BEL AND THE DRAGON

What makes Bel and the Dragon special?

As in Daniel 6, BEL AND THE DRAGON reports how the king's young advisor Daniel was thrown into a pit of lions for refusing to worship one of the Babylonian gods. However, in this addition to the Hebrew book of DANIEL, Daniel's rescue is even more miraculous and includes a visit from the prophet Habakkuk who has been brought to Babylon by an angel.

Why was Bel and the Dragon written?

Daniel is the hero of the two short stories in this book, and both stories make fun of worshiping false gods. In the first story, Daniel outsmarts the priests of Bel, the chief god of Babylonia. Every day, the Babylonians brought a large amount of food to the idol. The food was always eaten by the next morning, but Daniel proves that it was the priests and their families who ate the food, not the idol. Based on what Daniel had proven, the king ordered the priests of Bel to be destroyed.

In the second story, Daniel kills a creature worshiped by the Babylonians, proving to the king that the creature wasn't a god. The Babylonians were furious that two of their gods had been destroyed, so they forced the king to throw Daniel into a lion pit. But God protected Daniel from being eaten, prompting the king of Babylonia to say that Daniel's God alone is "the true God" (verse 41).

There are two key themes in these stories: Israel's God is more powerful than any other god, and God protects God's faithful people.

What's the story behind the scene?

Like the book of DANIEL, the events of BEL AND THE DRAGON are said to take place during the time of the Babylonian exile. However, while the ruler in Daniel chapters 5 and 6 is the unknown Darius the Mede, the rulers mentioned in BEL AND THE DRAGON (verse 1) were actual historic leaders. Astyages was the last king of Media, and Cyrus was the Persian ruler who defeated the Babylonians in 539 B.C. It was Cyrus who allowed the people of Judah to return to their homeland in 538.

It is not certain when the Greek versions of this addition were written and it is not known whether it is based a Hebrew original that has never been found. Most likely it was written and added to the Greek text of DANIEL between 300 and 100 B.C.

How is Bel and the Dragon constructed?

BEL AND THE DRAGON is made up of two stories. In the first, Daniel defeats the priests who serve the god Bel. In the second, Daniel kills a huge snake-like creature that the Babylonians worship. The angry Babylonians throw Daniel into a pit with hungry lions, but God saves Daniel.

The Babylonian god Bel (1-22)

The Dragon (23-42)