Daniel 3:21
in Daniel 3So they were tied up, wearing robes, trousers, turbans, and other clothes, and they were thrown into the blazing fiery furnace.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then these men were bound in their hosen, their tunics, and their mantles, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
KJV
Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
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This verse in Daniel 3
Commentary
11 notes on this verseVerse 21. "And straightway those men, bound up in their trousers and turbans and footgear and garments, were cast into the midst of the furnace of flaming fire..." Instead of sarbal, "trousers" interpreted by Symmachus as anaxy-rides ("trousers"), Aquila and Theodotion read simply saraballa rather than the corrupt reading sarabara. Now the shanks and shin-bones are called saraballa in the language of the Chaldeans, and by extension of the same word it is applied to those articles of clothing which cover the shanks and shins, as if they were to be called "shankies" and "shinnies" (crurales et tibiales).
This site's exposition
seven times hotter than usual
on Daniel 3:19-23
The king's face changes and he orders the furnace heated “seven times hotter than usual”. The three are tied up and “the fiery flames killed the men who carried up” the prisoners, so the fire is shown to be real. Still “firmly bound,” they “fell into the blazing fiery furnace”.
This site's exposition
robes, trousers, turbans
The names of the robes, trousers and turbans are uncertain. Jerome records that Symmachus rendered the first as trousers, and Adam Clarke cites Herodotus. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note that throwing them in with all their clothes made the miracle greater, for verse 27 finds even their robes unaffected.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
And so, "Then the boys, after being bound with their garments and cloaks, were cast into the burning furnace of fire according to the proclamation of the king." [Daniel 3:21] Tell me, Nebuchadnezzar, on what account do you order these boys to be bound and cast into the fire? Lest they flee? Or being released they quench the fire with their feet? But you are not the one who does these things, but another in you, who works these things. And on account of this Scripture says, "Then the form of the king was changed." [Daniel 3:19] For there was another person there and Nebuchadnezzar became another person. For the king was a man who in the beginning feared God. Then, having been lifted up against God he changed, mimicking the works of the devil. And on account of this Scripture beautifully predicts, saying, "I am God and I will not change," [Malachi 3:6] so that God may be shown as being unmoved and unchangeable. The form of the king was changed so that he may be easily perceived as being a man and so that the deceiver who recklessly operates in him, may be recognized, who at all times mimics the works of God and wishes to beguile man in various ways.
The Puritans and the Awakening4 voices
They were bound, that they might not struggle, or make any resistance, were bound in their clothes, for haste, or that they might be consumed the more slowly and gradually. But God's providence ordered it for the increase of the miracle, in that their clothes were not so much as singed.
We are not careful - Hebrew. We care not: there is no need of any answer in this case for it is in vain for us to debate the matter; the king is resolved to have his will of us, and we are resolved on the contrary. But if not - It was therefore all one to them, which way God would honour himself; they were resolved to suffer rather than sin, and leave the cause to God.
Then these men were bound in their coats,....
Their miraculous preservation in the fire by the power of God, and their invitation out of the fire by the favour of the king, who was by this miracle convinced of his error in casting them in,
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Then these men were bound in their coats - They were seized just as they were. No time was given them for preparation; no change was made in their dress. In “autos-da-fe” of later times, it has been usual to array those who were to suffer in a peculiar dress, indicative of the fact that they were heretics, and that they deserved the flame. Here, however, the anger of the king was so great, that no delay was allowed for any such purpose, and they proceeded to execute the sentence upon them just as they were.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
(3) an outer mantle with a girdle round it. So these are specified [GESENIUS], "their pantaloons, inner tunics (hosen, or stockings, are not commonly worn in the East), and outer mantles." Their being cast in so hurriedly, with all their garments on, enhanced the miracle in that not even the smell of fire passed on their clothes, though of delicate, inflammable material.
Their hats - This word, hat, is found only in this place in the Old Testament. The word סרבל sarbal properly means an outer garment. Herodotus, who lived about one hundred years after Daniel, says, “the dress of the Babylonians consisted of a tunic of linen reaching down to the feet; over this a tunic of woollen; and over all a white short cloak or mantle, χλανιδιον; and on their heads they wore turbans, μιτρησι.” Following this, Mr. Parkhurst translates the verse thus: “Then these three men were bound [בסרבליהון besarbaleyhon] in their Cloaks, [פמישיהון patesheyhon] their Turbans, [וכרבלתהון vecharbelathehon] and in their Upper (woollen) Tunics, [ולבושיהון ulebushehon] and their Under (linen) Tunics.” And as, according to this interpretation, their סרבלי sarbaley were their outermost garments, we see the propriety with which it is observed at Dan 3:27 that these were not changed by the fire.
The words behind it
13 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| בֵּאדַ֜יִן | bedayin | <in> then | H116 → | 57 times |
| גֻּבְרַיָּ֣א | guvraiya' | men the | H1400 → | 21 times |
| אִלֵּ֗ךְ | ʾilekh | these | H479 → | 14 times |
| כְּפִ֙תוּ֙ | kefitu | they were bound | H3729 → | 4 times |
| בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן֙ | besarbaleihon | in mantles their | H5622 → | |
| פַּטְּשֵׁיה֔וֹן | patisheihon | trousers their | H6361 → | |
| וְכַרְבְּלָתְה֖וֹן | vekharbelatehon | and caps their | H3737 → | |
| וּלְבֻשֵׁיה֑וֹן | ulevusheihon | and clothes their | H3831 → | |
| וּרְמִ֕יו | uremiv | and they were thrown | H7412 → | 12 times |
| לְגֽוֹא־ | legoy'- | to [the] midst of | H1459 → | 13 times |
| אַתּ֥וּן | ʾatun | [the] furnace of | H861 → | 10 times |
| נוּרָ֖א | nura' | fire the | H5135 → | 17 times |
| יָקִֽדְתָּֽא׃ | yakidta' | <the> burning | H3345 → | 8 times |
בֵּאדַ֜יִן<in> then
bedayinH116 →57 times
גֻּבְרַיָּ֣אmen the
guvraiya'H1400 →21 times
אִלֵּ֗ךְthese
ʾilekhH479 →14 times
כְּפִ֙תוּ֙they were bound
kefituH3729 →4 times
בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן֙in mantles their
besarbaleihonH5622 →
פַּטְּשֵׁיה֔וֹןtrousers their
patisheihonH6361 →
וְכַרְבְּלָתְה֖וֹןand caps their
vekharbelatehonH3737 →
וּלְבֻשֵׁיה֑וֹןand clothes their
ulevusheihonH3831 →
וּרְמִ֕יוand they were thrown
uremivH7412 →12 times
לְגֽוֹא־to [the] midst of
legoy'-H1459 →13 times
אַתּ֥וּן[the] furnace of
ʾatunH861 →10 times
נוּרָ֖אfire the
nura'H5135 →17 times
יָקִֽדְתָּֽא׃<the> burning
yakidta'H3345 →8 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Daniel
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 2.27.1-4; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER THREE; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.