Daniel 3:9
in Daniel 3saying to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, may you live forever!
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They answered and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king, O king, live for ever.
KJV
They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.
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This verse in Daniel 3
Commentary
4 notes on this verseThis site's exposition
accused the Jews
on Daniel 3:8-15
Some astrologers “maliciously accused the Jews,” and Keil notes the Aramaic idiom behind it: they ate the pieces of them, accusation pictured as devouring. His question, “Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?” is the one the rest of the chapter answers.
This site's exposition
may you live forever
Albert Barnes calls "O king, may you live forever" the customary address to a king, one that treated long life as a great blessing. John Gill reads it here as a show of loyalty to King Nebuchadnezzar. The astrologers open with devotion before their charge against the Jews.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
They spake and said to Nebuchadnezzar,.... Having got access unto him, and within his hearing, they expressed themselves in the following manner: O king, live for ever; this they said to show their fidelity and hearty attachment to him, and their regard to his welfare, and the continuance of his life; and the rather to ingratiate themselves into his affections, and gain audience of him; See Gill on Dan 2:4.
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
O king, live for ever - A customary form of address to a monarch, implying that long life was regarded as an eminent blessing. See the notes at Dan 2:4.
The words behind it
7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| עֲנוֹ֙ | ano | they replied | H6032 → | 30 times |
| וְאָ֣מְרִ֔ין | veamerin | and [were] saying | H560 → | 71 times |
| לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר | linvukhadnetzar | to Nebuchadnezzar | H5020 → | 31 times |
| מַלְכָּ֑א | malka' | king the | H4430 → | 180 times |
| מַלְכָּ֖א | malka' | king O | H4430 → | 180 times |
| לְעָלְמִ֥ין | lealmin | for ever | H5957 → | 20 times |
| חֱיִֽי׃ | cheyi | live! | H2418 → | 6 times |
עֲנוֹ֙they replied
anoH6032 →30 times
וְאָ֣מְרִ֔יןand [were] saying
veamerinH560 →71 times
לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖רto Nebuchadnezzar
linvukhadnetzarH5020 →31 times
מַלְכָּ֑אking the
malka'H4430 →180 times
מַלְכָּ֖אking O
malka'H4430 →180 times
לְעָלְמִ֥יןfor ever
lealminH5957 →20 times
חֱיִֽי׃live!
cheyiH2418 →6 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Daniel 6:21Then Daniel replied, “O king, may you live forever!
it leads to
- Daniel 2:4
Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 6:6
So the administrators and satraps went together to the king and said, “O King Darius, may you live forever!
Reached by 3 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 2:4
Through
Romans 13:7Pay everyone what you owe him: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.
it leads to
- Luke 20:25
So Jesus told them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”
- Matthew 17:25
“Yes,” he answered. When Peter entered the house, Jesus preempted him. “What do you think, Simon?” He asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs and taxes: from their own sons,…
- Proverbs 24:21
My son, fear the LORD and the king, and do not associate with the rebellious.
- 1 Peter 2:17–18
Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
- 1 Timothy 5:17
Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
- Luke 20:25
Through
Daniel 2:4Then the astrologers answered the king in Aramaic, “O king, may you live forever! Tell your servants the dream, and we will give the interpretation.”
it leads to
- Daniel 5:10
Hearing the outcry of the king and his nobles, the queen entered the banquet hall. “O king, may you live forever!” she said. “Do not let your thoughts terrify you, or your face grow…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 5:10
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Daniel
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament and John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763).