Daniel 3:21 — meaning, Hebrew and Greek word study, commentary
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.
a person · noun, common masculine plural determined + particle of affirmation
bound
כְּפִ֙תוּ֙ke.Fi.tu
H3729
to fetter · verb, perfect, 3rd person masculine plural
coats
בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן֙be.sar.ba.lei.hOn
H5622
a cloak · preposition + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
hosen
פַּטְּשֵׁיה֔וֹןpa.ti.shei.hon
H6361
a gown (as if hammered out wide) · noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
hats
וְכַרְבְּלָתְה֖וֹןve.khar.be.la.te.Hon
H3737
a mantle · conjunction + noun, common feminine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
garments
וּלְבֻשֵׁיה֑וֹןu.le.vu.shei.Hon
H3831
a garment (literally or figuratively) · conjunction + noun, common masculine plural construct + pronominal suffix, 3rd person masculine plural
cast
וּרְמִ֕יוu.re.Miv
H7412
to throw · conjunction + verb, perfect, 3rd person masculine plural
midst
לְגֽוֹאle.goy'-
H1459
the middle · preposition + noun, common both genders singular construct
burning
יָקִֽדְתָּֽאya.Kid.Ta'
H3345
to burn · verb, qal active participle, feminine singular determined + particle of affirmation
fiery
נוּרָ֖אnu.Ra'
H5135
fire · noun, common both genders singular determined + particle of affirmation
furnace
אַתּ֥וּן'a.Tun
H861
probably a fire-place · noun, common both genders singular construct
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Daniel 3:19-27
In these verses we have,
I. The casting of these three faithful servants of God into the fiery furnace. Nebuchadnezzar had himself known and owned so much of the true God that, one would have thought, though his pride and vanity induced him to make this golden image, and set it up to be worshipped, yet what these young men now said (whom he had formerly found to be wiser than all his wise men) would revive his convictions, and at least engage him to excuse them; but it proved quite otherwise. 1. Instead of being convinced by what they said, he was exasperated, and made more outrageous, Dan 3:19. It made him full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against these men. Note, Brutish…
coats . . . hosen . . . hats--HERODOTUS [1.195] says that the Babylonian costume consisted of three parts: (1) wide, long pantaloons; (2) a woollen shirt; (3) an outer mantle with a girdle round it. So these are specified [GESENIUS], "their pantaloons, inner tunics (hosen, or stockings, are not commonly worn in the East), and outer mantles." Their being cast in so hurriedly, with all their garments on, enhanced the miracle in that not even the smell of fire passed on their clothes, though of delicate, inflammable material.
Adam Clarke on Daniel 3:21
Their hats - This word, hat, is found only in this place in the Old Testament. The word סרבל sarbal properly means an outer garment. Herodotus, who lived about one hundred years after Daniel, says, "the dress of the Babylonians consisted of a tunic of linen reaching down to the feet; over this a tunic of woollen; and over all a white short cloak or mantle, χλανιδιον; and on their heads they wore turbans, μιτρησι." Following this, Mr. Parkhurst translates the verse thus: "Then these three men were bound [בסרבליהון besarbaleyhon] in their Cloaks, [פמישיהון patesheyhon] their Turbans, [וכרבלתהון vecharbelathehon] and in their Upper (woollen) Tunics, [ולבושיהון ulebushehon] and their Under (line…
Verse 21. "And straightway those men, bound up in their trousers and turbans and footgear and garments, were cast into the midst of the furnace of flaming fire..." Instead of sarbal, "trousers" interpreted by Symmachus as anaxy-rides ("trousers"), Aquila and Theodotion read simply saraballa rather than the corrupt reading sarabara. Now the shanks and shin-bones are called saraballa in the language of the Chaldeans, and by extension of the same word it is applied to those articles of clothing which cover the shanks and shins, as if they were to be called "shankies" and "shinnies" (crurales et tibiales). "Turban," however, is a Greek word, tiara which has by usage become a Latin word also, and Virgil says of it (Aeneid, VII): "Both scepter and sacred tiara." It was, however, a kind of skull-cap used by the Persian and Chaldean races.
And so, "Then the boys, after being bound with their garments and cloaks, were cast into the burning furnace of fire according to the proclamation of the king." [Daniel 3:21] Tell me, Nebuchadnezzar, on what account do you order these boys to be bound and cast into the fire? Lest they flee? Or being released they quench the fire with their feet? But you are not the one who does these things, but another in you, who works these things. And on account of this Scripture says, "Then the form of the king was changed." [Daniel 3:19] For there was another person there and Nebuchadnezzar became another person. For the king was a man who in the beginning feared God. Then, having been lifted up against God he changed, mimicking the works of the devil. And on account of this Scripture beautifully predicts, saying, "I am God and I will not change," [Malachi 3:6] so that God may be shown as being unmoved and unchangeable. The form of the king was changed so that he may be easily perceived as being a man and so that the deceiver who recklessly operates in him, may be recognized, who at all times mimics the works of God and wishes to beguile man in various ways.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Abednego — Servant of Nego=Nebo, the Chaldee name given to Azariah, one of Daniel’s three companions (Dan. 2:49). With Shadrach and Meshach, he was delivered from the burning fiery furnace (3:12-30).
Dress — (1.) Materials used. The earliest and simplest an apron of fig-leaves sewed together (Gen. 3:7); then skins of animals (3:21). Elijah’s dress was probably the skin of a sheep (2 Kings 1:8). The…
Hat — Chald. karb’ela, (Dan. 3:21), properly mantle or pallium. The Revised Version renders it “tunic.”
Headdress — The Hebrews do not appear to have regarded a covering for the head as an essential article of dress. Hats were unknown. The earliest notice we have of such a thing is in connection with the…
Hose — (Dan. 3:21), a tunic or undergarment.
Meshach — The title given to Mishael, one of the three Hebrew youths who were under training at the Babylonian court for the rank of Magi (Dan. 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30). This was probably the name of some Chaldean…
Nebuchadnezzar — In the Babylonian orthography Nabu-kudur-uzur, which means “Nebo, protect the crown!” or the “frontiers.” In an inscription he styles himself “Nebo’s favourite.” He was the son and successor of…
Abed-Nego · .A Jewish — .A Jewish
Coercion · RELIGIOUS — RELIGIOUS
Dress · Hats (turbans, R. V. margin), worn by men — Hats (turbans, R. V. margin), worn by men
Furnace · into, by Nebuchadnezzar — into, by Nebuchadnezzar
Garments · Mentioned in scripture: Bonnet or hat — Mentioned in scripture: Bonnet or hat
John Gill on Daniel 3:21
Then these men were bound in their coats,.... Their upper coats, cloaks, or mantles, as Aben Ezra and Jacchiades; though, according to the use of the word in the Arabic language, the "femoralia" (r) or breeches are meant:
their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments: their turbants on their heads, which were usually wore in those countries; and their stockings and shoes, and other under garments, as waistcoats and shirts; which through haste or negligence, or with design, were kept on them, to make their torment the greater; but were intended by the Lord to make the miracle the more conspicuous. According to Cocceius (s) and Bynaeus (t), the first of these words signifies the outwa…
Daniel 3:21-23
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.
21. Tunc viri illi vincti sunt, vel, ligati, in suis chlamydibus, [189] et cum tiaris suis: [190] in vestitu suo: et projecti sunt in fornacem ignis ardentis.
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.
22. Propterea quod urgebat, vel, festinabat, ud verbum praeceptum regis, et fornacem vehementer jusserat accendi, viros illos qui extulerant Sadrach, Mesach, et Abed-nego occidit t kavilla, a…
Of the different parts of clothing named, סרבּלין are not hose, short stockings, from which Hitz. concludes that the enumeration proceeds from the inner to the outer clothing. This remark, correct in itself, proves nothing as to the covering for the legs. This meaning is given to the word only from the New Persian shalwâr, which in the Arabic is sarâwîl; cf. Haug in Ew.'s bibl. Jahrbb. v. p. 162. But the word corresponds with the genuine Semitic word sirbal, which means tunica or indusium; cf. Ges. Thes.
(Note: The lxx have omitted סרבּלין in their translation. Theodot. has rendered it by σαράβαρα, and the third-named piece of dress כּרבּלן by περικνημῖδες, which the lxx have rendered b…
The three men declared their faithfulness to God above all. They were entrusting themselves to the God who had rescued the entire nation of Israel from the power of Pharaoh (Exod 18:10). God later revealed that those who remain faithful unto death will be delivered even after they have died (Dan 12:1-3).
Rashi on Daniel 3:21
these men [as translated,] these men.
were bound in their cloaks They were bound in the garments in which they enwrapped themselves.
their trousers, their robes types of royal raiment that they had; and although they were going forth to be judged before Nebuchadnezzar regarding their death sentence, they did not change their clothes to humble their greatness. From here the Sages learned that even in times of danger, a person should not change from the ruling position to which he has become accustomed.
their robes Aram. וְכַרְבְּלָתְהוֹן. There is a word similar to this (in I Chron. 15: 27): “And David was clothed (מְכֻרְבָּל).
and they were cast into the burning, fiery furnce [as transla…
Meshach · A name given by the chief eu — A name given by the chief eu
Mishael · .Thrown into the fiery furnace — .Thrown into the fiery furnace
Persecution · Spirit of — Exemplified: Chaldeans — Spirit of — Exemplified: Chaldeans
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
