Daniel 3:15
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Now 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? | Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?” | Now 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 music, 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? |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedNebuchadnezzar gives Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego one more chance to bow to his golden image when the music plays. If they refuse, they will be thrown into the furnace at once. He ends with a challenge: what god could rescue them from his power? Daniel 3:13Daniel 3:14Daniel 3:15
SpeakingNebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who set up the golden image and is in a rage at the three men. Daniel 3:1Daniel 3:13Daniel 3:14
ToShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jews the king had set over the affairs of the province of Babylon. Certain Chaldeans had accused them of not serving the king's gods or worshipping the image. Daniel 3:8Daniel 3:12
The king repeats his decree as a personal ultimatum: bow and all is well, or be cast into the burning fiery furnace that same hour. His closing question mocks the idea that any god could save them. The three men answer that their God is able to deliver them, but even if he does not, they will not worship the image. Daniel 3:5Daniel 3:6Daniel 3:15Daniel 3:17Daniel 3:18
The plain of Dura in the province of Babylon, where the king set up the image and gathered the rulers of his provinces. Daniel 3:1Daniel 3:2
The eventsDuring the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, at the dedication of his golden image. The chapter does not give a year. The book's events run from about 605 BC to about 536 BC. Daniel 3:1Daniel 3:2Daniel overview
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote the book in the 500s BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date its final form to about 167-164 BC, under Antiochus IV, while others hold to the traditional date. Daniel overview
HereThe verse sets up the test at the heart of the chapter: will the three men obey the king or stay faithful to their God? It also poses the question the rest of the chapter answers: who can deliver from the king's hand? Daniel 3:15Daniel 3:17Daniel 3:18Daniel overview
In the whole of ScriptureThe king's question echoes earlier boasts in Scripture. Pharaoh asked, "Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice?" (Exodus 5:2), and an enemy of Hezekiah claimed no god could deliver "out of mine hand" (2 Kings 18:35; 2 Chronicles 32:15). In the end Nebuchadnezzar himself admits there is no other God that can deliver like this, which fits the book's theme that the most High rules in the kingdom of men. Exodus 5:22 Kings 18:352 Chronicles 32:15Daniel 3:28Daniel 3:29Daniel overview
For readersWhen a ruler demands worship that belongs to God alone, God's people must refuse, whatever the cost. The apostles said the same: "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29). Daniel 3:18Acts 5:29Daniel overview
- deliverשֵׁיזִב
The word means to deliver or rescue. The king's question uses it to mock, but the chapter ends with the king blessing the God who "delivered his servants" (3:28) and saying no other God "can deliver after this sort" (3:29). Strong's H7804Daniel 3:28Daniel 3:29
- handsיַד
The word means hand and also, figuratively, power. "My hands" is the king's claim that his power is final, much like the boast made against the God of Hezekiah that no god could deliver "out of mine hand." Strong's H30282 Chronicles 32:152 Chronicles 32:17
- worshipסְגִ֑ד
The word means to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship. Bowing to the image was the worship the three men refused to give anyone but their God. Strong's H5457Daniel 3:18Daniel 3:28
- hourשָׁעָה
The word means a brief time, a moment. The punishment would come immediately, as the original decree also said. Strong's H8160Daniel 3:6
Takeaway
Nebuchadnezzar asked what god could deliver from his hands, and the chapter gives the answer: the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Their faithfulness did not depend on knowing he would rescue them, but he was able to, and he did. Daniel 3:15Daniel 3:17Daniel 3:18Daniel 3:26Daniel 3:29
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Original Aramaic words
This passage was written in Aramaic, the common language of the Babylonian and Persian empires, which the Jews of the exile also spoke. It uses the same alphabet as Hebrew.
| English | Aramaic | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| now | כְּעַ֞ן | ke-'AN | H3705 | nowכְּעַן (ke.an) now, at this time, until now Aramaic equivalent: ke.e.net (כְּעֶ֫נֶת "now" H3706) |
| if | הֵ֧ן | hen | H2006A | ifהֵן (hen) behold, if, whether Aramaic of hen (הֵן "look!" H2005) |
| are you | אִֽיתֵיכ֣וֹן | 'i-tei-KHON | H0383 | there isאִיתַי (i.tay) 1) there is, there are 2) particle denoting existence |
| ready | עֲתִידִ֗ין | 'a-ti-DIN | H6263 | readyעֲתִיד (a.tid) ready, prepared Aramaic of a.tid (עָתִיד "ready" H6264) |
| that | דִּ֣י | di | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| at time the | בְעִדָּנָ֡א | ve-'i-da-NA' | H5732 | timeעִדָּן (id.dan) 1) time 1a) time (of duration) 1b) year |
| which | דִּֽי־ | di- | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| you will hear | תִשְׁמְע֡וּן | tish-me-'UN | H8086 | to hearשְׁמַע (she.ma) 1) to hear 1a) (P'al) to hear, have a sense of hearing 1b) (Ithpael) to show oneself obedient |
| [the] sound of | קָ֣ל | kal | H7032G | voice: soundקָל (qal) : sound voice, sound Aramaic of qol (קוֹל ": sound" H6963H) |
| horn the | קַרְנָ֣א | kar-NA' | H7162 | hornקֶ֫רֶן (qe.ren) 1) horn 1a) as musical instrument 1b) symbolic (in visions) 1c) of an animal |
| flute the | מַשְׁרוֹקִיתָ֣א | mash-ro-ki-TA' | H4953 | fluteמַשְׁרוֹקִי (mash.ro.qi) pipe |
| zither | קַתְר֣וֹס | ki-ta-ros | H7030 | lyreקַתָרֹס (qi.ta.ros) 1) a musical instrument 1a) probably the lyre or zither |
| trigon | שַׂבְּכָ֡א | sa-be-KHA' | H5443 | trigonשַׂבְּכָא (sab.b.kah) 1) trigon, musical instrument 1a) a triangular musical instrument with four strings, similar to a lyre |
| harp | פְּסַנְתֵּרִין֩ | pe-san-te-RIN | H6460 | psalteryפְּסַנְטֵרִין (pe.san.te.rin) 1) a stringed instrument (triangular) 1a) perhaps a lyre or a harp |
| and pipe | וְסוּמְפֹּ֨נְיָ֜ה | ve-su-me-PO-ne-YAH | H5481 | bagpipeסוּמְפּוֹנְיָה (sum.po.ne.yah) 1) a musical instrument, wind instrument, bagpipe, double pipe, panpipes 1a) perhaps dulcimer, panpipes |
| and all | וְכֹ֣ל׀ | ve-KHOL | H3606 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, whole, the whole 1a) the whole of, all 1b) every, any, none |
| the kinds of | זְנֵ֣י | ze-NEI | H2178 | kindזַן (zan) kind, sort Aramaic of zan (זַן "kind" H2177) |
| the music | זְמָרָ֗א | ze-ma-RA' | H2170 | musicזְמָר (ze.mar) instrumental music, music Aramaic of za.mar (זָמַר "to sing" H2167) |
| you will fall down | תִּפְּל֣וּן | ti-pe-LUN | H5308 | to fallנְפַל (ne.phal) 1) to fall 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to fall 1a2) to fall down |
| so you may pay homage | וְתִסְגְּדוּן֮ | ve-tis-ge-DUN | H5457 | to do homageסְגִ֑ד (se.gid) 1) to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship 1a) (P'al) to do homage |
| to image the | לְצַלְמָ֣א | le-tzal-MA' | H6755 | imageצְלֵם (tse.lem) image, idol Aramaic of tse.lem (צֶ֫לֶם "image" H6754) |
| which | דִֽי־ | di- | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| I have made | עַבְדֵת֒ | 'av-DET | H5648 | to makeעֲבַד (a.vad) 1) to make, do 1a)(P'al) 1a1) to make, create 1a2) to do, perform 1b) (Ithp'al) 1b1) to be made into 1b2) to be done, be wrought, be performed, be executed, be carried out |
| and if | וְהֵן֙ | ve-HEN | H2006A | ifהֵן (hen) behold, if, whether Aramaic of hen (הֵן "look!" H2005) |
| not | לָ֣א | la' | H3809 | notלָא (la) no, not, nothing Aramaic of lo (לֹא "not" H3808) |
| you will pay homage | תִסְגְּד֔וּן | tis-ge-DUN | H5457 | to do homageסְגִ֑ד (se.gid) 1) to prostrate oneself, do homage, worship 1a) (P'al) to do homage |
| moment the | שַׁעֲתָ֣ה | sha-'a-TAH' | H8160 | momentשָׁעָה (sha.ah) brief time, moment |
| you will be thrown | תִתְרְמ֔וֹן | tit-re-MON | H7412 | to castרְמָא (re.mah) 1) to cast, throw 1a) (P'al) 1a1) to cast 1a2) to throw 1a2a) of tribute (fig) 1b) (Peil) 1b1) to be cast 1b2) to be placed, be set 1c) (Ithp'el) to be cast |
| to [the] midst of | לְגֽוֹא־ | le-goy'- | H1459 | midstגַּו (gav) midst, the midst Aramaic of gev (גֵּו "midst" H1460B) |
| [the] furnace of | אַתּ֥וּן | 'a-TUN | H0861 | furnaceאַתּוּן (at.tun) furnace |
| fire the | נוּרָ֖א | nu-RA' | H5135 | fireנוּר (nur) fire |
| the burning | יָקִֽדְתָּ֑א | ya-kid-TA' | H3345 | to burnיְקַד (ye.qad) (P'al) to burn Aramaic of ya.qad (יָקַד "to burn" H3344) |
| and who? | וּמַן־ | u-man- | H4479 | who?מָן (man) who?, what?, whoever, whosoever Aramaic of mah (מָה "what?" H4100) |
| he | ה֣וּא | hu' | H1932 | he/she/itהוּא (hu) 1) he, she, it 1a) (emphasising and resuming subject) 1b)(anticipating subj) 1c) as demons pron 1d) (relative) 1e) (affirming existence) |
| [is the] god | אֱלָ֔הּ | 'e-LAH | H0426 | godאֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel) |
| who | דֵּ֥י | dei | H1768 | thatדִּי (di) part of relation 1) who, which, that mark of genitive 2) that of, which belongs to, that conj 3) that, because |
| he will deliver you | יְשֵֽׁיזְבִנְכ֖וֹן | ye-shei-ze-vin-KHON | H7804 | to rescueשֵׁיזִב (she.zav) (Peel or Peil) to deliver Aramaic of shuv (שׁוּב ": return" H7725) |
| from | מִן־ | min- | H4481 | fromמִן־ (min) 1) from, out of, by, by reason of, at, more than 1a) from, out of (of place) 1b) from, by, as a result of, by reason of, at, according to, (of source) 1c) from (of time) 1d) beyond, more than (in comparisons) |
| hands my | יְדָֽי׃ | ye-DAI | H3028 | handיַד (yad) 1) hand 2) power (fig.) |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.