Nebuchadnezzar the king makes an image of gold, threescore cubits high, and at the sound of horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe every people falls down — except Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Their answer is the book's plainest faith: 'If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, He will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace... but if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods.' The furnace is heated seven times over; the men who carry them up are slain by the flame — and the king rises astonished: 'Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.' Not a hair singed, no smell of fire on them. Nebuchadnezzar blesses the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego — and the chapter closes with his letter to all peoples: 'His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.'
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Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and its breadth six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.
verse value 4663
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 68 letters. The shortest word is "six" (שִׁ֑ת, 2 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 101: cubits, cubits. 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "its·height" (רוּמֵהּ֙), "its·breadth" (פְּתָיֵ֖הּ), "six" (שִׁ֑ת). The root אמה appears 2 times in this verse. 15 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "made" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel); "he·set·it·up" (root קום, 36x in Daniel). First appearance of the root רום ("its·height") in Daniel. First appearance of the root אמה ("cubits") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'six', dividing the verse into phrases of 11 and 5 words.
Rashi
made an image He had an urge to make an image of gold. its width six cubits; he set it up etc. If its thickness was only six [cubits], how could it stand at a height of sixty cubits? Said Rav Bibi: They would set it up and it would fall, until they brought all the gold of Jerusalem and poured a base around its feet, to fulfill what was said (Ezek. 7:19): “and their gold will be for a repugnant thing.” in the plain of Dura the name of a place.
Ibn Ezra
Nebuchadnezzar ... whose height — that is its height, that is its stature. Its breadth — its width was six cubits. The plain of Dura — and they settled there; that is the plain of Dura.
Metzudat David
Made – He made an image of gold, sixty cubits in height and six cubits in width, and set it up in the plain of Dura. And our Sages, of blessed memory, said that because he had heard, in the interpretation of his dream, that Israel would inherit the kingship in the Land of Israel forever, he therefore made the image, intending thereby to trip them into the sin of idolatry, so that they would not inherit the kingship.
Malbim
The questions: (1) For what purpose did he make this image at such enormous expense, stirring up all the officials of his kingdom to gather at the plain of Dura to bow down to an idol made by human hands — and with such an extreme penalty [for refusing] — is this not strange? And what is the connection between this act of making an image and the image he had seen in the dream, when he knew — and had been told — that there is a God of gods who raises up kings and removes kings? How, then, could he deny this and bow down to a golden idol, ‘whose molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in it’ (cf. Jeremiah 10:14)? Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits and its breadth six cubits, and set it up in the plain of Dura – Rav Saadia Gaon already explained, and after him Abarbanel, that by this Nebuchadnezzar sought to nullify the message of the dream, which had announced that it was decreed from Heaven that after the head of gold — which is the kingdom of Babylon — there would come the kingdom of silver, and of bronze, and of iron, that is, other kings. He therefore made an actual image resembling in form the image he had seen in the dream, except that his was made entirely of gold, and he commanded that all peoples and languages bow down to it — as though they were all willingly accepting the kingdom of gold, that it would endure forever and never pass away. In this there was also an element of talismanic practice and matters of divination and sorcery, according to the thinking of that era, for they believed that through such actions they could nullify and alter heavenly decrees. He therefore insisted that it be made entirely of gold, so that the other metals would no longer be invoked to rise up within an image that encompassed all the kingdoms of the world. Its height was sixty and its breadth six, matching the measure of the height of the image he had seen — both in the dream, and again when awake, at the time he spoke with Daniel — and he set it up in the plain of Dura. According to our Sages, this was the very plain in which the generation of the Dispersion gathered to build the Tower, whose intention was likewise to establish for themselves a mighty and powerful kingdom, all-encompassing and everlasting from beginning to end, so as to overturn heavenly decrees and rebel against the kingdom of Heaven. Since his purpose was similar to theirs, he chose that place, which was suited for this.
Ibn Yahya
Fourth section: 'Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image' etc. — the text relates that Nebuchadnezzar made a god in the form and image of a man, of gold, which is the most precious of metals; its height was sixty cubits, alluding to the fact that it exerts influence in the six directions, and therefore he also made its breadth six cubits. For the breadth he was content with the number six in single units, but for the height he rendered that same number six in tens, to show the peoples that he was higher than the highest that watches, exerting influence over everyone else. And he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon — it appears that in that district there was a large, spacious plain.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
verse value 7542
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 112 letters. Verse gematria: 7542 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "which" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·satraps" (לַֽאֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֡א, 10 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, the·king. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·Nebuchadnezzar" (וּנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר), "to·gather" (לְמִכְנַ֣שׁ), "to·come" (לְמֵתֵא֙). The root נבוכדנצר appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "which" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·all" (root כל, 41x in Daniel). First appearance of the root שלח ("sent") in Daniel. First appearance of the root כנש ("to·gather") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·provinces', dividing the verse into phrases of 14 and 7 words.
Rashi
the satraps Aram. לַאֲחַשְּׁדַרְפְּנַיָּא dukes. governors rulers. the judges, the treasurers, etc. They are all names of nations. the dedication of the image the beginning of its worship.
Ibn Ezra
Then Nebuchadnezzar ... sent to gather together — to assemble and unite. "Satraps" and the [titles] listed after it are seven ranks in the language of Ishmael, but we do not know the meaning of "adargazerayya" and those that follow it. There was a sage in Spain who explained "adargazerayya" as "mighty of decree," but this is unnecessary; so we will leave them, for they will not help [us]. To come — [means] "to come."
Metzudat David
To gather together – To assemble the satraps, etc., and all the other rulers of the province, to come to the dedication of the image that he had set up.
Metzudat Zion
The satraps, etc. (la'achashdarpenaya, etc.) - All of these are names of ranks of authority, one above another, known in the Chaldean tongue. The dedication (lechanukat) - The beginning of a thing's use, so that it continues to be used from then on, is called "chanoch" in biblical language.
Malbim
The questions: (2–7) From the command it appears that he gathered only the officials and rulers, as stated in verse 2 and verse 3, that the officials alone came. Yet how does it say in verse 5, ‘to you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages’ — which shows that the command was addressed to all the peoples, not to the officials alone? And likewise it says in verse 7 that all the peoples fell on their faces, which contradicts verses 2–3. Also, how could all the peoples possibly gather at the plain, when under his kingdom he had a people as numerous as the sand on the seashore, too many for the land to contain? And why does it repeat five times that they should bow down to ‘the image which Nebuchadnezzar set up’ or to ‘the golden image which Nebuchadnezzar the king set up,’ when the nature of the image and who had set it up was already known? Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up – [All the terms listed are types of official ranks that were known in those days.] He wanted all peoples and languages to accept upon themselves the kingdom of the golden image, which alludes to the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar and his descendants until the end of all generations. Since it was impossible to gather all the peoples to that place, he devised a shrewd plan: to gather all the heads and rulers of the peoples, great and small — for the heads are the agents and representatives of the peoples, and whatever they do is considered as though the entire nation had done it, for such is the law among nations. So when they bowed down and accepted the kingdom of the image, it would carry the same force as though all the peoples and languages themselves had bowed down and accepted it.
Ibn Yahya
And he set up the image there so that the place could hold the people gathered to worship it at the king's command; for after setting up the image there, he sent to gather all his officers and servants. It appears that the administration of his kingdom in those days was like the administration of the Turk today, which has officials over the running of the affairs of the kingdom, called in their language 'basha' [pasha]; and perhaps these are the 'satraps.' And officials over the command of the men of war who ride steeds, horses, and chariots, called 'galalbigi'; and perhaps these are the 'prefects.' And officials over the command of the men of war who go on foot, called 'agha of the Janissaries'; and perhaps these are the 'governors.' And officials over the judges of every city, who administer law and justice rightly, called 'qadis'; and perhaps these are the 'judges.' And officials over the king's revenues and the administration of his household, his expenditures, his food, and his drink, called 'defterdars'; and perhaps these are the 'counselors.' And officials over all the religious men whose task is the upkeep of the houses of prayer and of the houses of the lowly, and the guidance of the people by means of the Torah, called 'alfaqih' and 'tsa'ayti'; and perhaps these are the 'treasurers.' And officials over the men of wisdom — the enchanters, diviners, and Chaldeans; and perhaps these are the 'sheriffs.' And besides these, he has, over every kingdom and district, a single ruler stationed there in the king's stead, called in their language 'tsangaki' [sanjak-bey], and in the vernacular 'vitzurei' [viceroy]; and perhaps these are the 'rulers of the provinces.' And all of them came at his command to the dedication of the image.
Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
verse value 8012
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 131 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·satraps" (אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֡א, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 161: the·image, the·image. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "gathered" (מִֽתְכַּנְּשִׁ֡ין), "and·stood" (וְקָֽיְמִין֙). The root קום appears 3 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 7 words.
Ibn Ezra
Then — that is, the aforementioned officials gathered together at that time.
Metzudat David
Then – Then the satraps, etc., were gathered together. And they stood – And they stood facing the image that he had set up.
Malbim
Then – then all the officials gathered together to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. He explains that he had explicitly summoned them to come to the dedication of the image, so that at the time of their gathering, they assembled explicitly for this very purpose — in such a way that it became known to all the peoples that their officials were going to accept the kingdom of gold forever; and from then on, whatever they did was with the agreement of, and by the mandate of, all the peoples. And they stood before the image which Nebuchadnezzar had set up – for had he only wanted them to bow down to the image from a distance, each one in his own place, he could have decreed that each do so in his own city, and he could have decreed that the peoples themselves do so directly. But since he wanted them to stand facing the image itself, it was not possible for all the peoples in person to stand there — only through the officials, who served as the peoples' agents for this purpose.
And the herald cried aloud: ‘To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages,
verse value 1608
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 37 letters. The shortest word is "cried" (קָרֵ֣א, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·the·herald" (וְכָרוֹזָ֖א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 301: cried, commanded. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·the·herald" (וְכָרוֹזָ֖א), "to·you" (לְכ֤וֹן). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "commanded" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "the·peoples" (root עם, 30x in Daniel). First appearance of the root חיל ("in·strength") in Daniel. First appearance of the root לשן ("and·the·languages") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·strength', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וְכָרוֹזָ֖א [and·the·herald] (240) + קָרֵ֣א [cried] (301) + בְחָ֑יִל [in·strength] (50) + לְכ֤וֹן [to·you] (106) + אָֽמְרִין֙ [commanded] (301) + עַֽמְמַיָּ֔א [the·peoples] (161) + אֻמַּיָּ֖א [the·nations] (52) + וְלִשָּׁנַיָּֽא [and·the·languages] (397) = 1608.
Rashi
And the announcement was issued aloud [as translated,] and the announcement was issued aloud. To you we are saying, O peoples [as translated,] To you, all peoples and nations, we are announcing the command of the king as a message from the king.
Ibn Ezra
And the herald cried aloud — [meaning] one who broadcasts a proclamation loudly. Yefet said: ‘peoples’ are those who share a god [i.e., a religion]; ‘nations’ are those without a [common] law; and as for ‘languages’ — among them, some share a single law without sharing a single language, or are without any law at all.
Metzudat David
And the herald – And the herald called out forcefully — that is, with a great, raised voice. To you – This is the herald's proclamation, “to you it is commanded” — they say and urge you, O peoples, etc.
Metzudat Zion
The herald (vecharoza) - An expression of proclaiming a matter to the multitude. Peoples (amemaya) - These are the nations that have a god and a religion [of their own]. Nations (umaya) - These are those without a god and without a religion. And languages (velishanaya) - These are those distinguished by their languages, [a category that includes] both those among the peoples with a god and a religion, and those apart from them.
Malbim
And the herald cried aloud: ‘To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages’ – this phrase can be understood in two ways. First, that it means: to you it is commanded and decreed — to you, O peoples, nations, and languages — for even though the peoples themselves were not all actually present there, only their officials, since the officials are the representatives of all the peoples and stand in their place, it is as though all the peoples were present; and it is to them that the herald calls to bow down to the image. There is also a second intent: that it means the peoples, nations, and languages themselves are saying to you — that is, [the herald] said to the officials standing there: know that all the peoples say to you that you should bow down to the image in their name, by their authority, and as their agents — meaning, that your bowing down will not be on your own account alone, but by virtue of a general mandate and declaration by all the peoples, nations, and languages. Now there is a difference between ‘people,’ ‘nation,’ and ‘language’: every people has its own particular ruler; every nation is distinguished by its own particular religion; and every language is distinguished by its own particular tongue and speech. So the officials present there represented all three: the rulers of the provinces on account of government, the priests of each religion on account of religion, and the heads of each language on account of their distinct languages.
Ibn Yahya
This is the place where the herald stood, crying aloud: 'To you, peoples' — meaning the nations most numerous in population; 'nations' — meaning the peoples with fewer people; 'and languages' — meaning the smallest peoples of all, not recognized as a distinct people except by their difference of language. For it appears that all the nations, small and great alike, came, together with the officials mentioned, at the king's command.
that at what time you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up;
verse value 7851
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 103 letters. The shortest word is "sound·of" (קָ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "that·you·hear" (דִּֽי־תִשְׁמְע֡וּן, 8 letters). 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·bagpipe" (סוּמְפֹּ֣נְיָ֔א). 20 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·all" (root כל, 41x in Daniel). First appearance of the root קל ("sound·of") in Daniel. First appearance of the root קרן ("the·horn") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'music', dividing the verse into phrases of 13 and 8 words.
Rashi
At the time you hear the sound of the whistling horn Aram. קָל קַרְנָא מַשְּׁרוֹקֵיתָא, the sound of the whistling horn, like (Zech. 10:8) “I will whistle (אֶשְּׁרְקָא) to them, and I will gather them.” the clavichord, the harp, etc. They are all musical instruments. kinds of music Aram. זְנֵי זְמָרָא kinds of music. (Gen. 1:11) “After its kind,” Onkelos renders: לִזְנוֹהִי.
Ibn Ezra
At what time — that is, at the time [when]. The sound of the horn — the sound of the shofar. Pipe — an instrument for piping, like the kithara and its fellows; all of these are musical instruments. So too in the sacred tongue [Hebrew] there are kinnor, machol, minim, and ugav, whose exact identities we do not know — even though ugav is related to the root of ‘and she lusted [after them]’, minim are two [kinds of] instruments, machol is a flute (chalil), and kinnor has the shape of a menorah; but these are [mere] conjectures, without proof.
Metzudat David
At what time – At the time you hear the sound of the horn, the pipe, etc., and all the other kinds of music, then you shall fall on your faces and bow down to the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.
Metzudat Zion
The pipe, etc. (masroqita, etc.) - All of these are names of musical instruments, known in the Chaldean tongue.
Malbim
At what time [you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up] — that is, at the time you hear the sound of the horn [these being the seven kinds of instruments], you shall fall down and prostrate yourselves before the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up. For at the coronation of a king it was their custom to play musical instruments, and the start of the music was a signal for them to fall down and prostrate themselves in accepting his kingship forever. And there were seven kinds of musical instruments, corresponding to the seven ministering bodies [i.e., the seven planets], in order to draw down the flow from the stars which, in their belief, rule over this lower world. And throughout this passage, the phrase “the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up” is repeated and doubled, to convey that the essential intent had three aspects: that it was an image, like the image he had seen in his dream; that it was gold, which alludes to the kingdom of Babylon; and that it belonged to Nebuchadnezzar the king, so that his kingdom would remain an everlasting kingdom.
Ibn Yahya
'At the time you hear the sound of the horn' — and the pipe (meshroketa), which is the whistling instrument, called in the vernacular 'sufolotto.' And the harp, trigon, and psaltery (kitros, sabbeka, pesanterin) — these are perhaps instruments that are played together by several different people, called in the vernacular 'piffari.' The bagpipe (sumfonya) — this is the instrument made of pipes, called 'organus' [the organ]. 'And all kinds of music' — he specifically mentions these instruments because their sound is so loud and powerful that virtually no other sound can be heard over them. 'You fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar has set up.'
and whoever falls not down and worships shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.’
verse value 3042
Insights
Verse structure: 8 words, 43 letters. Verse gematria: 3042 is divisible by 26, the value of the divine name Hashem. The shortest word is "falls·down" (יִפֵּ֖ל, 3 letters) and the longest is "into·midst·of·furnace·of" (לְגֽוֹא־אַתּ֥וּן, 8 letters). 8 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·whoever·not" (root מן, 32x in Daniel). First appearance of the root שעה ("in·it·the·hour") in Daniel. First appearance of the root רמה ("shall·be·cast") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·worships', dividing the verse into phrases of 3 and 5 words. Full calculation: וּמַן־דִּי־לָ֥א [and·whoever·not] (141) + יִפֵּ֖ל [falls·down] (120) + וְיִסְגֻּ֑ד [and·worships] (83) + בַּהּ־שַׁעֲתָ֣א [in·it·the·hour] (778) + יִתְרְמֵ֔א [shall·be·cast] (651) + לְגֽוֹא־אַתּ֥וּן [into·midst·of·furnace·of] (497) + נוּרָ֖א [the·fire] (257) + יָקִֽדְתָּֽא [burning] (515) = 3042.
Rashi
a fiery furnace a pit that is made to burn rocks into lime, and that is כִּבְשָּׁן in all the Scriptures.
Ibn Ezra
Shall be cast — [meaning] shall be thrown, similar to [the phrase] ‘He has hurled into the sea’.
Metzudat David
And whoever – And whoever does not fall down and bow shall immediately, at that very moment, be thrown into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Malbim
And whoever [falls not down and worships] — that is, whoever does not fall down and worship, shall the same hour [meaning, immediately] BE cast into the midst of A burning fiery furnace — this is the punishment for one who disobeys the king's command, and it also serves to burn and destroy the rebel out of the world entirely, so that it will be as though he never existed, and his rebellion will leave no mark on the spiritual matter that the king intended — namely, the eternal kingdom.
Ibn Yahya
'And whoever does not fall down and worship shall at once be cast into the burning fiery furnace.'
Therefore at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.
verse value 7179
Insights
Verse structure: 27 words, 127 letters. The shortest word is "sound·of" (קָ֣ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·pipe" (מַשְׁר֨וֹקִיתָ֜א, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 211: all·the·peoples, all·the·peoples. 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "heard" (שָֽׁמְעִ֣ין), "psaltery" (פְּסַנְטֵרִ֔ין), "fell·down" (נָֽפְלִ֨ין). The root כל appears 3 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "when" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "all·the·peoples" (root כל, 41x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'music', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 11 words.
Rashi
In view of this in view of this, that they took heed to observe the king’s command concerning this bagpipes would be played. at that time At the time that they hear the sound of the music, which is a sign that those who prostrate themselves should come to prostrate, all peoples would fall etc.
Ibn Ezra
Therefore — [meaning] upon the completion of all this [that had been described].
Metzudat David
Therefore – Because of this proclamation, at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn, etc., they all fell on their faces and bowed down to the image. (Here [Scripture] does not mention the bagpipe [sumponia], but subsumes it under “all kinds of music” — either [merely in this listing], or [in fact] they deliberately did not bring it, so as to give an opening to whoever would refuse to bow down; for he could say, “They did not even bring the bagpipe, though it was proclaimed aloud!” For the king's whole intent was to trip Israel into sin, and a royal decree, once issued with sovereign authority, cannot be retracted; yet if every instrument were brought and some still did not bow down, what would he gain by putting them to death? For this reason he withheld the bagpipe, reckoning that if they did not bow down this time, they would not yet be liable to the death penalty, and perhaps he could still entice them to bow down on a second occasion.)
Malbim
Therefore [at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn...] — that is, therefore, at that time, when all the peoples heard the sound of the horn and all kinds of music, all the peoples, the nations, and the languages fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up. According to what was stated [earlier], not all the peoples were actually present there, only the officers of the peoples; but since these officers were the emissaries and representatives of the peoples, their agents acting in their name, it is regarded as though all the peoples themselves were present there and bowed down. However, on close examination — from the fact that here it omits the bagpipe, not counting it among the instruments, and from the fact that it says “at that time” [bah zimna] rather than “at that hour” [bah sha’ata] — it appears to me that, beyond the fact that the officers of the peoples bowed down in the plain of Dura before the image, the peoples themselves too, each one in his own city, bowed down to the image from a distance, to show that they concurred with the act of their representative officers. And in every single city, musical instruments were likewise played on that day, and then all the peoples fell on their faces, each one in his own place. And there was a difference between them: the type of instrument called the bagpipe, which was a precious and important instrument found only in the royal palace, was played only in the plain of Dura; while in the other cities, which did not have the bagpipe, they played only the other instruments listed here. And [the verse] comes to inform us that beyond the fact that the officers fell down before the image — which happened “at that hour” — at that same moment all the peoples, nations, and languages themselves also fell down in their own cities [and they fell “at that time,” meaning on that day, not at that precise hour, since they could not coordinate the exact hour]. So that there was a comprehensive act of worship there, both by the officers who had gathered in the plain of Dura, and by the peoples themselves in their own cities. And as for the peoples' act of worship, one might say either that it was of their own accord, in agreement with the king's command, or that this too was by the king's decree — even though this is not stated explicitly, since it is included within the meaning of the decree that had gone out to the officers.
Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews.
verse value 1878
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 49 letters. Notable word values: "the·Jews" (יְהוּדָיֵֽא) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "their·pieces" (קַרְצֵיה֖וֹן, 7 letters). 3 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·slandered" (וַאֲכַ֥לוּ), "their·pieces" (קַרְצֵיה֖וֹן), "the·Jews" (יְהוּדָיֵֽא). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "this" (root דנה, 31x in Daniel); "all·before" (root קבל, 27x in Daniel). First appearance of the root קרב ("came·near") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'Chaldeans', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 4 words. Full calculation: כׇּל־קֳבֵ֤ל [all·before] (182) + דְּנָה֙ [this] (59) + בֵּהּ־זִמְנָ֔א [in·it·the·time] (105) + קְרִ֖בוּ [came·near] (308) + גֻּבְרִ֣ין [men] (265) + כַּשְׂדָּאִ֑ין [Chaldeans] (385) + וַאֲכַ֥לוּ [and·slandered] (63) + קַרְצֵיה֖וֹן [their·pieces] (461) + דִּ֥י [of] (14) + יְהוּדָיֵֽא [the·Jews] (36) = 1878.
Rashi
In view of this in view of this, that their enemies saw that there is a time to denounce them. some Chaldean men approached and denounced Aram. וַאֲכַלוּ קַרְצֵיהוֹן informed about them. (Lev. 19: 16) “Do not go as a talebearer among your people,” is translated by Targum as קוּרצִין לָא תֵיכוּ I say that it was the custom of talebearers to eat a meal in the place where they informed, and that was a sign of the verification of their words; for at that time it was incumbent upon them to clarify their words and to verify the slander that they spoke, and that meal was called eating קוּרצִין, an expression of (Prov. 6:13) “he winks (קוֹרֵץ) with his eyes,” which is a sign of slander.
Ibn Ezra
Brought accusation — [literally, ‘they ate their morsels’: this is the very expression] Targum [uses to render] ‘you shall not go about as a talebearer’ — [meaning] one who speaks evil of another in secret, as if he were eating his flesh.
Metzudat David
Therefore – Because all the idolaters bowed down and did not disobey his command. At that time – At that time certain Chaldean men came forward and brought slanderous accusations against the Jews.
Metzudat Zion
Brought accusation (achalu karetzeihon, lit. "ate their pieces") - This is an expression of gossip and slander, as in "you shall not go about as a talebearer (rachil)" (Leviticus 19:16), which Targum Onkelos renders "lo teichul kurtzin" (do not eat pieces [of slander]); for it is the way of a slanderer to hint at his words and to wink with his eyes so that none of the bystanders will understand, and through that winking it is as though he were eating the flesh of the one he is slandering.
Malbim
The Questions: (8–12) The phrase “brought accusation against the Jews” implies that they informed against all the Jews, whereas in fact they spoke ill only of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego [i.e., Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah]. And the great question is: why did they not inform against Daniel as well, since he too did not bow down to the image? And why do they mention that the king had appointed them over the province of Babylon, and that they do not serve his gods — what bearing does this have on the matter of bowing down to the image? Therefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and brought accusation against the Jews — that is, had it been only the officers who bowed down, they would not have been able to bring accusation against the Jews as a whole; but since the peoples too had willingly accepted the matter upon themselves and bowed down each in his own place, while Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego did not bow down because of their religion — the religion of the Jews — [the Chaldeans] reckoned that on this account the king would grow angry at the Jews as a whole because of their religion, just as Haman grew angry at all the Jews because it became known to him that Mordechai would not bow down to him because of his religion.
Ibn Yahya
So certain Chaldean men came forward and informed against the Jews, out of jealousy over their high standing.
They spoke and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: ‘O king, live for ever!
verse value 1325
Insights
Verse structure: 7 words, 35 letters. The shortest word is "spoke" (עֲנוֹ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "to·Nebuchadnezzar" (לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, the·king. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "to·Nebuchadnezzar" (לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר). The root מלך appears 2 times in this verse. 6 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "spoke" (root ענה, 32x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 4 and 3 words. Full calculation: עֲנוֹ֙ [spoke] (126) + וְאָ֣מְרִ֔ין [and·said] (307) + לִנְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֖ר [to·Nebuchadnezzar] (452) + מַלְכָּ֑א [the·king] (91) + מַלְכָּ֖א [the·king] (91) + לְעָלְמִ֥ין [for·ever] (230) + חֱיִֽי [live] (28) = 1325.
Rashi
They spoke up and said Aram. עֲנוֹ, they shouted. Every [expression of] עֲנִיָה in Scriptures is an expression of raising the voice.
Ibn Ezra
They spoke — it is the practice of those who address a king to pray that his days be prolonged.
Metzudat David
They spoke – They raised their voices and said, etc., “O king, live forever” — for it is proper etiquette to bless the king at the beginning of one's words.
Malbim
They spoke and said to Nebuchadnezzar the king: ‘O king, live for ever!’ — [meaning:] did you not issue a decree that every man who hears the musical instruments is obligated to bow down, and that whoever does not bow down shall be cast into the fiery furnace? That is to say, you made no distinction between one religion and another.
You, O king, have made a decree, that every man who shall hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the golden image;
verse value 8161
Insights
Verse structure: 24 words, 104 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·pipe" (מַ֠שְׁרֹקִיתָ֠א, 7 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "you·set" (שָׂ֣מְתָּ), "who·shall·hear" (דִּֽי־יִשְׁמַ֡ע), "the·pipe" (מַ֠שְׁרֹקִיתָ֠א). 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·all" (root כל, 41x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·music', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 4 words.
Rashi
gave an order issued a decree.
Ibn Ezra
You — [i.e.,] you yourself have issued and made known your decree.
Metzudat David
You, O king – You, the king, issued a decree that anyone who hears the sound of the horn, etc. — all the other kinds of instruments — must fall on his face and bow down to the image.
Metzudat Zion
Decree (te'em) - Its meaning, wherever it occurs, is something substantive done with deliberate purpose, not a trivial matter.
Ibn Yahya
'You, O king, have made a decree that every man who hears the sound of the horn,' etc., 'and does not worship, shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace.'
There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; these men, O king, have not regarded you: they serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.’
verse value 6346
Insights
Verse structure: 29 words, 125 letters. Notable word values: "Jews" (יְהוּדָאיִ֗ן) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לָ֣א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Jews" (יְהוּדָאיִ֗ן, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 86: Jews, your·god. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "Jews" (יְהוּדָאיִ֗ן), "that·you·appointed" (דִּֽי־מַנִּ֤יתָ), "them" (יָתְהוֹן֙). The root גבר appears 2 times in this verse. 25 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "which" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אלך ("these") in Daniel. First appearance of the root פלח ("serve") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nego', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 17 words.
Rashi
There are Aram. אִיתַי Judahite men of the tribe of Judah. these Aram. אִלֵּךְ did not take counsel to follow your decree Aram. לָא שָּׂמוּ עֲלָיִךְ מַלְכָּא טְעֵם. They did not care to give themselves counsel to care for your decrees.
Ibn Ezra
There are — [i.e.] there exist. Whom you have appointed — like [the phrase] ‘whom the chief of the eunuchs had appointed’. Now, there is a question here: there is no doubt that Daniel was more distinguished [than these three], and we know that he did not bow down to the image — so why did the Chaldeans not mention him to the king? In my opinion, it is because they were afraid to mention him, once they knew that the king used to offer incense before him, just as one does before one’s own gods. Yefet ben Ali said it was because they were his friends, and that is why they did not mention him — but this is unnecessary [unconvincing].
Metzudat David
There are – There are Jewish men whom you appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. These men – These men gave no thought or care to you, O king, so as to comply with your command: they do not serve your gods, and they have not bowed down to the image that you set up. (And they did not inform against Daniel, because they saw that the king regarded him as a god — so how could he bow down to the image?)
Malbim
There are certain Jews whom you have appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, [Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego,] etc. — these men, O king, have not regarded you: they serve not your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up — they explained that these men are not ordinary commoners who fall outside the scope of the decree, for they are appointed over the province of Babylon, and are thus included among the officers of the provinces, upon whom the decree rested that they bow down as representatives in the name of the province of Babylon as a whole. And they also explained that the reason these men did not bow down was because of their religion and their law: for this reason they said that since they do not worship your gods, they therefore did not bow down to the image. And with this they intended to bring accusation against the Jews as a whole, that their religion prevents them from carrying out the king's religious observances. And with this, the question that all the commentators have asked — why did they not inform against Daniel, who likewise did not bow down to the image — is resolved. For the decree did not apply to Daniel, since he was not an officer appointed over any one city or province, and was not included among the officers of the provinces who came [to bow down] in the name of the people of their provinces; rather, he was solely an advisor to the king. Whereas Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego incurred the wrath, because they were the officers appointed over the province of Babylon. And as for what is stated in verse 10, “that whoever shall hear” — this means, every man among those assembled, who were the officers of the peoples, who were present before the image and heard the musical instruments; but Daniel was not there at all, since he was not included among the officers of the provinces.
Ibn Yahya
There are certain Jewish men whom you appointed over the affairs of the province of Babylon, namely Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who received benefit and honor from you and from your kingdom; yet despite all this, in their willfulness they transgressed your decree, for they no longer serve your gods, and now they do not bow down to the image that you have set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then these men were brought before the king.
verse value 3522
Insights
Verse structure: 16 words, 71 letters. The shortest word is "commanded" (אֲמַר֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 67: then, then. 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "in·rage" (בִּרְגַ֣ז), "and·fury" (וַחֲמָ֔א). The root אדין appears 2 times in this verse. 14 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "commanded" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). First appearance of the root חמה ("and·fury") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nego', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 6 words.
Rashi
ordered to bring [as translated,] ordered to bring. were brought [as translated,] were brought.
Ibn Ezra
Then ... to bring — like [the phrase] ‘return, come’, except that this is in the causative conjugation, since the verb here is transitive.
Metzudat David
Then – Then Nebuchadnezzar, in rage and fury, commanded that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah be brought. Then – Then these men were brought before the king.
Malbim
The Questions: (13–15) Why did he command that they be brought before him? And why did he tell them to bow down to the image now, when they had already become liable to death by not bowing down at once — since the decree was that whoever did not fall down and bow immediately, at that very hour, would be cast into the furnace? Why did he say to them, ‘You do not serve my gods’ — did not all the inhabitants of the land already know this, that Israel worships no idols, but Hashem alone? And why did he then say, ‘and worship the image that I have made,’ when throughout the passage Scripture uses, regarding the image, the language of ‘setting up’ — and why does he here alone use the wording ‘that I have made,’ rather than saying ‘that I have set up’? Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then these men were brought before the king — Nebuchadnezzar answered and said [to them]: ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, is it true that you do not serve my gods, and do not bow down to the golden image that I have set up?’ Now, by strict law, it would have been proper for him to command at once that they be burned in the fire, rather than bring them before him for a hearing and argue the matter with them — especially in light of what I shall explain, that he still wished to pardon them if they would bow down now, which contradicts his own decree that whoever transgressed and was found guilty should be put to death without exception. However, when he heard from the accusers themselves that the reason they had refrained from bowing down was because of their religion, which forbids them from bowing down to any statue or image, he saw that they were not liable to death. For he had granted freedom to every religion, and had not forced any people to transgress its own religion; and since all the other peoples — even those who worshipped some other form of idolatry — were not restrained by their own beliefs from bowing down to any images of silver and gold, whereas Israel’s religion warns them against this, they were not yet liable to punishment — unless he brought them before him and explicitly charged them, commanding them to transgress their religion. He therefore commanded that they be brought before him, and said to them, ‘Is it true’ — meaning, ‘I know the truth, that it is because you do not serve my gods that, for this very reason, you do not bow down to the golden image that I have set up’ — meaning, this very fact pleads in your favor regarding the past, that you are not liable to death, since you did this because of the warning of your own Torah.
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said to them: ‘Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, that you serve not my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
verse value 3737
Insights
Verse structure: 19 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "not" (לָ֤א, 2 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבֽוּכַדְנֶצַּר֙, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "is·it·true" (הַצְדָּ֕א). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "which" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nego', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 10 words.
Rashi
Is it meaningless Aram. הַצְדָא. Are my decrees void and desolate and an empty thing in your eyes, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you do not worship my god? The “hey” of הַצְדָא is used as an interrogative expression. that I have set up [as translated,] that I have set up.
Ibn Ezra
Is it true — he asked them: is the truth [really] so?
Metzudat David
Spoke – Nebuchadnezzar raised his voice and said to them. Is it true – Is the decree I made nothing but empty, meaningless words? Is it true that you, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, do not serve my gods, and do not bow down to the golden image that I set up?
Metzudat Zion
Is it true (hatzda) - An expression of desolation and emptiness, as in "the earth was without form and void (tohu vavohu)" (Genesis 1:2), which Targum Onkelos renders "tzadya verikanya."
Ibn Yahya
Then these men were brought before the king, and he said to them, 'ha-tzda' — this is an expression of astonishment: 'Is it really true that you, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, do not serve my gods and do not worship the image, despite all the good I have done for you? I can hardly believe such a strange thing, and so I will not give heed to those who informed against you unless I see the matter with my own eyes; therefore I advise you that in front of—'
Now if you are ready that at what time you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made, well; but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?’
verse value 13393
Insights
Verse structure: 35 words, 174 letters. Notable word values: "god" (אֱלָ֔הּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "if" (הֵ֧ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "shall·deliver·you" (יְשֵֽׁיזְבִנְכ֖וֹן, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 497: you, into·midst·of·furnace·of. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "ready" (עֲתִידִ֗ין), "and·bagpipe" (וְסוּמְפֹּ֨נְיָ֜ה), "which·I·made" (דִֽי־עַבְדֵת֒). The root הן appears 2 times in this verse. 31 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel); "god" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel). First appearance of the root יזב ("shall·deliver·you") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'burning', dividing the verse into phrases of 30 and 5 words.
Rashi
Now, behold you are destined Now, behold you are destined against your will to accept this upon yourselves. and if you do not prostrate yourselves and if you do not prostrate yourselves, you shall be cast. into into the midst of. and who is a god and who is a god who will save you from my hands?
Ibn Ezra
Now — behold, he is still granting them a further measure of honor, perhaps so as not to kill them, out of respect for Daniel.
Metzudat David
Now – Now, if you are ready that, when you hear the sound of the horn, etc. — all the other kinds of instruments — you will fall down and bow to the image that I made, well and good; as if to say: if you bow down now, I will do you no harm for not having bowed down the first time. But if – But if you do not bow down, then you will immediately, that very moment, be thrown into the burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that can save you from my hand?
Malbim
Now [if you are ready that at what time you hear the sound of the horn, pipe, harp, trigon, psaltery, and bagpipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the image which I have made, well; but if you worship not, you shall be cast the same hour into the midst of A burning fiery furnace; and who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?] — that is, you are now prepared, so that at the time you hear the sound of the horn and all the musical instruments, you shall fall down and bow to the image that I have made; and if you do not bow down, at that very hour you shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace. Indeed, from now on I am commanding you to bow down whenever you hear the melody of the instruments, without regard for your religion — for from now on, if you transgress my command, you shall be punished. However, in his own words he changed the wording and said ‘and worship the image that I have made,’ whereas throughout the narrative the expression used regarding the image is one of ‘setting up’ — ‘that Nebuchadnezzar had set up’ — and only here does he use the expression of ‘making.’ For this image, insofar as it had been made, contained no element of idolatry, since it was merely a royal statue, alluding to the kingdom of Nebuchadnezzar, who had seen in his dream that he himself was the golden image; and from this aspect they could have bowed down in honor of the king, and not for the sake of idolatry or divinity. It was only insofar as he had set it up that it contained an element of idolatry — in that he had made himself a god, or had intended it to represent his guardian angel — and it was for this reason that he insisted that everyone bow down before its divinity. And knowing this, he realized that they would give up their lives rather than bow down in that sense. He therefore told them that he was not asking them to bow down in the sense of its having been ‘set up,’ that is, for the sake of divinity, but only to bow down in the sense of its having been ‘made’ — that is, that it had been made solely in his honor, being a royal statue — and in this sense they were permitted to bow down. And it is on this basis that he now commands them to bow down when they hear the melody of the instruments, in honor of the king; and if they do not heed even this, they shall be cast into the fiery furnace, for in this case they are not obligated to give up their lives. And he added, telling them not to rely on being saved from his hand: ‘for who is the god that shall deliver you out of my hands?’
Ibn Yahya
when you hear all the musical instruments, you shall bow down to the image; for if you do not bow down, you shall be cast into the burning fiery furnace, and I will see who the god is that will save you from my hand.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, answered and said to the king: ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
verse value 4073
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. The shortest word is "answered" (עֲנ֗וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבֽוּכַדְנֶצַּ֔ר, 8 letters). 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "not·needing" (לָֽא־חַשְׁחִ֨ין), "we" (אֲנַ֧חְנָא), "concerning·this" (עַל־דְּנָ֛ה). 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "to·the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "and·Abed-" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: עֲנ֗וֹ [answered] (126) + שַׁדְרַ֤ךְ [Shadrach] (524) + מֵישַׁךְ֙ [Meshach] (370) + וַעֲבֵ֣ד [and·Abed-] (82) + נְג֔וֹ [nego] (59) + וְאָמְרִ֖ין [and·said] (307) + לְמַלְכָּ֑א [to·the·king] (121) + נְבֽוּכַדְנֶצַּ֔ר [Nebuchadnezzar] (422) + לָֽא־חַשְׁחִ֨ין [not·needing] (407) + אֲנַ֧חְנָא [we] (110) + עַל־דְּנָ֛ה [concerning·this] (159) + פִּתְגָ֖ם [matter] (523) + לַהֲתָבוּתָֽךְ [to·answer·you] (863) = 4073.
Rashi
to the king, ‘Nebuchadnezzar Why is his name mentioned? But this is what they said to him: “If [it concerns] taking upon ourselves to pay taxes, either the tax from the crops or the head taxes, you are king over us, [but] if [it concerns] denying the Holy One, blessed be He, [you are merely] Nebuchadnezzar. In our eyes, you are a lowly person and the most despised of the people. You and a dog are equal.” we do not care We do not care to take counsel on what to answer you, for the answer is ready and fluent in our mouths.
Ibn Ezra
They answered ... we have no need — we have no need to answer you, for our God, whom we worship (not in the sense of one who tills and breaks the ground), is able to save us from the fiery furnace, and also from your hand, if He so wishes; and if He does not save us, let it nonetheless be known to you [that we will not worship your gods].
Metzudat David
Answered – Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah answered and said to the king. O Nebuchadnezzar – They addressed him as ‘you, Nebuchadnezzar,’ not by the title ‘king’ — as if to say: in this matter you have no reign over us, and no dominion over us. We have no need – We are not troubled enough by this threat to answer you with placating words and arguments.
Metzudat Zion
Have need (chashchin) - Like "choshshin" (are in need), a term familiar from the words of our sages.
Malbim
Hananiah, mishael, and azariah [i.e., Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego] answered and said to the king: ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need [to answer you in this matter] — that is, we have no need [to deliberate and take counsel] to answer you regarding this matter — meaning, regarding this last matter, that you said no god has the power to save: the answer is ready, fluent on our lips. (And they addressed him by the name ‘Nebuchadnezzar’ [rather than by his royal title], as if to say: in this matter you are not king over us — you rule over our bodies and our land, but not over our souls, in a matter pertaining to religion.) For there is a God whom we serve, who is able to save us from the furnace, and He will save us from your hand, O king — meaning, that God is able to save, and will indeed save; and not only from the furnace, but He is also able to save us from your hand, so that you will not be able to cast us into the fire at all. And the commentators explained that not only will He save us from the fire, but also from your hand — for you possess free choice, and salvation from the hand of one who possesses free choice is more difficult — yet He will save us.
Ibn Yahya
'They answered him: We have no need to answer you in this matter.' That is to say: by strict law they had no obligation to give Nebuchadnezzar any verbal answer at all — only the act of not bowing down was called for. That is why they said 'we are not concerned about it' — [meaning] we would be transgressing the rule of proper conduct by answering where no answer is required; and this is because our settled resolve is not to heed you in this, whether Hashem saves us from your hand or does not save us.
If our God whom we serve is able to deliver us, He will deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and out of your hand, O king.
verse value 3600
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 65 letters. Verse gematria: 3600 = 60². The shortest word is "if" (הֵ֣ן, 2 letters) and the longest is "to·deliver·us" (לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַ֑נָא, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "our·God" (אֱלָהַ֙נָא֙), "whom·we" (דִּֽי־אֲנַ֣חְנָא), "to·deliver·us" (לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַ֑נָא). The root יזב appears 2 times in this verse. 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "our·God" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel); "and·from·your·hand" (root יד, 26x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'to·deliver·us', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 6 words. Full calculation: הֵ֣ן [if] (55) + אִיתַ֗י [there·is] (421) + אֱלָהַ֙נָא֙ [our·God] (87) + דִּֽי־אֲנַ֣חְנָא [whom·we] (124) + פָֽלְחִ֔ין [serve] (178) + יָכִ֖ל [is·able] (60) + לְשֵׁיזָבוּתַ֑נָא [to·deliver·us] (806) + מִן־אַתּ֨וּן [from·furnace·of] (547) + נוּרָ֧א [the·fire] (257) + יָקִֽדְתָּ֛א [burning] (515) + וּמִן־יְדָ֥ךְ [and·from·your·hand] (130) + מַלְכָּ֖א [the·king] (91) + יְשֵׁיזִֽב [He·will·deliver] (329) = 3600.
Rashi
He can save us He can save us from all our troubles. From the burning fiery furnace and from your hands, O king, He will save us from the furnace and from your hands He will save.
Metzudat David
If [our God] is [able] – There is a God, our God, whom we serve, who is able to save us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will save us even from your hand, O king — meaning, whatever manner you choose to put us to death, He is able to save us from all of them.
Ibn Yahya
'It is indeed true that the God whom we serve has the power to save us from the furnace and the burning fire' — and 'from your hand,' that is, from every form your sentence might take, He is able to save us; and even if He does not save us—
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up.’
verse value 2633
Insights
Verse structure: 17 words, 72 letters. Notable word values: "your·god" (לֵֽאלָהָךְ֙) = 86, equal to Elohim. The shortest word is "not" (לָ֔א, 2 letters) and the longest is "not·we" (לָא־אִיתַ֣נָא, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "known" (יְדִ֥יעַ), "let·it·be·to·you" (לֶהֱוֵא־לָ֖ךְ), "not·we" (לָא־אִיתַ֣נָא). The root לא appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·king', dividing the verse into phrases of 5 and 12 words.
Rashi
And if not And if He will not wish to save our bodies, let it be known to you, etc.
Metzudat David
But if not – And even if He does not wish to save us, know, O king, that regardless we have no intention of serving your gods, and we will not bow down to the golden image that you set up.
Malbim
But if not [be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image which you have set up] — that is, even if He does not wish to save us (although He is able to), nevertheless, be it known to you, O king, that because we do not serve your gods, we will not, for this very reason, bow down to the golden image that you have set up. They were precise in saying that they would not bow down on account of its having been ‘set up’ — for although at the outset it was made to be merely a royal statue, its setting up was nevertheless for the sake of divinity; and so we will not serve your gods, and we will give up our lives even if Hashem does not save us.
Ibn Yahya
know for certain that we will not serve your gods, and we will not bow down to the golden image that you have set up.
Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the form of his visage was changed, against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego; he spoke, and commanded that they should heat the furnace seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
verse value 5547
Insights
Verse structure: 21 words, 93 letters. The shortest word is "beyond" (עַ֛ל, 2 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֜ר, 8 letters). 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·filled" (הִתְמְלִ֣י), "fury" (חֱמָ֗א), "and·image·of" (וּצְלֵ֤ם). The root שנה appears 2 times in this verse. 19 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "beyond" (root על, 64x in Daniel). First appearance of the root אזה ("to·heat") in Daniel. First appearance of the root שבע ("sevenfold") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nego', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 9 words.
Rashi
was filled with wrath [as translated,] was filled with wrath. and the features of his face changed [as translated,] and the features of his face changed. to heat the furnace to light the fiery furnace and to heat it. seven times as much as it should be heated instead of once, seven times as much as they calculated to heat it up; and it was as though they would kindle it seven times as much as it required. to be heated lit. to heat it.
Ibn Ezra
His visage — his face. To heat — to add fuel [to the fire], like [the phrase] ‘wasted with hunger’.
Metzudat David
Then – Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the look on his face changed in his anger at Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Spoke – He raised his voice and commanded that the furnace be kindled and heated. Seven times – That is, to add, in a single heating, the equivalent of seven ordinary heatings beyond what it was normally heated to.
Metzudat Zion
To heat (lemeza) - An expression of kindling and burning, as in "wasted with hunger (mezei ra'av)" (Deuteronomy 32).
Malbim
The questions: (19–20) Why did he order the furnace heated seven times more than usual? Would this not actually lessen their suffering — since being thrown into a raging fire would kill them quickly, whereas the punishment would have been more severe had it been heated in the normal way? And why did he need mighty warriors of his army to bind them — did it occur to him that they might fight against those who bound them? Then — then he was filled with fury against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and the form of his visage was changed; and he answered and commanded that the furnace be heated seven times more than it was wont to be heated. And to the mighty warriors of his army he said to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego and cast them into the fiery furnace. Since this went against the claim that God is able to save them from the fire, he ordered it heated seven times over: he reasoned that even if divine power sufficed to overcome a small fire, it would not be able to prevail against a great one, for idolaters believed that divine power was limited, so that if the natural force were made all the stronger, it could not withstand it. For this same reason he also ordered the mighty warriors to bind them — which is itself very puzzling, for why would mighty warriors be needed to bind three men already condemned to death? Except that, against the claim that God would save them even from his hand, he wanted them, by their own might, to stand against the divine power; for it was their mistaken belief that there exist mighty men who can overcome the sons of the gods, just as the Philistines said that they should ‘be men’ and fight against God, as explained there.
Ibn Yahya
Then the king, in his fury, commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than was needed merely to burn three men.
And he commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
verse value 4044
Insights
Verse structure: 14 words, 64 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·to·men" (וּלְגֻבְרִ֤ין, 7 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·to·men" (וּלְגֻבְרִ֤ין), "mighty·of·strength" (גִּבָּֽרֵי־חַ֙יִל֙), "in·his·army" (בְחַיְלֵ֔הּ). The root גבר appears 2 times in this verse. 13 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "who" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "he·commanded" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "and·Abed-" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). First appearance of the root כפת ("to·bind") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nego', dividing the verse into phrases of 10 and 4 words. Full calculation: וּלְגֻבְרִ֤ין [and·to·men] (301) + גִּבָּֽרֵי־חַ֙יִל֙ [mighty·of·strength] (263) + דִּ֣י [who] (14) + בְחַיְלֵ֔הּ [in·his·army] (55) + אֲמַר֙ [he·commanded] (241) + לְכַפָּתָ֔ה [to·bind] (535) + לְשַׁדְרַ֥ךְ [Shadrach] (554) + מֵישַׁ֖ךְ [Meshach] (370) + וַעֲבֵ֣ד [and·Abed-] (82) + נְג֑וֹ [nego] (59) + לְמִרְמֵ֕א [to·cast] (311) + לְאַתּ֥וּן [into·furnace·of] (487) + נוּרָ֖א [the·fire] (257) + יָקִֽדְתָּֽא [burning] (515) = 4044.
Rashi
certain mighty men in his army [as translated,] certain mighty men in his army. And he commanded...to bind He commanded to bind them because he saw that they were strengthening themselves to answer him harshly, and he said, “These are mighty”; so he commanded the mighty men in his army to bind them.
Ibn Ezra
Certain mighty men — who were among his forces. To bind — to tie up.
Metzudat David
Certain mighty men – To the men of valor in his army he commanded that they bind Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Metzudat Zion
To bind (lechaftah) - An expression of tying and binding; and so in the words of our sages, "a bound (kafut) slave belongs to him" (Bava Kamma 22).
Ibn Yahya
And he commanded the mighty warriors of his army to bind them, so as to cast them into the furnace.
Then these men were bound in their cloaks, their tunics, and their robes, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
verse value 4794
Insights
Verse structure: 13 words, 80 letters. The shortest word is "these" (אִלֵּ֗ךְ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·their·cloaks" (בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן֙, 9 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "were·bound" (כְּפִ֙תוּ֙), "in·their·cloaks" (בְּסַרְבָּלֵיהוֹן֙), "their·tunics" (פַּטְּשֵׁיה֔וֹן). 12 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·their·garments', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 4 words.
Rashi
these men [as translated,] these men. were bound in their cloaks They were bound in the garments in which they enwrapped themselves. their trousers, their robes types of royal raiment that they had; and although they were going forth to be judged before Nebuchadnezzar regarding their death sentence, they did not change their clothes to humble their greatness. From here the Sages learned that even in times of danger, a person should not change from the ruling position to which he has become accustomed. their robes Aram. וְכַרְבְּלָתְהוֹן. There is a word similar to this (in I Chron. 15: 27): “And David was clothed (מְכֻרְבָּל). and they were cast into the burning, fiery furnce [as translated,] and they were cast into the burning, fiery furnace.
Ibn Ezra
Their cloaks — this is the outer garment; and it is the custom of the nations to burn people in their clothes, since [such condemned] people are reckoned as worth nothing [i.e., not warranting removal of their garments beforehand]. Their tunics — like [the phrase] ‘and David was wrapped in a robe of fine linen’. Their robes — tunics, or trousers. Their other garments — the rest of their clothes.
Metzudat David
Then – Then these men were bound while still dressed in their cloaks, etc. And their other garments – That is, the rest of their clothing. And were cast – And they threw them into the furnace, etc.
Metzudat Zion
Their cloaks (besarbeleihon) - This is the name of a garment; and so in the words of our sages, "sealed in their cloaks (sarbaleihon)" (Shabbat 58). Their tunics (patisheihon) - These are trousers. Their robes (vecharbelatehon) - A type of garment in which one wraps oneself, similar to "and David was robed (mecharbal) in a linen robe" (I Chronicles 15).
Malbim
Then — then they bound these men in their clothes and cast them into the burning furnace. Because of the haste — lest God save them from their hands [if there were any delay] — they did not strip off their garments, but bound them just as they were.
Ibn Yahya
Then these men were bound 'in their sarbelin' — these are the outer garments that cover the whole body when a man leaves his house to walk in the streets and marketplaces, called in the vernacular 'mantello' or the like. 'Their patishin' — these are the garments worn on the body and legs, [called] 'giubbone' and 'calze' in the vernacular. 'And their karbelata' — these are the garments that cover the head, such as a hat and the like. 'And their levushin' — these are the garments worn over the first garments, beneath the sarbelin, called in the vernacular 'saione.' For in order to carry out the king's command quickly, they did not strip them; rather, just as they stood dressed before the king, so they bound them and tied them and cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Therefore because the king’s commandment was peremptory, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.
verse value 4574
Insights
Verse structure: 22 words, 86 letters. Notable word values: "was·heated" (אֵזֵ֣ה) = 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֤י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·furnace" (וְאַתּוּנָ֖א, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 59: this, nego. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·urgent" (מַחְצְפָ֔ה), "and·the·furnace" (וְאַתּוּנָ֖א), "was·heated" (אֵזֵ֣ה). The root די appears 2 times in this verse. 21 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "who" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·Abed-" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'exceedingly', dividing the verse into phrases of 9 and 13 words.
Rashi
In view of this in view of this, that the king’s command was strong. and the furnace was heated excessively and the furnace was heated to a great degree. these men these mighty men who had bound Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and had cast them into the furnace. were killed by a spark of fire The power of a spark of fire burned them.
Ibn Ezra
Peremptory — [i.e.] quickly. Who heated it — like [the causative form in] ‘and they gave to drink, seven years’. The flame — like [the phrase] ‘the flame of his fire shall not shine’.
Metzudat David
Therefore – Because of this — because the king’s order was urgent — the furnace was stoked with an intense fire. Those men – [Referring] to those men who brought Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah up to the mouth of the furnace to throw them in. Slew – The sparks of the fire killed them, for the sparks were abundant and they acted in haste, without being careful or cautious.
Metzudat Zion
The flame (sheviva) - [Meaning] sparks, as in "nor shall the spark (shviv) of his fire shine" (Job 18:5).
Malbim
Therefore — that is, because the king's command was urgent and the furnace was heated all the more, the flame of the fire killed the men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. For had the matter not been carried out with such urgency, they would have been careful [and not been harmed]; and likewise, had the heat not been so intense, they would not have been burned. But through the combination of the fire's great intensity and their own lack of caution, those who threw them in were burned.
Ibn Yahya
By Hashem's providence, a spark from the fire of that furnace killed and burned the mighty men who cast Shadrach, [Meshach, and Abed-nego], etc., into the furnace.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
verse value 4234
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 57 letters. The shortest word is "these" (אִלֵּךְ֙, 3 letters) and the longest is "into·midst·of·furnace·of·the·fire" (לְגֽוֹא־אַתּוּן־נוּרָ֥א, 12 letters). 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·the·men" (וְגֻבְרַיָּ֤א), "three·of·them" (תְּלָ֣תֵּה֔וֹן), "fell·down" (נְפַ֛לוּ). 11 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·Abed-" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). First appearance of the root תלת ("three·of·them") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'nego', dividing the verse into phrases of 7 and 4 words. Full calculation: וְגֻבְרַיָּ֤א [and·the·men] (222) + אִלֵּךְ֙ [these] (51) + תְּלָ֣תֵּה֔וֹן [three·of·them] (891) + שַׁדְרַ֥ךְ [Shadrach] (524) + מֵישַׁ֖ךְ [Meshach] (370) + וַעֲבֵ֣ד [and·Abed-] (82) + נְג֑וֹ [nego] (59) + נְפַ֛לוּ [fell·down] (166) + לְגֽוֹא־אַתּוּן־נוּרָ֥א [into·midst·of·furnace·of·the·fire] (754) + יָֽקִדְתָּ֖א [burning] (515) + מְכַפְּתִֽין [bound] (600) = 4234.
Rashi
bound [as translated,] bound.
Metzudat David
And these men – And these three men — Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — fell into the furnace while bound.
Malbim
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace — since the men who threw them in had themselves been burned, they were unable actually to throw them into the furnace; rather, they were left lying on the rim of the furnace, and from there they fell in by themselves, since they were bound and could not climb down.
Ibn Yahya
And they fell in bound, for the binding was strong and did not come apart despite the force of that casting.
Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was alarmed, and rose up in haste; he spoke and said to his ministers: ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king: ‘True, O king.’
verse value 5364
Insights
Verse structure: 20 words, 99 letters. Notable word values: "did·not" (הֲלָא֩) = 36, double chai. Verse gematria: 5364 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "was·alarmed" (תְּוַ֖הּ, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 91: the·king, O·king. 5 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "was·alarmed" (תְּוַ֖הּ), "and·rose·up" (וְקָ֣ם), "to·his·ministers" (לְהַדָּֽבְר֗וֹהִי). The root מלך appears 3 times in this verse. 16 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "did·not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). First appearance of the root הדבר ("to·his·ministers") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·haste', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 14 words.
Rashi
was bewildered Aram. תְּוַהּ, wondered. and stood up in haste Aram. וְקָם בְּהִתְבְּהָלָה. answered and said Aram. עָנַיִן וְאָמְרִין They answered and said to the king. The king is true Aram. יַצִיבָא מַלְכָּא The king has spoken the truth.
Ibn Ezra
To his ministers — like [the phrase] ‘among his counselors’ [cf. 3:27 below].
Metzudat David
Then – Then King Nebuchadnezzar was alarmed and rose up in haste; he raised his voice and said to his ministers: ‘Did we not cast three men, bound, into the fire?’ They answered – They answered and said to the king: ‘True, O king, so it is.’
Metzudat Zion
To his ministers (lehadavrohi) - These are the counselors who lead and direct; related to "and he led (vayinhag) the flock" (Exodus 3:1), which Targum Onkelos renders "udevar."
Malbim
Then — then Nebuchadnezzar was alarmed and rose up in haste, and said to his ministers, ‘Did we not cast three men, bound, into the midst of the furnace?’ And they answered him, ‘True, O king.’ He answered and said, ‘But I see four men, loose, walking in the midst of the fire, with no harm upon them; and the appearance of the fourth resembles an angel.’ What he meant was this: did we not — first, cast in three men; second, who were bound; third, thrown into the furnace, so that they surely should have been hurt by the fall? Yet how is it that instead of three I see four; instead of bound men I see them walking about; instead of being consumed by the fire I see them walking within a raging blaze; and instead of injury from being thrown in, there is no harm at all upon them? He added that the form of the fourth resembled an angel, for the angel who descended to save them appeared before his eyes in an awesome form, like the form of the angel that was seen when the camp of Sennacherib was consumed by fire, as our Sages state. And our Sages have already said, in the Talmud, tractate Pesachim, in the chapter Arvei Pesachim, that the Prince of Hail wanted to descend and cool the fire, but Gabriel told him that this would not be [in keeping with] the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He; rather, he himself would descend and scorch from without while cooling from within, so that it would be a miracle within a miracle. That is to say, there were two possible ways to save them: one, that the fire be nullified by an opposing coolness — but this would not be so great a miracle. It would bring greater honor to Hashem's glory if Gabriel himself — the angel appointed over the power of fire — descended to save them, for then the lower element of fire would be nullified at its very root above, fire consuming fire, since every natural force is nullified by its higher root, as I explained in my commentary on Psalms, on the verse, ‘The waters saw You, God; the waters saw You’ (Psalms 77:17). Now, instead of thinking that fire is a natural force acting of necessity, they came to know that ‘one higher than the high watches’ (Ecclesiastes 5:7) — an intelligent power appointed over it. And when this angelic power over fire takes hold, the partial, lower power of fire is nullified by the general power coming from above: it scorches from without to burn those who threw them in, and cools from within to save those who were thrown in, for it acts by intellect and free choice, not of necessity like a natural force. And it was this power, revealed in the form of a ‘son of the gods,’ that he saw walking within the fire.
Ibn Yahya
Then Nebuchadnezzar was astonished at the burning of his mighty men, and rose up in alarm, saying to his officers: 'Did we not cast three men, bound and tied, into the fire? Yet now I see four men walking about inside the furnace, free of any binding, with no harm having come to them at all — and the appearance of the fourth is like that of an angel of God.'
He answered and said: ‘Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods.’
verse value 3731
Insights
Verse structure: 18 words, 86 letters. Verse gematria: 3731 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "of" (דִּ֣י, 2 letters) and the longest is "in·midst·of·the·fire" (בְּגֽוֹא־נוּרָ֔א, 8 letters). 6 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "behold·I" (הָֽא־אֲנָ֨ה), "loose" (שְׁרַ֙יִן֙), "in·midst·of·the·fire" (בְּגֽוֹא־נוּרָ֔א). 17 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "of" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "answered" (root ענה, 32x in Daniel). First appearance of the root הלך ("walking") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·them', dividing the verse into phrases of 12 and 6 words.
Rashi
free men walking in the midst of the fire freed from their bonds and walking in the midst of the fire. and there is no wound upon them [as translated,] and there is no wound upon them. and the form of the fourth [as translated,] and the form of the fourth. is like [that of] an angel It is like the angel I saw when I was with Sannecherib, when his armies were burned, as it is said (II Kings 19: 35): “[And an angel of the Lord went forth] and slew...of the camp of Assyria.” And Nebuchadnezzar was there and fled among the ten who fled from them.
Ibn Ezra
Loose — [i.e.] untied. And ‘damage’ [used of ‘no hurt’] means harm, like [the phrase] ‘and destroy the work of your hands’. The appearance of the fourth — the form of the fourth [one]. Like a son of the gods — like a child of God, as in the phrase ‘what, my son, and what, son of my womb?’
Metzudat David
Lo, I – Behold, I see four men, freed from their bonds, walking in the midst of the fire, with no harm upon them. And the appearance – And the appearance of the fourth resembles an angel.
Metzudat Zion
A son of the gods (lebar elahin) - This is how an angel is called, as though he were a member of the household of the Divine Presence; and so, "and the sons of God (benei ha'elohim) came" (Job 1:6).
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace; he spoke and said: ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, you servants of God Most High, come forth, and come here.’ Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, came forth out of the midst of the fire.
verse value 6840
Insights
Verse structure: 26 words, 116 letters. Verse gematria: 6840 is divisible by 18, the value of chai ('life'). The shortest word is "came·near" (קְרֵ֣ב, 3 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֗ר, 8 letters). Words sharing gematria 524: Shadrach, Shadrach. 8 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "to·gate·of" (לִתְרַע֮), "furnace·of" (אַתּ֣וּן), "and·Abed-nego" (וַעֲבֵד־נְג֛וֹ). The root עבד appears 3 times in this verse. 18 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "of·God" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel). First appearance of the root עלי ("the·Most·High") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'and·come', dividing the verse into phrases of 18 and 8 words.
Rashi
approached the gate of the... fiery furnace He approached the gate of the court, in which the furnace was situated, to speak with them, and at first, he saw them from afar. Step out and come “step out and come,” but he did not say to them, “step out and ascend.” From here we learn that the floor of the furnace floated up and became even with the ground, so that they should not be troubled to go up. Then...came out Although they were confident of the miracle that had been performed for them, they did not dare to treat the king lightly, to go out without permission.
Ibn Ezra
To the gate — [i.e.] to the opening; and similarly the family name ‘the Tirathites ... the Sucathites’ [from the same root]. Come forth — go out. And come here — and come, like [the phrase] ‘return, come’.
Metzudat David
Then – Then Nebuchadnezzar drew near to the opening of the furnace. His servants – [He said:] ‘You servants of God Most High, come out of the furnace and come to me.’ Then – Then they came out of the fire; for until he had spoken gently to them, they were afraid to come out, since man has free will, and they feared he might kill them with his own hands.
Malbim
Then — then Nebuchadnezzar approached the opening of the furnace and said, ‘Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, servants of God Most High, come forth, and come here.’ He understood that this was an act of God Most High, before whom the lower natural forces are subdued — forces which they used to attribute to the lower sons of the gods. And our Sages inferred from the wording ‘come forth’ (rather than ‘come up’) that the furnace [floor] had floated upward, since a furnace is ordinarily set down in a pit.
Ibn Yahya
Then Nebuchadnezzar drew near to the opening [of the furnace] and called to them: 'Servants of God Most High, come out, come here — for I have already seen that that God has helped you.'
And the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, and the king’s ministers, being gathered together, saw these men, that the fire had no power upon their bodies, nor was the hair of their head singed, neither were their cloaks changed, nor had the smell of fire passed on them.
verse value 7498
Insights
Verse structure: 25 words, 116 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "the·satraps" (אֲחַשְׁדַּרְפְּנַיָּ֞א, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 31: not, not, not. 11 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "and·gathering" (וּ֠מִֽתְכַּנְּשִׁ֠ין), "and·ministers·of" (וְהַדָּבְרֵ֣י), "saw" (חָזַ֣יִן). The root לא appears 3 times in this verse. 22 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). First appearance of the root גשם ("upon·their·bodies") in Daniel. First appearance of the root שער ("and·hair·of") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'were·changed', dividing the verse into phrases of 20 and 5 words.
Rashi
And the satraps...gathered Four nations were counted above in the first gathering who were not counted here: Adargazeria, Dethaveria, Gedaveria, Tiftaei. They are the mighty men whom the spark of fire had killed when they cast Hananiah and his colleagues into the fire. saw these men saw these men: Hananiah and his colleagues. that the fire had taken no effect on their bodies [as translated,] that the fire had taken no effect on their bodies. on their bodies בְּגֶשְּׁמְהוֹן, their bodies, in Aramaic, and there are many [instances of it] in this Book. the hair of their heads was not singed [as translated,] the hair of their heads was not singed. their robes were not changed They did not change from their appearance. and the smell of fire had not been absorbed by them Aram. לָא עֲדַת בְּהוֹן, did not pass into their midst.
Ibn Ezra
The king’s ministers — his counselors, who regularly attend him. Their bodies — their bodies, similar to [the phrase] ‘and the frame grows great’. The smell of fire — the smell of fire did not pass over them, similar to [the phrase] ‘like one who removes a garment on a cold day’. Not singed — like [the phrase] ‘the slothful man does not roast his prey’; and Scripture mentions [only] the outer garment, since there was no need to also mention the others [the inner garments].
Metzudat David
Being gathered together – The satraps, etc., and the king’s ministers gathered and saw these men, that the fire had no power over their bodies: the hair of their heads was not burned or singed, their cloaks were unaffected by the fire, and not even the smell of fire had touched them.
Metzudat Zion
Their bodies (begashmeihon) - [Meaning] their bodies, as in "and a rod for the back (legev) of fools" (Proverbs 26:3), which Targum Yonatan renders "veshivta legushmeihon" (and a rod for their bodies). Singed (hitcharach) - An expression of burning, as in "the slothful man does not roast (yacharoch) his prey" (Proverbs 12). Passed (adat) - [Meaning] passed over, as in "the lion has not passed over it (adah)" (Job 28:8).
Malbim
Being gathered together — then the satraps, and so on, gathered together (and as for why it does not also mention the chief judges, the treasurers, and so on [as it did earlier], it appears that those were pagan priests — as stated above, that the term there was used to include the priests of the various religions as well — and they were ashamed when they saw that their worship was in vain. Also, under his rule there were fire-worshippers, who were numerous at that time, as is known, and they were put to shame over the trust they had placed [in fire]. And this is what our Sages meant, in their figurative language, when they said that these four were, as it were, 'burned' on that occasion) — and they saw of these men, that the fire had no power over their bodies, that the hair of their heads was not singed, that their garments were unchanged, and that the smell of fire had not passed upon them. For [the skeptics] sought pretexts, saying that they had smeared themselves with the blood of a salamander [believed in ancient lore to render one fireproof]; but they saw that even their hair was not singed. And still one might say that hair draws its nourishment from the body, so that the ointment protected it too — hence it says that they saw the garments, too, were unchanged by the fire. And since, regarding this as well, it was said that there exist garments woven from a certain stone [i.e., asbestos] over which fire has no power, hence it says that they saw that no smell of fire was upon them — for that could not come about through any natural device.
Ibn Yahya
Then all the king's officials gathered together and beheld the miracle of these men: that the fire had no power over their bodies; not even the hair of their heads was singed; and their sarbelin — that is, their outer garments — were not changed at all despite the great intensity of that fire; and no smell of fire had passed over them.
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said: ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, who has sent His angel, and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
verse value 6423
Insights
Verse structure: 28 words, 142 letters. The shortest word is "who" (דִּ֥י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·not·worship" (וְלָֽא־יִסְגְּדוּן֙, 9 letters). Words sharing gematria 127: His·servants, their·God. 12 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "blessed" (בְּרִ֤יךְ), "who·has·sent" (דִּֽי־שְׁלַ֤ח), "and·delivered" (וְשֵׁיזִ֣ב). The root אלה appears 3 times in this verse. 23 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "who" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "and·said" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel). The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'in·Him', dividing the verse into phrases of 16 and 12 words.
Rashi
Nebuchadnezzar cried out [as translated,] Nebuchadnezzar cried out. who trusted him [as translated,] who trusted him. deviated from the command of the king They deviated from the king’s command by not fulfilling it. and risked their lives lit. delivered their bodies. except to their God [as translated,] except to their God.
Ibn Ezra
[He] spoke — ‘who has sent His angel’: this is the fourth [figure seen in the furnace], as in [the phrases] ‘the angel of Hashem encamps around those who fear Him’, and likewise ‘and He sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt’, ‘the angel of His presence delivered them’, ‘the redeeming angel’, ‘and the angel of God journeyed’. I will yet explain this to you very clearly.
Metzudat David
Blessed [be] – Blessed be the God of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who sent His angel and saved His servants who trusted in Him; they defied and set aside the king’s word, giving over their bodies rather than serve or bow down to any god except their own God.
Malbim
Nebuchadnezzar spoke and said — he made known to them that this was the power of a supreme God; and so he said, “Blessed be their God.” And he explained that God’s providence rests upon those who serve Him; therefore he said, “the God of Shadrach” — meaning that His providence is directed specifically at them. And he explained that this had not come about through natural forces — for example, by sending some cooling power to cool the fire — but was entirely above nature; and so he said, “who has sent His angel, and delivered.” And [he explained] that this had not come about through charms, talismans, and incantations, but through their trust in Hashem; and so he said, “His servants who trusted in Him.” And he explained that their trust was complete on every side — lest you say that they knew for certain that the fire would not overpower them, and that this was why they did not bow down to the image — for on the contrary, “they have changed the king’s word, and have yielded their bodies,” meaning that they gave over their bodies to be burned even though [they had no assurance] that Hashem would save them, as it is written, “But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods” (Daniel 3:18). And he added that they surrendered their lives not only so as “not [to] serve” [other gods], but also so as “not [to] worship” them — even though the king had demanded of them nothing more than bowing down to a monument of the king, not the worship of an idol, as explained above.
Ibn Yahya
Then Nebuchadnezzar declared, saying: 'Blessed is the God of these men, who sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him; they defied the king's word and gave their bodies over to death rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.'
Therefore I make a decree, that every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill; because there is no other god that is able to deliver after this sort.’
verse value 6455
Insights
Verse structure: 30 words, 119 letters. Notable word values: "god" (אֱלָ֣הּ) = 36, double chai. The shortest word is "that" (דִּי֩, 2 letters) and the longest is "which·speak" (דִּֽי־יֵאמַ֤ר, 6 letters). Words sharing gematria 160: every·people, to·deliver. 10 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "nation" (אֻמָּ֜ה), "and·language" (וְלִשָּׁ֗ן), "which·speak" (דִּֽי־יֵאמַ֤ר). The root די appears 2 times in this verse. 27 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "which·speak" (root אמר, 88x in Daniel); "not" (root לא, 74x in Daniel). First appearance of the root נצל ("to·deliver") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'shall·become', dividing the verse into phrases of 21 and 9 words.
Rashi
Now an order is issued by me [as translated,] Now an order is issued by me. that will speak amiss that will speak in error, i.e., any disrespectful word. limb from limb Aram הַּדָּמִין limbs; i.e., they will cut him into limbs. shall be made a dungheap [as translated,] shall be made a dungheap. that can save in this manner [as translated,] that can save in this manner.
Ibn Ezra
Amiss — like [the word] ‘unwitting error’, and similarly [the phrase] ‘for his error’. Therefore [there is no other god] — on account of a deliverance such as this, [by] a god such as this.
Metzudat David
Therefore I [make a decree] – And from me a decree shall go out, that any people or tongue that dares to speak any wrongdoing or error against the God of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — his body shall be cut into pieces, and his house shall be made into a garbage-heap, a place of disgrace. Because – Because there is no other god able to save in the way that this one did.
Metzudat Zion
Amiss (shalu) - [Meaning] error and mistake, as in "concerning the error (hashal)" (II Samuel 6).
Malbim
Therefore I make a decree — [meaning:] from me has gone forth the decree that any people, nation, or language that utters any offense [i.e., anything disparaging] against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego shall be cut in pieces, and his house shall be made a dunghill, because there is no other god who is able to deliver in this manner — meaning, and if so, He is the greatest of all gods. And even though there was no punishment for one who spoke against the worship of some particular star that the various nations worshipped at that time, this is because each of them was held to rule over some separate matter, unlike Hashem, who is greater than all gods.
Ibn Yahya
'And a decree is issued by me, that any people or tongue that speaks error against the God of these men shall be cut into pieces, and his house shall be made a refuse-heap' — because there is no god in this world who is able to save besides Him.
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon.
verse value 1896
Insights
Verse structure: 9 words, 38 letters. The shortest word is "nego" (נְג֖וֹ, 3 letters) and the longest is "in·province·of" (בִּמְדִינַ֥ת, 6 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "then" (root אדין, 46x in Daniel); "and·Abed-" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). First appearance of the root צלח ("promoted") in Daniel. Full calculation: בֵּאדַ֣יִן [then] (67) + מַלְכָּ֗א [the·king] (91) + הַצְלַ֛ח [promoted] (133) + לְשַׁדְרַ֥ךְ [Shadrach] (554) + מֵישַׁ֛ךְ [Meshach] (370) + וַעֲבֵ֥ד [and·Abed-] (82) + נְג֖וֹ [nego] (59) + בִּמְדִינַ֥ת [in·province·of] (506) + בָּבֶֽל [Babylon] (34) = 1896.
Rashi
made...prosper made them prosper and aggrandized them.
Ibn Ezra
Promoted — from the root of hatzlachah (success), and similarly [used of] ‘and Daniel prospered’.
Metzudat David
Then – Then the king promoted Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah — that is, he gave them great authority throughout the province.
Malbim
Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, in the province of Babylon — meaning, not only did he not remove them from their high position, but he raised them up even higher than before.
Ibn Yahya
Then the king made them prosper — them, who had sanctified Hashem's name.
‘Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth; peace be multiplied to you.
verse value 2840
Insights
Verse structure: 10 words, 59 letters. The shortest word is "the·king" (מַלְכָּ֗א, 4 letters) and the longest is "Nebuchadnezzar" (נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר, 8 letters). 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "the·king" (root מלך, 187x in Daniel); "to·all·peoples" (root כל, 41x in Daniel); "Nebuchadnezzar" (root נבוכדנצר, 28x in Daniel). First appearance of the root שלם ("your·peace") in Daniel.
Rashi
King Nebuchadnezzar [says] to all peoples This is the text of the missive: King Nebuchadnezzar greets all peoples.
Ibn Ezra
Nebuchadnezzar the king — now [Scripture] begins to relate the letter that Nebuchadnezzar wrote to all the peoples dwelling throughout his kingdom; and at the start of the letter, ‘peace be multiplied to you’ — [meaning] ‘shall increase’, like [the phrase] ‘behold, God is great’.
Metzudat David
Nebuchadnezzar the king – Now the text begins to relate the words of the letter that Nebuchadnezzar wrote to all the nations; and the opening words were: ‘Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples,’ etc. — to all who dwell throughout the earth, to all of you he says: may your peace increase and grow great.
Metzudat Zion
Be multiplied (yisgei) - [Meaning] shall grow great and increase, as in "he shall grow (yisgeh) like a cedar in Lebanon" (Psalms 92).
Malbim
The Questions: (31–33) What did he intend by this letter, and to what purpose did he write it? And why does he say, “it has seemed good to me to declare” — declare what, and why? And what is meant by “the signs and wonders,” and by “how great are His signs, and how mighty are His wonders”? And why does he double “kingdom” and “dominion” — using the term “everlasting” [olam] in connection with the kingdom, but “from generation to generation” in connection with the dominion? Nebuchadnezzar [the king, to all peoples, nations, and languages, that dwell in all the earth] — this is the text of a letter that Nebuchadnezzar sent to all the peoples. He opens by making known who the sender is: “Nebuchadnezzar the king” (for it was the king’s practice to state his name at the head of his words). And to whom is he writing? He specifies: “to all peoples, nations, and languages” (their distinction was explained above, at verse 4), “that dwell in all the earth,” for he ruled over the entire earth.
Ibn Yahya
Fifth section: 'Nebuchadnezzar the king,' etc. — this is a letter that Nebuchadnezzar sent throughout the world to make known Hashem's greatness and how He had humbled his proud strength. And this is the text of the letter: 'Nebuchadnezzar the king, to all the peoples, nations, and tongues who dwell in all the earth: peace be multiplied to you' — and he entreats God that this peace should grow and increase.
It has seemed good to me to declare the signs and wonders that God Most High has wrought toward me.
verse value 2136
Insights
Verse structure: 11 words, 43 letters. The shortest word is "that" (דִּ֚י, 2 letters) and the longest is "and·the·wonders" (וְתִמְהַיָּ֔א, 6 letters). 2 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "the·signs" (אָֽתַיָּא֙), "and·the·wonders" (וְתִמְהַיָּ֔א). 10 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "that" (root די, 141x in Daniel); "God" (root אלה, 57x in Daniel); "has·wrought" (root עבד, 40x in Daniel). First appearance of the root תמה ("and·the·wonders") in Daniel. First appearance of the root שפר ("has·seemed·good") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'the·Most·High', dividing the verse into phrases of 8 and 3 words.
Rashi
it behooves me to recite It is good for me to tell.
Ibn Ezra
Signs — [i.e.] omens. Wonders — marvels that a person is astonished by, since he has not seen their like. God Most High — [the One who is] most high over all [other] gods. It has seemed good to me to declare — [the word ‘good, fitting’], like [the phrase] ‘who gives goodly words’.
Metzudat David
The signs – It is fitting and proper for me to tell and recount the astonishing signs and wonders that God Most High performed for me.
Metzudat Zion
Seemed good (shefar) - [Meaning] fitting and becoming, as in "words of beauty (shefer)" (Genesis 49).
Malbim
The signs and wonders — because at first he was a denier of [divine] providence, and likewise a denier of the creation of the world, and it was his view that everything is necessitated by its causes, such that Hashem has no power to change nature or the celestial order; and because of this he was a denier of the wonders that come about through the overturning of nature. In particular, he was a denier of [divine] providence, for he thought that Hashem had handed over the governance [of the world] to the ministering powers of the celestial order, and that it was therefore to them that one ought to serve and bow down. This was the whole purpose of the image, which was made according to the science of astrology and the worship of the stars, so as to establish the rule of the kingdom of gold, that it should dominate over everything until the end of all generations — and he was punished for this, as will be explained. Therefore, once he came to recognize the power of Hashem and His might, he wished to rectify his sin by making known, in an open letter to all the peoples, the deeds of the might and power of the Creator of the universe. He explains this in light of the ordeal that had befallen him, since through it he attained clear knowledge through direct experience, and in his letter he acknowledged that Hashem has the power to change the celestial order and nature. And so he said, “the signs and wonders” — these being “signs” [otot] and “wonders” [mofetim]. The “signs” are things that Hashem does within the natural order, through which it becomes clear that He watches over and directs nature (for it is not a condition of a “sign” that it be something strange and marvelous, as I have noted elsewhere); rather, it is through the sign that one comes to recognize [divine] providence — for example, when one foretells future events before they occur, and then the sign that was foretold comes to pass; such as what was made known to him in a dream, a vision of the night, of what would happen to him before it happened — this is a “sign.” The “wonders,” however, are what change nature and produce strange, astonishing things outside the natural order — such as when He changed him into a beast and afterward restored him to his kingdom, which is entirely outside the natural course of things; and by this he acknowledged that God has the power to change nature. He further said, “that God Most High has wrought toward me” — he acknowledged particular [divine] providence, and also acknowledged that God’s action comes from Him directly, without intermediary, even though He is a supreme God; and so he said that the supreme God Himself, in person, performed [these wonders] toward me. And this is [the meaning of] “it has seemed good to me to declare” — so that all the peoples would recognize the power of Hashem, His might, and His wonders.
Ibn Yahya
'The signs and wonders that God Most High has done with me' — it seemed fitting to me to relate them.
How great are His signs! And how mighty are His wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And His dominion is from generation to generation.
verse value 4199
Insights
Verse structure: 12 words, 57 letters. Verse gematria: 4199 is divisible by 13, the value of echad ('one') and ahavah ('love'). The shortest word is "how" (כְּמָ֣ה, 3 letters) and the longest is "and·His·wonders" (וְתִמְה֖וֹהִי, 7 letters). Words sharing gematria 65: how, how. 4 words in this verse appear nowhere else in Daniel. Unique to this verse in Daniel (hapax): "His·signs" (אָת֙וֹהִי֙), "great" (רַבְרְבִ֔ין), "and·His·wonders" (וְתִמְה֖וֹהִי). The root מה appears 2 times in this verse. 9 unique roots are used. Frequent roots: "His·kingdom" (root מלכו, 53x in Daniel). First appearance of the root דר ("with·generation") in Daniel. The etnachta (major mid-verse pause) falls on 'mighty', dividing the verse into phrases of 6 and 6 words. Full calculation: אָת֙וֹהִי֙ [His·signs] (422) + כְּמָ֣ה [how] (65) + רַבְרְבִ֔ין [great] (464) + וְתִמְה֖וֹהִי [and·His·wonders] (472) + כְּמָ֣ה [how] (65) + תַקִּיפִ֑ין [mighty] (650) + מַלְכוּתֵהּ֙ [His·kingdom] (501) + מַלְכ֣וּת [kingdom·of] (496) + עָלַ֔ם [eternity] (140) + וְשׇׁלְטָנֵ֖הּ [and·His·dominion] (400) + עִם־דָּ֥ר [with·generation] (314) + וְדָֽר [and·generation] (210) = 4199.
Ibn Ezra
His signs ... great — [meaning] great; and this is a doubled form, like [the word] ‘galgal’ [wheel].
Metzudat David
His signs – His signs are very great, and His astonishing wonders very mighty; His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion extends through all generations — meaning, through the span of every generation.
Metzudat Zion
How great (kamah) - This is like the sense of "very much"; and so in the words of our sages, "how great (kamah) are the deeds of Chiyya" (Ketubot 103).
Malbim
How great are His signs — the signs that He performs, through which one recognizes that He directs nature and that everything comes about through His providence, are “great” [rabrevin], for greatness is attributed to Hashem’s governance through causes and their natural effects, as I have explained in my commentary on the phrase “the great God” — that the term “great” indicates that He is the first and final cause of all things. And How mighty are His wonders — but the wonders and marvels, by which the order of nature is altered, are “mighty” [takifin], for the overturning of nature is attributed to might and power, and for this reason He is called “the mighty God.” And [the verse] explains — corresponding to “How great are His signs” — “His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom”; and corresponding to “How mighty are His wonders,” it says, “And His dominion is from generation to generation.” For I have already explained, in my commentary on Psalms, regarding the verse “Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages, and Your dominion is throughout all generations” (Psalms 145:13), that “kingdom” [malchut] denotes ruling in accordance with the order of nature, while “dominion” [memshalah] denotes that which alters nature and rules by force, according to [the ruler’s] will — for kingship rests on the consent of the people, while dominion is exercised by a strong hand. And there is a difference between “forever” [le-olam] and “from generation to generation” [le-dor va-dor]: “forever” refers to eternal time that is indivisible, while “from generation to generation” refers to eternal time as divided into successive generations. And it is said, “Hashem, Your name endures forever; Hashem, Your remembrance is for all generations” (Psalms 135:13) — for [His] “name” denotes the fixed, ordered governance [of the world] that has continued since the six days of creation, and it endures forever without interruption; while [His] “remembrance” denotes the wonders that He performs from time to time, so that His deeds and mighty acts be remembered — and this is not constant forever, but changes from generation to generation, as needed for a particular time. Therefore, regarding the kingship it says, “AN everlasting kingdom,” while regarding the dominion and rule exercised through the overturning of nature, it says, “from generation to generation.”
Ibn Yahya
'For how great are His signs, and how mighty are His wonders!' Now a 'sign' is the performing of a lesser miracle, whose force is like a demonstrative proof, while a 'wonder' is the performing of a great miracle, whose force is like a causative proof, and that is why might is attributed to it. 'His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom' — eternal and enduring, unlike the kingdom of flesh and blood, which comes into being and passes away; for His dominion is the same in every generation, and even though the generations change, He does not change.
Rashi
Ibn Ezra
Metzudat David
Malbim
Ibn Yahya