Daniel 3 21

Daniel 3:21 kjv

Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:21 nkjv

Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:21 niv

So these men, wearing their robes, trousers, turbans and other clothes, were bound and thrown into the blazing furnace.

Daniel 3:21 esv

Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, their hats, and their other garments, and they were thrown into the burning fiery furnace.

Daniel 3:21 nlt

So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments.

Daniel 3 verses

Daniel 3 21 meaning

Daniel 3:21 describes the thorough and complete preparation of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego for execution by being thrown into the superheated furnace. It details that these three men were securely bound with all their garments – their tunics, trousers, turbans, and other clothing – before being cast into the heart of the intensely burning fiery furnace. This meticulous description emphasizes their utter helplessness, the finality of their judgment by the king, and the seemingly inescapable nature of their imminent death, setting the stage for God's extraordinary intervention.

Daniel 3 21 Context

Daniel 3:21 occurs within a dramatic narrative that highlights unwavering faith in the face of death and the supreme power of God. The chapter begins with King Nebuchadnezzar erecting an immense golden image on the plain of Dura and decreeing that all his officials must prostrate themselves and worship it at the sound of a specific musical signal, under penalty of being cast into a burning fiery furnace. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jewish exiles serving in high positions, refused to comply, adhering to the first commandment against idolatry. This defiance infuriated the king, who ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. Verse 21 precisely describes the final, irreversible act of preparing the three men for execution, meticulously detailing their binding and their attire before they are thrown into the superheated flames. This moment emphasizes the dire circumstances and their complete vulnerability, setting up the incredible miracle of their survival, which follows in subsequent verses. Historically, this account reflects the Babylonian empire's absolute authority and attempts to enforce religious uniformity, making the Hebrews' defiance a profound act of religious conviction.

Daniel 3 21 Word analysis

• Then (בֵּאדַ֣יִן bē’dayin): An Aramaic temporal adverb meaning "at that time" or "then." It marks a direct sequence, emphasizing the immediate consequence of the king's command.
• these men (גֻּבְרַיָּ֤א אִלֵּין֙ gūvrayā’ ’illēn): "These" (’illēn) specifies Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, explicitly naming the subjects. "Men" (gūvrayā’) refers to grown men, indicating their personal resolve and responsible choice.
• were bound (כְּפִתּ֖וּ kᵉphittū): Aramaic verb, meaning "to bind," "to tie," or "to fetter." It conveys a thorough and complete restriction, rendering them physically helpless. This detail heightens the drama of their impending execution, showing no resistance but utter vulnerability.
• in their tunics, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments (בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן֙ פַּטְּשֵׁיהוֹן֙ וְכַרְבְּלָתְהוֹן֙ וּלְבוּשֵׁיהֹ֖ון אָחֳרָנִֽין bᵉsarballēhōn paṭṭᵉshēhōn vᵉkharbᵉlātᵉhōn ulᵉvûshēyhōn ’āḥŏrānîn): This specific, four-fold enumeration of their clothing is crucial.
  • tunics (סַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן sarballehon): Possibly loose, wide overcoats or cloaks, typical for officials.
  • trousers (פַּטְּשֵׁיהוֹן paṭṭᵉshehon): Specifically tailored leggings or undergarments.
  • turbans (כַּרְבְּלָתְהוֹן karbᵉlathehon): Head coverings, denoting rank or social status. The precise meaning of these terms is debated but signifies their full official attire.
  • and their other garments (וּלְבוּשֵׁיהֹ֖ון אָחֳרָנִֽין ûlᵉvûshēyhōn ’āḥŏrānîn): A general phrase to encompass anything else they might be wearing, ensuring absolutely no part of them or their clothing was excluded from the binding.The detailed list emphasizes the king's rage, wanting them utterly incapacitated, and meticulously detailing what remained intact after the miracle in verse 27. It serves as powerful evidence later that the fire, though consuming the bonds, left their clothes untouched, demonstrating the completeness of divine protection beyond mere survival. This precision underlines the verifiable nature of the miracle for eyewitnesses.
• and were cast (וּרְמִ֔יו urᵉmî): Aramaic verb, meaning "to cast" or "to throw." Implies a violent, decisive action, completing the king's judgment.
• into the midst (לְגֽוֹא־ lᵉgô’) - "into the middle" or "within." It stresses that they were placed directly into the very center of the blaze, not just at its edge, indicating the maximum exposure to heat.
• of the burning fiery furnace (אַתּ֥וּן נוּרָ֖א יָקִֽדְתָּֽא ’attûn nûrâ yāqidtâ):
  • furnace (’attûn): A structure for intense heat, for smelting metal or baking.
  • fire (nûrâ): The actual element.
  • burning (yāqidtâ): A participle, emphasizing the ongoing, intensely hot state of the fire.The phrase "burning fiery furnace" itself carries weight. The furnace, having been superheated seven times hotter than usual (v. 19), represents ultimate destruction and the seemingly impossible test of faith. Its intensity implies that anything within would instantly disintegrate.

Daniel 3 21 Bonus section

The detailed listing of the garments (tunics, trousers, turbans, and other garments) has profound theological and narrative significance. Beyond simply indicating thoroughness, this precise inventory builds anticipation for the full scope of God's later miracle. In ancient Near Eastern cultures, a person's garments could signify status, office, and even identity. By ordering them to be cast into the furnace with all their official attire, Nebuchadnezzar intended to utterly humiliate and erase their very existence and identity. However, when the three emerge unharmed, with not even the smell of fire on their garments (Daniel 3:27), it becomes an even more powerful display of divine sovereignty. It demonstrates God's power not just to preserve life but to render destructive forces utterly impotent, even against the most vulnerable aspects like fragile fabric. This meticulous attention to detail elevates the miracle from a mere escape to a supernatural demonstration of God's mastery over all natural laws and human destructive intent. The clothes surviving pristine directly challenges the absolute destructive power of the king's furnace and implicitly, the king's authority and his gods.

Daniel 3 21 Commentary

Daniel 3:21 paints a vivid picture of human vulnerability against the might of an earthly empire, set against the backdrop of an uncompromising spiritual stand. The detailed description of the three men's complete attire and binding highlights the thoroughness of the king's attempt to execute them. By enumerating their specific garments, the narrative establishes that every aspect of their physical being was subject to the fiery inferno. This meticulous detail is not merely for dramatic effect but serves as critical evidence for the miraculous preservation that follows. If their clothes had burned away or were even singed, the miracle would have been diminished. Their bound state also accentuates their helplessness and lack of control over their fate, emphasizing that any deliverance could only come from an external, divine source. This verse is thus pivotal; it presents an irrefutable testament to the extent of their impending doom, thereby magnifying the power of God, who later intervenes to render the deadliest fire utterly powerless against His faithful servants, even preserving the very clothes intended to be consumed.