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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

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SHADRACH, MESHACH, AND ABEDNEGO

Babylonian names of three Hebrew youths, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who along with Daniel and others were taken to Babylon as hostages by Nebuchadnezzar in 605 BC (2 Kgs 24:1; Dn 1:1-4). They may have been of royal descent (2 Kgs 20:18; Is 39:7), and thus their presence in Babylon would be thought to guarantee the good behavior of the Judean king Jehoiakim. Nebuchadnezzar, desiring to grace his court with intelligent and handsome men and provide able administrators for his kingdom, directed that certain of the Judean hostages be selected for special training. Among those chosen were Daniel and his three friends. Their Hebrew names, each of which exalted Yahweh, were changed to Babylonian names whose meanings are not clear but may have been intended to honor a Babylonian god. Thus, Hananiah (“The Lord is gracious”) was changed to Shadrach (“Command of Aku”—the Sumerian moon god), Mishael (“Who is what God is”) was changed to Meshach (“Who is what Aku is”), and Azariah (“The Lord has helped”) was changed to Abednego (“Servant of Nabu”—the Babylonian god of wisdom). Also Daniel (“My judge is God”) was changed to Belteshazzar (“Bel protects”—the chief Babylonian god). These young men underwent a three-year course of instruction in the languages and literature of the Chaldeans, the learned men of Babylon. This instruction no doubt included the Aramaic, Akkadian, and Sumerian languages; cuneiform writing; and perhaps also astronomy, mathematics, history, and agriculture.

Nebuchadnezzar provided food for this academy. The four Hebrew youths refused to defile themselves with it because it likely had been sacrificed to one or more of the pagan gods. It had not been properly prepared, therefore, and was unfit for Jewish consumption (cf. Ex 34:15; Lv 17:10-14). Fearing the king’s displeasure should the young scholars appear undernourished, the chief eunuch expressed his concern to Daniel. Daniel proposed a substitute diet of vegetables to be tested for ten days. At the end of that period, the four Hebrew youths appeared healthier than their colleagues and were allowed to continue their diet. When the course of their instruction was completed, the four stood out from the rest because of their academic excellence and superior competence in every area of knowledge. Their intellectual superiority had been bestowed upon them by God.

Apparently, these four young men joined the ranks of the “wise men of Babylon” (Dn 2:12-49). When the others (the enchanters, sorcerers, and wise men) were unable to tell Nebuchadnezzar the nature and interpretation of a dream, he lashed out at them in a fitful rage and ordered them all put to death. Daniel appealed to the king, and their lives were spared when the dream and its interpretation were made known to him in a vision. Later, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to comply with the king’s command to prostrate themselves before an enormous golden image that Nebuchadnezzar had erected (ch 3). Confronted by Nebuchadnezzar and threatened with terrible punishment for their intransigence, they replied that their trust was fully in the Lord. A blazing furnace was stoked for the immediate execution of the faithful Hebrews. The Lord was with his faithful servants and preserved their lives by sending his angel to protect them in the furnace. In the end it was Nebuchadnezzar who had to acknowledge that his own kingdom and power could not compare to that of the true God.

See also Daniel, Book of; Daniel, Additions to (Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men).