Pt1 Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah and the Fiery Furnace in the Talmud: Aggadic Expansion of Daniel 3 (Sanhedrin 92b-93a)

This is the first part of a two-part series. The outline for the series is below.

This sugya offers a theologically charged and aggadically dense treatment of the fiery furnace episode from Daniel 3. The sugya radically expands and reinterprets the narrative: merging strands from Ezekiel, Daniel, Psalms, Song of Songs, and Zechariah into a midrashic drama of divine wrath, national shame, and selective resurrection.

See the summary of the biblical story in Wikipedia, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego“:

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Hebrew names Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) are figures from chapter 3 of the biblical Book of Daniel.

In the narrative, the three Jewish men are thrown into a fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar II, King of Babylon for refusing to bow to the king's image.

The three are preserved from harm and the king sees four men walking in the flames, "the fourth ... like a son of God".

They are first mentioned in Daniel 1, where alongside Daniel they are brought to Babylon to study Chaldean Aramaic language and literature with a view to serving at the King's court, and their Hebrew names are replaced with Babylonian names […]

King Nebuchadnezzar set up a golden image in the plain of Dura and commanded that all his officials bow before it.

All who failed to do so would be thrown into a blazing furnace.

Certain officials informed the king that the three Jewish youths Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, who bore the Babylonian names Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and whom the king had appointed to high office in Babylon, were refusing to worship the golden statue.

The three were brought before Nebuchadnezzar, where they informed the king that God would be with them.

Nebuchadnezzar commanded that they be thrown into the fiery furnace, heated seven times hotter than normal, but when the king looked, he saw four figures walking unharmed in the flames, the fourth "like a son of God," meaning he is a divine being.

Seeing this, Nebuchadnezzar brought the youths out of the flames, and the fire had not had any effect on their bodies.

The hair of their heads was not singed, their cloaks were not harmed, and no smell of fire was on them.

The king then promoted them to high office, decreeing that anyone who spoke against God should be torn limb from limb.

The sugya starts with the statement that when Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah are cast into the fire, God sends Ezekiel to resurrect the dead in the Valley of Dura.¹ The freshly revived skeletons rise and slap Nebuchadnezzar (early 6th century BCE) in the face—an image as grotesque as it is symbolic. This miracle triggers Nebuchadnezzar’s effusive praise of God, which, according to R' Yitzḥak, nearly upstages David’s Psalms. Only an angelic intervention halts the escalation.

A cascade of further interpretations follows. A baraita lists six miracles performed that day, from supernatural furnace physics to the combustion (by the furnace) of the gathered aristocracy. R' Eliezer ben Yaakov emphasizes dignity under duress, interpreting their formal dress as a form of resistance. R' Yoḥanan ranks the righteous above angels, while R' Tanḥum relays how gentile mockery forced a moment of national self-reproach.

The sugya includes a layered allegory of Zechariah’s Vision of horses (Zechariah 1:8): red horses and night are read as signs of divine wrath, only quelled when God sees the ‘myrtle bushes’—a metaphor for the furnace martyrs.

Finally, the Talmud puzzles over their fate and the absence of Daniel, offering a triangulated rationale shared by God, Daniel, and Nebuchadnezzar himself: to ensure that Daniel himself wouldn't become an object of idol worship.

Outline

Intro

The Passage

1. Baraita - Ezekiel Revives the Dead at the Valley of Dura (Daniel 3:1; Ezekiel 37)

   1. The resurrected bones strike Nebuchadnezzar- Daniel 3:33

2. R' Yitzḥak - Nebuchadnezzar’s Praise Interrupted - Angel stops Nebuchadnezzar from outdoing Psalms

3. Baraita - Six Miracles of the Furnace - idol toppling, dead revived, and more

   1. The burning of four courtly ranks (Daniel 3:2, 3:27)

4. R' Eliezer ben Yaakov's School - Maintaining Dignity in Danger - Nobility preserved through formal dress - Daniel 3:21

5. R' Yoḥanan - Righteous Humans Are Greater Than Angels - Human figures were noticed before the angel - Daniel 3:25

6. R' Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai - Rebuke by Nations - Nations shame Jews for idol worship - Daniel 9:7

7. R' Shmuel bar Naḥmani in name of R' Yonatan - Limited Divine Harvest - Only Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were worthy among Israel - Song of Songs 7:9

8. Dispute re the Fate of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah - 3 views: died, drowned in spittle, or settled in Israel

   1. Amoraim: Rav, Shmuel, and R' Yoḥanan

   2. Tanaim: R' Eliezer, R' Yehoshua, and and the Sages

9. Rav, Shmuel, R' Yoḥanan - Where Was Daniel? - 3 views: canal, alfalfa, pigs; a strategic absence - Daniel 2:46

10. Baraita - Consensus to Remove Daniel

    1. God - To prevent misattribution of miracle or idolatry

    2. Daniel (Deuteronomy 7:25)

    3. Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 2:46)

Appendix 1 - Table of statements in the sugya

Appendix 2 - Allegorical Reading of Zechariah’s Vision (Zechariah 1:8)

1. Zechariah 1:8

2. "ראיתי הלילה" – "I saw the night" - God sought to destroy the world, rendering it all into night (destruction due to lack of righteous) - Daniel 3:33

3. "והנה איש רכב" – "Behold, a man riding" - “Man” refers to God - Exodus 15:3 – “YHWH is a man of war”

4. "על סוס אדם" – "Upon a red horse" - “Red horse” read as “blood horse”; symbol of divine intent to destroy through bloodshed - Play on דם (“blood”) - Daniel 3:2, 3:27

5. "הוא עמד בין ההדסים" – "Stood among the myrtles" - Myrtle bushes (הדסים) represent the righteous (esp. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) - Esther 2:7 – “He raised Hadassah (Esther)” - Daniel 3:21; "אשר במצולה" – "In the depths" - “Depths” (מצולה) interpreted as Babylon - Isaiah 44:27 – “Who says to the deep: Be dry…”

6. Red and angry horses - Symbolize wrathful divine agents - Become calm and white upon seeing the righteous

7. Rav Pappa - A white horse in a dream is a good omen (symbol of divine appeasement)

The Passage

Sanhedrin.92b.11-93a.11

Baraita - Ezekiel Revives the Dead at the Valley of Dura (Daniel 3:1; Ezekiel 37)

A baraita states that when Nebuchadnezzar cast Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the furnace, God sent Ezekiel to revive the dead in the Valley of Dura.

The resurrected bones rose and struck Nebuchadnezzar’s face.

תנו רבנן:

בשעה שהפיל נבוכדנצר הרשע את חנניה מישאל ועזריה לכבשן האש,

אמר לו הקדוש ברוך הוא ליחזקאל:

לך והחייה מתים בבקעת דורא

§ A baraita states:

At the moment that Nebuchadnezzar the wicked cast Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace,

God said to Ezekiel:

Go and revive the dead in the Dura Valley.

The resurrected bones strike Nebuchadnezzar- Daniel 3:33

When told that their revival was the work of the three men’s “friend” Ezekiel, Nebuchadnezzar responded with Daniel 3:33--a public declaration of God’s power.

כיון שהחייה אותן,

באו עצמות

וטפחו לו לאותו רשע על פניו.

אמר: מה טיבן של אלו?

אמרו לו: חבריהן של אלו מחייה מתים בבקעת דורא.

פתח ואמר:

״אתוהי כמה רברבין

ותמהוהי כמה תקיפין

מלכותיה מלכות עלם

ושלטנה עם דר ודר וגו׳״.

Once Ezekiel revived them,

the bones came

and struck Nebuchadnezzar, that wicked man, in his face.

Nebuchadnezzar said: What is the nature of these?

His servants said to him: The friend of these three, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, is reviving the dead in the Dura Valley.

Nebuchadnezzar began and said:

“How great are His signs

and how mighty are His wonders;

His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom

and His dominion is from generation to generation” (Daniel 3:33).

R' Yitzḥak - Nebuchadnezzar’s Praise Interrupted - Angel stops Nebuchadnezzar from outdoing Psalms

R' Yitzḥak criticizes Nebuchadnezzar’s praise, saying molten gold should be poured into his mouth.

An angel struck him to stop him from “putting to shame”² David’s Psalms.

אמר רבי יצחק:

יוצק זהב רותח לתוך פיו של אותו רשע,

שאילמלא (לא) בא מלאך וסטרו על פיו,

ביקש לגנות כל שירות ותשבחות שאמר דוד בספר תהלים.

R' Yitzḥak says:

Molten gold should be poured into the mouth of that wicked person. His mouth should be sealed in the course of an extraordinary death; in deference to royalty, R' Yitzḥak suggested that gold would be used to accomplish that task.

The reason is that if an angel had not come and struck him on his mouth to prevent him from continuing his praise,

he would have sought to overshadow all the songs and praises that David recited in the book of Psalms.

Baraita - Six Miracles of the Furnace - idol toppling, dead revived, and more

A baraita lists six miracles: the furnace (כבשן) floated (צף), it burst open (נפרץ), its materials (סודו) dissolved (הומק), the idol (צלם) toppled, four royal entourages (מלכיות - literally: “monarchies”) burned, and Ezekiel revived the dead.

תנו רבנן:

ששה נסים נעשו באותו היום,

ואלו הן:

1. צף הכבשן,

2. ונפרץ הכבשן,

3. והומק סודו,

4. ונהפך צלם על פניו,

5. ונשרפו ארבע מלכיות,

6. והחיה יחזקאל את המתים בבקעת דורא.

A baraita states:

Six miracles were performed on that day that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azarya were delivered from the furnace,

and they are:

1. The furnace rose from where it was sunken to ground level;

2. and the furnace was breached;

3. and its limestone dissipated;

4. and the graven image that Nebuchadnezzar established, which he commanded his subjects to worship (see Daniel 3:5–6), fell on its face;

5. and four ranks of officials from monarchies, who stood around the furnace, were burned;

6. and Ezekiel revived the dead in the Dura Valley.

The burning of four courtly ranks (Daniel 3:2, 3:27)

The burning of four courtly ranks is inferred from a discrepancy in Daniel 3:2 and 3:27:³

In verse 2, Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather (למכנש) eight ranks of officials.

While in verse 27, only four ranks witnessed Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah emerge from the furnace.

(Evidently, the other four ranks were burned in the fire.)

וכולהו --

גמרא,

וארבע מלכיות --

קרא.

דכתיב:

״ונבוכדנצר מלכא שלח למכנש ל

1. אחשדרפניא

2. סגניא

3. ופחותא

4. אדרגזריא

5. גדבריא

6. דתבריא

7. תפתיא

8. וכל שלטני מדינתא וגו׳״,

וכתיב: ״איתי גברין יהודאין״,

וכתיב:

״ומתכנשין

1. אחשדרפניא

2. סגניא

3. ופחותא

4. והדברי מלכא

חזין לגבריא אלך וגו׳״.

And the knowledge that all of the miracles were performed --

is based on tradition.

And the four ranks of officials from monarchies that were burned --

is related in a verse,

as it is written:

“Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together

1. the satraps,

2. the prefects

3. and the governors,

4. the counselors,

5. the treasurers,

6. the justices,

7. the magistrates

8. and all the rulers of the provinces” (Daniel 3:2).

And it is written: “There are certain Jews…they do not serve your gods, nor worship the golden image you have erected” (Daniel 3:12).

And it is written in the verse after Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah left the fiery furnace:

“And gathered

1. the satraps,

2. the prefects,

3. the governors,

4. and the king’s counselors

and saw these men” (Daniel 3:27) who emerged from the fire unscathed.

Nebuchadnezzar sent to gather eight ranks of officials, and only four ranks witnessed Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah emerge from the furnace.

Apparently, the other four ranks were burned in the fire.

R' Eliezer ben Yaakov's School - Maintaining Dignity in Danger - Nobility preserved through formal dress - Daniel 3:21

R' Eliezer ben Yaakov asserts that one should not forgo dignified attire even in danger, as the three were cast into the furnace wearing formal garments.

תני דבי רבי אליעזר בן יעקב:

אפילו בשעת הסכנה

לא ישנה אדם את עצמו מן הרבנות (שלו),

שנאמר:

״באדין גבריא אלך כפתו ב

1. סרבליהון

2. פטשיהון

3. וכרבלתהון וגו׳״.

The school of R' Eliezer ben Ya’akov teaches:

Even during a period of danger,

a person should not deviate from his prominence and demean himself,

as it is stated:

“Then these men were bound in

1. their mantles,

2. their tunics,

3. and their hats,

and their other garments, and they were cast into the blazing fiery furnace” (Daniel 3:21).

Even when cast into the furnace, they donned garments befitting their station.

R' Yoḥanan - Righteous Humans Are Greater Than Angels - Human figures were noticed before the angel - Daniel 3:25

R' Yoḥanan states that “the righteous are greater than the ministering angels (מלאכי השרת)“.

He derives this from the fact that Nebuchadnezzar mentioned seeing the three men (Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah) alive in the furnace before he mentioned seeing the angel⁴ in the furnace (implying the superiority of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah over the angel).

אמר רבי יוחנן:

גדולים צדיקים יותר ממלאכי השרת,

שנאמר:

״ענה ואמר:

הא אנא חזי גברין ארבעה שרין

מהלכין בגו נורא

וחבל לא איתי בהון

ורוה די רביעאה דמה לבר אלהין״.

R' Yoḥanan says:

The righteous are greater than the ministering angels,

as it is stated:

“He answered and said:

I see four men unbound,

walking in the midst of the fire,

and they have no hurt;

and the appearance of the fourth is like a son of the gods” (Daniel 3:25).

Nebuchadnezzar saw three righteous people and an angel in the fire of the furnace and noted the presence of the righteous people before noting the presence of the angel.

1. בקעת דורא.

This is a continuation of the previous sugya, discussed in my recent piece: “Actual Resurrection or Allegory? The Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel 37 in the Talmud (Sanhedrin 92b)“.

See my note there for a discussion of the valley mentioned here—Valley of Dura.

2. לגנות - on this verb, see my note in my piece ibid.

3. See my previous appendix where I analyze these passages, especially the etymologies of these rulership words: “Pt2 From Babylon’s Ruins to Jewish Multitudes: Talmudic Blessings for Idolatry, Crowds, and Leadership (Berakhot 57b-58a)“, section “Appendix - Nebuchadnezzar's Giant Statue: The Beginning of the Fiery Furnace Story (Daniel 3:1-5), Formatted and With Etymologies“.

As an aside, notable (and somewhat related) verses in Daniel (chapter 6) mentioning satraps (אחשדרפניא) are cited elsewhere in the Talmud, see my piece “Ahasuerus and the Kingship of the World (Esther 1:1; Megillah 11a-b)“, section “Darius the Mede (Daniel 6:2, 26)“, where I summarize:

The discussion moves to Darius the Mede.

The Talmud raises a challenge by citing a verse in Daniel (6:26), where King Darius is described as addressing "all the peoples, nations, and languages" on earth (implying he ruled universally).

The Talmud resolves this by pointing to another verse (Daniel 6:2), which states that Darius appointed 120 satraps (אחשדרפניא) over his kingdom.

In contrast, Ahasuerus, Darius the Mede's son, ruled over 127 satrapies, seven more than Darius.

(This demonstrates that Darius' domain was more limited than that of his successor Ahasuerus.)

4. בר אלהין - literally: “ son of the gods“.