A part of the book (1:1-2:4 (beginning) and 8:1-12:13)  is in late Hebrew, while the middle is in   Aramaic (2:4-(second part)-7:28) . Parts may be interpolations, or else a manuscript was redacted from surviving Hebrew and Aramaic versions. The career of Daniel as an interpreter of dreams and favorite of the court is remarkably like that of Joseph in Genesis 41 and thereafter. Daniel, along with Job, is mentioned in Ezekiel 14,

In Christian Bibles such as the King James Version, Daniel is considered to be one of the prophets, whereas in the Jewish Old Testament, the book of Daniel is among the writings - the Ketuvim.

The first part of the book of Daniel tells of his adventures, and those of his children, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, in the courts of Babylonian monarchs and of the Persian monarch. The stories of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and their rescue from the fiery furnace (Daniel 3), of the rescue of Daniel himself from the Lions' Den (Daniel 6) and of Daniel's interpretation of the handwriting on the wall that foretold of the fall of Babylon to Persia (Daniel 5 ) have passed into the bedrock of western culture, and are the subject of paintings and songs. They show the power of faith and the steadfastness of the Jewish people in clinging to their religion despite persecution. The prophecies or allegories in the second part of the book are less easy to follow and less well understood.