Daniel 3:5 (GNV)

Passage

That when ye heare the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harpe, sackebut, psalterie, dulcimer, and all instruments of musike, ye fall downe and worship the golden image, that Nebuchad-nezzar the King hath set vp,

Nearby Context

Daniel 3:3 So the nobles, princes and dukes, the iudges, the receiuers, the counsellers, the officers, and all the gouernours of the prouinces were assembled vnto the dedicating of the image, that Nebuchad-nezzar the King had set vp: and they stood before the image, which Nebuchad-nezzar had set vp.

Daniel 3:4 Then an herald cried aloude, Be it knowen to you, O people, nations, and languages,

Daniel 3:5 That when ye heare the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harpe, sackebut, psalterie, dulcimer, and all instruments of musike, ye fall downe and worship the golden image, that Nebuchad-nezzar the King hath set vp,

Daniel 3:6 And whosoeuer falleth not downe and worshippeth, shall the same houre bee cast into the middes of an hote fierie fornace.

Daniel 3:7 Therefore assoone as all the people heard the sound of the cornet, trumpet, harpe, sackebut, psalterie, and all instruments of musike, all the people, nations, and languages fell downe, and worshipped the golden image, that Nebuchad-nezzar the King had set vp.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heare", "sound", "cornet", "trumpet", "harpe", "sackebut", "psalterie", and "dulcimer". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heare" and "sound", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Then an herald cried aloude Be it..." into verse 6's "And whosoeuer falleth not downe and worshippeth...", so "heare" and "sound" 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 "heare" and "sound" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.