Meshach
Me'shach (Hebrews or Chald. Meyshak', מֵישִׁך, of foreign etymology; Sept. Μισάκ v. r. Μισάχ,Vulg. Misach), the title given by the Babylonian court to MICHAEL SEE MICHAEL (q.v.), one of the Hebrew youths in training for the rank of magi (Da 1:7; Da 2:49; Da 3:12-30). "Gesenius resolves the name into the Persic miz-shah, 'the guest of the shah' (Thesaur. sav.); Hitzig (Exeget. Hdb. ad loc.) and Fiurst (Heb.-Lex. s.v.) refer it to the Sanscrit Meshah. 'a ram,' and regard it as a name of the sun-god. The changing of the names of persons taken into a family as servants or slaves was common in ancient times among both the Orientals and the Greeks (Jahn, Archaol. pt. i, vol. ii, p. 280: Theodoret on Da 1:7: Chrysostom, Opp. v. 286; Haivernick, Comm. ib. Daniel p. 30)" (Kitto). "That Meshach was the name of some god of the Chaldaeans is extremely probable. from the fact that Daniel, who had the name of Belteshazzar, was so called after the god of Nebuchadnezzar (Da 4:8), and that Abednego was named after Nego, or Nebo, the Chaldeean name for the planet Mercury.' SEE DANIEL.
