Lexical Summary regaz: To tremble, to quake, to be agitated, to be angry Original Word: רְגַז Strong's Exhaustive Concordance rage (Aramaic) from rgaz; violent anger -- rage. see HEBREW rgaz NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin(Aramaic) from regaz Definition a rage NASB Translation rage (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs רְּגַז noun masculine rage; — absolute Daniel 3:13 (of king). Topical Lexicon Root Idea and Semantic Field רְגַז conveys an intense surge of anger, agitation, or furious disturbance. Though used only once, it draws from a broader Semitic sense of quaking emotion that unsettles both the agent and the surrounding environment. Canonical Setting in Daniel 3:13 “Then in a furious rage Nebuchadnezzar commanded that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought…” (Daniel 3:13). The Babylonian monarch’s wrath erupts when his decree to worship the golden image is defied. רְגַז functions as the narrative hinge, transitioning the account from the proclamation of idolatry to the life-and-death confrontation. The fury of the world’s most powerful king is set against the calm fidelity of three Jewish exiles, highlighting a conflict between earthly sovereignty and divine lordship. Theological Significance of Human Rage 1. Unchecked anger is portrayed as morally compromised and self-destructive (Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 29:22). Divine Sovereignty in the Face of Tyrannical Fury The furnace episode turns רְגַז on its head: the king’s rage intends annihilation, yet God employs it to display saving power. Just as He “makes even the wrath of man to praise Him” (compare Psalm 76:10), the Lord uses Nebuchadnezzar’s fury to broadcast His supremacy throughout the empire (Daniel 3:29). Intertextual Echoes of Rage • Cain’s smoldering anger (Genesis 4:5-7). Each example reaffirms that human wrath, when unleashed, threatens covenant people yet ultimately serves God’s larger narrative. Christological Connection The furnace ordeal prefigures Christ, who, though subjected to the raging hatred of rulers (John 19:6), walks unscathed through the fires of judgment and emerges as the exalted Son. The “fourth man” in the furnace foreshadows the incarnate Deliverer who is present with His saints in tribulation (Hebrews 13:5). Practical and Pastoral Implications • Believers should expect fiery opposition when they refuse cultural idolatry (2 Timothy 3:12). Eschatological Foreshadowing Nebuchadnezzar’s image and wrath anticipate the end-time beast who demands worship and persecutes the faithful (Revelation 13:15-17). The deliverance of the three Hebrews assures the church that end-time fury will likewise be overruled by the Lamb’s final victory (Revelation 17:14). Summary רְגַז, though appearing only in Daniel 3:13, crystallizes a biblical motif: the fierce anger of rebellious humanity colliding with the unwavering fidelity of God’s people and the overruling sovereignty of the Lord. Its single use thus radiates doctrinal, pastoral, and eschatological light far beyond its lexical footprint. Forms and Transliterations בִּרְגַ֣ז ברגז bir·ḡaz birGaz birḡazLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Daniel 3:13 HEB: בֵּאדַ֤יִן נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר֙ בִּרְגַ֣ז וַחֲמָ֔ה אֲמַר֙ NAS: Nebuchadnezzar in rage and anger KJV: Nebuchadnezzar in [his] rage and fury INT: Then Nebuchadnezzar rage and anger gave 1 Occurrence |
    |