Hebrew word · H5664

עֲבֵד נְגוֹ

nego

Abednego

"Servant of Nego". The first part is the ordinary Aramaic word for servant. "Nego" is not a known deity, and most scholars take it as standing for Nabû (biblical Nebo), god of scribes and wisdom and patron of Nebuchadnezzar's own name (Nabû-kudurri-uṣur).

Appears 2 times in 1 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

A man living at the time of Exile and Return, first mentioned at Dan.1.6; also called Abednego at Dan.2.49; 3.12,13,14,16,19,20,22,23,26,28,29,30;

Another name of a.zar.yah (עֲזַרְיָה "Azariah" H5838Z)

§ Abed-nego = "servant of Nebo"

1) the godly friend of Daniel who Nebuchadnezzar renamed Abednego; one of the three friends who with Daniel refused to make themselves unclean by eating food from the king's table which went against the dietary laws which God had given the Jews; also one of the three who were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to bow down to a graven image of Nebuchadnezzar and who were saved by the angel of the Lord

1a) also, 'Azariah' (H5838 or H5839)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Daniel 1:7

Range of meaning

"Servant of Nego". The first part is the ordinary Aramaic word for servant. "Nego" is not a known deity, and most scholars take it as standing for Nabû (biblical Nebo), god of scribes and wisdom and patron of Nebuchadnezzar's own name (Nabû-kudurri-uṣur).

Against the English

Transliterated in all versions ("Abednego", "Abed-nego"). Nothing in the English hints that it hides a god's name.

Used elsewhere in the period

The name ʿbdnbw ("servant of Nabu") is attested in Aramaic sources of the period. Israelite writers sometimes changed pagan divine names on purpose, e.g. Ish-bosheth, "man of shame", for Ishbaal (2 Sam 2:8; cf. 1 Chr 8:33). Many think Nego is a similar alteration, or else a copying change from b to g.

Where it appears

Daniel · 2

  1. Daniel 1:7 עֲבֵ֥ד נְגֽוֹ׃ Abed-, -nego

    The chief official gave them new names: To Daniel he gave the name Belteshazzar; to Hananiah, Shadrach; to Mishael, Meshach; and to Azariah, Abednego.

    Here: The Aramaic form of the common Semitic word for "servant/slave", the first half of a name meaning "servant of [a god]".

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.