Daniel 3:10 kjv
Thou, 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:
Daniel 3:10 nkjv
You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image;
Daniel 3:10 niv
Your Majesty has issued a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe and all kinds of music must fall down and worship the image of gold,
Daniel 3:10 esv
You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who hears the sound of the horn, pipe, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and every kind of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image.
Daniel 3:10 nlt
You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments.
Daniel 3 10 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Daniel 3:5 | "whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, kithara, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up." | Fulfillment of previous command |
| Daniel 3:7 | "Therefore, as soon as all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, kithara, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, nations, and languages fell down and worshiped the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up." | Immediate obedience to decree |
| Exodus 20:4 | "You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below." | Prohibition against idolatry |
| Deuteronomy 4:19 | "And beware, lest you raise your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars, all the host of heaven, and you be drawn away and worship them and serve them, those that the LORD your God has allotted to all the peoples under the whole heaven." | Warning against worshipping heavenly bodies |
| Isaiah 44:17 | "And the rest he used to make a god, his idol; he falls down to it, he worships it, he prays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god.”" | Description of idolatrous worship |
| Psalm 96:14 | "Send justice to the nations. Let the peoples, the tribes, the families, and the nations give thanks to the LORD!" | Call for true worship |
| Acts 17:29 | "Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image carved by art and human thought." | Denunciation of idol worship |
| Revelation 13:14 | "and by the signs that it is allowed to work in the presence of the beast it deceives the inhabitants of the earth, telling them to make an image for the beast that was wounded by the sword and yet lived." | Parallel to false worship |
| Revelation 14:7 | "and saying in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come, and worship him who made heaven and earth, the sea and the springs of water.”" | True worship of God as Creator |
| Jeremiah 51:17 | "Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his molded images are false, and there is no breath in them." | Falsity of idols |
| 1 Corinthians 10:14 | "Therefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry." | Exhortation against idolatry |
| John 4:24 | "God is a Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”" | Nature of true worship |
| Leviticus 19:4 | "You shall not turn to idols or make for yourselves liquid gods: I am the LORD your God." | Command against idols |
| Deuteronomy 6:5 | "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." | Exclusive devotion to God |
| Matthew 4:10 | "Then Jesus said to him, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’”" | Jesus quotes command against false worship |
| Daniel 6:7 | "Indeed, all the high officials of the kingdom, the prefects and the satraps, the counselors and the governors, have agreed together to establish a royal statute and to make a strong decree, that whoever petitions any god or man for thirty days, except you, O king, shall be thrown into the den of lions." | Decree demanding exclusive worship |
| Psalm 115:4 | "Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands." | Nature of idols |
| 1 Samuel 15:23 | "For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and | |
| trespass is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has also rejected you from being king." | Idolatry as rebellion | |
| Isaiah 2:8 | "Their land is also full of idols; they bow down to the work of their hands, to what their own fingers have made." | Idolatry in Judah |
| Jeremiah 10:3-5 | "Thus says the LORD: Learn not the way of the nations, nor be dismayed at the signs of the heavens, although the nations are dismayed at them, for the customs of the peoples are vain. He cuts timber from the forest, the work of the hands of a craftsman, with his axe. He decorates it with silver and with gold; he fastens it with hammer and nails so that it cannot move. Their idols are like scarecrows in a field of cucumbers, they cannot speak; they have to be carried, for they cannot walk. Do not fear them, for they do no harm, nor can they do any good.”" | Idolatry described |
| Acts 19:26 | "You see and hear that this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people not only in Ephesus but in almost all the province of Asia, telling them that gods made with hands are not gods." | Against idols |
Daniel 3 verses
Daniel 3 10 Meaning
Daniel 3:10 states that King Nebuchadnezzar made an image of gold and commanded that all the people of the realm should fall down and worship it. This verse establishes the decree and the king's authority.
Daniel 3 10 Context
King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the Babylonian empire, had a dream (Chapter 2) of a great image representing successive world kingdoms, with Babylon being the head of gold. This dream, along with its interpretation by Daniel, revealed God's sovereign hand over human history. Subsequently, Nebuchadnezzar erected a massive golden image, reflecting his pride and his desire for all to worship this symbol of his kingdom's preeminence and his own glory. This action, while ostensibly a political statement of unity and loyalty, directly challenged the Jews' monotheistic faith and their covenant relationship with Yahweh.
Daniel 3 10 Word Analysis
- Beltshazzar (Daniel): This is the Babylonian name given to Daniel, highlighting his subjugation and assimilation into the Babylonian system, even while he retained his faithfulness to God.
- The King (melech): Refers to Nebuchadnezzar, the powerful monarch of Babylon.
- Promulgated (tsavah): This verb signifies an official decree or command issued by an authority, indicating the king's absolute authority.
- Statute (taqqiphtah): Denotes an ordinance, decree, or established law, reinforcing the mandatory nature of the king's command.
- Word (yada'): signifies not just spoken words but also a pronouncement or law.
- image (temuna): this Hebrew word can mean form, shape, likeness, or figure.
- gold (din-par): refers to the precious metal of which the image was made, symbolizing wealth, power, and likely the first kingdom in Daniel's vision.
- set up (qem): indicates the act of erection or establishment.
- assembly (kupah): means gathering, congregation, or assembly of people.
- peoples (uyyan): refers to the various nations and ethnic groups within the Babylonian empire.
- nations (lewwaiyya): denotes broader ethnic groups and peoples.
- languages (manawwate): signifies different tongues and speech, emphasizing the multicultural and multi-ethnic nature of Nebuchadnezzar's domain.
- decreed (davvar): here it means a thing said, command, or ordinance.
Daniel 3 10 Bonus Section
The massive scale and construction of such an image by Nebuchadnezzar reflects his immense power and resources as ruler of Babylon. Gold, as the material, directly references the "head of gold" from his dream (Daniel 2:32), solidifying this image as a representation of his kingdom and personal glory. The command to worship it, involving all peoples, nations, and languages, was a mechanism to unify and consolidate his empire under a common ideology and worship system, thereby reinforcing his absolute control. This highlights the recurring theme in Daniel of earthly empires attempting to usurp divine authority and demanding allegiance that belongs to God alone. The choice of a golden image was symbolic of Babylonian wealth and grandeur, but also a deliberate affront to monotheism.
Daniel 3 10 Commentary
Nebuchadnezzar, having witnessed Daniel's interpretation of his dream, decided to force religious conformity throughout his vast empire by erecting a colossal image of gold. This was a bold declaration of his power and the supposed supremacy of his empire and its deities, symbolized by gold. The decree demanded not only the physical act of bowing but also implicit allegiance to the Babylonian pantheon and imperial authority. The verse captures the magnitude of the decree, emphasizing that every subject, regardless of their ethnicity or language, was required to participate in this act of worship. This presented a direct theological conflict for the faithful Jews in Babylon, who were bound by the commandment to worship only Yahweh. Their refusal would not be an act of defiance against the king's political authority alone, but a fundamental stand for their covenant faithfulness to God, as evidenced by the consequences in the following verses.