Daniel 3:21
A focused desk for reading, commentary, cross-references, original language notes, and your own observations.
Daniel 3:21
21 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.
Chapter Context
Daniel 3 is a apocalyptic and narrative chapter in the Old Testament that explores themes of sacrifice, salvation, worship. Written during the Babylonian and Persian periods (c. 605-530 BCE), this chapter should be understood within its historical context: Demonstrates faithful living under foreign rule during the Babylonian and Persian empires.
The chapter can be divided into several sections:
- Verses 1-5: Introduction and setting the context
- Verses 6-12: Development of key themes
- Verses 13-20: Central message and teachings
- Verses 21-30: Conclusion and application
This chapter is significant because it contributes to the biblical metanarrative of redemption. When studying this passage, it's important to consider both its immediate context within Daniel and its broader place in the scriptural canon.
Verse Study
Daniel 3:21
21 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.
Analysis
The detailed listing of garments—'coats, hosen, hats, and other garments'—emphasizes the haste of execution and the fire's intensity. Normal procedure would remove clothing; executing them fully dressed shows fury overriding standard practice. The detail also prepares readers for the miracle—these flammable materials should have burned immediately, yet later they emerge completely unsinged (v. 27). The phrase 'bound in their coats' shows complete helplessness—unable to move or resist. Their unchanged condition after the furnace will dramatically demonstrate God's comprehensive protection.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern clothing included multiple layers. The Aramaic terms describe typical male attire: sarbal (probably tunics or robes), patish (trousers or undergarments), karbelah (caps or turbans), and levush (general clothing). The mention of being bound 'in' these garments emphasizes execution's immediacy—no time even to remove outer clothes. This hasty treatment reflected the king's rage demanding instant compliance with his execution order. The garments' preservation in the furnace would prove supernatural intervention.
Reflection
- How does the detail about unchanged clothing emphasize the completeness of God's protection even in smallest particulars?
- What does the hasty execution reveal about rage-driven human authority versus God's patient, thorough deliverance?