Daniel 3 Footnotes

3:12 Critics who question the authenticity of the book of Daniel point to the omission of his name here as evidence that the story of the three Judean youths was a legend that had circulated independently of the other narratives in the book. They assert that the author conflated older tales into one story to inspire faithfulness during the persecutions of Antiochus IV. Such a conjecture has no objective support. Daniel’s responsibilities as “ruler over the entire province of Babylon and chief governor over all the wise men of Babylon” likely required his presence at the palace (2:48).

3:29 Nebuchadnezzar’s decree shows that he, unlike modern skeptics, accepted the truth that God can miraculously deliver his people. In this he was in agreement with the biblical view that God can override what is seemingly a closed system of cause and effect in the physical world. The angel Gabriel told Mary, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk 1:37); Jesus himself affirmed, “With God all things are possible” (Mt 19:26).