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Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 3:1-7

We have no certainty concerning the date of this story, only that if this image, which Nebuchadnezzar dedicated, had any relation to that which he dreamed of, it is probable that it happened not long after that; some reckon it to be about the seventh year of Nebuchadnezzar, a year before Jehoiachin's captivity, in which Ezekiel was carried away. Observe, I. A golden image set up to be worshipped. Babylon was full of idols already, yet nothing will serve this imperious prince but they must have... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 3:1

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold ,.... Not of solid gold; but either of a plate of gold, and hollow within; or of wood overlaid with gold; for otherwise it must have took up a prodigious quantity of gold to make an image of such dimensions as follow; this be ordered his statuaries or workmen to make for him; whether this image was for himself, or his father Nabopolassar, or for his chief god Bel, or as a new deity, is not easy to say; however, it was made for religious worship:... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 3:2

Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes ,.... He sent letters, or dispatched messengers, into the several provinces of his empire, and parts of his dominions, to convene all the peers of his realm, and governors of provinces, and all officers, civil, military, and religious, expressed by various names and titles: the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces ; who are particularly... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 3:3

Then the princes, the governors, and captains ,.... And all the rest of the officers before mentioned, having received their orders from the king, in obedience to them, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up ; at great expense, and with much fatigue and trouble, they came from all parts to attend this great solemnity: and they stood before the image Nebuchadnezzar had set up ; they stood and looked at it, and viewed its several... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 3:1

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold - It is supposed that the history given here did not occur till the close, or near the end, of Nebuchadnezzar's reign. For it was after his insanity, as we see Daniel 4:33-36 , and this happened near the close of his reign. The authorized version, which is followed in the margin, fixes the date of this event seventeen years earlier, and ten years before the king's insanity. A few observations on this image may be necessary: - It is not likely... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 3:2

Sent to gather together the princes - It is not easy to show what these different offices were, as it is difficult to ascertain the meaning of the Chaldee words. Parkhurst analyzes them thus: - The Princes - אחשדרפניא achashdarpenaiya , from אחש Achash , great or eminent, and דר dar , "to go about freely," and פנים panim , "the presence." Satraps or privy counsellors who had free access to the presence of the king. The Governors - סגניא signaiya , lieutenants or... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 3:1

Verse 1 Very probably this statue was not erected by King Nebuchadnezzar within a short period, as the Prophet does not notice how many years had passed away; for it is not probable that it was erected within a short time after he had confessed the God of Israel to be the Supreme Deity. Yet as the Prophet is silent, we need not discuss the matter. Some of the rabbis think this statue to have been erected as an expiation; as if Nebuchadnezzar wished to avert the effect of his dream by this... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 3:2

Verse 2 I do not know the derivation of the word “Satra p;” but manifestly all these are names of magistracies, and I allow myself to translate the words freely, since they are not Hebrew, and the Jews are equally ignorant of their origin. Some of them, indeed, appear too subtle; but they assert nothing but what is frivolous and foolish. We must be content with the simple expression — he sent to collect the satraps read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Daniel 3:3

Verse 3 We see how Nebuchadnezzar wished to establish among all the nations under his sway a religion in which there, should be no mixture of foreign novelty. He feared dissension as a cause of disunion in his empire. Hence we may suppose the king to have consulted his own private ease and advantage, as princes are accustomed to consult their own wishes rather than God’s requirements in promulgating edicts concerning the worship of God. And from the beginning, this boldness and rashness have... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Daniel 3:1

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was three score cubits, and the breadth thereof air cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. The Septuagint Version is full of redundance and interpolation, "In the eighteenth year King Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled cities and countries, and all those dwelling (in them)over the earth from India even to Ethiopia, made a golden image; the height of it was sixty cubits, and the breadth of it six cubits, and... read more

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