Misael
The Name and Its Meaning
Misael is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name Mishael, meaning "who is what God is?" or "who is like God?" This theophoric name expresses the incomparability of God, a theme that runs throughout Scripture. The name appears in the Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) and in the apocryphal books, while the Hebrew form Mishael is used in the canonical Old Testament texts.
Daniel's Companion in Babylon
The most famous bearer of this name was one of Daniel's three companions who were taken captive from Judah to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar around 605 BC. Along with Daniel, Hananiah, and Azariah, Mishael was selected for training in the Babylonian court because of his noble birth, intelligence, and learning ability (Daniel 1:3-6). As part of their assimilation into Babylonian culture, the chief official renamed Mishael as Meshach (Daniel 1:7).
Mishael/Meshach is best known for his role in the fiery furnace episode recorded in Daniel 3. When Nebuchadnezzar erected a massive golden statue and commanded everyone to bow before it, Mishael and his two companions refused. Their response to the king's threat has become one of the most celebrated declarations of faith in all of Scripture: "The God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand. But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods" (Daniel 3:17-18).
God delivered the three men from the furnace unharmed, and Nebuchadnezzar himself acknowledged that their God had sent an angel to rescue them (Daniel 3:28). The Song of the Three Children, found in the additions to Daniel in the Septuagint and Apocrypha, records a prayer and hymn attributed to the three men while in the furnace. In this text, the name appears in its Greek form, Misael.
A Leader Beside Ezra
A second Mishael (Misael in the Greek text of 1 Esdras 9:44) was one of the men who stood at Ezra's left hand during the historic public reading of the Law of Moses to the assembled people of Israel (Nehemiah 8:4). This event, which took place in Jerusalem around 444 BC, was a pivotal moment in Israel's post-exilic restoration. The people gathered at the Water Gate, and Ezra read from the Torah from daybreak until noon. Those standing beside Ezra, including Mishael, served as visible supporters and witnesses to the authority of the reading.
The Significance of Standing with the Word
The two Misaels occupy very different moments in Israel's history but share a common thread: both stood publicly for God in challenging circumstances. In Babylon, Mishael refused to compromise his faith even under threat of death. In Jerusalem, Mishael stood beside Ezra as the community recommitted itself to God's word after generations of exile. Both acts required courage and conviction.
A Name That Asks a Question
The name Mishael/Misael itself poses a theological question: "Who is what God is?" The implied answer is "no one." This rhetorical question echoes through Scripture in passages like Exodus 15:11 ("Who among the gods is like you, Lord?"), Psalm 35:10 ("Who is like you, Lord?"), and Micah 7:18 ("Who is a God like you?"). The name thus functions as a personal confession of God's uniqueness and supreme power — a confession that Mishael's life in Babylon dramatically illustrated.
Biblical Context
Misael/Mishael appears in Daniel 1:6-7 and Daniel 3 as one of the three men cast into the fiery furnace (known by his Babylonian name Meshach). A second Mishael stands beside Ezra during the reading of the Law in Nehemiah 8:4. The Greek form Misael appears in 1 Esdras 9:44 and in the Song of the Three Children in the additions to Daniel.
Theological Significance
Mishael's story in Daniel 3 is one of Scripture's most powerful examples of faithfulness under persecution. The declaration that God is able to deliver but that obedience does not depend on deliverance represents the highest form of biblical faith. The name itself — 'who is what God is?' — encapsulates the doctrine of God's incomparability, a central theme of biblical theology from Exodus through Revelation.
Historical Background
The deportation of young Judean nobles to Babylon occurred in 605 BC, the first of three deportations by Nebuchadnezzar. The Babylonian practice of renaming captives with names honoring local deities (Meshach likely references a Babylonian god) was a deliberate assimilation strategy. The post-exilic Mishael lived in the Persian period, when Judah existed as a province under the Achaemenid Empire. The public reading of the Law described in Nehemiah 8 was a defining moment in the formation of Second Temple Judaism.