Bible Dictionary: Three

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ATS Bible Dictionary

Three

The phrase "three days and three nights," Matthew 12:40, was equivalent in Hebrew to the English "three days;" the Jews employing the expression "a day and a night" to denote our "day" of twentyfour hours. Nor did "three days," 1 Samuel 30:13, literally "this third day," according to their usage, necessarily include the whole of three days, but a part of three days, a continuous period including one whole day of twenty-four hours, and a portion of the day preceding it and the day following it. Compare Genesis 7:12,17 1 Samuel 30:12-13.

Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary

1. (a.) One more than two; two and one.

2. (n.) The number greater by a unit than two; three units or objects.

3. (n.) A symbol representing three units, as 3 or iii.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN

" 1. Name

2. Canonicity

3. Contents

4. Author and Date

5. Original Language

6. Text and Versions

LITERATURE

For general remarks concerning the Additions to Daniel see BEL AND THE DRAGON.

1. Name:

This Addition has no separate title in any manuscript or version because in the Septuagint, Theod, Syriac and Latin (Old Latin and Vulgate) it follows Daniel 3:23 immediately, forming an integral portion of that chapter, namely, The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:24-90 in the Septuagint and Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) It is the only one of the three Additions which has an organic connection with Daniel; as regards the others see preliminary remarks to BEL AND THE DRAGON. The title in English Versions of the Bible is "The So of the Three Holy Children," a title describing its matter as formerly understood, though a more rigid analysis shows that in the 68 verses so designated, we have really two separate sections. See 3, below.

2. Canonicity:

See introductory remarks to BEL AND THE DRAGON. The order in which the three "Additions to Daniel" are found in the (Separate Protestant) Apocrypha is decided by their sequence in the Vulgate, the So of the Three Children forming part of chapter 3, Susanna of chapter 13, and Bel and the Dragon of chapter 14 of Daniel.

3. Contents:

Though the English and other Protestant versions treat the 68 verses as one piece under the name given above, there are really two quite distinct compositions. These appear separately in the collection of Odes appended to the Psalter in Cod. A under the headings, "The Prayer of Azarias" (Proseuche Azariou, Azariah, Daniel 1:6) and "The Hymn of Our Fathers" (Humnos ton pateron hemon); see Swete, The Old Testament in Greek, 3804;, and Introduction to the Old Testament in Greek, 253 f. Luther with his usual independence makes each of these into a separate book under the titles, "The Prayer of Azaria" (Das Gebet Asarjas) and "The So of the Three Men in the Fire" (Der Gesang der drei Manner im Feuerofen).

(1) The Prayer of Azarias (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:1-22) (Daniel 3:24-48).

Azariah is the Hebrew name of Abed-nego (= Abednebo, "servant of Nebo"), the latter being the Babylonian name (see Daniel 1:7; Daniel 2:49, etc.). This prayer joins on to Daniel 3:23, where it is said that "Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Azariah) fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace." [?] (the version of Theodotion; see "Text and Versions" below) adds, "And they walked (Syr adds "in their chains") in the midst of the fire, praising God, and blessing the Lord." This addition forms a suitable connecting link, and it has been adopted by the Vulgate (Jerome's Latin Bible, 390-405 A.D.) and in modern versions which are made from [?] and not from the Septuagint, which last was lost for many centuries (see BEL AND THE DRAGON, III). In the Septuagint the words with which the Prayer was introduced are these: "Thus therefore prayed Hananias, and Azarias and Misael and sang praises (hymns) to the Lord when the king commanded that they should be cast into the furnace." The prayer (offered by Azarias) opens with words of adoration followed by an acknowledgment that the sufferings of the nation in Babylon were wholly deserved, and an earnest entreaty that God would intervene on behalf of His exiled and afflicted people. That this prayer was not composed for the occasion with which it is connected goes without saying. No one in a burning furnace could pray as Azarias does. There are no groans or sighs, nor prayer for help or deliverance of a personal nature. The deliverance sought is national.

(2) The So of the Three Holy Children (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:28-68) (Da 3:51-90).

This is introduced by a brief connecting narrative (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:23-27). The king's servants continued to heat the furnace, but an angel came down and isolated an inner zone of the furnace within which no flames could enter; in this the three found safety. Rothstein (Kautzsch, Die Apok., 175) is inclined to think that this narrative section (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:23-27) stood between Daniel 3:23 and 3:24 in the original Hebrew text. The "Song" is really a psalm, probably a translation of a Hebrew original. It has nothing to do with the incident-the three young men in the furnace-except in The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:66 (EV) where the three martyrs call upon themselves by name to praise and bless the Lord for delivering them from the midst of the furnace. This verse is an interpolation, for the rest of the So is a long litany recalling Psalm 103 and especially Psalms 136; 148, and Sirach 43. The Song, in fact, has nothing to do with the sufferings of the three young men, but is an ordinary hymn of praise. It is well known from the fact that it forms a part of the Anglican Prayer-book, as it had formed part of many early Christian liturgies.

4. Author and Date:

(1) Author.

We know nothing whatever of the author besides what may be gathered from this Addition. It is quite evident that none of the three Additions belong to the original text of Daniel, and that they were added because they contained legends in keeping with the spirit of that book, and a song in a slight degree (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:66 English Version of the Bible) adapted to the situation of the three Hebrew youths in the furnace, though itself of an independent liturgical origin.

For a long time the three Additions must have circulated independently. Polychronius says that "The So of the Three Holy Children" was, even in the 5th century A.D., absent from the text of Daniel, both in the Peshitta and in the Septuagint proper. Rothstein (Kautzsch, Die Apok., 176) contends that the Additions formed a part of the Septuagint from the beginning, from which he infers that they were all composed before the Septuagint was made. What was the date of this version of Daniel? Since its use seems implied in 1 Maccabees 1:54 (compare Daniel 11:31; Daniel 12:11), it would be safe to conclude that it existed about 100 B.C.

(2) Date of the Prayer of Azarias.

In The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:15 (English Versions of the Bible) it is said that at the time the prayer was offered, there was no prince, prophet or leader, nor sacrifice of any kind. This may point to the time between 168 and 165 B.C., when Antiochus IV (Epiphanes) profaned the temple. If written in that interval, it must have been added to Daniel at a much later time. But on more occasions than one, in later times, the temple-services were suspended, as e.g. during the invasion of Jerusalem by the Egyptian king, Ptolemy IV (Philopater).

(3) Date of the Song.

We find references in the So (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:62 English Versions of the Bible) to priests and temple-servants, and in The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:31 to the temple itself, suggesting that when the So was written the temple-services were carried on. This, in itself, would suit a time soon after the purification of the temple, about 164 B.C. But the terms of the So are, except in verse 66 (English Versions of the Bible), so general that it is impossible to fix the date definitely. On the date of the historical connecting narrative (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:23-27) see 3, (2), above.

5. Original Language:

(1) Romanist scholars in general and several Protestants (Eichhorn, Einleit., in das Altes Testament, IV, 24 f; Einleit. in die apok. Schriften, 419; Vatke; Delitzsch, De Habacuci, 50; Zockler, Bissell, Ball, Rothstein, etc.) hold that the original language was Hebrew. The evidence, which is weak, is as follows: (a) The style is Hebraistic throughout (not more so than in writings known to have been composed in Alexandrian Gr; the idiom kataischunesthai + apo = bosh min (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:44 English Versions of the Bible; the Septuagint 1:44), "to be ashamed of," occurs in parts of the Septuagint which are certainly not translations). (b) The three Hebrew martyrs bear Hebrew names (The So of the Three Children (Azariah) 1:66 English Versions). This only shows that the tale is of Hebrew origin. (2) Most modern non-Romanist scholars hold that the original language of the So (and Prayer) was Greek. So Keil, Fritzsche, De Wette, Schurer, Konig, Cornill, Strack, etc.

Some grounds:

(1) The Hebraisms are comparatively few, and those which do exist can be paralleled in other writings composed in Hellenistic Greek

(2) It can be proved that in Daniel and also in Bel and the Dragon (see Introduction to Bel in the Oxford Apocrypha, edition R.H. Charles), Theodotion corrects the Septuagint from the Hebrew (lost in the case of Bel); but in Three, Theodotion corrects according to Greek idiom or grammar. It must be admitted, however, that the evidence is not very decisive either way.

6. Text and Versions:

As to the text and the various versions of the Song, see what is said in the article BEL AND THE DRAGON. It is important to note that the translations in English Versions of the Bible are made from Theodotion's Greek version, which occurs in ancient versions of the Septuagint (A B V Q dc) instead of the true Septuagint (Cod. 87).

LITERATURE.

See the article BEL AND THE DRAGON; Marshall (Hastings Dictionary of the Bible, IV, 754); W. H. Bennett (Oxford Apocrypha, edition R.H. Charles, 625;).

T. Witton Davies

TAVERNS, THREE

tav'-ernz: Three Taverns (Latin Tres Tabernae, Greek transliterates treis tabernai; Cicero Ad Att. i0.13; ii.12, 13) was a station on the Appian Road at the 33rd milestone (301/3 English miles from Rome), according to the Itineraries of the Roman Empire (Itin. Ant. vii; Tab. Peut.; Geogr. Rav. iv.34), a converging point of traffic at the crossing of a road from Antium to Norba. Tripontium, 6 miles down the Appian Road in the direction of Appii Forum, was reckoned as the point where the highway entered the region of the Pontiac marshes, the most notable natural feature of this part of Italy.

Parties of the Christian brethren in Rome went out to greet the apostle Paul when news was brought that he had arrived at Puteoli, one group proceeding as far as Appii Forum, while another awaited his coming at Three Taverns (Acts 28:15).

George H. Allen

THREE

(shalosh; treis).

See NUMBER.

THREE CHILDREN, SONG OF THE

See SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN.

Greek

5140. treis and tria -- three
... treis and tria. 5141 . three. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: treis
and tria Phonetic Spelling: (trice) Short Definition: three Definition: three. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5140.htm - 6k

5148. trietia -- a period of three years
... a period of three years. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: trietia
Phonetic Spelling: (tree-et-ee'-ah) Short Definition: a space of three years ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5148.htm - 6k

5151. tris -- three times
... tris. 5152 . three times. Part of Speech: Adverb Transliteration: tris Phonetic
Spelling: (trece) Short Definition: three times Definition: three times. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5151.htm - 6k

5153. trischilioi -- three thousand
... three thousand. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: trischilioi Phonetic
Spelling: (tris-khil'-ee-oy) Short Definition: three thousand Definition: three ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5153.htm - 6k

5150. trimenon -- of three months
... of three months. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: trimenon Phonetic Spelling:
(trim'-ay-non) Short Definition: lasting three months Definition ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5150.htm - 6k

5145. triakosioi -- three hundred
... three hundred. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: triakosioi Phonetic Spelling:
(tree-ak-os'-ee-oy) Short Definition: three hundred Definition: three ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/5145.htm - 6k

4999. taberne -- "hut," a tavern, spec. Treis Tabernai, "Three ...
... Treis Tabernai, "Three Taverns," a stopping place on the Appian Way. Part of Speech:
Noun, Feminine Transliteration: taberne Phonetic Spelling: (tab-er'-nahee ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4999.htm - 6k

367. Ananias -- Ananias, the name of three Israelites
... Ananias, the name of three Israelites. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Ananias Phonetic Spelling: (an-an-ee'-as) Short Definition: Ananias ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/367.htm - 6k

2424. Iesous -- Jesus or Joshua, the name of the Messiah, also ...
... 2423, 2424. Iesous. 2425 . Jesus or Joshua, the name of the Messiah, also
three other Isr. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2424.htm - 7k

2459. Ioustos -- Justus, the name of three Christians
... Justus, the name of three Christians. Part of Speech: Noun, Masculine Transliteration:
Ioustos Phonetic Spelling: (ee-ooce'-tos) Short Definition: Justus ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2459.htm - 6k

Strong's Hebrew

7969. shalosh -- a three, triad
... 7970 . a three, triad. Transliteration: shalosh or shalosh or sheloshah
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-loshe') Short Definition: three. ...
/hebrew/7969.htm - 7k

8027. shalash -- to do a third time, divide into three parts
... 8026b, 8027. shalash. 8028 . to do a third time, divide into three parts.
Transliteration: shalash Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-lash') Short Definition: old. ...
/hebrew/8027.htm - 6k

8532. telath -- three
telath or telathah. 8531, 8532. telath or telathah. 8533 . three. Transliteration:
telath or telathah Phonetic Spelling: (tel-awth') Short Definition: three ...
/hebrew/8532.htm - 6k

7211. Reayah -- "Yah has seen," three Israelites
... 7210, 7211. Reayah. 7212 . "Yah has seen," three Israelites. Transliteration:
Reayah Phonetic Spelling: (reh-aw-yaw') Short Definition: Reaiah. ...
/hebrew/7211.htm - 6k

6372. Pinechas -- three Israelites
... 6371b, 6372. Pinechas. 6373 . three Israelites. Transliteration: Pinechas
Phonetic Spelling: (pee-nekh-aws') Short Definition: Phinehas. ...
/hebrew/6372.htm - 6k

1390. Gibah -- "hill," three cities in Palestine
... 1389, 1390. Gibah. 1391 . "hill," three cities in Palestine. Transliteration:
Gibah Phonetic Spelling: (ghib-aw') Short Definition: Gibeah. ...
/hebrew/1390.htm - 6k

5896. Ira -- three Israelites
... Ira. 5897 . three Israelites. Transliteration: Ira Phonetic Spelling: (ee-raw')
Short Definition: Ira. Word Origin from the same as ayir Definition three Isr. ...
/hebrew/5896.htm - 6k

8106. Shemer -- three Israelites
... Shemer. 8107 . three Israelites. Transliteration: Shemer Phonetic Spelling:
(sheh'-mer) Short Definition: Shemer. Word Origin from shamar Definition three Isr ...
/hebrew/8106.htm - 6k

1271. Barzillay -- "man of iron," three Israelites
... 1270, 1271. Barzillay. 1272 . "man of iron," three Israelites. Transliteration:
Barzillay Phonetic Spelling: (bar-zil-lah'-ee) Short Definition: Barzillai. ...
/hebrew/1271.htm - 6k

3226. Yamin -- three Israelites
... three Israelites. Transliteration: Yamin Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-meen') Short
Definition: Jamin. Word Origin from the same as yamin Definition three Isr. ...
/hebrew/3226.htm - 6k

Library

Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews
Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews. <. Three Books of Testimonies
Against the Jews Cyprian. Table of Contents. Title Page. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/cyprian/three books of testimonies against the jews/

Three Friends of God
Three Friends of God. <. Three Friends of God Frances Bevan. Table of Contents.
Title Page. PREFACE. CHAPTER I THE SERMON OF DR. TAULER. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/bevan/three friends of god/

The Three Additions to Daniel: A Study
The Three Additions to Daniel: A Study. <. The Three Additions to Daniel:
A Study William Heaford Daubney. Table of Contents. Title Page. PREFACE. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/daubney/the three additions to daniel a study/

The Three Fates
... THE THREE FATES. Boys ... failing. But that is no more true than the belief about
the three women which the Grecian boys and girls held. ...
/.../chidley/fifty-two story talks to boys and girls/the three fates.htm

A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles
A Vindication of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles. <. A Vindication
of Three of Our Blessed Saviour's Miracles Nathaniel Lardner. ...
/.../lardner/a vindication of three of our blessed saviours miracles/

The Three Fishers
... THE THREE FISHERS. Three fishers went sailing away to the West, Away to
the West as the sun went down; Each thought on the woman ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/kingsley/andromeda and other poems/the three fishers.htm

The Three Facts of Salvation
... THE THREE FACTS OF SALVATION. "Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; Who healeth
all thy diseases; ... SUPPLEMENT TO "THE THREE FACTS OF SIN". ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/drummond/the ideal life/the three facts of salvation.htm

Chapter three
... Chapter Three. "He that saith he abideth in Him ought himself also to walk
even as He walked.". ... It will make up three columns and a half. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/sheldon/in his steps/chapter three.htm

'Three Tabernacles'
... 'THREE TABERNACLES'. 'The Word ... dwelt among us.'"John 1:14. '... ... The word
rendered 'dwelt' in these three passages, is a peculiar one. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture i/three tabernacles.htm

Three Keys.
... I John's Story Three Keys. Now, I want to give you the three keys to John's Gospel.
There's a back-door key, a side-door key, and a front-door key. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/gordon/quiet talks on johns gospel/three keys.htm

Thesaurus

Three (5005 Occurrences)
... 2. (n.) The number greater by a unit than two; three units or objects. 3. (n.) A
symbol representing three units, as 3 or iii. Int. ... SONG OF THE THREE CHILDREN. ...
/t/three.htm - 18k

Twenty-three (15 Occurrences)
Twenty-three. Twenty-third, Twenty-three. Twenty-two . Multi-Version
Concordance Twenty-three (15 Occurrences). 1 Corinthians ...
/t/twenty-three.htm - 10k

Three-tenths (8 Occurrences)
Three-tenths. Three-tenth, Three-tenths. Three-year . Multi-Version
Concordance Three-tenths (8 Occurrences). Leviticus 14:10 And ...
/t/three-tenths.htm - 8k

Three-tenth (7 Occurrences)
Three-tenth. Three-stringed, Three-tenth. Three-tenths . Multi-Version
Concordance Three-tenth (7 Occurrences). Numbers 15:9 then ...
/t/three-tenth.htm - 8k

Thirty-three (7 Occurrences)
Thirty-three. Thirty-sixth, Thirty-three. Thirty-two . Multi-Version
Concordance Thirty-three (7 Occurrences). Genesis ...
/t/thirty-three.htm - 8k

Fifty-three (5 Occurrences)
Fifty-three. Fifty-six, Fifty-three. Fifty-two . Multi-Version
Concordance Fifty-three (5 Occurrences). John 21:11 Simon ...
/f/fifty-three.htm - 7k

Forty-three (3 Occurrences)
Forty-three. Forty-six, Forty-three. Forty-two . Multi-Version
Concordance Forty-three (3 Occurrences). Numbers 26:7 ...
/f/forty-three.htm - 7k

Seventy-three (4 Occurrences)
Seventy-three. Seventy-six, Seventy-three. Seventy-two . Multi-Version
Concordance Seventy-three (4 Occurrences). Numbers ...
/s/seventy-three.htm - 7k

Three-pronged (2 Occurrences)
Three-pronged. Three-fold, Three-pronged. Threescore . Multi-Version
Concordance Three-pronged (2 Occurrences). 1 Samuel ...
/t/three-pronged.htm - 7k

Three-day (2 Occurrences)
Three-day. Three-and-twentieth, Three-day. Threefold . Multi-Version
Concordance Three-day (2 Occurrences). Exodus 3 ...
/t/three-day.htm - 7k

Bible Concordance

Three (5005 Occurrences)

Three appears 5005 times in 12 translations.

You can narrow your search using the Advanced Bible Search.

Subtopics

Three

Three Scores and Ten

Three Taverns

Three Taverns: Roman Christians Meet Paul In

Related Terms

Twenty-three (15 Occurrences)

Three-tenths (8 Occurrences)