People & Characters

Azariah (Abednego)

The Hebrew name of Abednego, a faithful companion of Daniel who was thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to worship Nebuchadnezzar's golden image.

Azariah was a young Jewish noble taken to Babylon. Along with Hananiah (Shadrach) and Mishael (Meshach), he refused to bow to the king's statue. Thrown into a furnace heated seven times hotter, the three men were seen walking unharmed with a fourth figure "like the Son of God." They emerged without even the smell of fire. Not in the Bible - Azariah's prayer (recorded in the Apocrypha) praises God's justice and mercy. He later prospered in Babylon.
Scripture References 2