Daniel 3:17-18

3:17 If ¹  our God whom we are serving exists, ²  he is able to rescue us from the furnace of blazing fire, and he will rescue us, O king, from your power as well. 3:18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we don’t serve your gods, and we will not pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Daniel 3:14

3:14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you don’t serve my gods and that you don’t pay homage to the golden statue that I erected?

Daniel 6:16

6:16 So the king gave the order, ³  and Daniel was brought and thrown into a den ⁴  of lions. The king consoled ⁵  Daniel by saying, “Your God whom you continually serve will rescue you!”

Daniel 6:20

6:20 As he approached the den, he called out to Daniel in a worried voice, ⁶  “Daniel, servant of the living God, was your God whom you continually serve able to rescue you from the lions?”

Daniel 7:14

7:14 To him was given ruling authority, honor, and sovereignty.

All peoples, nations, and language groups were serving ⁷  him.

His authority is eternal and will not pass away. ⁸ 

His kingdom will not be destroyed. ⁹ 

Daniel 7:27

7:27 Then the kingdom, authority,

and greatness of the kingdoms under all of heaven

will be delivered to the people of the holy ones ¹⁰  of the Most High.

His kingdom is an eternal kingdom;

all authorities will serve him and obey him.’

Daniel 3:12

3:12 But there are Jewish men whom you appointed over the administration of the province of Babylon – Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego – and these men ¹¹  have not shown proper respect to you, O king. They don’t serve your gods and they don’t pay homage to the golden statue that you have erected.”

Daniel 3:28

3:28 Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, ¹²  “Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel ¹³  and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring ¹⁴  the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than ¹⁵  serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!

[3:17]  ¹ tc The ancient versions typically avoid the conditional element of v. 17.

[3:17]  ² tn The Aramaic expression used here is very difficult to interpret. The question concerns the meaning and syntax of אִיתַי (’itay, “is” or “exist”). There are several possibilities. (1) Some interpreters take this word closely with the participle later in the verse יָכִל (yakhil, “able”), understanding the two words to form a periphrastic construction (“if our God is…able”; cf. H. Bauer and P. Leander, Grammatik des Biblisch-Aramäischen, 365, §111b). But the separation of the two elements from one another is not an argument in favor of this understanding. (2) Other interpreters take the first part of v. 17 to mean “If it is so, then our God will deliver us” (cf. KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB). However, the normal sense of ’itay is existence; on this point see F. Rosenthal, Grammar, 45, §95. The present translation maintains the sense of existence for the verb (“If our God…exists”), even though the statement is admittedly difficult to understand in this light. The statement may be an implicit reference back to Nebuchadnezzar’s comment in v. 15, which denies the existence of a god capable of delivering from the king’s power.

[6:16]  ³ tn Aram “said.” So also in vv. 24, 25.

[6:16]  ⁴ sn The den was perhaps a pit below ground level which could be safely observed from above.

[6:16]  ⁵ tn Aram “answered and said [to Daniel].”

[6:20]  ⁵ tn Aram “The king answered and said to Daniel.” This phrase has not been included in the translation for stylistic reasons; it is redundant in English.

[7:14]  ⁷ tn Some take “serving” here in the sense of “worshiping.”

[7:14]  ⁸ tn Aram “is an eternal authority which will not pass away.”

[7:14]  ⁹ tn Aram “is one which will not be destroyed.”

[7:27]  ⁹ tn If the “holy ones” are angels, then this probably refers to the angels as protectors of God’s people. If the “holy ones” are God’s people, then this is an appositional construction, “the people who are the holy ones.” See 8:24 for the corresponding Hebrew phrase and the note there.

[3:12]  ¹¹ sn Daniel’s absence from this scene has sparked the imagination of commentators, some of whom have suggested that perhaps he was unable to attend the dedication due to sickness or due to being away on business. Hippolytus supposed that Daniel may have been watching from a distance.

[3:28]  ¹³ tn Aram “answered and said.”

[3:28]  ¹⁴ sn The king identifies the “son of the gods” (v. 25) as an angel. Comparable Hebrew expressions are used elsewhere in the Hebrew Bible for the members of God’s angelic assembly (see Gen 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Pss 29:1; 89:6). An angel later comes to rescue Daniel from the lions (Dan 6:22).

[3:28]  ¹⁵ tn Aram “they changed” or “violated.”

[3:28]  ¹⁶ tn Aram “so that they might not.”