As we begin chapter eight of the Book of Daniel, we find that Daniel has another vision. This one came to him during the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, which some Biblical scholars conclude was his final year, and immediately before the fall of Babylon. However, if historical scholars are correct, Belshazzar reigned sixteen years before Babylon was conquered by the Medes and the Persians (Daniel 5:30-31). Assuming this is correct, his reign would extend backward into the reign of his father, when he was co-regent with him. In fact, some believe it was Belshazzar who placed his father on the throne of Babylon, which makes one wonder, if Evil-Merodach was assassinated, was Belshazzar responsible, and, if so, and being the power behind the throne of his father, was he co-regent with him from the beginning of his father’s reign? Many questions can be asked, but at the end of the day, all we really know is that Daniel’s vision came to him during the third year of the reign of Belshazzar, perhaps as co-regent, or near the end of the Babylonian Empire, during the third year of Belshazzar’s sole reign as the king of Babylon.
During the third year of Belshazzar’s reign, Daniel claims he had a vision that was similar to the one that he had during the first year of the king (Daniel 8:1). Shushan is the palace of the king of Persia (Nehemiah 1:1; Esther 1:2-5). So, what seems significant about this particular vision is the fact that it occurred in Persia, not Babylon. Therefore, Daniel received the vision in a foreign land, while he was on the king’s business (Daniel 8:2; cp. 8:27).
What seems surprising is the fact of the king’s ignorance of Daniel, especially if the third year of Belshazzar’s reign is his final one. How could he be ignorant of Daniel’s identity, if he had chosen him to handle the affairs of the kingdom, as that pertains to its relationship with so powerful a kingdom as Persia? Belshazzar doesn’t seem to know who Daniel is during the great feast he made for all his princes and governors (Daniel 5:10-11). How could that be true in light of Daniel 8:1-2? Moreover, the fact that Belshazzar held such a feast, during which he drunkenly dishonored the God of Daniel (cp. Daniel 5:2-4), implies he probably didn’t hold Daniel in the esteem in which his grandfather, King Nebuchadnezzar, did, so why send him to Persia on the king’s business (cp. Daniel 8:27)?
Daniel would have been close to ninety years old when Darius the Mede conquered Babylon (Daniel 5:31),[1] so one wonders, if such an aged man would be sent to Persia on the king’s business (Daniel 8:27). However, if the third year of Belshazzar represents the very beginning of his reign, as co-regent with his father, then Daniel would have been about 75 years of age at the time of his vision. Although still an elderly man, it isn’t so difficult to believe he would still be in the employ of the king. If this is logical and true, then Daniel 5:10-11 represents a time when Daniel may have been in retirement for about 10 years or longer. Thus, the king may have forgotten about Daniel’s understanding of visions etc., if, indeed, he was mindful of them at all.
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[1] Daniel was among the captives of Judah, who were taken to Babylon during the third year of King Jehoiakim’s reign (Daniel 1:1), which was the first year of Judah’s servitude to Babylon, as that applies to Jeremiah’s 70 Years Prophecy. If Daniel was about 18-20 years of age at the time he was taken to Babylon, and the first year of Darius the Mede was the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecy (Daniel 9:1-2), that would make Daniel between 88 and 90 years of age at the fall of Babylon (Daniel 5:30-31).
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