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Meshach

Biblical
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

One of the three Hebrew youths (with Shadrach and Abednego) who survived Nebuchadnezzar’s fiery furnace, symbolizing faith under trial.

Detailed Definition
Originally Mishael, Meshach survived the fiery furnace with Shadrach and Abednego. In poetry, Meshach embodies collective faith, resistance to state-enforced conformity, and the miraculous protection of the faithful in persecution.
Example
Example in poetry:
In Daniel 3, Meshach’s refusal to bow inspires African American spirituals like “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego”; William Blake alludes to Meshach in “The Tyger” through imagery of fiery trials; Contemporary poetry uses Meshach to explore civil disobedience against idolatrous systems; In poems about solidarity, Meshach stands with friends in the furnace of oppression; Some liturgical laments echo the “Song of the Three Young Men” naming Meshach in praise; Educational poems cite Meshach to teach about faith under threat.
Additional Notes
Meshach, along with Shadrach and Abednego, refused to worship Nebuchadnezzar’s golden image and survived the fiery furnace (Daniel 3); their steadfast faith under threat provides a classic motif of divine deliverance, ideal for poems on resistance, loyalty, and miraculous preservation.
Also Known As
Meshach companion of Shadrach Meshach the Faithful Abednego
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