onward.190 The Greek mercenaries, who served as soldiers for various countries, are found more than one hundred years before Daniel, as for instance in the Assyrian army of Esarhaddon (682 b.c.) The fact that Daniel was so familiar with these offices is another evidence that he lived in the sixth century B.C.. It symbolizes Nebuchadnezzar's vision of a future world empire, in which his own kingdom would be the dominant power. Nebuchadnezzar at least respected the God of Israel, something which was quite untrue in the case of Antiochus Epiphanes.209 As recorded in the Word of God, it is characteristic of Gentile times that there will be tensions between obedience to God and obedience to men. Medo-Persia 539 - 331 BC The shoulders and arms of silver represent the Medo-Persian Empire. In Babylonian texts, the "mad king" was Nabonidus, a king who ruled two decades after Nebuchadnezzar and ended up losing the Babylonian Empire to the Persians. The image of gold is described as being sixty cubits (90 ft.) high and six cubits (9 ft.) broad, a very impressive sight erected in the plain of Dura. They seem to recognize, however, that all this would be of no avail and that the issue is clearly whether their God is able to deliver them or not. Nebuchadnezzar's image was AN OBELISK, an erect male phallus! Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. The Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar II is one of the greatest villains of the Hebrew Bible (known to Christians as the Old Testament). Seven times will pass by for you until you acknowledge that the Most High is sovereign over all kingdoms on earth and gives them to anyone he wishes.". The arguments were calculated to arouse the anger of Nebuchadnezzar and to bring about the downfall of these three men with the possibility that the Chaldeans themselves might be given greater authority in political affairs. ", Even as the words were on his lips, a voice came from heaven, "This is what is decreed for you, King Nebuchadnezzar: Your royal authority has been taken from you. notes Chardins remarks on the existence of similar ovens in Persia for execution of criminals (Voyage en Perse, ed. Undoubtedly there was resentment against these Jews who had been placed by Nebuchadnezzar in charge of the province of Babylon because they were of another race and of a captive people. what happened to nebuchadnezzar's golden statue. 3:24-27 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? Daniel 4:1 chapter context similar meaning copy save. 3:1-7 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. The threat of being executed by being burned alive was sufficient to cause the entire group to fall down and worship when the music sounded. 14 July 2020. When the furnace, reached its proper heat, the king demanded immediate execution of his orders. Actually, none of the alternate terms improve much on that which is provided in Daniel 3:5 and repeated in verses 7, 10, and 15. Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold - The time when he did this is not mentioned; nor is it stated in whose honor, or for what design, this colossal image was erected. Samsung vs. Apple Blog Comparisons. This connotes slander or malicious accusation which devours the accused piece by piece. Along with the young king and his extended royal family, thousands of Jerusalem's elites officials, priests, warriors, artisans were all marched to Babylon. The Scriptures relate that they are bound in their coats, hose, and hats as well as other garments. Montgomery suggests that the furnace must have been similar to our common lime-kiln, with a perpendicular shaft from the top and an opening at the bottom for extracting the fused lime; cf. He confesses that he's constantly thinking of the gods when building temples to them.". The Babylonian Chronicles confirm this, and provide an exact date for the conquest of Jerusalem (597 B.C.E. 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. He was the son of Nabopolassar, founder of the Neo-Babylonian Empire in 625 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar had now accomplished his purpose, his decree had been fulfilled, and he could leave to the furnace the task of consuming these men who had challenged his authority and his gods. ): "There's no reason to doubt that this really happened," says Frahm of both the first Babylonian siege in 597 B.C.E. KINGDOMS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S IMAGE. The stage was now set for the trial of the three faithful Jews. Nebuchadnezzar is the Hebrew form of an Akkadian name, which translates to "May Nebo protect the crown." What happened to Nebuchadnezzar in the Bible? Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up? Constructed in 575 BC by the order of King Nebuchadnezzar II, the Ishtar Gate was one of the many thresholds that surrounded and protected Babylonia from outside forces. Scholars differ on the proper reading here and resulting translation, but Montgomery and Rosenthal support the King James Version translation, Is it true.200. 19-27. Universal History Archive/ Universal Images Group via Getty Images, Special Offer on Antivirus Software From HowStuffWorks and TotalAV Security. The reply of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego to the king might ordinarily call for a long discourse explaining why they could not worship the image. 118-19. Most contemporary scholars translate the phrase the Son of God, as a son of the gods. While it is entirely possible that the fourth person in the fiery furnace was indeed the Son of God, it would be doubtful whether Nebuchadnezzar would comprehend this, unless he had prophetic insight. Daniel continues by identifying the chest of silver as "another kingdom" which will arise. But what proof do we have that King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans were in fact hauled off to Babylon? {32} The head of the statue was made of gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, {33} its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of brittle clay. He was a Jew from among the [children of the exile of Judah, and said,] "Recount this in writing to [glorify and exalt] the Name of the [Most High God].". Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. As Nebuchadnezzar watches at a safe distance, he is shocked at what he sees. This would not necessarily take very long, but it must have added a high note of tension to the entire situation as the multitude waited probably in dead silence. Now King Nebuchadnezzar had a gold statue made. The astounding courage and deliverance of Daniels companions, who refused to worship the image, has inspired the people of God in similar times of trial. I'd forgotten that Daniel wasn't present with his friends when King Nebuchadnezzar threw them into the furnace. West set the work in the 6th century B.C, during the historical king's reign, and it's based on the Book of Daniel's account found in the Old Testament. The personal loyalty of such officers should be beyond question; but, as the Chaldeans point out, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego had not shown any regard for the king himself. Additionally, 60 cubits are approximately equivalent to 90 ft., or a 10-Storey building. He could not believe his eyes and in his excitement stood up and asked his counsellors whether the three men had not been cast bound into the midst of the fire. Those who disobeyed the order would be thrown into an immense, blazing furnace. 2. The cornet was obviously a horn instrument, the word coming originally from the horn of a beast which was sometimes used to make a musical instrument. The image was set up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. The expression Dura, as Leupold states, is a rather common name in Mesopotamia, being a name that is applicable to any place which is enclosed by a wall, and a number of locations bear this title as Keil points out.179 Both Keil and Young mention two possible locations which seem to be eliminated by being too far from Babylon. He enjoyed military successes for the first part of his career, then turned to peaceful building projects in his later years. Works devoted to study of the prophecies of Daniel often omit consideration of chapter 3 entirely as do S. P. Tregelles172 and Robert D. Culver.173 Others, such as Geoffrey R. King, interpret the chapter as not only history but parable and prophecy.174 The introduction of the golden image of Nebuchadnezzar in chapter 3 immediately following Nebuchadnezzars dream of the great image depicting Gentile times, even if its parabolic implications are ignored, obviously is intended to convey not only spiritual truth in general, but characteristics of the times of the Gentiles. Although there is no clear proof that the fourth person in the furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was actually deity or an angelas all we have is Nebuchadnezzars conclusion on the basis of what he sawit may well be that the protector of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego was Christ Himself appearing in the form of an angel. We know from the archaeological record that Nebuchadnezzar was a master builder, raising Babylon to a grandeur unmatched in the ancient Near East. 136-37. Although Nebuchadnezzar had tremendous wealth and could conceivably have erected this image of solid gold, it is probable that it was made of wood overlaid with gold as was customary. Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. The Hebrew Bible is an incredible document, not only for the faithful, but for historians like Frahm. For centuries, historians and biblical scholars have searched for clues about the real-life Nebuchadnezzar II, who ruled the Babylonian Empire at the peak of its power from 605 to 562 B.C.E. by on May 8th, 2022 Noe Falk Nielsen/NurPhoto via Getty Images, Twelve months later, as the king was walking on the roof of the royal palace of Babylon, he said, "Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty? This is illustrated in the fall of Babylon and of the succeeding empires of Medo-Persia, Greece, and Rome. . After all, this was forbidden in Exodus 20:4-6. Highly enraged, he commanded to bring the men before him. Page of 11 Next Page. As Young states, The name Dura has occurred in classical sources; Polybius 5:48, Amm. A. Montgomery, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Daniel, p. 195. The horns blew, and the music played, and everyone bowed down and worshipped King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue. There is no certainty, however, that there is a relationship between the destruction of Jerusalem and the erection of the image, although the general narrative and the fact that Daniel apparently is away would imply considerable passage of time. They were written in cuneiform and include everything from royal proclamations to accounting documents. "That was a remarkable find," says Frahm. The textual problem of Daniel 6:20 where Darius refers to the true God is decided in favor of the singular by Kittel207 rather than the plural. 3 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide[ a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. And this statue was covered in GOLD! At the end of three years, the four young men joined the royal court. That's a 10-to-1 ratio (the exact same dimensions as Nebuchadnezzar's golden image in Daniel 3:1). 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