Daniel Chapter 3 Vs. 1

Nebuchadnezzar's Golden Image

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. Dan. 3:1

made an image... The image was 9 feet x 90 feet. The Septuagint adds in Dan. 3:1 that this event occurred in Nebuchadnezzar’s 18th year (587), one year before the fall of Jerusalem (cf. 2Ki. 25:8). Since the final destruction of Jerusalem was the culmination of Nebuchadnezzar’s conquests, that inference may well be true. However, a consideration of Dan. 3:1-30 seems to indicate that the events recorded there took place nearer the beginning of Nebuchadnezzar’s long reign. The events associated with the king’s erecting the image suggest that he wanted to unify his empire and consolidate his authority as ruler. The image was to become the unifying center of Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom.

Dura... The image was set up… on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Dura was a common name in Mesopotamia for any place that was enclosed by mountains or a wall. “The province of Babylon” (cf. Dan. 2:48) seems to require a location close to the city of Babylon itself from which Nebuchadnezzar ruled his kingdom. Archaeologists have uncovered a large square made of brick some six miles southeast of Babylon, which may have been the base for this image. Since this base is in the center of a wide plain, the image’s height would have been impressive. Also its proximity to Babylon would have served as a suitable rallying point for the king’s officials.