Daniel's Companions

150 Bible Basics

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego

Companions of Daniel in captivity and service to the Babylonian government. In Hebrew, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego were known as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, respectively.

They joined Daniel in rejecting the food given them by Nebuchadnezzar’s court in Daniel 1, and they also stood alone in refusing to worship the idol the king had set up (Daniel 3). For the latter, they were cast into the fiery furnace, but survived as a fourth man appeared with them in the fire.

Though it is debated and interpreted differently in varying translations, many consider the fourth figure to be Jesus, the Angel of the Lord (3:25). Their faithfulness is an example of doing right and leaving the results to God rather than attempting to control life’s outcomes (3:17-18).

This is entry #97 of 150 from my book, Sunday School Catch-Up, available on Amazon!