The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men

The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men

Most readers of Daniel know the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). But in the Bible of the Early Church, the story contains more than just their silent faith. It includes a prayer of confession (the Prayer of Azariah) and a hymn of praise (the Song of the Three Young Men).

These additions show us not only that God rescues His people but how His people pray and worship in the midst of suffering. Azariah (Abednego’s Hebrew name) pours out confession and trust, and then the three sing a cosmic hymn calling all creation to bless the Lord.

For early Christians, these were not “extras” — they were part of Daniel itself in the Septuagint. In fact, these prayers were used in the church’s worship for centuries.

Introduction: Author, Date, and Context

Author: Traditionally attributed to Daniel’s companions in exile, though in practice preserved through Jewish liturgy.

Date: Likely composed during the exile (6th century BC) or shortly after, preserved in the Greek Septuagint (LXX) by the 2nd century BC.

Etymology (Hebrew/Greek):

• Azariah (ʿAzaryāh, עֲזַרְיָה, meaning “Yahweh has helped”).

• In the LXX: Ἀζαρίας (Azarias).

• The “Song of the Three” (Greek: ᾨδὴ τῶν τριῶν παίδων, Ōdē tōn triōn paidōn = “Hymn of the three youths”).

Setting: The additions take place inside Daniel 3, between verses 23–24, right as the young men are thrown into the furnace.

The Bible of the Early Church

The Septuagint (LXX) — the Old Testament of the early church — always included the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men. When the apostles quoted Daniel, they used the LXX, not the shorter Masoretic text.

Early Christian Bibles (Codex Vaticanus, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus) contain these additions as part of Daniel. They were not “optional extras,” but Scripture. Only later, under the influence of the Hebrew Masoretic tradition and then the Reformation’s narrowing of the canon, were these set aside as “Apocrypha.”

Summary of Movements

1. The Prayer of Azariah (vv. 1–22 LXX / inserted into Dan. 3)

   • Azariah confesses Israel’s sins and acknowledges God’s justice in allowing exile.

   • He pleads for mercy, not on the basis of sacrifice (which the exiles cannot offer), but on God’s covenant love.

   • He asks God to show His glory to the nations by rescuing them.

2. God’s Deliverance (vv. 23–28)

   • An angel of the Lord enters the furnace, drives out the flames, and makes the furnace like a cool breeze.

   • Nebuchadnezzar marvels, seeing a fourth figure in the fire.

3. The Song of the Three Young Men (vv. 29–68)

   • The youths break into a hymn, calling all creation — angels, heavens, sun, moon, stars, rain, wind, fire, frost, mountains, seas, animals, and humanity — to “Bless the Lord, sing praise to Him, and highly exalt Him forever.”

   • It’s a cosmic doxology, much like Psalm 148.

Christ Connections

• Christ in the Furnace: The “fourth figure like a son of the gods” (Dan. 3:25) is understood by many church fathers as a Christophany — Christ Himself standing with His people in the flames.

• Forgiveness Beyond Sacrifice: Azariah’s prayer notes that Israel has “no prince, no prophet, no sacrifice” — yet God is still merciful. This anticipates Christ’s sacrifice that makes forgiveness possible apart from temple ritual (Heb. 10:10–14).

• Universal Praise: The Song’s cosmic call to worship anticipates the worship of Christ in Philippians 2:10–11: “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow… and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.”

• The Angel of Deliverance: Early Christians identified the angel in the furnace with the pre-incarnate Christ, the eternal Word present to save.

Oddities & Easter Eggs

• Liturgical Use: The Song of the Three was used in the daily morning prayers of the church (called the Benedicite). For centuries, Christians prayed this hymn.

• The Missing Verse in Protestant Bibles: If you read Daniel 3 in most Protestant Bibles, verse 24 suddenly resumes with the king leaping up in astonishment, but the prayer and song are missing. In the LXX and Vulgate, they’re right there.

• Theme of Fire as Purification: The youths pray in the fire — a reminder that God’s people are refined in suffering, not just rescued from it.

Application

• Confession in Exile: Azariah teaches us how to confess sin and seek God’s mercy when cut off from outward religious rituals.

• God with Us in Suffering: The presence of Christ in the fire encourages believers to trust Him in persecution, trial, or hardship.

• Universal Worship: The Song of the Three reminds us that worship is not private — all creation is called to bless the Lord.

Encouragement

The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three show us that even in the hottest furnace, God is with His people. Confession, mercy, and praise rise higher than flames. And the Christ who stood with them in Babylon stands with His people still.

Conclusion

Far from being an “extra,” the Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men reveal the heart of Daniel’s story: faith, confession, and praise in the midst of suffering, and God’s saving presence with His people. The Bible of the Early Church preserved these texts because they testify to Christ — the One who delivers in the fire and receives praise from all creation.