The Fiery Furnace
Three friends who would not bow
This story includes a threat to burn people alive and the deaths of the soldiers who threw the three friends into the fire.
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Story
What happened?
Tap a verse number, like , to read the Bible’s exact words.
Who’s who and what came beforePeople, places, and the story so far. Open it anytime.
Scene Card
Cast
- Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: Three young Jewish men from Jerusalem, living far from home in Babylon. Their Hebrew names were Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (1:7). In this story we use their Babylonian names, because Daniel 3 does.
- King Nebuchadnezzar: The king of Babylon, the most powerful empire of his time. His army had taken the three friends from their home.
- The astrologers: Wise men of Babylon who studied the stars. Some of them report the three friends to the king.
- The king's officials: Leaders from every part of the empire, called together to bow to a statue.
Setting
- The plain of Dura, a wide, flat place in the land of Babylon. A giant gold statue stands there. Nearby is a huge furnace, a very large oven with a roaring fire inside.
When
- About 2,600 years ago, while God's people lived in exile in Babylon.
Before the Story
Babylon took young people from Jerusalem. King Nebuchadnezzar's army attacked Jerusalem. He took smart young men from the best families to Babylon, to train them to serve in his palace (1:1-4). Being forced to live far from your homeland is called exile.
They got new names. An official renamed Daniel and his three friends. Hananiah became Shadrach. Mishael became Meshach. Azariah became Abednego (1:7).
They had important jobs. The king put Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in charge of the province of Babylon (2:49). A province is one part of a big country.
Their God's law was clear. God had told Israel not to make idols and not to bow to them: "You shall not bow down to them or worship them" (Exodus 20:5). An idol is a statue that people worship as a god.
Map of the Story
| Scene | Verses | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The gold statue | 3:1-7 | The king orders everyone to bow to his statue |
| 2. Reported to the king | 3:8-12 | Some astrologers say three men did not bow |
| 3. The king's question | 3:13-15 | The king gives them one more chance |
| 4. "Even if He does not" | 3:16-18 | The three friends answer the king |
| 5. Into the fire | 3:19-23 | They are tied up and thrown into the furnace |
| 6. Four men in the fire | 3:24-25 | The king sees someone else in the flames |
| 7. Come out | 3:26-27 | The fire has not hurt them at all |
| 8. The king praises God | 3:28-30 | The king says their God rescued them |
Plain Retelling
Scene 1 of 8The Gold Statue
A huge gold statue stood on the plain of Dura. It was about 90 feet high and about 9 feet wide. That is about as tall as a nine-story building. King Nebuchadnezzar had set it up.
Nebuchadnezzar was the king of Babylon. His empire ruled many nations. Earlier, his army had taken Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from their home in Jerusalem.
The king sent for all his leaders. They came from every part of his empire. Governors, judges, treasurers, and many others stood in front of the statue for its dedication. A dedication is a ceremony to open something new.
Then a herald shouted out the king's order. A herald is a man who announces news out loud.
The order was this. When the music started, everyone had to fall down and worship the gold statue. The music would come from horns, flutes, harps, and many other instruments.
Anyone who did not bow would be thrown into a "blazing fiery furnace" (3:6) right away.
The music played. People from every nation and language fell down. They worshiped the gold statue.
But three men did not bow.
Scene 2 of 8Reported to the King
Some of the king's astrologers came to him. They wanted to get the Jews in trouble. Here "Jews" means people from Judah, the land around Jerusalem.
The astrologers reminded the king of his order. Everyone had to bow when the music played. Anyone who did not bow would be thrown into the fire.
Then the astrologers gave names. They said there were some Jews the king had put in charge of the province. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego" (3:12), they said. The astrologers said these three men had ignored the king. These men did not serve the king's gods. They did not worship the gold statue.
The Bible doesn't say why the astrologers did this. But remember, the king had given these three foreign young men very important jobs.
Scene 3 of 8The King's Question
King Nebuchadnezzar was furious. He sent for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
The king asked them if it was true. Did they refuse to serve his gods and worship his statue?
Then he gave them one more chance. When the music played again, they had to bow down. If they refused, they would be thrown into the furnace at once.
The king ended with a question. "Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?" (3:15). Deliver means rescue.
His question was a boast. He did not think any god could rescue them from him.
Scene 4 of 8"Even If He Does Not"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king. They did not argue or make excuses. They said they did not need to defend themselves.
Their answer was about God. God is "able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king" (3:17), they said.
Then they said more. "But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden statue you have set up" (3:18).
The three friends did not know how this day would end. They knew God could save them. They did not know if God would. They still would not bow.
The three friends knew God's law. It told Israel not to bow down to idols (Exodus 20:5). The three friends were far from home. Everyone around them was bowing. They still belonged to God.
Their trust was in God, not in a promised rescue.
Halfway thereThis is a good place for a break. Your spot is saved on this device.
Scene 5 of 8Into the Fire
Now King Nebuchadnezzar was filled with rage. His face changed as he looked at the three friends.
He ordered the furnace heated seven times hotter than usual. This is a way of saying the fire should be as hot as possible.
He told some of the strongest soldiers in his army to tie up the three friends and throw them in.
The soldiers tied them up. The three friends still had all their clothes on. They wore robes, pants, and turbans. The soldiers threw them into the furnace.
The fire was so hot that the flames killed the soldiers who carried them up to it.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the fire. They were tied up tight.
The king's order had been carried out. The soldiers who threw them in were dead. The three friends were inside the fire.
Scene 6 of 8Four Men in the Fire
Then King Nebuchadnezzar jumped up. He was amazed.
He asked his advisers, "Did we not throw three men, firmly bound, into the fire?" (3:24).
"Yes, O king," they said.
The king said, "I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire" (3:25).
The ropes were gone. The men were walking. And there was a fourth person in the fire with them. The king said, "the fourth looks like a son of the gods" (3:25).
The three friends were not alone in the fire. Someone else was with them.
Scene 7 of 8Come Out
The king went up to the door of the furnace. He called them by name. "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out" (3:26).
"Most High God" means the God above all others. The king who had asked what god could save them was now using this name.
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego walked out of the fire.
The king's leaders gathered around them. They saw that the fire had not hurt the three men at all.
"Not a hair of their heads was singed" (3:27). Singed means burned a little at the edges. Their robes were not damaged. They did not even smell like smoke.
Only the ropes that had tied them were gone.
Scene 8 of 8The King Praises God
Nebuchadnezzar spoke. "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him" (3:28).
The king said the three friends had broken his command. They had risked their lives instead of worshiping any god but their own.
Then the king made a new law. Anyone who said anything against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would be killed and have their house destroyed. The king still ruled with threats. He said, "there is no other god who can deliver in this way" (3:29).
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. They got even higher jobs in the province of Babylon. They were still far from home. But God had not forgotten them there.
The king had asked, "What god will be able to deliver you?" Now he had his answer.
Meaning
What does it mean?
Read It
What Does This Mean?
| The text says | It means |
|---|---|
| "Fall down and worship the golden statue" (3:5) | Bowing here was not good manners. It was worship. It meant giving the king's gods the honor that belongs only to God. |
| "What god will be able to deliver you from my hands?" (3:15) | The king thought his power was the highest power. The whole story answers his question. |
| "If the God whom we serve exists" (3:17) | This line is hard to translate. The friends were not doubting God. Other translations say "If it be so" (KJV) or "If our God... is able" (BBE). See the alert below. |
| "But even if He does not" (3:18) | They did not know if God would rescue them that day. They trusted God anyway. |
| "Seven times hotter than usual" (3:19) | The king wanted the fire as hot as it could possibly get. His anger made him go too far. |
| "The fourth looks like a son of the gods" (3:25) | The king saw a heavenly being in the fire. Later he called it God's angel (3:28). |
| "The Most High God" (3:26) | The God above every other power. The king had to admit it. |
Back Then
Babylon took Judah's people away in more than one group, at different times. The first was in about 605 B.C., when Daniel and his friends were taken. The last was in about 586 B.C., when Jerusalem was destroyed. Cyrus, a Persian king, let the exiles go home in about 536 B.C. (Easton's Bible Dictionary)
The new names honored Babylon's gods. Abednego means "servant of Nebo," one of Babylon's gods. Shadrach may mean "Aku's command" (Easton's Bible Dictionary). The friends kept serving their own God anyway.
The furnace was a large oven with a wide mouth at the top. Materials were thrown in from above (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
Dura was a plain near Babylon. Explorers found the base of a very large statue on a mound there. Some think it may be where this statue stood (Easton's Bible Dictionary).
The statue was about 90 feet tall. Daniel says 60 cubits high and 6 cubits wide (3:1). A cubit was about 18 inches. That is about as tall as a nine-story building.
Daniel is not in this chapter. The Bible doesn't say where he was. Daniel 2:49 says he stayed at the king's court while his friends managed the province.
Literal Reader Alert
Did the three friends doubt that God exists? No. The BSB says, "If the God whom we serve exists" (3:17). This sentence is hard to translate from the original language. Other English Bibles say "If it be so" (KJV) or "If our God... is able to keep us safe" (BBE). The friends were answering the king's question about which god could save them. In the same sentence, they said their God "is able" (3:17). It's okay to notice things like this. Careful readers have asked about it for centuries.
Who was the fourth man in the fire? The plain sense first: the king saw someone with the three friends who looked like a heavenly being. The king himself later said God "has sent His angel" (3:28). Many Christians have seen this as a picture of God being with his people in suffering. Some Christians, starting long ago, have seen the Son of God there, before he was born as Jesus in Bethlehem. The text doesn't say. The KJV says "like the Son of God," with a capital S. Most newer translations say "a son of the gods," because the words came from a king who worshiped many gods.
Soldiers died. Why? The Bible says it plainly: the fire killed the men who threw the three friends in (3:22). The king's rage and his order caused it. The Bible does not say God did it or wanted it. Christians have struggled with this passage for a long time. The God who acts in this story is the same God we meet in Jesus. God saved people from the fire. The king was the one who lit it.
Does God always rescue faithful people from harm? No, not always in this life. The three friends knew this. That is why they said "even if He does not" (3:18). Many faithful people through history suffered and died. The Bible says nothing can separate God's people "from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:39).
Is there more to this story somewhere else? Yes, in some Bibles. Old Greek versions of Daniel add a prayer and a song that the three friends pray and sing inside the fire. These are called the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men. They are part of the Apocrypha. The Apocrypha are books that Catholic and Orthodox Christians include in their Bibles. Lutherans value these books but do not count them as equal to Scripture. Free Scripture's KJV includes these additions as "The Song of the Three Holy Children."
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with a parent, pastor, or trusted adult. If someone is pressuring you or threatening to hurt you, tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger right now, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the United States, you can also call or text 988 any time, day or night. Outside the United States, findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
How People Feel
| Who | Feeling | Why |
|---|---|---|
| The astrologers | Hostile | They "maliciously" accused the three Jewish men. The Bible doesn't say why (3:8, 3:12) |
| King Nebuchadnezzar | Furious | The three friends would not bow to his statue (3:13, 3:19) |
| Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego | Steady | They trusted God even without knowing how the day would end (3:17-18) |
| King Nebuchadnezzar | Amazed | He saw four men walking unharmed in the fire (3:24-25) |
| The king's leaders | Astonished | The fire had not even singed the three men's hair (3:27) |
For you
What does it mean for me?
Your Turn
Where are you in this story right now? Tap one.
Pressure to go along
The three friends felt that too. Everyone around them was bowing. God did not leave them to face it alone.
God didn't rescue me
The three friends said "even if He does not." Their hope was God himself, not a promised escape. God has not left you, even when the rescue you wanted didn't come.
I'm going through a hard time
You are not alone. The king looked into the fire and saw a fourth person with them. In Jesus, God comes into our hardest times.
Watching for now
That's okay. The king watched too. Then he saw what God can do.
It's really bad right now
Please tell a trusted adult today. If you are in danger, call 911 or your local emergency number. In the U.S., you can call or text 988 any time. Outside the U.S., findahelpline.com lists free helplines.
You Might Have Heard
"Be brave like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and God will protect you."
What's true: The three friends were faithful. They would not bow to an idol. That mattered.
What the story is mainly about: What God does. The friends did not know if they would be saved. They said so. God is the rescuer in this story, not the three men. God did not only pull them out of the fire. God was with them in it. Their faith was not a power that earned a rescue. It was trust in God. Trust like that is a gift the Holy Spirit gives.
Where Jesus is: Matthew calls Jesus Immanuel, which means "God with us" (Matthew 1:23). He did not stay outside our suffering. He came into it, all the way to the cross. And he promised, "surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).
Good News
Through the prophet Isaiah, God made a promise to Israel. Christians hear it too: "When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched; the flames will not set you ablaze" (Isaiah 43:2). This is a comparison. It means God stays with his people in danger. It does not mean real fire cannot burn someone who trusts God.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did not walk through the fire alone. Someone was with them. In Jesus, God comes to be with us in every hard time. Sometimes God takes us out of hard things. Sometimes God stays with us through them. Nothing can separate us from God's love.
Whatever you are going through, you are not alone. God is with you.
From the Wider Church
Early Christians painted the three friends in the fire on the walls of the catacombs in Rome. The catacombs were underground places where Christians buried their dead. It was a picture of hope that God stays with his people, even in death. Many churches still sing part of the Song of the Three Young Men in morning prayer. It is sometimes called the Benedicite, which means "Bless the Lord."
Big Idea
God is with his people in the fire, and God alone is able to save.
If this story brings up big feelings, talk with someone you trust, like a parent, pastor, or counselor.
For leaders and parentsLuther, church readings, and notes for teaching.
From Luther
In the Small Catechism, Luther explains the First Commandment, "You shall have no other gods." He writes, "We should fear, love, and trust in God above all things." The three friends show what that looks like. They trusted God more than the king and more than their own safety. In his explanation of the Creed, Luther also wrote, "I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ." The Holy Spirit gives that trust through the Gospel.
Luther's 1534 German Bible had a section for the Apocrypha. He put the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men there. He said those books were not equal to Holy Scripture, but were useful and good to read.
In Church
Daniel 3 is not one of the Revised Common Lectionary's regular readings. But Evangelical Lutheran Worship adds Daniel 3:1-29 as one of the readings at the Easter Vigil. Evangelical Lutheran Worship is the ELCA's worship book. The Easter Vigil is a service held the night before Easter. Daniel 3 is read there as one of the stories of God's saving acts. The response is part of the Song of the Three Young Men (verses 35-65).
We quote Luther for what he got right about grace. He also wrote terrible things about Jewish people. Read our note on that.
Memorize
How do I keep it?
One line from this story to learn by heart. Practice a little now. It will come back later so it sticks.
He is able to deliver us from the blazing fiery furnace and from your hand, O king.
How did that feel?