Daniel 3:4 (DBY)

Passage

And the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, [O] peoples, nations, and languages,

Nearby Context

Daniel 3:2 And Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the justices, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Daniel 3:3 Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the justices, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.

Daniel 3:4 And the herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, [O] peoples, nations, and languages,

Daniel 3:5 that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, pipe, lute, sambuca, psaltery, bagpipe, and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up;

Daniel 3:6 and whosoever doth not fall down and worship shall that same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "herald", "cried", "aloud", "commanded", "peoples", "nations", and "languages". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "herald" and "cried", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Then the satraps the prefects and the..." into verse 5's "that at what time ye hear the...", so "herald" and "cried" belong inside that flow. In Daniel context, the local focus is covenant, worship, and faithfulness.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "herald" and "cried" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.