If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
What does Daniel 3:17 mean?
True devotion calms the spirit, quiets and softens it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put into a little compass, Turn, or burn.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Daniel 3:16-18 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Daniel 3:17
If it be so , our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. If it be so - Chaldee, hen 'ythay - "so it is." That is, "this is true, that the God whom we serve can save us." The idea is not, as would seem in our translation, "if we are to be cast into the furnace," but the mind is turned on the fact that the God whom they served could save them. Coverdale renders this whole passage, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we ought not to consent unto thee in this matter, for why?
Key words
- serve
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If it be so , our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
- deliver
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If it be so , our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
- burning
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If it be so , our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Context in Daniel 3
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Daniel 3 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as court tales of faithful witness. Daniel combines stories of exile fidelity with sweeping apocalyptic visions that place earthly empires beneath the sovereignty of God. Read this chapter with the wider themes of exile, kingdom of God, and faithfulness in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.