Daniel 3:4 (WEB)

Passage

Then the herald cried aloud, “To you it is commanded, peoples, nations, and languages,

Nearby Context

Daniel 3:2 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.

Daniel 3:3 Then the satraps, the deputies, and the governors, the judges, the treasurers, the counselors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together to 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 Then the herald cried aloud, “To you it is commanded, peoples, nations, and languages,

Daniel 3:5 that whenever you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipe, and all kinds of music, you fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king has set up.

Daniel 3:6 Whoever doesn’t fall down and worship shall be cast into the middle of a burning fiery furnace the same hour.”

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 deputies and the..." into verse 5's "that whenever you hear the sound of...", 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.