Daniel 3:28

28 Da fing Nebukadnezar an und sprach: Gelobt sei der Gott Sadrachs, Mesachs und Abed-Negos, der seinen Engel gesandt und seine Knechte errettet hat, die ihm vertraut und des Königs Gebot nicht gehalten, sondern ihren Leib dargegeben haben, daß sie keinen Gott ehren noch anbeten wollten als allein ihren Gott!

Daniel 3:28 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 3:28

Then Nebuchadnezzar spake and said
In the presence of his princes and prime ministers of state, and made the following confession, to the praise and glory of the true God; which was extorted from him at this time through the force of conviction; for it does not appear to be a thorough conversion; nor did he relinquish his gods, and the worship of them: blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego;
he does not call him his God, but theirs, as he had called him the God of Daniel before, ( Daniel 2:47 ) : who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in
him;
the fourth man he saw in the furnace he now calls an angel of God; for the Heathens had notions of some being the messengers of the gods: this seems to favour the sense of those who think an angel is designed by the fourth person; though it does not follow that a created one must be meant; for it may be understood of the Angel of God's presence, the uncreated Angel, Jesus Christ; who, being sent by his divine Father; came and delivered these three persons from being consumed in the fire, who had in so strong a manner expressed their confidence in God, which the king now remembers and observes; see ( Daniel 3:17 Daniel 3:18 ) : and have changed the king's word;
made it null and void, refused to obey it, knowing it was their duty to obey God rather than man; so that the king was forced to change his word, and, instead of obliging them to worship his image, blesses their God: and yielded their bodies;
freely gave them up, without any resistance, into the hands of those who were ordered by the king to take and bind them, and cast them into the furnace, to which also they readily yielded themselves: so the Septuagint and Arabic versions add, "to the fire", that they might not serve nor worship any god except their own God;
they chose rather to deliver up themselves to death, to be burnt in a furnace, than to serve any other god than the God of Israel; such was their constancy and firmness of mind; such their attachment to the true God, and their faithfulness to him.

Daniel 3:28 In-Context

26 Und Nebukadnezar trat hinzu vor das Loch des glühenden Ofens und sprach: Sadrach, Mesach, Abed-Nego, ihr Knechte Gottes des Höchsten, geht heraus und kommt her! Da gingen Sadrach, Mesach und Abed-Nego heraus aus dem Feuer.

27 Und die Fürsten, Herren, Vögte und Räte kamen zusammen und sahen, daß das Feuer keine Macht am Leibe dieser Männer bewiesen hatte und ihr Haupthaar nicht versengt und ihre Mäntel nicht versehrt waren; ja man konnte keinen Brand an ihnen riechen.

28 Da fing Nebukadnezar an und sprach: Gelobt sei der Gott Sadrachs, Mesachs und Abed-Negos, der seinen Engel gesandt und seine Knechte errettet hat, die ihm vertraut und des Königs Gebot nicht gehalten, sondern ihren Leib dargegeben haben, daß sie keinen Gott ehren noch anbeten wollten als allein ihren Gott!

29 So sei nun dies mein Gebot: Welcher unter allen Völkern, Leuten und Zungen den Gott Sadrachs, Mesachs und Abed-Negos lästert, der soll in Stücke zerhauen und sein Haus schändlich verstört werden. Denn es ist kein andrer Gott, der also erretten kann, als dieser.

30 Und der König gab Sadrach, Mesach und Abed-Nego große Gewalt in der Landschaft Babel.