Abednego
Abed'-nego (Heb. Abed' Neg עֲבֵד נגו, servant of Nego, i.e. of Nebo, or the Chaldaic Mercury, Da 1:7, and Chald. id. עבֵד נגוֹץ; Sept. and Josephus Α᾿βδεναγώ), the Chaldee name imposed by the king of Babylon's officer upon AZARIAH SEE AZARIAH (q.v.), one of the three companions of Daniel (Da 2:49; Da 3:12-30). With his two friends, Shadrach and Meshach, he was miraculously delivered from the burning furnace, into which they were cast for refusing to worship the golden statue which Nebuchadnezzar had caused to be set up in the plain of Dura (Daniel 3). He has been supposed by some to be the same person as Ezra; but Ezra was a priest of the tribe of Levi (Ezr 7:5), while this Azariah was of the royal blood, and consequently of Judah (Da 1:3,6).
