Misael

Misael is the Spanish form of Meshach/Mishael (מִישָׁאֵל), a name borne from the Bible as a minor character in the Book of Daniel (chapters 1-3). Meshach lived around 600 B.C. during the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar II. He is mentioned as one of three nobly born Jews who remained faithful to the Hebrew God (the other two being Shadrach and Abednego). Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego are the Babylonian equivalents to Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah (their original Hebrew names). Mishael, like Michael, comes from the Hebrew Misha'el meaning “Who is like God?” The Babylonian names given to the three men refer instead to Babylonian pagan gods. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, along with Daniel, were hand-picked by King Nebuchadnezzar to serve in his court. He selected these nobly born Judeans specifically for their good appearance and wisdom. What Nebuchadnezzar failed to understand was that the Israelite men were completely devoted to their own God first and foremost. When the king realized that Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego paid no respect to him or his Babylonia gods, in a rage he ordered their executions by the fiery furnace (a common Babylonian punishment). An angel of God intervened and kept the men out of harm’s way so that “the fire had no power over [their] bodies” and Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego emerged from the blazing furnace unscathed. Nebuchadnezzar was so impressed by the miraculous scene that he allowed the three men to worship their own God freely while also promoting them in the province of Babylon. So Meshach/Mishael’s story is illustrative of God’s protection over those who demonstrate unwavering devotion to Him. Even though Michael and Mishael share the same Hebrew etymology, the Biblical references vary greatly. Michael/Miguel is known as a prominent angel and soldier of God, while the Mishael/Misael character is quite a bit more obscure and lesser known. Similarly, the popularity of Misael as a masculine given name among Spanish speakers is likewise much less common than the ultra-popular Miguel.