Is Bel and the Dragon in the King James Bible?
Yes — it was included in the Apocrypha of the original 1611 KJV, after the History of Susanna. Most modern KJV editions omit the Apocrypha.
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Bel and the Dragon — Free PDF Study Guide
A clear, scholarly introduction to Bel and the Dragon — the wittiest anti-idolatry story in ancient Jewish literature. Daniel proves that the great idol Bel does not eat its offerings by scattering ashes on the temple floor, kills a living dragon the Babylonians worship using nothing but pitch, fat, and hair, and survives a second den of lions while the prophet Habakkuk is carried from Judea by an angel to bring him dinner.
An original Bible Sundays study companion. The full 1611 KJV text of Bel and the Dragon is included in our free KJV Apocrypha PDF, which contains all fourteen Apocryphal books bound in the original King James Bible.
What you get
Three episodes: the ashes on the temple floor, the dragon, the lions' den
How Daniel exposes the seventy priests of Bel and their families
Habakkuk carried by an angel to feed Daniel in the den
The polemic against idols behind Isaiah 44 and Jeremiah 10
Five passages every reader should know
Free to share — no email or sign-up required
What is Bel and the Dragon?
Bel and the Dragon is a short Greek narrative of about forty-two verses, one of the three additions to Daniel preserved in the Septuagint and Theodotion traditions. It contains three linked episodes. First, King Cyrus asks Daniel why he will not worship Bel, whose priests claim the idol consumes twelve bushels of flour, forty sheep, and six vessels of wine each night; Daniel has ashes strewn secretly on the temple floor and in the morning the footprints of the priests, their wives, and their children betray the fraud. Second, the Babylonians worship a living dragon; Daniel feeds it a mixture of pitch, fat, and hair until it bursts. Third, the enraged crowd forces the king to throw Daniel into a lions' den for six days, where the prophet Habakkuk — snatched up by an angel from Judea with a bowl of stew — feeds him.
Is Bel and the Dragon in the King James Bible?
It was included in the Apocrypha of the original 1611 King James Bible, printed after the History of Susanna. In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles it is not a separate book but Daniel chapter 14, since those canons follow the longer Greek Daniel. Protestant Bibles use the twelve-chapter Hebrew and Aramaic Daniel, so Bel and the Dragon does not appear in modern KJV printings that omit the Apocrypha.
Why this book matters for Bible readers today
Bel and the Dragon is sustained satire in the service of the first commandment. Where Isaiah 44 and Jeremiah 10 argue that idols cannot see, eat, or walk, this story stages the argument as a detective plot and lets the reader watch the idol fail its own test. That makes it one of the best windows we have into how Jews living under Persian and Hellenistic rule defended monotheism in public. The lions' den episode, distinct from Daniel 6, also shows how the Daniel traditions kept growing in the Greek-speaking diaspora.
Frequently asked questions
Is Bel and the Dragon part of the Book of Daniel?
In Catholic and Orthodox Bibles it is Daniel chapter 14. Protestant Bibles follow the shorter Hebrew and Aramaic Daniel of twelve chapters, so it appears separately in the Apocrypha or not at all.
How did Daniel expose the priests of Bel?
He had ashes scattered across the temple floor after the offerings were laid out and the doors were sealed. In the morning the food was gone but the ashes showed the footprints of the seventy priests, their wives, and their children, who had entered through a secret door under the table.
What was the dragon in Bel and the Dragon?
A great living serpent the Babylonians worshipped as a god. Daniel killed it without a sword by feeding it cakes of pitch, fat, and hair, proving it was a creature and not a deity.
Is this the same lions' den as Daniel chapter 6?
No. Daniel 6 records the den under Darius after the decree about prayer. Bel and the Dragon describes a second, separate imprisonment of six days, during which the prophet Habakkuk is carried by an angel from Judea to bring Daniel food.
When was Bel and the Dragon written?
Most scholars date the Greek text to the second century BC, part of the growth of Daniel traditions in the Hellenistic Jewish diaspora.
Where can I read the full text of Bel and the Dragon?
The complete 1611 KJV text is included in our free KJV Apocrypha PDF, which contains all fourteen Apocryphal books bound in the original King James Bible.
Can I share this study guide?
Yes. This Bible Sundays study guide is free to share for any personal, ministry, or educational purpose.
Related Bible study & reading
Continue your study with related content from across our library:
Bible Story
Daniel in the Lions' Den
Daniel 6 • Faithfulness Under Persecution
Miracle
Daniel in the Lions' Den
God shut the mouths of lions to preserve Daniel for his faithful prayer.
Bible Quiz
Daniel 6 Quiz — Daniel in the Lions' Den
Daniel's faithfulness lands him among lions, but God delivers him.
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The prayer, the den, and the God who shut the lions' mouths.
Character
Darius the Mede in the Bible
The King Who Honored Daniel's God
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Daniel 6:10 — Meaning & Devotional
Faithfulness
Biblical names and their meanings
Every name below appears in the King James Bible. Each page gives the meaning, the verse it appears in, and who carried it in Scripture.
- ZionHighest point or fortress
- ZionHighest point; Fortification
- ZionHighest point; Fortress; Monument
- ZionHighest point; Fortress; Holy city
- AbigailFather of joy
- AbrahamFather of many nations
- AdamMan; Earth; Red earth
- AndrewManly or brave
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