What Is the Prayer of Azariah?
Short answer
The Prayer of Azariah is a penitential prayer found in the Greek additions to Daniel chapter 3, placed between verses 23 and 24 of the traditional Hebrew and Aramaic text. In it, Azariah (the Hebrew name for Abednego) stands in the fiery furnace, blesses God, confesses communal sin, and asks for divine mercy through a broken heart and humble spirit. Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include it as inspired Scripture, while Protestant Bibles omit it from Daniel or place it in the Apocrypha.
The prayer of Azariah is an ancient biblical prayer spoken from the middle of the fiery furnace in Babylon. At Find A Prayer, we regularly hear from readers who open different translations of the book of Daniel and notice that some editions contain whole chapters and canticles that other editions leave out. This passage survives in Greek versions of Daniel rather than the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic texts.
Azariah offers his plea while facing execution for refusing to bow before King Nebuchadnezzar's golden image. His petition combines personal repentance with an appeal for God to remember his covenant promises. Understanding the prayer of Azariah requires looking at who Azariah was, what his words say, and how Christian traditions view its place in the biblical canon.
The Identity of Azariah in the Book of Daniel
Azariah is the Hebrew name of Abednego. Daniel 1:7 records that the prince of the eunuchs gave Babylonian names to four Judean captives: Daniel received the name Belteshazzar, Hananiah became Shadrach, Mishael became Meshach, and Azariah became Abednego. The young men were carried away into Babylonian captivity yet resolved to remain faithful to God. Their loyalty was tested when King Nebuchadnezzar erected a massive golden idol and ordered everyone in the empire to bow down.
Azariah and his two companions refused to serve the king's gods or worship the image. Enraged by their open defiance, the king ordered his guards to bind the three men and cast them into a burning fiery furnace. Daniel 3:19 states that the king commanded the furnace to be heated seven times hotter than normal. The heat was so intense that it killed the soldiers who threw them inside.
In the traditional Hebrew and Aramaic text of Daniel, the narrative moves directly from the men falling bound into the flames to the king noticing four figures walking freely. In the Greek version, Azariah stands and prays in the middle of the fire before deliverance arrives.
The Core Themes of the Prayer of Azariah
The prayer of Azariah begins with praise for God's justice and righteousness. Azariah acknowledges that God is blameless and that all his judgments are right. Instead of complaining about his personal suffering, he confesses that the entire nation of Israel has sinned and broken the divine commandments.
He declares that the disasters that came upon Jerusalem were entirely deserved. Azariah then describes the desolation of the exile. He laments that the people have no prophet, no prince, and no place to offer acceptable sacrifices before God.
The temple is ruined, the priesthood is disrupted, and regular burnt offerings have ceased. Yet Azariah does not give up his plea for mercy. He asks God to accept a broken heart and a humble spirit in place of physical offerings.
God looks upon internal contrition rather than outward ritual. Azariah appeals to God's past covenants and asks for deliverance for the sake of God's holy name, so that all nations will know that the Lord alone is God.
The Angel in the Fire and Divine Deliverance
The Greek text describes an angel coming down into the furnace with the three young men right after the prayer concludes. The angel protects them from the fury of the flames. This descriptive scene belongs specifically to the Greek additions to Daniel 3 rather than the Hebrew and Aramaic text.
The presence of divine protection in the furnace also appears in the canonical Aramaic text. In Daniel 3:25, King Nebuchadnezzar gazes into the flames in astonishment and exclaims, "Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God." The fire consumed their bonds but did not harm their bodies. Both accounts point to the same truth.
God enters the furnace alongside his faithful servants. Faith does not guarantee that believers avoid fiery trials, but it promises that God remains present with them through every danger.
The Song of the Three Young Men and Christian Worship
The Song of the Three Young Men follows the prayer of Azariah in the Greek text. Often called the Benedicite, this passage is a sweeping hymn that calls upon all created things to praise and magnify the Lord. The sun, moon, stars, winds, fire, waters, mountains, and all living creatures are summoned to bless God.
This hymn found a lasting home in church tradition. Liturgical traditions adopted the song as an established canticle for public prayer. The Catholic Church uses it within the Liturgy of the Hours.
Anglican traditions also include the canticle in morning prayer services. Even though traditions hold different views regarding the scriptural status of the passage, many Christians sing these words as a poetic celebration of the Creator's sovereignty over nature.
Why Protestant and Catholic Bibles Differ on Daniel 3 Additions
The prayer of Azariah is found in the Greek version of the Old Testament but not in the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic text of Daniel. In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles, this passage sits directly inside Daniel 3, spanning approximately verses 24 to 90 according to Catholic verse numbering. These traditions recognize the Greek additions as canonical Scripture.
Protestant Bibles omit the passage from the canonical text of Daniel because the passage is absent from the Hebrew and Aramaic text. During the Reformation period, translators followed the shorter Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts for the Old Testament canon. While Protestant Bibles omit it from Daniel, some historical editions printed it within a separate section known as the Apocrypha.
Neither side dismisses the beauty of the text. Catholic and Orthodox believers read it as inspired Scripture alongside the rest of Daniel. Protestant readers view it as an ancient Jewish writing with historical and devotional value, while reserving canonical authority for the Hebrew text.
Lessons from the Furnace for Believers Today
The prayer of Azariah teaches that true repentance begins with acknowledging God's justice. When hardship strikes, human nature prompts people to question God or protest that circumstances are unfair. Azariah took the opposite path.
He affirmed God's upright character before he asked for relief. His words reflect the heart of Psalm 51:17, which declares, "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." God looks on the posture of the heart. Psalm 34:18 provides identical comfort: "The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." Take confidence in this truth during personal trials.
When you lack resources, strength, or formal words, bring a humble heart to God. He hears quiet prayers from the deepest fire. Entrust your circumstances to his care and ask for deliverance that brings honor to his name.
Key Bible verses
- Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach; and to Mishael, of Meshach; and to Azariah, of Abednego. — Daniel 1:7
- Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated. — Daniel 3:19
- He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. — Daniel 3:25
- The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. — Psalm 51:17
- The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. — Psalm 34:18
Frequently asked questions
What is the Prayer of Azariah?
The Prayer of Azariah is a penitential prayer inserted into Greek versions of Daniel 3, where Azariah (Abednego) prays to God while standing in the burning fiery furnace. In it, he blesses the Lord, confesses national sin, acknowledges the justice of God, and asks for mercy on the basis of a broken and contrite heart.
Who was Azariah in the Bible?
Azariah was one of the four faithful Judean captives taken to Babylon along with Daniel, Hananiah, and Mishael. Daniel 1:7 explains that the Babylonian officer assigned him the foreign name Abednego, by which he is commonly known in the story of the fiery furnace.
Is the Prayer of Azariah in the Protestant Bible?
The Prayer of Azariah is not included in the main text of Daniel in Protestant Bibles because it does not appear in the ancient Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts. Some historical Protestant printings placed it within the Apocrypha, whereas Catholic and Orthodox Bibles include it as inspired Scripture within Daniel 3.
What is the Song of the Three Young Men?
The Song of the Three Young Men is an ancient hymn that follows the prayer of Azariah in the Greek text of Daniel 3, calling all created elements and beings to bless and praise the Lord. It serves as a canticle in Christian liturgy, including the Catholic Liturgy of the Hours and Anglican morning prayer.
What does the Prayer of Azariah teach about prayer in suffering?
The Prayer of Azariah demonstrates that God accepts a broken heart and humble spirit even when temple sacrifices and outward religious structures are gone. It teaches believers to affirm God's righteousness, confess sins freely, and trust in his saving mercy in the middle of severe trials.