How can we harmonise Daniel 5 & 8?

Question

We are told that Belshazzar got to know & elevated Daniel the night of his death In Daniel 5.

Daniel 5:13,29-30 NASB

[13]Then Daniel was brought in before the king. The king spoke and said to Daniel, "Are you that Daniel who is one of the exiles from Judah, whom my father the king brought from Judah? [29]Then Belshazzar gave orders, and they clothed Daniel with purple and put a necklace of gold around his neck, and issued a proclamation concerning him that he now had authority as the third ruler in the kingdom. [30]That same night Belshazzar the Chaldean king was slain

. But in Daniel 8 it is said Daniel was going about the kings business in the third year of his reign.

Daniel 8:1,27 NASB

[1]In the third year of the reign of Belshazzar the king a vision appeared to me, Daniel, subsequent to the one which appeared to me previously. [27]Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king's business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it.

How could Daniel have been in the service of king in his third year when he only got to know him for just one night,just before the king's death?

Could there be a chronological issue here?

Answer 1

It appears that you made an assumption that may not be true. It is possible for Daniel to have “carried on the King’s business” without Daniel having personally met the king. Remember, Daniel already worked in the king’s palace for Nebuchadnezzar. So, Daniel would go about his normal business (ie, the king’s business) and then physically meets Belshazzar on the last day his reign.

And just for the record: Just because one biblical account may come physically after another account within the scriptures, that does not necessarily mean the second account comes chronologically after the first. This is that case with Daniel chapter 8 and chapter 5.

Please look at chapters 4 -8.

Chapter 4 tells of an account with King Nebuchadnezzar.

Chapter 5 tells of an account with King Belshazzar, son (grandson) of Nebuchadnezzar. At the end of the chapter, when Belshazzar dies, we’re told that Darius took over as king.

Chapter 6 tells of an account with King Darius. So, chapters 4-6 would appear to be chronological.

Chapter 7 then goes back and tells of another account with King Belshazzar in the first year of his reign.

Chapter 8 then tells of an account with King Belshazzar in the third year of his reign.

We see that chapters 7 and 8 are not in the chronology of chapters 4-6 but are stand alone and that the events of chapter 8 more naturally occurred before the events of chapter 5.