Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Those Chaldeans who accused them bore a grudge, likely because Daniel and his companions had eclipsed them; they requited good with evil for the very prayers that saved their lives. Envy is a bitter master and stands before nothing. Yet Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego would not hide away; they stood in office and bore public testimony against gross idolatry, though it cost them everything.
AI summary
Commenting on Daniel 3:8-18
Now if ye be ready that at what time ye shall hear,.... The meaning is, that if they were disposed in mind, which the king was very desirous they should, both for his own honour, and for their safety, for whom he had a regard; and were willing to comply with his orders, and readily yield obedience to his will, and worship his idol; the...
who is that God--so Sennacherib's taunt (Kg2 18:35), and Pharaoh's (Exo 5:2).