Lesson 45
“If I Perish, I Perish” (Daniel 1; Daniel 3; Daniel 6; Esther 3–5; Esther 7–8)
Church Curriculum
The official church guide can be seen at the Official LDS Church site for Gospel Doctrine (Old Testament 2006)
We encourage you to make sure you are familiar with the official church curriculum as the first step in your lesson preparation, as this is the material recommended by the General Authorities of the church.
Supplementary material here is not intended to substitute for lesson preparation, but hopefully it will enhance your preparations for Sunday School.
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Fiery Furnace
Shadrach is the name of one of the three Jewish exiles that was thrown in the fiery furnace by Nebuchadnezzar for not praying to an idol. His Jewish name is actually Hananiah.
Though used by Christians and Jews in recent times because of its Biblical heritage, Shadrach is a Babylonian name, and means "command of Aku". Aku was the ancient Babylonian moon god, the equivalent of the Assyrian god Sin. Though rare today, and never particularly common, Shadrach was used as a first and last name in the early-to-mid 19th century. A shortened form for casual use was "Shad".
Meshach (me-shack) is the name given in Babylon to Mishael, one of the three young hebrew companions of Daniel (Daniel 1:7; 2:49; 3:12-30). It is likely based on a name of a Chaldean (Babylonian) god. It also means "to feed" or "to provide" (as in how a husband would provide for his family) in Hebrew.
Meshach (possibly, Mi·sha·aku), apparently a clever twist of "Who Is Like God?" to "Who Is What Aku Is?"
Abednego (Hebrew, Standard Hebrew ʿAved-nəgo, Tiberian Hebrew ʿĂḇēḏ-nəḡô) is the name given in Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar to Azariah, one of the companions of Daniel (Daniel 1:7). It is perhaps a corruption, perhaps deliberate, of either Abednebo, "servant of Nebo," or Abednergo, for Abednergal, "servant of the god Nergal."
Additional Teaching Materials
- Old Testament Institute Manual
- The Old Testament Made Easier Part 3. David J Ridges, 2006. ISBN 1-55517-957-6
