Mishael

Mishael - (Easton's Bible Dictionary)

Who is like God! (1.) A Levite; the eldest of the three sons of Uzziel (Ex. 6:22).

(2.) One of the three Hebrew youths who were trained with Daniel in Babylon (Dan. 1:11, 19), and promoted to the rank of Magi. He and his companions were afterwards cast into the burning fiery furnace for refusing to worship the idol the king had set up, from which they were miraculously delivered (3:13-30). His Chaldean name was Meshach (q.v.).

mish'-a-el, mi'-sha-el (misha'el, perhaps equals "who is equal to God?"):

(1) A Kohathite, 4th in descent from Levi (Ex 6:22). He and his brother Elzaphan carried out Moses' order to remove from the sanctuary and the camp the corpses of Nadab and Abihu (Le 10:4 f).

(2) A supporter of Ezra at the reading of the Law (Ne 8:4).

(3) The Hebrew name of one of Daniel's 3 companions (Da 1:6,7,11,19; 2:17). His Babylonian name was MESHACH (which see).

1. One of the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron and Moses. (Exodus 6:22) when Nadab and Abihu were struck dead for offering strange fire, Mishael and his brother Elzaphan, at the command of Moses, removed their bodies from the sanctuary, and buried them without the camp, their loose-fitting tunics serving for winding-sheets. (Leviticus 10:4,5)
2. One of those who stood at Ezra’s left hand when he read the law to the people. (Nehemiah 8:4) [MESHACH]

Definition

Mishael is the name of three men in the Old Testament.

• One man named Mishael was a cousin of Aaron. When two of Aaron’s sons were killed by God after they offered incense in a away that did not follow what God had told them to do, Mishael and his brother were given the task of carrying the dead bodies outside the Israelite camp.
• Another man named Mishael stood beside Ezra when he publicly read the rediscovered law.
• During the time when the people of Israel were in exile in Babylon, a young man named Mishael was also captured and forced to live in Babylon. The Babylonians gave him the name, “Meshach.” He, along with his companions, Azariah (Shadrach) and Hananiah (Abednego), refused to worship the king’s statue and were thrown into a fiery furnace.

(Translation suggestions: Translate Names)

(See also: Aaron, Azariah, Babylon, Daniel, Hananiah)

Bible References

• Daniel 1:6-7
• Daniel 2:17-18

Word Data

• Strong’s: H4332, H4333