these exhortations.

Theological Implications

The narrative reinforces three doctrines:

1. God’s sovereignty over rulers (Proverbs 21:1).
2. The immutability of His covenant with Israel despite exile (Jeremiah 29:11).
3. The presence of the pre-incarnate Christ with His people, assuring future incarnation fulfillment (John 1:14).

Legacy in Christian Tradition

Early church fathers cited the three Hebrews as models during Roman persecutions. Hymns and liturgies of both East and West celebrate “the children of the furnace” during feast days, linking their song in the flames to the Church’s doxology amid suffering.

Applications for the Church Today

Abed-Nego calls believers to:
• Resist cultural conformity that violates biblical mandates.
• Trust God’s power and goodness whether deliverance is immediate or deferred (Hebrews 11:34–35).
• Bear witness that the LORD alone deserves worship, anticipating the day “every knee will bow” (Philippians 2:10).

Forms and Transliterations
נְג֑וֹ נְג֔וֹ נְג֔וֹא נְג֖וֹ נְג֛וֹ נגו נגוא nə·ḡō·w nə·ḡōw neGo nəḡōw
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Daniel 2:49
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ וְדָנִיֵּ֖אל בִּתְרַ֥ע
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego over
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, over
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego Daniel court

Daniel 3:12
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ גֻּבְרַיָּ֣א אִלֵּ֗ךְ
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego. These
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego; these
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego men These

Daniel 3:13
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ בֵּאדַ֙יִן֙ גֻּבְרַיָּ֣א
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego; then
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego. Then
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego then men

Daniel 3:14
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ לֵֽאלָהַ֗י לָ֤א
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego, that you do
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, do not
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego my gods not

Daniel 3:16
HEB: מֵישַׁךְ֙ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֔וֹ וְאָמְרִ֖ין לְמַלְכָּ֑א
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego replied
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, answered
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego and said to the king

Daniel 3:19
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ עָנֵ֤ה וְאָמַר֙
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego. He answered
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego: [therefore] he spake,
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego answered giving

Daniel 3:20
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ לְמִרְמֵ֕א לְאַתּ֥וּן
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego in order to cast
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, [and] to cast
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego to cast the furnace

Daniel 3:22
HEB: מֵישַׁךְ֙ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֔וֹ קַטִּ֣ל הִמּ֔וֹן
NAS: up Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego.
KJV: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego slew them

Daniel 3:23
HEB: מֵישַׁ֖ךְ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֑וֹ נְפַ֛לוּ לְגֽוֹא־
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego, fell
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, fell down
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego fell the midst

Daniel 3:26
HEB: מֵישַׁ֧ךְ וַעֲבֵד־ נְג֛וֹ עַבְד֛וֹהִי דִּֽי־
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego, come
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego servants forasmuch

Daniel 3:26
HEB: מֵישַׁ֛ךְ וַעֲבֵ֥ד נְג֖וֹ מִן־ גּ֥וֹא
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego came
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, came forth
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego of of the midst

Daniel 3:28
HEB: מֵישַׁךְ֙ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֔וֹ דִּֽי־ שְׁלַ֤ח
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego, who
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent
INT: of Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego who has sent

Daniel 3:29
HEB: מֵישַׁךְ֙ וַעֲבֵ֣ד נְג֔וֹא הַדָּמִ֣ין יִתְעֲבֵ֔ד
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego shall be torn
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut
INT: of Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego limb shall be torn

Daniel 3:30
HEB: מֵישַׁ֛ךְ וַעֲבֵ֥ד נְג֖וֹ בִּמְדִינַ֥ת בָּבֶֽל׃
NAS: Meshach and Abed-nego to prosper
KJV: Meshach, and Abednego, in the province
INT: Shadrach Meshach and Abed-nego the province of Babylon

14 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 5665
14 Occurrences


nə·ḡōw — 14 Occ.

5664
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