The short summary
What is Bel and the Dragon about?
Bel and the Dragon tells how Daniel challenges the worship of an image and a living creature in Babylon. Footprints reveal who really consumes Bel’s offerings, and Daniel destroys the dragon revered by the people. Their anger leads to his imprisonment with lions, where God provides food through Habakkuk before the king finds Daniel alive.
Bel and the Dragon 1:3–22; Bel and the Dragon 1:23–32; Bel and the Dragon 1:33–42.01 / Understand the whole
The book in context
The king treats the food left for Bel as evidence that the image is alive. Daniel disputes the claim and spreads ashes on the temple floor before the room is sealed. In the morning, footprints expose the priests and their families, who have entered secretly to eat the offerings. Bel and the Dragon 1:3–22.
The king next points to a dragon as a living object of worship. Daniel refuses to worship it and kills it without a weapon, using a mixture it swallows. The Babylonians turn against the king and demand Daniel’s surrender, and he is thrown into a den with hungry lions. Bel and the Dragon 1:23–32.
An angel brings the prophet Habakkuk from Judea with food for Daniel. Daniel gives thanks that God has remembered him. On the seventh day the king finds him alive, praises Daniel’s God, and brings him out; the story ends with judgment on those who sought his death. Bel and the Dragon 1:33–42.
02 / Follow the structure
A reading outline
A chapter-level reading guide; some literary movements cross these boundaries. Each link opens the section’s first chapter.
- 1:1–22Bel’s offerings investigatedAshes and footprints uncover the deception behind the temple offerings.
- 1:23–32The dragon and the backlashDaniel’s refusal to worship the creature leads to a new threat against his life.
- 1:33–42Food in the lions’ denHabakkuk brings a meal, and the king discovers Daniel alive.
03 / Notice the connections
Major themes
Testing an apparent sign
Daniel uses observable evidence to challenge the king’s interpretation of the missing food. Bel and the Dragon 1:14–22.
Worship of the living God
Daniel distinguishes the Creator from both an image made by human hands and a creature that can be killed. Bel and the Dragon 1:4–7; Bel and the Dragon 1:23–27.
Remembered in danger
Daniel interprets the unexpected meal as a sign that God has not abandoned those who seek and love him. Bel and the Dragon 1:33–41.
04 / Background
Background at a glance
- Literary form
- Narratives of discernment and deliverance
- Setting in the text
- Daniel at the royal court in Babylon
More about the background
The USCCB notes on Daniel 14 distinguish the forms of this story in the Septuagint and Theodotion and identify differences in their details. They also distinguish this lions’ den episode from Daniel 6. This overview follows the local Brenton text rather than combining the different versions. [1]
The Catholic edition on this site places this material in Daniel 14. Brenton prints it separately as a 42-verse chapter. The overview uses standalone Brenton references and returns to Greek Daniel for the related library collection.
05 / Return to the text
Passages to explore
Passage links open the Brenton Septuagint Translation. These selections offer starting points for exploring the book.
Reading the footprints
What does the evidence reveal that the sealed door alone cannot establish?
Bel and the Dragon 1:14–22 MemorizeA living creature and the living God
How does Daniel answer the king’s second argument?
Bel and the Dragon 1:23–27 MemorizeA meal and a rescue
How do Daniel and the king respond to his survival?
Bel and the Dragon 1:33–42 MemorizeIs this the same lions’ den story as Daniel 6?
It is a different episode in the expanded Daniel material. Here Daniel is imprisoned after the destruction of Bel and the dragon, and Habakkuk is brought to him with food. The Catholic edition places this story in Daniel 14; this page uses Brenton’s standalone chapter. Bel and the Dragon 1:28–42.
Read Bel and the Dragon
Sources and reading notes
The summaries describe the biblical text; passage references let you check them in context. Historical and authorship notes are attributed separately. The outlines and passage selections are editorial reading aids.
- United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Daniel 14: Bel and the Dragon. New American Bible chapter and notes; notes on 14:1–22 and 14:31. Catholic reference perspective. Accessed September 11, 2026. ↩
Prepared for BibleVerse · September 11, 2026. An initial editorial edition; independent specialist review is pending. Biblical references use the Brenton Septuagint Translation. The illustration is interpretive artwork.