And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king's
counsellors, being gathered together
Either by the order of the king, or of their own accord, to see the miracle that was wrought: saw these men;
saw them walking in the furnace, saw them come out of it at the king's call, and saw them when they were out, and examined them thoroughly; so that they had ocular demonstration, full proof and conviction, of the truth of what was done: upon whose bodies the fire had no power;
to blister, scorch, burn, and consume them, as it has usually over the bodies of men, or any creature: nor was an hair of their head singed;
which is easily done with the weakest flame; and this must be understood of the hair of their eyebrows and beards also; see ( Luke 21:18 ) : neither were their coats changed;
neither the substance, nor form, nor colour of them, but were just as they were when cast into the furnace; the same holds good of all their other garments, their interior ones, with their turbants, shoes, and stockings: nor the smell of the fire had passed on them;
as will upon persons that stay at any time in a place where there is much fire and smoke; and especially where much combustible things are burnt, as pitch, sulphur, and the like, as in furnaces; and very probably in this, which had been so vehemently heated; and yet there was no smell of it on their garments; all which serve to make the miracle the more wonderful.