Bel and the dragon 1:14 - And it came to pass, when they were gone forth, the king set the meat before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed all the temple with them in the presence of the king alone: then they went out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed.
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What does "Bel and the dragon 1:14" mean?
This verse describes a crucial setup in the story of Bel and the Dragon, found in the apocryphal Book of Daniel (part of the Deuterocanonical books of the Bible). Let's break it down:
"And it came to pass, when they were gone forth, the king set the meat before Bel." This follows a previous challenge from Daniel to the king, who believes that the idol Bel eats the offerings brought to him each night. This line means that the priests of Bel and their families have left the temple for the night, and the king, along with Daniel, is setting out the food (meat) before the idol as usual.
"Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed all the temple with them in the presence of the king alone:" Here, Daniel, skeptical of Bel's supposed appetite, takes a pre-emptive measure to reveal the truth. He secretly instructs his servants to spread ashes all over the floor of the temple. The key here is that the king witnesses this. The ashes will serve as a "tracking device" to reveal if anyone enters the temple during the night.
"then they went out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed." This line signifies the final step in the setup. The temple door is closed, and to ensure no tampering, it's sealed with the king's official signet ring. This seal is a guarantee (in the king's mind) that the temple remains untouched until the next morning.
In essence, the verse describes Daniel's plan to expose the priests' deception. He uses the ashes as a way to detect footprints, and the king's seal to prevent any excuses or explanations that the priests might offer if food disappears. It sets the stage for the next morning's revelation, where the footprints will expose the priests and their families as the ones consuming the food, proving that Bel is just an inanimate idol.
Bel and the dragon 1:14 - And it came to pass, when they were gone forth, the king set the meat before Bel. Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed all the temple with them in the presence of the king alone: then they went out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed.
What does "Bel and the dragon 1:14" mean?
This verse describes a crucial setup in the story of Bel and the Dragon, found in the apocryphal Book of Daniel (part of the Deuterocanonical books of the Bible). Let's break it down:
"And it came to pass, when they were gone forth, the king set the meat before Bel." This follows a previous challenge from Daniel to the king, who believes that the idol Bel eats the offerings brought to him each night. This line means that the priests of Bel and their families have left the temple for the night, and the king, along with Daniel, is setting out the food (meat) before the idol as usual.
"Now Daniel had commanded his servants to bring ashes, and they strewed all the temple with them in the presence of the king alone:" Here, Daniel, skeptical of Bel's supposed appetite, takes a pre-emptive measure to reveal the truth. He secretly instructs his servants to spread ashes all over the floor of the temple. The key here is that the king witnesses this. The ashes will serve as a "tracking device" to reveal if anyone enters the temple during the night.
"then they went out, and shut the door, and sealed it with the king’s signet, and so departed." This line signifies the final step in the setup. The temple door is closed, and to ensure no tampering, it's sealed with the king's official signet ring. This seal is a guarantee (in the king's mind) that the temple remains untouched until the next morning.
In essence, the verse describes Daniel's plan to expose the priests' deception. He uses the ashes as a way to detect footprints, and the king's seal to prevent any excuses or explanations that the priests might offer if food disappears. It sets the stage for the next morning's revelation, where the footprints will expose the priests and their families as the ones consuming the food, proving that Bel is just an inanimate idol.