Daniel 3:18 (DRB)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Daniel 3:16 Sidrach, Misach, and Abdenago, answered, and said to king Nabuchodonosor: We have no occasion to answer thee concerning this matter.

Daniel 3:17 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 3:18 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 3:19 Then 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.

Daniel 3:20 And 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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "known", "thee", "king", "worship", "gods", "adore", "golden", and "statue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "known" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "For behold our God whom we worship..." into verse 19's "Then was Nabuchodonosor filled with fury and...", so "known" and "thee" 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 "known" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.