DAN 3:25 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) “Look there, then!” he responded. “I can see four men walking in the middle of the fire, and they’re not tied up and they’re not hurt, and the fourth one looks like a young god.”

3:25 OSHB variant note: רביעי/א: (x-qere) ’רְֽבִיעָ/אָ֔ה’: lemma_7244 n_0.1 morph_AAomsd/Td id_27R15 רְֽבִיעָ/אָ֔ה

Key: khaki:verbs.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT He answered and said, “Look! I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire, and they are not hurt. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.”

UST Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “Look! I see four men in the fire! They have no ropes on them, they are walking around, and the flames are not hurting them! And the fourth man looks like a divine being!”

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE He answered, “Look, I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are unharmed. The appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.[fn]”

3:25 Or, the Son of God.

WMBB (Same as above including footnotes)

NET He answered, “But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!”

LSV He answered and has said, “Behold, I am seeing four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth [is] like to a son of the gods.”

FBV “Look!” he cried out. “How is it that I can see four men, not tied up, walking around in the fire and not being burned? And the fourth one looks like a god!”[fn]

3:25 “A god.” This expression on the lips of a pagan king surely referred to his own religious beliefs. The actual term is “son of god (s),” however in Hebrew “son of” often simply refers to the actual person, not the son (see for example 2:25 which in fact refers to the “sons of the captives,” etc). However, in verse 28 Nebuchadnezzar identifies him as an angel.

T4T Nebuchadnezzar shouted, “Look! I see four men in the fire! They have no ropes on them, they are walking around, and the flames are not hurting them! And the fourth man looks like a divine being!”

LEB _⌊He answered_⌋,[fn] saying, “Look, I see four men unbound walking in the midst of the fire and there is no damage to them, and the[fn] appearance of the fourth man resembles the son of a god.”

3:25 Literally “was answering”

3:25 Aramaic “its”

BBE He made answer and said, Look! I see four men loose, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are not damaged; and the form of the fourth is like a son of the gods.

Moff And he replied, “But I see four men quite free, walking in the middle of the fire, unscathed! The appearance of the fourth is like an angel!”

JPS He answered and said: 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.'

ASV He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods.

DRA Then Azarias standing up prayed in this manner, and opening his mouth in the midst of the fire, he said:

YLT He answered and hath said, 'Lo, I am seeing four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth [is] like to a son of the gods.'

Drby He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of [fn]God.

3.25 Elohim

RV He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the aspect of the fourth is like a son of the gods.

SLT He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose going about in the midst of the fire, and there is no hurt in them: and the aspect of the fourth like to the Son of God.

Wbstr He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt: and the form of the fourth is like the son of God.

KJB-1769 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.[fn]

3.25 they…: Chaldee, there is no hurt in them

KJB-1611 [fn]He answered and said, Loe, I see foure men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they haue no hurt, and the forme of the fourth is like the sonne of God.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

3:25 Cal. there is no hurt in them.

Bshps He aunswered & sayde: Lo, I see foure men loose, walking in the mids of ye fire, and they haue no hurt: and the fourme of the fourth is like the sonne of God.
(He answered and said: Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of ye/you_all fire, and they have no hurt: and the form of the fourth is like the son of God.)

Gnva And he answered, and said, Loe, I see foure men loose, walking in the middes of the fire, and they haue no hurt, and the forme of the fourth is like the sonne of God.
(And he answered, and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the son of God. )

Cvdl He answered and sayde: lo, for all that, yet do I se foure men goinge lowse in the myddest off the fyre, and nothinge corrupte: and the fourth is like an angel to loke vpon.
(He answered and said: lo, for all that, yet do I see four men going lowse in the midst off the fire, and nothing corrupte: and the fourth is like an angel to look upon.)

Wycl Forsothe Asarie stoode, and preiede thus; and he openyde his mouth in the myddis of the fier,
(For_certain/Truly Asarie stood, and prayed thus; and he opened his mouth in the midst of the fire,)

Luth Er antwortete und sprach: Sehe ich doch vier Männer los im Feuer gehen, und sind unversehrt; und der vierte ist gleich, als wäre er ein Sohn der Götter.
(He replied and spoke: Sehe I though/but four men go/loose/off in_the fire(n) go, and are unversehrt; and the/of_the fourth is even, as were he a son the/of_the gods.)

ClVg Stans autem Azarias oravit sic, aperiensque os suum in medio ignis, ait:
(Stans however Azarias he_prayed so, openingque mouth his_own in/into/on in_the_middle fire, he_said: )

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–30: God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace

This is the only chapter in the book of Daniel where the author does not refer to Daniel himself. Scholars have debated why this might be. Possibly he was traveling somewhere else in the empire on the king’s business at this time.

The author wrote Daniel 3 in the Aramaic language. These Notes usually follow the Aramaic found in the Masoretic Text (MT). The early Greek translation of Daniel 3 is somewhat different from the Aramaic. The Greek translation includes two stories that are not in the MT. The first is called “The Prayer of Azariah” (3:24–45). The second is called “The Song of the Three Young Men” (3:50–90). These two stories are connected by a short paragraph (3:46–50). Most English versions do not include these two stories. The NJB, however, does include them. As a result the verse numbers in the NJB are different from those of most other English versions.

In some other places the Greek text of Daniel 3 differs from the Aramaic of the Masoretic Text. For example, the Greek text includes a date in 3:1 that is not in the MT. Scholars have different views on why the two texts differ. It is possible that the Greek versions may have translated from a different Aramaic original. The Notes will discuss the differences between the two texts for certain important passages.

Outline: This chapter can be divided into four parts:

1. Setting: Nebuchadnezzar commanded all his officials of Babylon to come and worship the golden image that he had set up. (3:1–7)

2. Problem: Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down and worship the image. The king threatened to kill them, but they still refused. (3:8–18)

3. Action: The king ordered his soldiers to throw the three young men into the furnace. (3:19–23)

4. Result/Outcome: God delivered the three young men from the furnace, and Nebuchadnezzar gave honor to God. (3:24–30)

The author gave prominence to Daniel 3:16–18, when the three young men proclaimed that they trusted in God to rescue them. If you have a way in your language to mark this section as important, you should use do that here

Headings:

The Notes interpret Daniel 3:1–30 as a one unit with one heading. However, in some languages it may be helpful to divide this chapter into more than one unit and to give each unit a separate heading. The following are some examples of how English versions divide the chapter into units and the headings they give for each unit:

Some versions have one heading. For example:
1. “The Image of Gold and the Fiery Furnace” (NIV)
2. “The Fiery Furnace” (REB)
3. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego Refuse to Worship an Idol” (GW)

2. Some have two headings:

“The Golden Image” (NRSV, 3:1–18)
- “Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue” (NLT, 3:1–18)
“The Fiery Furnace” (NRSV, 3:19–30)
- “The Blazing Furnace” (NLT, 3:19–30)

3. The GNT has four headings:

“Nebuchadnezzar Commands Everyone to Worship a Gold Statue” (3:1–7)
“Daniel’s Three Friends Are Accused of Disobedience” (3:8–18)
“Daniel’s Three Friends Are Sentenced to Death” (3:19–25)
“The Three Men Are Released and Promoted” (3:26–30)

Special Translation Problems:

Lists: The author liked to use lists. He repeated these lists throughout the chapter. For example:
1. the list of the names of officials (3:2, 3, 27)
2. the list of musical instruments (3:5, 7, 10, 15)
3. the phrase: “peoples, nations, and languages” (3:4, 29)
Repetition: The author also liked to repeat phrases throughout the narrative. Some of these phrases are:
1. “the image that King Nebuchadnezzar set up” (3:1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 12, 14, 18)
2. “hear the sound of the horn” (3:5, 7, 10, 15)
3. “fall down and worship” (3:5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15)
4. “burning fiery furnace” (3:6, 11, 15, 17, 20, 21, 23, 26)
5. “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego” (3:12, 13, 14, 16, 19, 20, 22, 26, 28, 29, 30)

Each language uses repetition in its own way. These notes will discuss the significance of the repetitions in Daniel. In some languages, the repetition may not be natural. If that is true in your language, you will have to consider how best to communicate the same meaning.

Paragraph 3:24–25

The narrative does not directly tell what happened to the men in the furnace. Instead, the focus moves to the king. The king expressed his shock and amazement at what he saw.The Septuagint (LXX), the ancient Greek version, here adds two stories that are not in the Masoretic Text. The LXX says “the king is amazed because he hears them singing.” Like the LXX, the NJB adds “the song of Azariah in the furnace” (3:24–50) and “The song of the three young men” (3:51–90). The NJB includes these additions and then continues translating the Aramaic text at verse 91. For more information on these added texts see the introduction to the Notes. The Dead Sea Scrolls, like the Masoretic Text, do not include these additions. These Notes also do not include these sections in the Notes or the Display.

3:25a

“Look!” he exclaimed. “I see four men, unbound and unharmed, walking around in the fire—

Then the king said, “But look! I now see four men walking around in the middle of the fire.
They are untied and none of them are hurt.
Then the king exclaimed, “But look at the fire! I can see four men walking about in it! Their hands and feet are not tied! None of them have been burnt!

Look!: The Aramaic exclamation that the BSB translates as Look! calls attention to something important and surprising. Here it also contrasts with the previous clause. Try to translate both ideas. For example:

But look… (GW)

But what do I see!

he exclaimed: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as he exclaimed is literally “he was answering and saying.” See the Notes at 3:9. In this context, the expression indicates that the king was about to say something surprising and unexpected. It introduces the climax of the narrative. Introduce what the king said in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

He said

Nebuchadnezzar shouted (NLT)

I see four men: The king saw that there were four men in the fire. The text does not say so, but presumably everyone else could also see four men. The fourth man was actually there. So in your translation you should use the first person singular I without implying that the advisers could not see the same thing. For example:

I can see that there are four men

unbound and unharmed: Nebuchadnezzar could see that the four men were walking freely and that they were not in pain or distress. There were no ropes or chains around them, and the fire was not burning or hurting them.

unbound: The Aramaic verb that the BSB translates as unbound is passive. It can also be translated as “loosed.” Here it indicates that there were no ropes/chains binding/tying the men in the furnace. In translating this, bear in mind that one of the four men had never been bound. Other ways to say this in English are:

loose (RSV)

They are free of chains/ropes.

They are not tied up. (GNT)

unharmed: The Aramaic clause that the BSB translates as unharmed is more literally “there is no hurt on them.” The fire had not burned the skin/bodies of any of the men. Different ways to translate this include:

they show no sign of being hurt (GNT)

They are not burned (NCV)

The flames have not hurt/harmed them!

walking around in the fire: The furnace was big enough for all the men to walk around inside it. They were surrounded by flames. Other ways to translate this include:

walking in the middle of the fire (NRSV)

walking about in the flames

3:25b

and the fourth looks like a son of the gods!”

And the fourth person looks like a god!”
The fourth person appears divine/godlike!”

and the fourth looks like a son of the gods: The king described the fourth person that he saw in the furnace. This is important information. In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a complete sentence. For example:

The fourth one looks like a son of the gods. (GW)

a son of the gods: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates literally as a son of the gods here refers to a supernatural being of some kind. Nebuchadnezzar, like the other Babylonians, believed in the existence of various gods. This fourth figure looked godlike, supernatural. Here is another way to translate this:

a divine being (NLT)

Many scholars believe that this fourth figure may have been Jesus Christ, the Son of God, appearing as a man before his birth on earth. However, you should not make this explicit in the text. This was not what Nebuchadnezzar thought.

Parallel DAN 3:25

Section 3:1–30: God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the fiery furnace

Paragraph 3:24–25

3:25a

3:25b