18
But ifוְהֵןnot,לָאlet it beלֶהֱוֵאknownיְדִיעַto you,לָךְO king,מַלְכָּאthat your godsדִּי לֵאלָהָךְwe do notלָא אִיתַנָאserve,פָלְחִיןand to the imageוּלְצֶלֶםof goldדַּהֲבָאthatדִּיyou set upהֲקֵימְתָּwe will notלָאbow down.”נִסְגֻּד
Daniel 3:18
Study it in the app“But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that your gods we do not serve, and to the image of gold that you set up we will not bow down.””
Three young men trust God, “and if not,” stillFaithShadrach, Meshach, and Abednego tell the king: our Elah can deliver us; if not, we will not bowCourage
With the Aramaic beneath
Daniel 3:18, word by word
- But ifהֵןhen
if
Introduces a condition or a doubt: in case (Aramaic).
Where else “hen” appears- let it beלֶהֱוֵאleheve
be, become
To be, to become, to happen (Aramaic). Related to the Hebrew "haya".
Where else “leheve” appears- knownיְדִיעַyedia
know
To know something, to find out about it (in Aramaic).
Where else “yedia” appears- O kingמַלְכָּmalka
king
King (Aramaic). The same word as the Hebrew "melech".
Where else “malka” appears- that your godsאלָהָlaha
Elah, God, god
Elah: the Aramaic word for God, related to the Hebrew "Eloah" and "Elohim". In the parts of the Bible written in Aramaic (Ezra and Daniel) it is the God of Israel, the same one who in Hebrew is called Elohim; the text only changes language. The same word, also in the plural, is used for the gods of other peoples ("god", "gods"), and the passage itself shows who is meant.
Where else “laha” appears- we do notאִיתַita
there is
There is, there exists (Aramaic). With "not": "there is not", "you will not have".
Where else “ita” appears- serveפָלְחִיןfalchin
serve
To serve (Aramaic), above all in worship; "servants" of the house of God.
Where else “falchin” appears- and to the imageצֶלֶםtselem
statue
A statue, like the one in the king's dream.
Where else “tselem” appears- of goldדַּהֲבָdahava
gold
Gold (Aramaic). Related to the Hebrew "zahav".
Where else “dahava” appears- you set upהֲקֵימְתָּhakemta
set up
To place someone in office, or to set something up (Aramaic).
Where else “hakemta” appears- bow downנִסְגֻּדnisgud
bow down, worship
To bow down, to prostrate oneself in worship (Aramaic).
Where else “nisgud” appears
The context
17If it is so, our Elah whom we serve is able to deliver us from the furnace of fire blazing, and from your hand, O king, he will deliver us.
18 · This verse (above)
19Then Nebuchadnezzar was filled with fury, and the expression of his face was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He answered and said to heat the furnace seven times more than it was customary to heat it.