A question about Daniel Chapter 3

[Dennis McClung]

Why did Nebuchadnezzar even have a firey furnace in the first place? In verse 19, it says that the furnace was heated to seven times hotter than usual. How hot was it usually heated? For what purpose?

[Brad Mercer]

Question: "Why did Nebuchadnezzar even have a firey furnace in the first place?"

Answer: Cookouts for 500 of his closest friends.

"In verse 19, it says that the furnace was heated to seven times hotter than usual. How hot was it usually heated?"

Answer: 375 degrees farenheit. PRE-heated, actually. Temperature for your fiery furnace may vary, depending on altitude.

"For what purpose?"

Answer: Beef Brisket.

Brad

P.S. I just wanna be a blessing.

[Ian Gentles]

That it was heated to such a high temprature shows some madness! All he did was kill his own men!
It could have been an actual furnace for smelting metals?
Having worked ten years in steel industry as a young man, my advice, stay away from furnaces!

[Dave McClung]

I don't know, but I would guess that Ian is right. The use for furnaces in that time frame would have been to smelt bronze. They could have had some iron, but I believe it was mostly bronze.

[Dennis McClung]

That it was heated to such a high temprature shows some madness! All he did was kill his own men!
It could have been an actual furnace for smelting metals?
Having worked ten years in steel industry as a young man, my advice, stay away from furnaces!

I think you're probably right. It's pretty well documented that they had iron and probably bronze. They could have also needed the furnace for pottery.

For some reason, it seems perfectly natural to me that he would have a den of lions, but a furnace?

[BobHunt]

well, he made a golden image that they wouldnt bow to....how does one do that...how do you form gold? I know it is formed in the earth, but how would you form something out of it, by heat or by chipping away?
It looks like maybe you can add other metals to it by fire?

[Bruce Carriker]

For some reason, it seems perfectly natural to me that he would have a den of lions, but a furnace?

He was the king. If there was furnace anywhere in the land, it was his. That's how it worked back then. What's his was his, and what was yours was his.

Absolute monarchs and 2-year olds think alot alike on the issue of ownership.

[Judy Engel]

I was under the impression that it may also have been used to heat water that would have run through pipes to heat the palace. Funny, the culture of that time had some pretty sophisticated stuff back then. I suppose that it could also have been used for smelting metals too. Hmmmmmm........

[Stephen Kerr]

It could have been a large brick works oven for baking bricks. If you are making a nice capital and want to build a lot (which Nebby and the Babylonians seem to be known for) you would want a large kiln to bake as many bricks as possible. The furnace for rendering metals was usually made of clay bricks but they certainly had smelting pots as well for heating metals. The Persians are known to have used furnaces for capital punishment. Even God uses the image of the furnace for divine judgment to punish or purge (Isa 48.10-11; Psalm 21.9-10)-- Jesus uses the imagery as well in Matthew 13.41-42.