The Meaning of Daniel 3:1 Explained

Daniel 3:1

KJV: Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

YLT: Nebuchadnezzar the king hath made an image of gold, its height sixty cubits, its breadth six cubits; he hath raised it up in the valley of Dura, in the province of Babylon;

Darby: Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was sixty cubits, and its breadth six cubits; he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

ASV: Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Nebuchadnezzar  the king  made  an image  of gold,  whose height  [was] threescore  cubits,  [and] the breadth  thereof six  cubits:  he set it up  in the plain  of Dura,  in the province  of Babylon. 

What does Daniel 3:1 Mean?

Study Notes

an image of gold
The attempt of this great king of Babylon to unify the religions of his empire by self- deification will be repeated by the beast, the last head of the Gentile world-dominion Revelation 13:11-15 See note on "Beast, the" See Scofield " Revelation 19:20 ". It has repeatedly characterized Gentile authority in the earth, e.g.; Daniel 6:7 ; Acts 12:22 and the later Roman emperors.
little horn
The vision is of the end of Gentile world-dominion. The former Roman empire (the iron kingdom of Daniel 2:33-35 ; Daniel 2:40-44 ; Daniel 7:7 will have ten horns (i.e. kings, Revelation 17:12 corresponding to the ten toes of the image. As Daniel considers this vision of the ten kings, there rises up amongst them a "little horn" (king), who subdues three of the ten kings so completely that the separate identity of their kingdoms is destroyed. Seven kings of the ten are left, and the "little horn." He is the "king of fierce countenance" typified by that other "king of fierce countenance," Antiochus Epiphanes, Daniel 8:23-25 the "prince that shall come" of Daniel 9:26 ; Daniel 9:27 the "king" of Daniel 11:36-45 the "abomination" of; Daniel 12:11 ; Matthew 24:15 the "man of sin" of 2 Thessalonians 2:4-8 and the "Beast" of Revelation 13:4-10 . See "Beast"; Daniel 7:8 ; Revelation 19:20 .

Verse Meaning

The whole image that the king built was gold. The head of the image that Nebuchadnezzar had seen in his dream was also gold.
"Daniel had told him that he was the head of gold ( Daniel 2:38) but that he would be followed by "another kingdom inferior to you" ( Daniel 2:39) made of silver ( Daniel 2:32). Rejecting now the idea that any kingdom could follow his own, he may have determined to show the permanence of his golden kingdom by having the entire image covered with gold." [1]
This image stood about99 feet high and nine feet wide. This is the height of a ten-story building and the width of a9-feet by12-feet room. The famous Colossus of Rhodes stood70 cubits (105 feet) high astride the entrance to that ancient port. It is interesting that the dimensions of this statue, 60 cubits and6 cubits, contain the number6 , which also appears in the mark of the Beast, 666 , a latter day equivalent. [2]
We do not know what the image represented. If it was a figure of a human, it probably stood on a substantial base since it was quite narrow for such a tall statue. However, it may have represented an animal, or a combination of human and animal. Archaeologists have discovered Babylonian images of all these types. [3] These images are also sometimes quite narrow in proportion to their height. Customarily these were wooden statues overlaid with gold (cf. Isaiah 40:19; Isaiah 41:7; Jeremiah 10:3-9). [4] Herodotus described a statue of Bel made of800 talents (22tons) of gold, but Nebuchadnezzar"s image would have been much heavier and more costly. [5]
In view of Nebuchadnezzar"s extraordinary ego (cf. ch4), the image may have been a likeness of him. [6] However, there is no evidence that the Mesopotamians ever worshiped statues of their rulers as divine during the ruler"s lifetime. [7] Some writers have suggested that the image may have resembled an obelisk similar to those found in Egypt. [8] It is likely that the image represented Nebuchadnezzar"s patron god, Nebo. [9]
The most probable site of the Dura Plain seems to be six miles southeast of Babylon. [10] The Aramaic word dura ("fortification") is common and refers to a place enclosed by a wall or perhaps mountains. [11]

Context Summary

Daniel 3:1-18 - Loyalty Severely Tested
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 honor. Probably there was state policy in this. In so heterogeneous an empire of peoples, nations, and languages, there could be no unity but in universal prostration before one and the same object. Nineteen years had elapsed since the recovery of the lost dream. In that period successful wars had been waged and vast treasures accumulated which made this vast expenditure possible. Imagine the assembled myriads, the glittering array of princes, satraps, viceroys, statesmen, and priests, the grouped bands, and in the background the furnace. The three youths could not have stood alone amid the prostrate throng, had they not been supported by a living faith in the God of their fathers, Hebrews 11:33-34. They would not argue, but they could die, if God willed. Their attitude must be taken and maintained altogether apart from any expectation of deliverance. Our God whom we serve is able-and He will. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 3

1  Nebuchadnezzar dedicates a golden image in Dura
3  They being threatened, make a good confession
8  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are accused for not worshipping the image
19  They are cast into the furnace,
24  from which God delivers them
28  Nebuchadnezzar seeing the miracle blesses God, and advances them

What do the individual words in Daniel 3:1 mean?

Nebuchadnezzar king the made an image of gold whose height [was] cubits sixty [and] its width cubits six He set it up in the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon
נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר מַלְכָּ֗א עֲבַד֙ צְלֵ֣ם דִּֽי־ דְהַ֔ב רוּמֵהּ֙ אַמִּ֣ין שִׁתִּ֔ין פְּתָיֵ֖הּ אַמִּ֣ין שִׁ֑ת אֲקִימֵהּ֙ בְּבִקְעַ֣ת דּוּרָ֔א בִּמְדִינַ֖ת בָּבֶֽל

נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּ֣ר  Nebuchadnezzar 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר  
Sense: the great king of Babylon who captured Jerusalem and carried Judah captive.
מַלְכָּ֗א  king  the 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular determinate
Root: מֶלֶךְ  
Sense: king.
עֲבַד֙  made 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עֲבַד  
Sense: to make, do.
צְלֵ֣ם  an  image 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: צְלֵם  
Sense: image, idol.
דְהַ֔ב  gold 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: דְּהַב  
Sense: gold.
רוּמֵהּ֙  whose  height  [was] 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רוּם  
Sense: height.
אַמִּ֣ין  cubits 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַמָּה  
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
שִׁתִּ֔ין  sixty 
Parse: Number, common plural
Root: שִׁתִּין  
Sense: sixty, threescore.
פְּתָיֵ֖הּ  [and]  its  width 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פְּתָי  
Sense: width, breadth.
אַמִּ֣ין  cubits 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אַמָּה  
Sense: cubit—a measure of distance (the forearm), roughly 8 in (.
שִׁ֑ת  six 
Parse: Number, feminine singular
Root: שֵׁת  
Sense: six (as cardinal number).
אֲקִימֵהּ֙  He  set  it  up 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Perfect, third person masculine singular, third person masculine singular
Root: קוּם  
Sense: to arise, stand.
בְּבִקְעַ֣ת  in  the  plain 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: בִּקְעָה  
Sense: plain.
דּוּרָ֔א  of  Dura 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: דּוּרָא  
Sense: a place in Babylonia where Nebuchadnezzar set up the golden image, site uncertain.
בִּמְדִינַ֖ת  in  the  province 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: מְדִינָה  
Sense: district, province.
בָּבֶֽל  of  Babylon 
Parse: Proper Noun, feminine singular
Root: בָּבֶל  
Sense: Babel or Babylon, the ancient site and/or capital of Babylonia (modern Hillah) situated on the Euphrates.