33–34a The gods are unable to prevent their own servants from plundering them (cf. v. 10).
34b Cannot set…one. Cf. Ps 2; Dan 2.21.
35 Not able…money. Cf. 1 Sam 2.7; Job 42.10. Will not require it. Cf. Deut 23.21.
36–37. Cannot save…cannot rescue. Cf. Ex 20.2; 1 Sam 17.37.
38 Cannot take pity. Cf. Pss 68.5–6; 146.8–9.
39 Put to shame. Cf. Isa 44.11.
40b–44 Those who worship idols participate in senseless and dishonoring behavior.
40 Chaldeans, either people of the Babylonian Empire or, as here, professional diviners and wise men (see Dan 2.2; 4.7; 5.7). Bel, the Akkadian word for “lord” (corresponding to Hebrew Baal), a title of Marduk, chief of the Babylonian pantheon (cf. Jer 50.2; 51.44; Isa 46.1; Bel and the Dragon). His priests, supposedly wise, pray to an unhearing and mute god for the cure of the mute (cf. Hab 2.18–19).
42–43 Women…taken to bed. According to Herodotus (History 1.199), it was the obligation of every Babylonian woman once in her lifetime to sit in the temple precinct of Aphrodite (Ishtar) until selected for sexual intercourse by a stranger, presumably as part of the fertility rites associated with the goddess (see also Strabo, Geography 16.1.20). Herodotus makes no mention of the burning bran, which may have been a form of grain offering or perhaps an aphrodisiac.
45–56 The statues of the gods are made by mortals.
45 Made by carpenters and goldsmiths. Cf. Ps 115.4; Isa 40.19; Jer 10.9. The statues represent human rather than divine will.
47 One generation was expected to hand on to those who come after the tradition of true worship (cf. Deut 6.7; Pss 48.13; 78.1–8), but the artisans hand on only shameful images.
48–50 The statues are only wooden cores overlaid with gold and silver; therefore, they will be unable to protect themselves from the ravages of war and time.
53–54 Among the tasks of gods in the ancient Near East were to establish kings (cf. Dan 2.21), give fertility (cf. Deut 11.14), and rescue the innocent poor (cf. 1 Sam 2.8), but these gods do nothing.
55 The difficult crows is sometimes corrected to “clouds” based on the assumption that the Greek translator mistook the graphically similar Hebrew word k‘bym (“like clouds”) for k‘rbym (“like ravens”). If so, then the gods are powerless like clouds blown by the winds.
57–65 Idols are helpless and useless, unfit images of the one true God.
57–58 Cf. vv. 10, 28, 49, 56.
59 All things, noble and base, have their use, but not idols, which can do nothing.
60 Sun and moon and stars…are obedient. Cf. Job 38.24–38; Ps 8.3–4; Bar 3.33–34. The luminaries mark day and night and seasonal feasts (Gen 1.14–18).
61–63 These manifestations of storm, often the domain of the chief deities of the ancient Near East, are indicative of God’s power and presence (Ex 19.16–19; 1 Kings 18.44–45; Ps 29).
64 Not able…to decide a case, in contrast to Israel’s God (Ex 18.19; Ps 43.1; Isa 41.21).
66–69 The gods are passive, mute, and more helpless than wild animals.
66 Neither curse nor bless. Cf. Num 22.12; Deut 11.26–28.
67 Signs in the heavens, perhaps astrological signs used for divination, though more likely astral phenomena in general. Cf. Jer 10.2; Joel 2.30.
70–72 Final metaphors of contempt for idols.
70 Scarecrow in a cucumber bed. Just as a scarecrow’s ability to frighten depends upon its being perceived as a living being, so an idol’s power to evoke fear (i.e., worship) requires human self-deception. Cf. Jer 10.5.
71 Thornbush, corpse thrown out, metaphors for things useless, even detrimental (cf. Judg 9.14–15; Am 8.3; Jer 14.16; Isa 34.3; Bar 2.25).
73 True honor belongs to the upright person who shuns idolatry.
THE PRAYER OF AZARIAH and the Song of the Three Jews
THE GREEK AND LATIN VERSIONS OF DANIEL contain three additions that are not present in the Jewish and Protestant canons of the OT. These are collectively referred to as the Additions to Daniel and consist of the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews, Susanna, and Bel and the Dragon.
The first of these, the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews, is found inserted between Dan 3.23 and 3.24. Dan 3 recounts the story of Daniel’s three companions who are thrown into a furnace by Nebuchadnezzar and survive unharmed. Although short prayers and doxologies are found in Daniel (2.20–23; 3.28; 4.3, 34–35, 37; 6.26–27), this addition is much longer, delaying the narrative considerably. It was a common practice in the editing of the OT to insert such poetic compositions into prose works (cf. 1 Sam 2; 2 Sam 22). This insertion falls into three parts: the Prayer of Azariah (vv. 1–22); a description of the furnace (vv. 23–27); and the Song of the Three Jews (vv. 28–68). The last section can also be divided further into vv. 28–34 and 35–68, based on differences in the poetic arrangement. This addition was probably inserted in the second or first century BCE. Although there is no evidence that the Prayer of Azariah or the Song of the Three Jews was used in Jewish liturgy, they were very popular among Christians and were included as numbers 7 and 8 in the section “Odes” in some manuscripts of the Greek Bible.
By form, the Prayer of Azariah is a national lament, similar to Pss 44; 74; 79; and 80, although the latter do not dwell as much on the speaker’s confession of sin. The confession of sin was, however, a staple of the covenantal theology of the postexilic period (cf. Ezra 9.6–15; Neh 9.6–37; Dan 9.4–19; Bar 1.15–3.8).
The Song of the Three Jews was often divided in early Christian use at the same point where a division is suggested here, between vv. 34 and 35. In both parts this is a hymn of praise; the first part is similar to Pss 96 and 97 in its themes, while the second is similar to Ps 148 in content and to Ps 136 in its use of a repeated, antiphonal refrain.
Daniel 3.25 only hints at what is going on within the furnace, but this addition serves to record the prayers and blessings of the three men and to increase the sense of the miraculous by describing in detail how the angel is intervening. Readers thus enter more fully into the experience of the three pious and courageous Jews. [LAWRENCE WILLS]
(Additions to Daniel, inserted between 3.23 and 3.24)
The Prayer of Azariah in the Furnace
1Theya walked around in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. 2Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:
3“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
and worthy of praise; and glorious is your name forever!
4For you are just in all you have done;
all your works are true and your ways right, and all your judgments are true.
5You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us
and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors;
by a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins.
6For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you;
in all matters we have sinned grievously.
7We have not obeyed your commandments,
we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us for our own good.
8So all that you have brought upon us,
and all that you have done to us,
you have done by a true judgment.
9You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless
and hateful rebels, and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.
10And now we cannot open our mouths;
we, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach.
11For your name’s sake do not give us up forever,
and do not annul your covenant.
12Do not withdraw your mercy from us,
for the sake of Abraham your beloved
and for the sake of your servant Isaac
and Israel your holy one,
13to whom you promised
to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven
and like the sand on the shore of the sea.
14For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any other nation,
and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins.
15In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,
no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,
no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.
16Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,
17as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,
or with tens of thousands of fat lambs;
such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,
and may we unreservedly follow you,b
for no shame will come to those who trust in you.
18And now with all our heart we follow you;
we fear you and seek your presence.
19Do not put us to shame,
but deal with us in your patience
and in your abundant mercy.
20Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works,
and bring glory to your name, O Lord.
21Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame;
let them be disgraced and deprived of all power,
and let their strength be broken.
22Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,
glorious over the whole world.”
The Song of the Three Jews
23Now the king’s servants who threw them in kept stoking the furnace with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brushwood. 24And the flames poured out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, 25and spread out and burned those Chaldeans who were caught near the furnace. 26But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, 27and made the inside of the furnace as though a moist wind were whistling through it. The fire did not touch them at all and caused them no pain or distress.
28Then the three with one voice praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace:
29“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,
and to be praised and highly exalted forever;
30And blessed is your glorious, holy name,
and to be highly praised and highly exalted forever.
31Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
and to be extolled and highly glorified forever.
32Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne on the cherubim,
and to be praised and highly exalted forever.
33Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
and to be extolled and highly exalted forever.
34Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,
and to be sung and glorified forever.
35“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
36Bless the Lord, you heavens;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
37Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
38Bless the Lord, all you waters above the heavens;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
39Bless the Lord, all you powers of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
40Bless the Lord, sun and moon;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
41Bless the Lord, stars of heaven;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
42“Bless the Lord, all rain and dew;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
43Bless the Lord, all you winds;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
44Bless the Lord, fire and heat;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
45Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
46Bless the Lord, dews and falling snow;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
47Bless the Lord, nights and days;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
48Bless the Lord, light and darkness;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
49Bless the Lord, ice and cold;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
50Bless the Lord, frosts and snows;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
51Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
52“Let the earth bless the Lord;
let it sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
53Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
54Bless the Lord, all that grows in the ground;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
55Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
56Bless the Lord, you springs;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
57Bless the Lord, you whales and all that swim in the waters;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
58Bless the Lord, all birds of the air;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
59Bless the Lord, all wild animals and cattle;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
60“Bless the Lord, all people on earth;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
61Bless the Lord, O Israel;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
62Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
63Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
64Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
65Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
66“Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael;
sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.
For he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the powerc of death,
and delivered us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace;
from the midst of the fire he has delivered us.
67Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
68All who worship the Lord, bless the God of gods,
sing praise to him and give thanks to him,
for his mercy endures forever.”
* * *
a That is, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan 2.17), the original names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 1.6-7)
b Meaning of Gk uncertain
c Gk hand
1–22 The Prayer of Azariah. Elements of the older “national lament” psalms are combined here with the confession of sin as a step toward reestablishing a covenant with God. The tone of penitence is totally lacking in Dan 1–6, and the three Jews are apparently blameless before God; thus the prayer does not correspond to their circumstances but has been added to the book of Daniel to introduce another dimension of the religious life of Jews in the postexilic period.
2 Both the Hebrew names of the three men and their adopted Babylonian names are given in Dan 1.7, but only the Babylonian names are used in Dan 3, and only the Hebrew names in the addition (vv. 2, 66).
5–10 The confession of sin, and the recognition that God’s covenant has been broken, which has resulted in the fall of Jerusalem.
9 An unjust king, the most wicked. Although Jewish tradition would naturally hurl this sort of invective at N
ebuchadnezzar for capturing Jerusalem and destroying the temple, Dan 1–4 presents a varied portrait of this king. Later Jewish tradition condemned Daniel’s cooperation with Nebuchadnezzar, and this addition shares this negative view. The reference could also be taken to refer to Antiochus IV Epiphanes (1 Macc 1.10).
11–22 Appeal to God’s mercy to reinstate the covenant.
12–13 God’s covenant with Abraham is invoked (cf. Gen 15.1–6); Isaac and Israel (Jacob) are also included (Gen 22.15–18; Josh 24.3–4; Isa 41.8).
15 No ruler…no place. The temple and the government have fallen, which fits Daniel’s situation, but it is possible that the lament may have been written about the events surrounding the Maccabean revolt.
16–17 Azariah’s prayer takes up the theme of Ps 51 that a contrite heart is a substitute for sacrifice, but it goes further: the death of the Jews by fire will be their sacrifice. The penitential theology of Ezra 9.6–15; Neh 9.6–37; Dan 9.4–19; Bar 1.15–3.8 is reflected here, and although these Jews do not die, the sentiment expressed is similar to that associated with the martyrdoms of pious Jews in 2 Macc 6–7; 4 Macc 4–12.
23–27 Description of the furnace.
23 Naphtha, pitch, tow, brushwood, highly flammable substances and kindling that are fed to the flames—mere wood will not do! The miraculous element is thus heightened in the addition, and the story made more exciting by the inclusion of such details.
24 Forty-nine cubits, about 80 feet.
28–68 The Song of the Three Jews.
29–34 First song, a royal enthronement hymn that celebrates God’s rule of the universe as king (cf. Pss 96; 97).
31 Some of the images seem to presuppose a standing temple and ongoing worship (cf. Azariah’s prayer, v. 15), but the text refers directly only to a heavenly temple.
32 Cherubim, mythical creatures on which God rides in heaven; they were represented in the temple (cf. 1 Sam 4.4; 1 Kings 6.23–28).
35–68 Second song. Praise is elicited from all of God’s creation beginning with the highest cosmological phenomena and the angels (vv. 36–41), descending through the elements of the atmosphere (vv. 42–51) to the earth and the creatures on it (vv. 52–59) and ending with worshipers of God (vv. 60–68; cf. Ps 148). The first song addresses God directly and utilizes many similar-sounding phrases to increase its poetic beauty, but here the universe itself is summoned to give praise, and the second line of each verse is not only similar, but identical, likely an antiphonal community response to the first line (cf. Ps 136). The two songs probably both existed separately before being inserted here.
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