DAN 3:5 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.)

3:5 OSHB variant note: קיתרוס: (x-qere) ’קַתְר֨וֹס’: lemma_7030 morph_ANcmsa id_27sgH קַתְר֨וֹס

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 that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, lyre, trigon, harp, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the image of gold that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

UST When you hear the sounds made by the trumpets, the flutes, the guitars, the harps, the wind instruments, and all the other musical instruments, bow down to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.

BSB As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music,[fn] you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

3:5 The precise identification of some musical instruments in this chapter is uncertain.

OEB No OEB DAN book available

WEBBE that whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must bow down and pay homage to the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has erected.

LSV At the time that you hear the voice of the horn, the flute, the harp, the lyre, the stringed instrument, the symphony, and all kinds of music, you fall down and pay respect to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has raised up:

FBV As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, trigon, harp, pipes, and all kinds of musical instruments, you must fall to the ground and worship the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

T4T When you hear the sounds made by the trumpets, the flutes, the guitars, the harps, the wind instruments, and all the other musical instruments, bow down to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue.

LEB that at the time that you hear the sound of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the trigon, the harp, the drum and all kinds of music, you must fall down and you must worship the statue of gold[fn] that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

3:5 Aramaic “the gold”

BBE That when the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all sorts of instruments, comes to your ears, you are to go down on your faces in worship before the image of gold which Nebuchadnezzar the king has put up:

Moff whenever you hear all the music of the horn, the pipe, the lyre, the harp, the lute, and the bagpipes, you must fall down and bow before the golden image which king Nebuchadnezzar has erected:

JPS that at what time ye hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;

ASV that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;

DRA That in the hour that you shall hear the sound of the trumpet, and of the flute, and of the harp, of the sackbut, and of the psaltery, and of the symphony, and of all kind of music; ye fall down and adore the golden statue which king Nabuchodonosor hath set up.

YLT at the time that ye hear the voice of the cornet, the flute, the harp, the sackbut, the psaltery, the symphony, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and do obeisance to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath raised up:

Drby that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, pipe, lute, sambuca, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;

RV that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
(that at what time ye/you_all hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye/you_all fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath/has set up: )

SLT In the time ye shall hear the voice of the horn, the pipe, the harp, the lyre, the psaltery, the bagpipe, and all sorts of music, ye shall fall and prostrate yourselves to the image of gold that Nebuchadnezzar the king set up.

Wbstr That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up.

KJB-1769 That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:[fn]
(That at what time ye/you_all hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music, ye/you_all fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath/has set up: )

3.5 dulcimer: or, singing: Chaldee, symphony

KJB-1611 [fn]That at what time yee heare the sound of the cornet, flute, harpe, sackbut, psalterie, dulcimer, and all kinds of musicke, yee fall downe, and worship the golden image that Nebuchad-nezzar the King hath set vp:
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation and footnotes)

3:5 Or, singing. Cald. Symphonie.

Bshps That whe ye heare the noyse of the cornet, trumpet, harpe, shawme, psaltries, dulcimer, and al maner of instrumentes of musicke, ye fall downe and worship that golden image that Nabuchodonozor the king hath set vp.
(That when ye/you_all hear the noise of the cornet, trumpet, harp, shawme, psaltries, dulcimer, and all manner of instruments of music, ye/you_all fall down and worship that golden image that Nabuchodonozor the king hath/has set up.)

Gnva That when ye heare the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harpe, sackebut, psalterie, dulcimer, and all instruments of musike, ye fall downe and worship the golden image, that Nebuchad-nezzar the King hath set vp,
(That when ye/you_all hear the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harp, sackebut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all instruments of musike, ye/you_all fall down and worship the golden image, that Nebuchad-nezzar the King hath/has set up, )

Cvdl that whe ye heare the noyse off the trompettes, which shalbe blowne, wt ye harpes, shawmes, Psalteries, Symphonies and all maner off Musick: ye fall downe and worshipe the golden ymage, yt Nabuchodonosor the kynge hath set vp.
(that when ye/you_all hear the noise off the trompettes, which shall be blowne, with ye/you_all harps, shawm_instruments, Psalteries, Symphonies and all manner off Music: ye/you_all fall down and worship the golden image, it Nebuchadnezzar the king hath/has set up.)

Wycl in the our in which ye heren the soun of trumpe, and of pipe, and of harpe, of sambuke, of sawtre, and of symphonye, and of al kynde of musikis, falle ye doun, and worschipe the goldun ymage, which the kyng Nabugodonosor made.
(in the our in which ye/you_all hearing the soun of trumpet, and of pipe, and of harp, of sambuke, of sawtre, and of symphonye, and of all kind of musikis, fall ye/you_all down, and worship the golden image, which the king Nebuchadnezzar made.)

Luth Wenn ihr hören werdet den Schall der Posaunen, Trommeten, Harfen, Geigen, Psalter, Lauten und allerlei Saitenspiel, so sollt ihr niederfallen und das güldene Bild anbeten, das der König Nebukadnezar hat setzen lassen.
(When you(pl)/their/her hear/listen become the sound the/of_the trombones, trumpets(n), harps, Geigen, Psalter, Lauten and all_sorts_of_things string_playing, so should you(pl)/their/her fall and the golden image/picture worship, the the/of_the king Nebukadnezar has set/put/place let.)

ClVg in hora qua audieritis sonitum tubæ, et fistulæ, et citharæ, sambucæ, et psalterii, et symphoniæ, et universi generis musicorum, cadentes adorate statuam auream, quam constituit Nabuchodonosor rex.
(in/into/on hour which you(pl)_will_hear with_soundm trumpets, and fistulæ, and citharæ, sambucæ, and psalterii, and symphoniæ, and of_the_universe/all_together kind musicorum, they_will_falles adore/worship statuam golden, how established Nabuchodonosor king. )

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 3:4–6

The king’s herald announced that everyone present must bow down before the image of gold. Those who refused to do so would be punished by death in a furnace.

3:5a

As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music,

on hearing the sound/music of the horn, the flute, the lyre, the small harp, the large harp, the drum and all the other musical instruments,
When you hear the horns, the flutes, the lyres, the harps, and the other musical instruments all playing together,

As soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music: The herald listed six different types of musical instruments. This list emphasizes how grand and important the ceremony was.

Many languages do not have names for all of these kinds of instruments.For help in translating some of these instruments see Ivor H. Jones, “Musical Instruments in the Bible,” The Bible Translator (January 1986) 101–116; (January 1987): 129–143. The author gives pictures of some of these instruments. The Translator’s Handbook on Daniel also has pictures of instruments. If that is true in your language, you may need to borrow names from the national language or translate a shorter list of names. For example:

Trumpets, flutes, harps, and all other kinds of musical instruments… (CEV)

all kinds of wind instruments and stringed instruments

trumpets and harps, large and small

As soon as you hear the sound: The phrase As soon as you hear the sound refers to the moment when the instruments would start playing. Other ways to translate this clause are:

when you hear the sound (RSV)

the moment you hear the sound of (NJB)

when the music begins

horn: This is a general word for any kind of horn. In this passage the word probably refers to a metal or clay trumpet. A person would hold the trumpet to their mouth and blow into it to make a sound. Here is another way to translate this:

trumpets (GNT)

flute: This was also some type of a wind instrument. It is uncertain what it looked like. Other possible ways to translate it include:

pipe (NJB)

oboes (GNT)

zither: A zither is a stringed instrument with thirty or forty strings stretched across a flat soundboard. People played it with a small thin piece of metal. The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as zither probably refers to this or a similar stringed instrument. For example:

lyre (RSV/NRSV)

harp (KJV)

lyre: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as lyre also refers to a stringed instrument, probably a kind of small triangular harp. You may be able to translate this as:

small harp

harp: Scholars differ in the way they interpret what kind of harp this was. It was probably a large angular harp. People held it horizontally and played it by beating on the strings with sticks. You can translate this as:

large harp

pipes: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as pipes probably refers to another type of musical instrument. However, scholars are not sure whether it was a type of drum, pipe, or stringed instrument. English versions make various choices. For example:

drum (NRSV)

It is recommended that you use a word referring to a musical instrument well known in your culture. Or you may leave it untranslated, as it is included in the following phrase “all kinds of music.”

and all kinds of music: The Aramaic phrase that the BSB translates as all kinds of music here probably refers to all different types of musical instruments. This was probably a summary phrase that referred to all kinds of instruments. It referred even to those instruments that the herald had not specifically mentioned (3:2b). You could translate this:

at the same time with all other kinds of instruments (GW)

and other instruments (NLT)

and then all the other instruments will join in (GNT)

General Comment on 3:5a

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in this verse: For example:

Trumpets, flutes…. will soon start playing. When you hear the music…

3:5b

you must fall down and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.

you^(plur) must bow down to the ground and worship the golden statue that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up.
you^(plur) must bow with your face to the ground and worship the golden column.

you must fall down and worship: In this context, the verb fall down means to bow down quickly to the ground. People in the ancient Near East usually bowed down with their face to the ground when they worshiped a god. Nebuchadnezzar was commanding his officials to honor the image as a god. In some languages it may be natural to indicate this by saying:

you must bow down and worship (NCV)

bow to the ground to worship (NLT)

Use the form of command that is most natural for a king to use to his subjects.

and worship: The Aramaic word that the BSB translates as worship here means to give great honor and respect, as to a god. The king wanted the officials to worship the statue. However, the text does not say that

the golden statue: See the Notes at 3:1a. Use the same phrase here that you used there.

that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up: The repetition of this phrase emphasizes the authority of the king (see 3:1c, 2b, 3b). If this repetition is unnatural in your language, you may not have to repeat this information here. However, you should still try to keep the same emphasis on the king’s authority.

Parallel DAN 3:5

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

Paragraph 3:4–6

3:5a

General Comment on 3:5a

3:5b