“Now the Babylonians
Had an idol
Called Bel.
Every day,
They provided for it
Twelve bushels
Of choice flour,
Forty sheep,
Six measures
Of wine.
The king revered it.
He went every day
To worship it.
But Daniel worshiped
His own God.”
This god Bel was Bel Marduk, the great god of the Babylonians, mentioned by Jeremiah and Isaiah. Every day, the people provided this idol 12 bushels of choice flour, 40 sheep, and 6 measures or about 50 gallons of wine. The king Cyrus revered Bel, as he worshipped this god on a daily basis. Bel may have been popular in Persia also. However, Daniel worshipped his own God, but there is no indication where he did this.
Eugene Finnegan Bible Project 