Daniel 3:19-24

Daniel 3:19

Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.

 

Then in response to their statements Nebuchadnezzar finally succumbed to his pride as a king.  Then he was filled with fury or anger to the point that even his countenance changed.  He was so angry that even his face changed in appearance against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and in his rage commanded that the furnace be heated seven times more than it is normally heated.  He may have ordered it that way thinking that God may be able to deliver out of the furnace if it was normally heated but God could never deliver them if the furnace was heated 7 times more than normal. This may have been a furnace of capital punishment since the Chaldeans used this method for execution.

 

Jeremiah 29:22 (KJV)   And of them shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah which are in Babylon, saying, The LORD make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire;

 

The king in Jeremiah 29:22 was Nebuchadnezzar.  So it is a possibility that this furnace was built for the purpose of execution.  The king had ordered it to be heated seven times hotter than normal.   If the normal heat was let’s say 1100 degrees Fahrenheit (593 Centigrade), then the king wanted it 7700 degrees (4153 Centigrade).   In other words, no matter what temperature they were able to achieve, it was much hotter than normal.

 

Daniel 3:20

And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.

 

Then the command went forward to the mighty men.  It carries with it the meaning of men of valor.  The king was not going to trust anyone but his top military men to do this job because he wanted it done correctly.  They proceeded to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and to cast them into the furnace thus keeping the king’s orders.  It is not known whether they were bound together or it is a reference to their hands and feet.  This is why the mighty men were needed because they were probably tied together in such a way they could not walk and had to be carried.  Nebuchadnezzar was making sure they could in no way escape and then claim divine intervention.  It was like the Romans and the Jewish leaders making sure that Christ’s tomb was secure so the disciples could not steal the body and then claim He was resurrected.

 

Daniel 3:21

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.

 

These men were bound and then led away and there seems to be an urgency in keeping the king’s orders.  They were thrown into the fire while still in their coats or maybe the mantles they wore.  Then the hosen which may have been some type of priestly garb worn on the legs.  Then they were still wearing their hats which may have been the turbans and were cast into the fiery furnace fully clothed.  By keeping their clothes on them, it would have caused them more pain while their clothes burned on them.  The clothes that they had on them would play a part in the divine miracle which was about to happen, something that none of them could think would or could happen.

 

Daniel 3:22

Therefore because the king's commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

 

Since the king’s commandment was to be carried out in haste combining that with the fact that the heat in the furnace was intensified seven times the flames no doubt were so intense that they were probably coming out the door or maybe out of a chute which would have led to the bottom or midst of the furnace.  The chute could have been used to slide the victim into the furnace and burn instantly.  These flames were so penetrating, that they killed the mighty men who were bringing Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego to the furnace.  Maybe they died when they approached whatever opening they had and they pushed the three men into the furnace and the flames divinely consumed them showing God’s protection of His people.   All those who have persecuted God’s people down through the ages will also be cast into a fiery place called Hell and will never come out.

 

Daniel 3:23

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.

 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were now completely engulfed by the flames in the fiery furnace.  At this point they were still bound, whether together or bound individually.  It is amazing when you consider.  Here Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were still alive inside that furnace and the ones who put them in were dead on the outside of the furnace.

 

Daniel 3:24

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellers, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.

 

Wherever the king was at this time apparently word was brought to him concerning what was going on in the furnace.  So he rose up in haste and spoke to the counsellors which were around him.  No doubt these were the counsellors who probably were responsible for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego being in the furnace in the first place.  The king was astonied, which is a much more intense word than just being astonished.  It was like his heart turned to stone in amazement and like some kind of horror because something like this has never happened before.  Then the king makes inquiry about how many men were thrown into the furnace?  Did we not cast in three?  The counselors who were with him had confirmed that three men were cast into the fiery furnace.  The king was about to get a lesson about the God of Heaven.

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