The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Jews

Composition and Date

The Prayer of Azariah (vv. 1–22) and the Song of the Three Jews (vv. 28–68) are expansions of Dan 3 that were inserted into the book between vv. 23 and 24 no later than 100 bce, when the Greek version of Daniel was compiled for the Septuagint. Although the Prayer and the Song have many similarities to other hymns in the Bible, they contain virtually no specific references to events in Dan 3. It may be that these poetic pieces were originally composed for different contexts and later inserted by Greek translators into ch 3. The text contains many Semitic phrases that are awkward in Greek, leading scholars to conclude that these two poetic sections were originally written in Hebrew or Aramaic. The two poetic pieces are joined by a prose interlude (vv. 23–27) that expands on the events in the furnace. Unlike the poetic sections, the interlude contains specific references to the plot of Dan 3 and was most certainly composed for the book.

Contents and Historical Context

A penitential tone pervades the Prayer of Azariah (vv. 1–22), which is a psalm of communal confession. The prayer expresses contrition for the sins of the whole community similar to other biblical psalms and prayers, such as Pss 44;74;79; Ezra 9.6–15; Neh 9.6–37; Dan 9.4–19; and Bar 1.15–3.8. The reference to a wicked king and the language of self-sacrifice suggest a historical context similar to that of Dan 7–12, a time when the Temple was desecrated (167–164 bce). The Song of the Three Jews (vv. 28–68), however, is a hymn of praise that may reflect an earlier time when the Jerusalem Temple was in a state of purity.

(ADDITIONS TO DANIEL, INSERTED BETWEEN 3.23 and 3.24)

¹They^a walked around in the midst of the flames, singing hymns to God and blessing the Lord. ²Then Azariah stood still in the fire and prayed aloud:

³“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors, and worthy of praise;

  and glorious is your name forever!

⁴For you are just in all you have done;

  all your works are true and your ways right,

  and all your judgments are true.

⁵You have executed true judgments in all you have brought upon us

  and upon Jerusalem, the holy city of our ancestors;

by a true judgment you have brought all this upon us because of our sins.

⁶For we have sinned and broken your law in turning away from you;

  in all matters we have sinned grievously.

⁷We have not obeyed your commandments,

  we have not kept them or done what you have commanded us for our own good.

⁸So all that you have brought upon us,

  and all that you have done to us,

  you have done by a true judgment.

⁹You have handed us over to our enemies, lawless and hateful rebels,

  and to an unjust king, the most wicked in all the world.

¹⁰And now we cannot open our mouths;

  we, your servants who worship you, have become a shame and a reproach.

¹¹For your name's sake do not give us up forever,

  and do not annul your covenant.

¹²Do not withdraw your mercy from us,

  for the sake of Abraham your beloved

and for the sake of your servant Isaac

  and Israel your holy one,

¹³to whom you promised

  to multiply their descendants like the stars of heaven

  and like the sand on the shore of the sea.

¹⁴For we, O Lord, have become fewer than any other nation,

  and are brought low this day in all the world because of our sins.

¹⁵In our day we have no ruler, or prophet, or leader,

  no burnt offering, or sacrifice, or oblation, or incense,

  no place to make an offering before you and to find mercy.

¹⁶Yet with a contrite heart and a humble spirit may we be accepted,

¹⁷as though it were with burnt offerings of rams and bulls,

  or with tens of thousands of fat lambs;

such may our sacrifice be in your sight today,

  and may we unreservedly follow you,^a

for no shame will come to those who trust in you.

¹⁸And now with all our heart we follow you;

  we fear you and seek your presence.

¹⁹Do not put us to shame,

  but deal with us in your patience

  and in your abundant mercy.

²⁰Deliver us in accordance with your marvelous works,

  and bring glory to your name, O Lord.

²¹Let all who do harm to your servants be put to shame;

  let them be disgraced and deprived of all power,

  and let their strength be broken.

²²Let them know that you alone are the Lord God,

  glorious over the whole world.”

²³Now the king's servants who threw them in kept stoking the furnace with naphtha, pitch, tow, and brushwood. ²⁴And the flames poured out above the furnace forty-nine cubits, ²⁵and spread out and burned those Chaldeans who were caught near the furnace. ²⁶But the angel of the Lord came down into the furnace to be with Azariah and his companions, and drove the fiery flame out of the furnace, ²⁷and made the inside of the furnace as though a moist wind were whistling through it. The fire did not touch them at all and caused them no pain or distress.

²⁸Then the three with one voice praised and glorified and blessed God in the furnace:

  ²⁹“Blessed are you, O Lord, God of our ancestors,

  and to be praised and highly exalted forever;

³⁰And blessed is your glorious, holy name,

  and to be highly praised and highly exalted forever.

³¹Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,

  and to be extolled and highly glorified forever.

³²Blessed are you who look into the depths from your throne on the cherubim,

  and to be praised and highly exalted forever.

³³Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,

  and to be extolled and highly exalted forever.

³⁴Blessed are you in the firmament of heaven,

  and to be sung and glorified forever.

³⁵“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

³⁶Bless the Lord, you heavens;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

³⁷Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

³⁸Bless the Lord, all you waters above the heavens;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

³⁹Bless the Lord, all you powers of the Lord;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁰Bless the Lord, sun and moon;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴¹Bless the Lord, stars of heaven;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴²“Bless the Lord, all rain and dew;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴³Bless the Lord, all you winds;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁴Bless the Lord, fire and heat;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁵Bless the Lord, winter cold and summer heat;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁶Bless the Lord, dews and falling snow;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁷Bless the Lord, nights and days;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁸Bless the Lord, light and darkness;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁴⁹Bless the Lord, ice and cold;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁰Bless the Lord, frosts and snows;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵¹Bless the Lord, lightnings and clouds;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵²“Let the earth bless the Lord;

  let it sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵³Bless the Lord, mountains and hills;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁴Bless the Lord, all that grows in the ground;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁵Bless the Lord, seas and rivers;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁶Bless the Lord, you springs;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁷Bless the Lord, you whales and all that swim in the waters;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁸Bless the Lord, all birds of the air;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁵⁹Bless the Lord, all wild animals and cattle;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶⁰“Bless the Lord, all people on earth;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶¹Bless the Lord, O Israel;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶²Bless the Lord, you priests of the Lord;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶³Bless the Lord, you servants of the Lord;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶⁴Bless the Lord, spirits and souls of the righteous;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶⁵Bless the Lord, you who are holy and humble in heart;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

⁶⁶“Bless the Lord, Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael;

  sing praise to him and highly exalt him forever.

For he has rescued us from Hades and saved us from the power^a of death,

  and delivered us from the midst of the burning fiery furnace;

  from the midst of the fire he has delivered us.

⁶⁷Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,

  for his mercy endures forever.

⁶⁸All who worship the Lord, bless the God of gods,

  sing praise to him and give thanks to him,

  for his mercy endures forever.”

1–22: The prayer of Azariah. 1: They are Daniel's friends, first introduced in Dan 1.3–7. The MT of Daniel uses both Babylonian names and Hebrew names, but the Additions (v. 66) use only their Hebrew names, emphasizing their Jewish identity: Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Walked, this addition begins after 3.23 where the friends were thrown into the furnace. 2: It is not clear why Azariah is singled out to deliver the prayer except that it is a name that would have general appeal to Jewish readers since it is common in the Bible and means “the Lord has helped.” See also Tob 5–6 where the angel Raphael takes the name Azariah. 3: Lord, God of our ancestors is a common designation of God found especially in Deuteronomistic writings (Deut 1.11,21;4.1;6.3; Dan 2.23). Your name, God's name becomes the focus of worship in Second Temple materials; see vv. 29–30n. 4: The prayer emphasizes that God is just in all God's actions (see also Dan 9.7). 5: True judgments, v. 8, Neh 9.33, and Tob 3.2–5 all understand the Babylonian exile as the result of the community's sins. 6–8: We have sinned: although the three Jewish courtiers are blameless in Dan 3, the song begins with a confession that the community has broken the Sinai covenant commandments and is deserving of God's judgment (see also Dan 9.5). The communal confession, which does not really fit the context of Dan 3 or the court tales as a whole, is similar to Dan 9.5,15; Ezra 9.6; Neh 9.26. 9: An unjust king would typically refer to Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king who destroyed Jerusalem in 587 bce (see Dan 1.1n.). However, the book of Daniel usually depicts Nebuchadnezzar as a king who eventually confesses the God of Israel. The phrase can also refer to Antiochus IV (1 Macc 1.10; Dan 7.8n.; 8.9n.; 11.21–28n.). 10: A shame and a reproach, cf. Dan 9.7–8,12; Bar 2.6 11: For your name's sake, Dan 9.19. 12–13: Despite Israel's abrogation of the Sinai covenant, the prayer appeals to God to remember the covenant with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob (Gen 12.1–3; 15.1–6; 24.14; 28.13–14; Isa 41.8). Israel here refers to Jacob (Gen 36.10–12). 14: Become fewer, Bar 2.13. 15: No ruler … no prophet …no burnt offering may refer to the Babylonian exile when the king was imprisoned in Babylon, but it also describes the conditions that prevailed in 167–164 bce after the desecration of the Temple (Dan 8.9–14). A view existed that true prophecy had ended (Zech 13.3–6; Josephus, Ap. 1.40). 16–17: May we be accepted, may refer to the self-sacrifice of the three Jews. Burnt offerings … tens of thousands, evokes Mic 6.6–7 but the sacrifice is an internal reality in place of a burnt offering (Pss 51.17; 141.2). 19–22: A plea for deliverance; see also Dan 9.16–19; Bar 3.1–5. 21: Put to shame, see also Sir 36.9.

23–27: Protection from the flames. A prose interlude that connects the prayer and the song and elaborates on specific details from Dan 3. 23: Naphtha, pitch, tow, brushwood … flammable substances used for kindling. Naphtha is probably an oil-based substance (2 Macc 1.20–22,30–36). 24: Forty-nine cubits is 73 ft (22 m). The figure is suggested by Dan 3.19 where the furnace is heated seven times greater than usual. 25: Burned those Chaldeans, so also Dan 3.22. Chaldeans (i.e., Babylonians). 26: In Dan 3.25 the fourth man appears to be like “a son of the gods,” but here the identification of the man as an angel is explicit. No name is given, but in Jewish tradition the angel is Gabriel (b. Pesahim 118a-b). Delivering angels frequently appear in other Second Temple writings; see especially Tobit and Susanna. 44–45 (OG). 27: A moist wind, or dew. The verse provides an explanation of how the angel protects the three young men; cf. Dan 3.23–25; 3 Macc 6.6.

28–34: The song of exaltation. These verses address God as ruler of the universe (cf. Pss 96; 97). 29–30: Cf. Tob 8.5. Lord, God of our ancestors, see v. 3. Glorious, holy name, see also Pss 29.2; 66.2; 79.9; 96.8; 115.1. 31: Temple of your holy glory, may indicate that the Temple was functioning properly in a state of purity (cf. Ps 29.9) or may refer to the heavenly temple (Ps 11.4; Hab 2.20). 32–34: The cherubim, winged angelic creatures who form the divine throne on which God is seated in heaven and in the inner sanctuary of the Jerusalem Temple (Ex 25.18–20; 2 Sam 6.2; 1 Kings 6.23–28; 2 Kings 19.15; Pss 18.10; 99.1; Ezek 1).

35–68: A hymn of praise. These verses exhort all living things to praise the Lord (cf. Ps 148). 35–41: Angels and heavenly bodies are commanded to praise God. 38: Waters above the earth, see Gen 1.6–8; Ps 148.4. 39: Powers, the host of heaven (Ps 148.2–3). 42–51: Atmospheric and meteorological elements are commanded to exalt the Lord. 52–59: Geographical elements and nonhuman beings are commanded to exalt God. 57: Whales or sea monsters such as Leviathan (Ps 104.26; Job 41). 60–68: Various groups of people are exhorted to offer praise. 66: This verse is addressed to the three Jews, urging the youths to also praise the Lord, adapting the traditional praise to the narrative context. Hades, the dwelling place of the dead. Rescued us … from the power of death, see also 1 Sam 2.6; Pss 16.10; 30.3; 49.15; 86.13; Jon 2.2. 67: Give thanks … for his mercy endures, see Ps 136.

^a That is, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah (Dan 2.17), the original names of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Dan 1.6-7)

^a Meaning of Gk uncertain

^a Gk hand