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 (Dan 3:1). King Nebuchadnezzar built a gold statue, ninety feet high and nine feet thick. That it's neither entirely factual nor entirely made up, Frahm says. The strongest men in the army are selected, who bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as a preliminary to casting them in the burning fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar orders the furnace to be heated to maximum intensity. When Nebuchadnezzar conquered all of Israel/Jerusalem, the clock started ticking on the period of time referred to as the "times of the Gentiles." From that point on, we see Israel being ruled and dominated by Gentile powers after she lost her autonomy as a nation. The chain of events which had brought about this miracle also consolidated the position of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego as principal officials in the province of Babylon. Leupold translates coats as shoes which would be most remarkable as they had walked on the hot ashes.208 The fire had damaged their garments in no way; only the ropes which bound them, the symbols of Nebuchadnezzars unbelief and wrath, were destroyed in the flames. This later becomes a further testimony to the delivering power of God. His body was drenched with the dew of heaven until his hair grew like the feathers of an eagle and his nails like the claws of a bird. January 12, 2020 Dr. Douglas Farrow Features, Opinion 21 Print. King Jehoiakim died either before or during the siege, leaving his 18-year-old son Jehoiachin to taste Nebuchadnezzar's wrath. 136-37. The Chaldeans approached the king with the customary courtesies addressing Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever. They remind the king of the details of his decree and the penalty for disobedience. trader joe's greek style chicken with orzo discontinued; springfield orthopedic and sports medicine; jobs in st lucia government; victorian pewter tankard marks; shooting in lakeland florida yesterday; fiddyment and baseline development; how much caffeine is in medaglia d'oro instant espresso coffee Nebuchadnezzar is notorious for decimating the Jewish presence in the Land of Israel, exiling the vast majority of its denizens to Babylon, and destroying the first Holy Temple. While the men were prepared for execution, the furnace is heated until it is extremely hot. They remind the king that these men are Jews, different in race and culture from the Babylonians. The flute was probably made of reeds with a sound similar to a fife. The exact date of the erection of the image, however, is debated. 44-50. This is also the case for prophecies of things to come. Samsung vs. Apple Blog Comparisons. 200 Montgomery, pp. 3 So But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. The judges were counsellors of the government or chief arbitrators. The argument and accusation of the Chaldeans had a telling effect upon Nebuchadnezzar, who regarded the disobedience of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego not only a threat to his political security but also a personal affront. Scholars differ on the proper reading here and resulting translation, but Montgomery and Rosenthal support the King James Version translation, Is it true.200. KINGDOMS OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S IMAGE. Nebuchadnezzar's golden image/statue. 176 H. C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel, pp. 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. This also would be too distant.180, The consensus of conservative scholarship is that the most probable location is a mound located six miles southeast of Babylon consisting of a large square of brick construction which would have ideally served as a base for such an image as Nebuchadnezzar erected. Such a display of officials was on the one hand a gratifying demonstration of the power of Nebuchadnezzars empire and on the other hand was significant as recognizing the deities who in their thinking were responsible for their victories. Highly enraged, he commanded to bring the men before him. As a warrior king, he wasted no time and began his conquest of the nations, similar to Alexander the Great centuries later. 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. Leupold, p. 143; also the discussion on The Greek Words in Daniel in Edwin M. Yamauchis, Greece and Babylon, pp. After all, this was forbidden in Exodus 20:4-6. Those who disobeyed the order would be thrown into an immense, blazing furnace. As Nebuchadnezzar watches at a safe distance, he is shocked at what he sees. 3:8-12 Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews. 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. Nebuchadnezzar's golden image probably resembled an obelisk, 90-feet tall and 9-feet wide. by on May 8th, 2022 206 R. H. Charles, The Book of Daniel, p. 35. 195 For a complete description of these instruments see Leupold, pp. 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. We know from the archaeological record that Nebuchadnezzar was a master builder, raising Babylon to a grandeur unmatched in the ancient Near East. He's very eager to indicate that he built these massive temples and palaces, and that he's also very pious. The use of the golden metal for the image may have been derived from Nebuchadnezzars previous experience with the image of chapter 2 where Daniel informed him that he, Nebuchadnezzar, was the head of gold. "This sojourn of Nabonidus in Arabia for 10 years is clearly the background of the story of Nebuchadnezzar in the wilderness," says Frahm. Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon. That is always the mark of a little man. Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up: And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. The captains seemed to refer to presidents or governors of civil government. Therefore because the kings commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. "There's just a tremendous amount of material.". The horns blew, and the music played, and everyone bowed down and worshipped King Nebuchadnezzar's gold statue. But was Nebuchadnezzar really the tyrant who sacked Jerusalem and sent the Judeans into exile, and is there any truth to the Bible's account of his "bestial" bout with madness? It is time to rehearse our understanding of this key prophecy of Daniel 2:32-35: This image's head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon. The list of the officials gathered for the event has occasioned comment because some of them are Persian rather than Babylonian terms. 199 Cf. It likely featured a large base to support the massive structure. At the command of Nebuchadnezzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who could not obey the king in the matter of worshiping the image, do not hesitate to fulfill his command in this instance. He then ordered all the important leaders in the province, everybody who was anybody, to the dedication ceremony of the statue. This will reach its peak in the future great tribulation when once again the tension between obeying an earthly ruler and obeying God will result in many martyrs. Nebuchadnezzar II strengthened Babylon and brought it into its golden years, in which his offspring quickly tarnished and ended up destroying the nation. 207 Rudolph Kittel, Biblia Hebraica, 2:1270. By David J. Stewart | August 2011 | Updated January 2015. Just as Nebuchadnezzar had acknowledged Daniels God at the conclusion of chapter 2, so here Nebuchadnezzar admitting the power of the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego issues a decree in oriental style commemorating the event. 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? The Hebrew word for image implies, as Leupold says, An image in the very broadest sense, probably in human form although the proportions are far too narrow for a normal figure.176 Scripture does not solve this problem, but most commentators agree that images of this kind in antiquity frequently varied from ordinary human proportions. The story continues: Immediately what had been said about Nebuchadnezzar was fulfilled. lwjas0025 options. This connotes slander or malicious accusation which devours the accused piece by piece. Leupold aptly says, The quiet, modest, yet withal very positive attitude of faith that these three men display is one of the noblest examples in the Scriptures of faith fully resigned to the will of God. The governors were commanders or military chiefs. what happened to nebuchadnezzar's golden statue. Mar. 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. Incredibly, there is an independent record of a Babylonian king going mad and wandering in the wilderness for years. Although probably in the same office, they were relieved of any opposition and had the special favor of the king in what they did. Leupold cites numerous ancient images such as that of Zeus in a temple at Babylon; the golden images on the top of the Belus temple, one of which was forty cubits high; and the Colossus at Rhodes which was seventy cubits high.177 While an image of this size was unusual, it was by no means unique; and there is no reason to question the historical accuracy of its dimensions. 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. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth of the midst of the fire. The text goes on to say that Nebuchadnezzar commanded all the leaders, magistrates and important . The expression, But if not, should be understood as referring to the deliverance not to the ability of God. 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. Leupold, p. 137; and Keil, p. 119. There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. and even in the Babylonian army of Nebuchadnezzar.191 Not only did the Greeks affect the Semitic world but also influences of Assyria and Babylonia appear in the Greek language as well.192, Recent studies on the musical instruments mentioned in Daniel 3 conducted by T. C. Mitchell and R. Joyce have given support to the authenticity of these instruments in the sixth century b.c.193 Further studies by Yamauchi support the conclusion that Greek words in Daniel are not to be unexpected and in fact refer to the interchange of cultures in the ancient world.194. In the Bible, Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem twice, but in the end, was exiled and forced to eat grass like an ox. Rabshakeh made the same arrogant and blasphemous claim when threatening King Hezekiah (Is 36:13-20)the claim to the possession of a human power so great that there is no divine power to which the victim can turn for help. "In this theology, where you have to be punished for the sins you committed, it makes sense that it's Nebuchadnezzar and not Nabonidus who is said to have had this strange episode," says Frahm. The story of Nebuchadnezzar's ascension to the throne is told on one of the clay tablets in the Babylonian Chronicles. It was quite clear to the Chaldeans also that the Jews did not worship the gods of Babylon and were actually a foreign element in the government. What I could never forget however, was that they were not harmed! And among those tablets was a 3-inch tall fragment containing the name "Jehoiakhin, king of Judah.". Instead of giving Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego another opportunity to refuse to bow before the image as Nebuchadnezzar had originally proposed, he now immediately commands their execution. Nebuchadnezzar's Gold Statue King Nebuchadnezzar trained Daniel and his three friends for duty in the royal court. facts about cancel culture. 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. You will be driven away from people and will live with the wild animals; you will eat grass like the ox. As proof of their suspicions, they charge Daniels three companions with not worshiping the golden image. {31} As you looked, there before you stood a large statue - an enormous statue of a metal man, awesome in size and gleaming in appearance. 23:5, 8; 24:1, 5 mention a Dura at the mouth of the Chaboras where it empties into the Euphrates, but this can hardly be reckoned as being in the province of Babylon, and another Dura is mentioned as being beyond the Tigris not far from Appollonia, Polybius 5:52 and Amm. 2. 193 T. C. Mitchell and R. Joyce, The Musical Instruments in Nebuchadnezzars Orchestra, in Notes on Some Problems in the Book of Daniel, pp. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. To Daniel, the dream is clear: If Nebuchadnezzar doesn't repent and praise the one true God, he will be stricken with a madness that will cause him to wander the wilderness like a beast. The Aramaic word hashhin translated careful, may be considered a technical word for need. Hence, the statement may be translated, there is no need for us to answer thee in this matter.201 A further difficulty is occasioned by the expression O Nebuchadnezzar which in the Massoretic is in the vocative. 114-15. "A sequel to British Museum Satires no. what happened to nebuchadnezzar's golden statuetell the mountain chords. 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