Shadrach
Pronounced SHAD-rak
- Meaning
- "Command of Aku (moon god)"
- Origin
- Babylonian
Shadrach was the Babylonian name given to Hananiah, one of Daniel's three companions. His Hebrew name Hananiah means "the LORD is gracious" — a meaning that proved true when God graciously delivered him from the fiery furnace. Along with Meshach and Abednego, Shadrach was selected from the Judean nobility for training in Babylonian culture. Despite immersion in a pagan environment, all three maintained their devotion to the God of Israel, refusing to eat the king's food or worship his idols. Their survival in Nebuchadnezzar's furnace — heated seven times hotter than normal — stands as one of the most vivid demonstrations of God's protecting power in all of Scripture. The fact that even their clothes didn't smell of smoke testified to the completeness of divine deliverance.
Spiritual meaning
Shadrach — originally Hananiah, 'the LORD is gracious' — experienced grace in its most dramatic form: walking through fire unburned. His story teaches that God's grace doesn't always remove the trial but always sustains us through it.
Related verses (KJV)
"Unto whom the prince of the eunuchs gave names: for he gave unto Daniel the name of Belteshazzar; and to Hananiah, of Shadrach."
Daniel 1:7 (KJV) →"The fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them."
Daniel 3:27 (KJV) →