דניאל, פרק ג׳, פסוק י״ג

King Nebuchadnezzar reacts to the Jews' refusal to bow to his idol with intense, burning rage. Yet, despite his fierce anger, he takes an unusual legal step. Rather than executing the offenders on the spot, he issues a command to have Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—also known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—brought before him for a personal inquiry, and the men are promptly led into his presence [רש״י, אבן עזרא, מצודת דוד, ביאור שטיינזלץ].

This personal summons is surprising given the strict nature of the original royal decree, which mandated that anyone who refused to bow to the idol be thrown immediately into a fiery furnace. The decision to delay the punishment and bring the men to trial stems from the king's understanding of the situation. From the reports of the informers, Nebuchadnezzar realizes that the refusal of these three men is not an act of political rebellion. Instead, it is driven entirely by their deep religious faith in God, which strictly forbids them from participating in any form of idol worship.

Because the king had previously granted general religious freedom throughout his empire, he never intended his initial decree to force people to violate the core laws of their own faith. As a result, the three men are not automatically considered guilty of a capital offense under the original order. The personal summons is therefore designed to present them with a new, direct command to abandon their religion. Nebuchadnezzar wants to clarify their motives and offer them one final opportunity to comply. Only if they refuse this new, explicit order directly from the king will the death penalty be applied [מלבי״ם].