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Mishael

Daniel’s companion in Babylon

Who was Mishael?

Also called
Meshach, the name he was given in Babylon Daniel 1:7
From
From Judah Daniel 1:6
Occupation
Administrator of the province of Babylon, at Daniel’s request Daniel 2:49
Feast day
December 16: Saints Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael
Mishael, an artistic recreation

What the Bible says

Daniel 1:6-7

6Now there were among them of the children of Juda, Daniel, Ananias, Misael, and Azarias. 7And the master of the eunuchs gave them names: to Daniel, Baltassar: to Ananias, Sidrach: to Misael, Misach: and to Azarias, Abdenago.

Daniel 2:12-18

12Upon hearing this, the king in fury, and in great wrath, commanded that all the wise men of Babylon should be put to death. 13And the decree being gone forth, the wise men were slain: and Daniel and his companions were sought for, to be put to death. 14Then Daniel inquired concerning the law and the sentence, of Arioch the general of the king’s army, who was gone forth to kill the wise men of Babylon. 15And he asked him that had received the orders of the king, why so cruel a sentence was gone forth from the face of the king. And when Arioch had told the matter to Daniel, 16Daniel went in and desired of the king, that he would give him time to resolve the question and declare it to the king. 17And he went into his house, and told the matter to Ananias, and Misael, and Azarias his companions: 18To the end that they should ask mercy at the face of the God of heaven concerning this secret, and that Daniel and his companions might not perish with the rest of the wise men of Babylon.

Daniel 3:18-23; Daniel 3:93-94

18But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up. 19Then was Nabuchodonosor filled with fury: and the countenance of his face was changed against Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and he commanded that the furnace should be heated seven times more than it had been accustomed to be heated. 20And he commanded the strongest men that were in his army, to bind the feet of Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, and to cast them into the furnace of burning fire. 21And immediately these men were bound and were cast into the furnace of burning fire, with their coats, and their caps, and their shoes, and their garments. 22For the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace was heated exceedingly. And the flame of the fire slew those men that had cast in Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago. 23But these three men, that is, Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, fell down bound in the midst of the furnace of burning fire.

Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner revision), public domain.

The path of Mishael

  1. Before Jesus. He was one of the young men of Judah taken to the palace of the king of Babylon to serve him. Daniel 1:3-6
  2. Before Jesus. The king gave them food and wine from his own table. With Daniel, he ate vegetables and drank water for ten days. Daniel 1:5, 12-14
  3. Before Jesus. God gave the four young men knowledge and wisdom. The king found them ten times wiser than the magicians of his kingdom. Daniel 1:17, 19-20
  4. With Jesus. When the king ordered the wise men of Babylon to be killed, Daniel asked his companions to pray. Daniel 2:12-18
  5. With Jesus. That night, God revealed the king’s dream to Daniel. Afterward, the king gave posts to the three companions. Daniel 2:19, 49
  6. With Jesus. All the peoples worshiped the king’s golden statue. Mishael and his two companions did not worship it. Daniel 3:7, 12
  7. With Jesus. Mishael and his companions told the king that their God could rescue them. And that even if he did not, they would not worship the statue. Daniel 3:16-18
  8. Afterward. They were thrown, bound, into the furnace. The king looked and saw four men walking freely in the fire. Daniel 3:20-23, 91-92
  9. Afterward. In the middle of the furnace, the three praised and blessed God, as if with one mouth. Daniel 3:51
  10. Afterward. The king called them servants of the Most High God and told them to come out. They did not even smell of smoke. Daniel 3:93-94

Words of Mishael

“…for behold our God, whom we worship, is able to save us from the furnace of burning fire, and to deliver us out of thy hands, O king.” Daniel 3:17

All three together, to King Nebuchadnezzar.

“But if he will not, be it known to thee, O king, that we will not worship thy gods, nor adore the golden statue which thou hast set up.” Daniel 3:18

All three together, to the king, when he threatened them with the furnace.

“O Ananias, Azarias, and Misael, bless ye the Lord: praise and exalt him above all for ever.” Daniel 3:88

In the song the three sang with one voice in the furnace.

What they were like

The greatest thing they did

Not to be confused with

In the Church today

Feast day: December 16, Saints Hananiah, Azariah, and Mishael (commemoration (not on the General Roman Calendar or the U.S. calendar)). Roman Martyrology (2004)

In art, recognized by: The three young men in the furnace, sometimes with an angel From Dn 3, 49-50; this is how Christian art shows them

What people ask

Why didn’t they want to eat the king’s food?

Daniel did not want to defile himself with it. A note in the NAB explains that this food might have been offered to idols. Daniel 1:8; NAB note on Dn 1, 8

What did the king call them when he brought them out of the furnace?

He called them servants of the Most High God and asked them to come out. Daniel 3:93

What did the king do next?

He blessed the God of the three young men, who had sent his angel. And he gave them posts in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:95-97

Does anyone else in the Bible remember them?

Yes. Mattathias, the father of the Maccabees, recalled before he died that they were saved from the fire by their faith. 1 Maccabees 2:49, 59

What name was Mishael given in Babylon?

Meshach. The chief of the king’s servants gave it to him. Daniel 1:7

Whom did the king see in the furnace, besides the three friends?

He saw four men walking in the fire; the fourth looked like a son of God. Afterward, the king said that God had sent his angel. Daniel 3:92, 95

Little known The song in the furnace calls him by his name from Judah: Mishael. Daniel 3:88 Mattathias, the father of the Maccabees, recalled that Hananiah, Azariah and Mishael were…

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Who Mishael is connected to

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All the people of the Bible · The Twelve Apostles · Women of the Bible

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