The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews

By Mary Jane Chaignot

According to the Hebrew Bible, Daniel 3:23 states that the three Hebrew men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. This happened because they refused to bow down and worship the golden statue that Nebuchadnezzar had set up. The plan was that whenever people heard the sound of music, they were all supposed to bow down and worship the statue, which was ninety feet tall and nine feet wide. Anyone who refused would be thrown into the fiery furnace. After a few practice sessions, some of the locals complained to the king that the three Hebrew men refused to bow down and worship. The king, of course, couldn't let them snub his command. So he called them together and offered them a second chance to right the wrong they had committed. The consequences were clear if they refused. They would be tossed into the fiery furnace, and the king asked, "Who is the God who can save you?"

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego pretty much didn't care what the king threatened to do. They knew that the God they served could rescue them, but even if He didn't, they would refuse to worship the golden statue. Needless to say, the king turned purple at this point and ordered the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than usual. He commanded that the three men be bound and thrown into the furnace. Unfortunately, the furnace was so hot that the guards who threw them in were killed. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell into the midst of the fire.

The prayer of Azariah would be inserted at this point. After a short introduction, the prayer proceeds as a communal lament with a request for deliverance. In so doing, Azariah (Abednego) speaks for the people of Israel by confessing their sins and affirming God's justice. The exile itself was an example of God's justice. This is doubly interesting considering that these three men are in the fiery furnace precisely because they refused to worship a golden image made by the king. In so doing, they were able to remain true to their God; nonetheless they now speak for sinful/idolatrous Israel. What is interesting about this prayer is that since there is no opportunity for sacrifice, Azariah offers a contrite heart. This would demonstrate a considerable advance in the thinking of how to mediate with God. In the absence of sacrifices, a "contrite heart" might suffice in order to assure their acceptance before God.

The next section of the addition focuses on the fiery furnace. It describes how the king's servants stoked the fire to comply with the king's request to heat it "seven times hotter." They piled on more naphtha, pitch, and brush until the flames rose seventy feet above the furnace. Ultimately, it would kill those servants who were too close. The three Hebrew men, however, were saved by the presence of an angel. The angel drove the blaze out of the middle and made it as if a dew-laden breeze were blowing through it. Obviously, they were completely protected from the fire. Some scholars think this section should precede the first. It is difficult to understand how the men survived the fall into the furnace without being burned to death, especially if the fire was so hot that it killed their executioners. It would make more sense for the angel to be present from the beginning to protect them. The dew-laden breeze would then have kept them safe even while they were falling through the flames to the bottom. Despite such logic, this appears as the second section.

Then all three men joined in praising God. Their voices were as one. They invoke all of creation to join in the praise of God, repeating the phrase "Bless the Lord…sing his praise and highly exalt him forever" with each verse except one (see v. 52). This repetition can also be found in some of the Psalms (see Ps. 103, 136, 148). The repetition adds solemnity and a majestic rhythm to the refrain.

Then the next verse (Dan. 3:24) states that King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up suddenly, saying to his advisers, "Didn't we throw three men into the fire?" The advisers answered, "Yes, we did." But now Nebuchadnezzar (and presumably everyone else as well) sees four men walking around in the midst of the flames, to say nothing of the fact that the three somehow survived without being simply consumed by the fire. And the king states that the fourth looks like a son of the gods.

The addition of the prayers has the effect of keeping the focus on the three men and the greatness of their God, instead of on the king and his outrageous commands. Previously, these three men were rather colorless characters. Now, however, they shine as faithful followers. It also highlights the idea that God is a God of justice. The exile was the result of Israel's sin. When people sin against God, God hands them over to their enemies. This thought is rooted in the premise of the Deuteronomistic history.

The irony, of course, is that the Hebrew Masoretic Text omits these verses, and Christians have tended to ignore them. Some scholars wonder why this is the case, since there is nothing in them that could be considered remotely offensive to Judaic theology. Most concur that it might simply be a matter of length. The prayer is simply too long and too disruptive within the context of the story. Nonetheless, Greek versions can be found in Orthodox and Catholic Bibles.

Most scholars think the Prayer of Azariah was probably written around 165-67 BCE, during the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. It was probably originally written in Hebrew, which was the Jewish language of worship. Some think the reason it was written lies within the text of Daniel. After the three men came out of the furnace, the king burst forth with praise for God. It seems unlikely that within the story these three men should not be given an opportunity to do so as well. So the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews were added; moreover, their praise came first.

These verses can be divided into three sections: 1:1-22 -- The Prayer of Azariah; 1:23-28 – Description of the Furnace; 1:29-68 – The Song of the Three Jews.

Bibliography

deSilva, David. Introducing the Apocrypha. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic. 2002.

Harrington, Daniel. Invitation to the Apocrypha. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm B Eerdmans. 1999.

Meeks, Wayne, ed. The Harper Collins Study Bible. San Francisco, CA: HarperCollins Publishers. 1993.

Metzer, Bruce, Ed. The Oxford Annotated Apocrypha. New York: Oxford University Press. 1965.

Mills, Watson and Richard Wilson, eds. Mercer Commentary on the Bible. Macon, GA: Mercer University Press. 2002.