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Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary

Daniel 3:18

They add this, But if not, to show they did not presume to tie God to this deliverance absolutely, for God is arbitrary, and knows how to deliver, and sometimes to suffer his saints to glorify him by suffering. It was therefore all one to them, which way of the two God would honour himself, they were resolved to venture suffering rather than sinning, and leave the cause to God.

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See also Daniel 3:18 in other biblical comments:

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    BUT IF NOT - That is, “if he should “not” deliver us; if it should “not” occur that he would protect us, and save us from that heated oven: whatever may be the result in regard to us, our determinatio...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    CHAPTER 3 THE IMAGE OF GOLD _ 1. The image of gold (Daniel 3:1)_ 2. The faithful three (Daniel 3:8) 3. The miraculous deliverance (Daniel 3:19) 4. The worshipping king ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    DANIEL 3. THE GOLDEN IMAGE AND THE FIERY FURNACE. Nebuchadnezzar made a colossal image of gold and commanded the people to worship it. The three friends of Daniel refused to comply with the order. The...

  • B. W. Johnson's Bible Commentary

    BUT IF NOT, BE IT KNOWN UNTO THEE. Whether God will deliver them from the impending death or not, their minds are the same. They will not disobey him in order to obey the king. Like the apostles befo...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    THE. The 1611 edition of the Authorized Version reads "thy"....

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    FULL OF. filled with, form. appearance. visage. countenance....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    But even if He cannot, or will not, do this, still we can never fall down and worship thy gods. The three men shew the same courage, the same unflinching determination not to compromise their faith, w...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The accusation brought against the three Jewish youths, and their answer to the king....

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    c. PROFESSION OF DEDICATION TEXT: Daniel 3:13-18 13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego. Then they brought these men before the king. 14 N...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. BUT IF NOT ... - connected with . 'Whether our God deliver us, as He...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE GOLDEN IMAGE AND THE FIERY FURNACE Nebuchadnezzar sets up a colossal golden image, and summons to its dedication all the officials of his empire, who are commanded to fall down and worship the ima...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    BUT IF NOT] The refusal is absolute, come what will....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    THE MEN WHO WERE LOYAL TO GOD DANIEL _ROBERT BRYCE_ CHAPTER 3 V1 King Nebuchadnezzar set up a gold image. It was 30 metres high and 3 metres wide. He set it up on the plain called Dura, in the d...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ הֵ֣ן לָ֔א יְדִ֥יעַ לֶהֱוֵא ־לָ֖ךְ מַלְכָּ֑

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    THE IDOL OF GOLD, AND THE FAITHFUL THREE REGARDED as an instance of the use of historic fiction to inculcate the noblest truths, the third chapter of Daniel is not only superb in its imaginative gran...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    LOYALTY SEVERELY TESTED Daniel 3:1-18 The king, at the close of the foregoing chapter, acknowledged the supremacy of Daniel's God, yet here he erects an image to Bel and to himself, demanding divine...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    The next story is of the pride of Nebuchadnezzar in setting up in the plain of Dura a great golden image. This may have been connected with the interpretation of the dream Daniel had given. The head o...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _He. Chaldee: "not" (Calmet) --- By this modest yet resolute answer, they testified their faith in God's power, and their determination rather to suffer death (Worthington) than to go against their co...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    There needs no comment on these verses, only to observe, that the dreadful fury of the enemies of God and of his Christ, have been always the same, as in the instance of this man. Reader! have you nev...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    _PRIDE HUMBLED AND PIETY HONOURED_ ‘Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.’ Daniel 3:18 Nebuchadnezzar made an image of...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    WE said yesterday that the constancy of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, was based upon these two reasons:-Their certain persuasion that God was the guardian of their life, and would free them from p...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    After this general picture, we have, historically, the characteristic features of these empires, marking the condition into which they fall, through their departure from God-primarily and principally...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    BUT IF NOT,.... If our God does not think fit to exert his power, and deliver us, which we are well assured he is able to do; if it is not his will, we are content, we are resigned unto it: BE IT KNO...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up. Ver. 18. _But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, &c._] We should n...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _If it be so_ If we are brought into this strait: if we must be thrown into the fiery furnace unless we serve thine image; _our God whom we serve is able to deliver us_, &c. As we are firmly persuaded...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    But if not, that is, if a deliverance is not in agreement with His counsel and will, BE IT KNOWN UNTO THEE, O KING, THAT WE WILL NOT SERVE THY GODS, NOR WORSHIP THE GOLDEN IMAGE WHICH THOU HAST SET UP...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    THE THREE MEN LOYAL TO JEHOVAH...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    8-18 True devotion calms the spirit, quiets and softens it, but superstition and devotion to false gods inflame men's passions. The matter is put into a little compass, Turn, or burn. Proud men are s...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Daniel 3:18 if H2006 not H3809 be H1934 (H8748) known H3046 (H8752) king H4430 do H383 not...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Daniel 3:16 I. We can scarcely sufficiently admire the answer of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. There is an independence of speech in it which, when we consider the circumstances in which the speake...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Daniel 3 I. We have here a specimen of religious intolerance. II. We see here how religious intolerance is to be met. These three young men simply refused to do what Nebuchadnezzar commanded, or, in...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Daniel 3:17 Let us take three points in the history of these three young men. I. Their resolution. They were entirely in the dark as to whether God would really come down, as it were, and interfere t...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Daniel 3:18 We ask ourselves what it was which gave these three men the power to withstand the will of this great monarch, this representative of the world and it greatness, to resist passively, but i...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Pride of Nebuchadnezzar and his punishment. The image of gold. The three Jews refuse to worship the image. Fiery furnace proven harmless. The king convinced. CHARACTERS: God, Nebuchadnezzar...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Daniel 3:1. _An image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits._ As the breadth of this image was only six cubits, which is four short of the human proportion, it is conjectured that the pedestal w...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _They serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up._ THE GOLDEN IMAGE In last chapter we read of an image which Nebuchadnezzar saw in vision. In this chapter our attention...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace._ OUR SURE DEFENCE These souls were under the strongest possible temptation to do that which would have been a...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _That we will not serve thy gods._ CHRISTIAN DECISION Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were three very young men, worshippers of the true God, living in a heathen land! They were exposed to much pers...

  • The children's great texts of the Bible by James Hastings

    A STORY OF COURAGE. But if not. Daniel 3:18. Most boys and girls like the Book of Daniel. They never tire of reading the stories in it. What finer tale of adventure could you find than the one about...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DANIEL—NOTE ON DANIEL 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar commands all peoples under his rule to worship a golden image. Daniel’s friends refuse, out of loyalty to their God. When God delivers them from the fiery furn...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    DANIEL—NOTE ON DANIEL 3:18 BUT IF NOT. There is no doubt in the three men’s minds that God has the power to save them. They also realize that God may choose not to save them....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _HOMILETICS_ SECT. XIII.—THE FIERY FURNACE (Chap. Daniel 3:8) God has never left Himself without a witness. An Enoch and a Noah found on the eve of the Flood; an Abraham in Chaldea, and a Lot in Sodo...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION DANIEL 3:1 THE GOLDEN IMAGE, AND THE FIERY FURNACE. DANIEL 3:1 Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose heigh

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Now in chapter 3 we find Nebuchadnezzar defying the revelation of God. Remember in his dream he saw the image with the head of gold, "thou art the head of gold," but it had a chest of silver for the B...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 4:10; Acts 4:19; Acts 5:29; Exodus 20:3; Isaiah 51:12;...

  • Wells of Living Water Commentary

    NEBUCHADNEZZAR'S IMAGE OF GOLD Daniel 3:1 INTRODUCTORY WORDS 1. Daniel in Babylon. (1) How Daniel came to be in Babylon. When Jerusalem was taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel and the three Heb...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    But if not — It was therefore all one to them, which way God would honour himself; they were resolved to suffer rather than sin, and leave the cause to God. Indeed if God be for us, we need not fear w...

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