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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "//www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="//www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width; initial-scale=1.0;"/><title>Daniel 11 Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</title><link rel="canonical" href="https://biblehub.com/commentaries/expositors/daniel/11.htm" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/5001com.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 4800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 4800px)" href="/4801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1550px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1550px)" href="/1551.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1250px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1250px)" href="/1251.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 1050px), only screen and (max-device-width: 1050px)" href="/1051.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 900px), only screen and (max-device-width: 900px)" href="/901.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 800px), only screen and (max-device-width: 800px)" href="/801.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-width: 575px), only screen and (max-device-width: 575px)" href="/501.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link media="handheld, only screen and (max-height: 450px), only screen and (max-device-height: 450px)" href="/h451.css" type="text/css" rel="stylesheet" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /><script type="application/javascript" src="https://scripts.webcontentassessor.com/scripts/8a2459b64f9cac8122fc7f2eac4409c8555fac9383016db59c4c26e3d5b8b157"></script><script src='https://qd.admetricspro.com/js/biblehub/biblehub-layout-loader-revcatch.js'></script><script id='HyDgbd_1s' src='https://prebidads.revcatch.com/ads.js' type='text/javascript' async></script><script>(function(w,d,b,s,i){var cts=d.createElement(s);cts.async=true;cts.id='catchscript'; 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The allusion is, most probably, to the fall of Babylon and the return from the Exile, at which time, as at the Exodus, the angel of the Lord went before His people. There is also a reference to <a href="/daniel/6-22.htm" title="My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: for as much as before him innocence was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt.">Daniel 6:22</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-2.htm">Daniel 11:2</a></div><div class="verse">And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than <i>they</i> all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.</div>(2) <span class= "bld">The truth.—</span>Comp. <a href="/daniel/10-21.htm" title="But I will show you that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holds with me in these things, but Michael your prince.">Daniel 10:21</a>. This is the commencement of the revelation promised in <a href="/daniel/10-14.htm" title="Now I am come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.">Daniel 10:14</a>; and from this point till the end of the book the difficulties that have to be encountered in attempting an exposition are almost insuperable. It has been customary from the time of St. Jerome, if not from an earlier epoch, to explain most of what follows as referring to the Ptolemies and Seleucidæ. The difficulties which oppose this interpretation will be pointed out in the notes. It is a question whether, after all, the early interpretation is correct, and, if not, whether this revelation does not still await its complete fulfilment. The mere similarity which exists between certain things predicted here and what actually occurred in the times of the Ptolemies is not sufficient to limit the fulfilment of the prophecy to those times, still less to justify the assumption that the section before us is a history of what occurred from the disruption of the Greek Empire to the death of Antiochus. “History repeats itself;” and just as Antiochus (<a href="/context/daniel/8-23.htm" title="And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up.">Daniel 8:23-25</a>) is a type of Antichrist (<a href="/daniel/7-21.htm" title="I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them;">Daniel 7:21</a>), so the events and political combinations which preceded Antiochus may be regarded as typical of what will occur before the coming of the Messiah and the general resurrection, with a prediction of which (<a href="/context/daniel/12-2.htm" title="And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.">Daniel 12:2-3</a>) this revelation concludes.<p><span class= "bld">Three kings.</span>—It is hard to say who these were. Cyrus being on the throne already, it is most probable that his three successors are intended—Cambyses, Darius, and Xerxes. Those four kings appear to have been selected whose influence was most prominent in its bearings upon Israel. Xerxes is called the fourth king because the reckoning dates from Cyrus, and the short reign of the Pseudo Smerdis is not taken into account. Not only do the riches of Xerxes point him out as the last king, but also his conduct towards Greece may be correctly described as “stirring up” against himself “the realm of Grecia.”<p><span class= "bld">Against</span> . . .—The passage gives better sense if translated, <span class= "ital">he shall stir up all, the kingdom of Greece,</span> that is, amongst those stirred up the kingdom of Greece is most prominent. It should be noticed that at the time of the invasion of Europe by Xerxes, Greece was in no sense “a kingdom.” Such language is incompatible with an authorship during the Maccabee period.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-3.htm">Daniel 11:3</a></div><div class="verse">And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.</div>(3) <span class= "bld">A mighty king.—</span>No clue is given to show over what nation this king reigns. According to the context he might be either a Greek or a Persian, or he might belong to a kingdom not yet mentioned. Those who explain what follows to refer to the Ptolemies and Seleucidæ identify him with Alexander the Great, and compare with this verse <a href="/daniel/7-6.htm" title="After this I beheld, and see another, like a leopard, which had on the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it.">Daniel 7:6</a>; <a href="/context/daniel/8-5.htm" title="And as I was considering, behold, an he goat came from the west on the face of the whole earth, and touched not the ground: and the goat had a notable horn between his eyes.">Daniel 8:5-8</a>; <a href="/context/daniel/8-21.htm" title="And the rough goat is the king of Grecia: and the great horn that is between his eyes is the first king.">Daniel 8:21-22</a>. Certainly the self-will spoken of in this verse was characteristic of Alexander (comp. also <a href="/daniel/8-4.htm" title="I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.">Daniel 8:4</a>), but there was nothing in the context which makes it necessary to limit the passage to him. Some autocrat may arise “in the latter times” to whom it will apply with greater force than it did to Alexander.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-4.htm">Daniel 11:4</a></div><div class="verse">And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.</div>(4) <span class= "bld">Broken.—</span>The shortness of the king’s reign is implied; the moment that he has arisen he will come to nothing. As in <a href="/daniel/8-8.htm" title="Therefore the he goat waxed very great: and when he was strong, the great horn was broken; and for it came up four notable ones toward the four winds of heaven.">Daniel 8:8</a>, the great horn was broken, so here the kingdom is broken and dismembered. This has been explained to mean the sudden collapse of the Greek empire after the death of Alexander.<p><span class= "bld">Not to</span> <span class= "bld">his posterity.</span>—The kingdom disappears without the members of the king’s family reaping any benefit from it. It is “plucked up for others besides these”—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> to the exclusion of his lawful heirs—and strangers shall possess the fragments of his empire. This is explained of the partition of Alexander’s empire among his generals, and of the murder of his two sons, Hercules and Alexander, but the language is too indefinite to make any such identification certain. The revelation directs our attention to a self-willed king, whose large empire is to come to a sudden and unexpected end; the ruins of it are not to benefit his posterity, but apparently two strangers, who are designated king of the north and king of the south respectively.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-5.htm">Daniel 11:5</a></div><div class="verse">And the king of the south shall be strong, and <i>one</i> of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion <i>shall be</i> a great dominion.</div>(5) <span class= "bld">The king.—</span>This king of the south (see <a href="/daniel/11-8.htm" title="And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.">Daniel 11:8</a>) is suddenly introduced to our notice. The vagueness of the language prevents us from asserting that the reference is to Ptolemy Soter, who assumed the title of king about B.C. 304. Equally obscure is the phrase “one of his princes.” Both the Greek versions interpret the passage to mean “that one of the princes of the king of the south shall be stronger than his former master.” It is hard to see how Seleucus Nicator can be called a “prince” of Ptolemy Soter. Any attempt at making the pronoun “his” refer to the mighty king mentioned in the last verse is opposed to the context, and to introduce any fresh sentence such as “shall arise” is an unwarrantable assumption. The obscurity of the Hebrew text is well reproduced in the English Version. It should be stated that Ptolemy took Jerusalem B.C. 320, and that these times must have been very critical to the Jews.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-6.htm">Daniel 11:6</a></div><div class="verse">And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in <i>these</i> times.</div>(6) <span class= "bld">In the end.—</span>Comp. <a href="/daniel/11-8.htm" title="And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.">Daniel 11:8</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-13.htm" title="For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.">Daniel 11:13</a>, and <a href="/2_chronicles/18-2.htm" title="And after certain years he went down to Ahab to Samaria. And Ahab killed sheep and oxen for him in abundance, and for the people that he had with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramothgilead.">2Chronicles 18:2</a>. Here again the reference is most obscure. If the “joining themselves together” refers to the marriage of Antiochus II. with Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy Philadelphus, and if “the agreement” (comp. “upright ones,” <a href="/daniel/11-17.htm" title="He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.">Daniel 11:17</a>) refers to the terms of the marriage, which were that Antiochus should put away his former wife Laodice, and appoint her firstborn son successor to the throne, then it must be remarked that history is irreconcilable with the prophecy. Also it appears from <a href="/daniel/10-14.htm" title="Now I am come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.">Daniel 10:14</a> that this revelation bears upon the future of Israel, and it does not appear that this marriage affected the Jewish people more than any other marriage. This, and the fact that a period of more than fifty years intervened between the events supposed to be implied in <a href="/context/daniel/11-5.htm" title="And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.">Daniel 11:5-6</a>, make the traditional interpretation very unsatisfactory. The language refers to what is mentioned as one of the characteristics of the last empire (<a href="/daniel/2-43.htm" title="And whereas you saw iron mixed with miry clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not join one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay.">Daniel 2:43</a>), various attempts to consolidate earthly powers by political marriages. These do not characterise the era of the Seleucidæ any more than they do the times of Ahab, or many other periods of history.<p><span class= "bld">Shall not retain.—</span>The Greek versions show the difficulties experienced by the translators, the LXX. apparently following a different text. The meaning appears to be that the marriage will not accomplish its intended purpose. The king of the south, instead of becoming independent of his northern rival, will only become more subjected to him than he was previously. This does not appear to have happened with regard to Ptolemy Philadelphus and Antiochus Theos, the former of whom is generally identified with <span class= "ital">“he that begat her,”</span> the latter with “<span class= "ital">he that strengthened her.”</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-7.htm">Daniel 11:7</a></div><div class="verse">But out of a branch of her roots shall <i>one</i> stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:</div>(7) As yet there has been no account of any war between the northern and southern king, but it must not be forgotten that Ptolemy Philadelphus and Antiochus Theos were at war for ten years or more. In this and the following verses there is a description of a severe war, in which the southern king is victorious. This is explained of the war between Ptolemy Evergetes and Seleucus Callinicus, which lasted B.C. 246-243, and in which Ptolemy was successful, carrying back with him into Egypt on his return large quantities of spoil and images of gods which he had taken. The coincidence between history and prophecy is far from establishing the truth of the explanation; but the mention of Egypt in <a href="/daniel/11-8.htm" title="And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.">Daniel 11:8</a> directs our attention to a country which will hereafter become the scene of the fulfilment of the prophecy.<p><span class= "bld">Out of a branch of her roots.—</span>The same words occur in <a href="/isaiah/11-1.htm" title="And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots:">Isaiah 11:1</a>. The meaning is, “a branch growing from her roots shall stand up in the place of the person last mentioned.” It is not easy to say which king is meant, nor is there any agreement among commentators as to what is intended by “her roots.” According to one view, “her parents” are intended, so that “the branch” is some one of collateral descent with herself. According to another view the words mean “her family.”<p><span class= "bld">With an army.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">to the army.</span> Theodotion and the LXX. both translate by <span class= "greekheb">δύναμιν</span><span class= "ital">,</span> which Theodoret explains to be a name for Jerusalem. The person spoken of comes to attack the army, and the fortress has been supposed to be Seleucia. However, the use of the plural “them” in the latter part of the verse makes it more probable that the word “fortress” is used collectively for fortified cities.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-8.htm">Daniel 11:8</a></div><div class="verse">And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, <i>and</i> with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue <i>more</i> years than the king of the north.</div>(8) <span class= "bld">He shall continue.</span>—Apparently the meaning is (comp. the use of the preposition in <a href="/daniel/11-31.htm" title="And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.">Daniel 11:31</a>) “He shall stand on the side of [<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> as an ally of] the northern king several years.” Others translate, “He shall abstain from the king of the north some years.” In either case the sense is nearly the same. The reference is said to be to the cessation of hostilities between Ptolemy and Seleucus, but there is nothing in these verses which leads us to infer what history states as a fact, that the northern king was completely crippled by a serious defeat, and that his fleet was dispersed by a storm.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-9.htm">Daniel 11:9</a></div><div class="verse">So the king of the south shall come into <i>his</i> kingdom, and shall return into his own land.</div>(9) <span class= "bld">The king of</span> <span class= "bld">the south.—</span>According to the Hebrew text, these words are in the genitive case (so Theod. Jer.), though the English Version is supported by the LXX. In this case the meaning is, “The king of the north shall come into the kingdom of the southern king,” and then shall return to his own land—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> the north—apparently without gaining any advantage.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-10.htm">Daniel 11:10</a></div><div class="verse">But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and <i>one</i> shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, <i>even</i> to his fortress.</div>(10) <span class= "bld">His sons.</span>—The pronoun refers to the subject of <a href="/daniel/11-9.htm" title="So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.">Daniel 11:9</a>, which is the northern king (though, according to the LXX. and English Version, it must be his rival). There is a marginal alternative in the Hebrew “son.” The LXX. supports the text. If the king of the north last mentioned is Seleucus Callinicus, his sons must be Seleucus Ceraunus, a man of no importance, and Antiochus the Great. It is here stated of the sons that they are stirred up; that they collect a vast army, which advances steadily, overflowing like a torrent, while its masses pass through the land; that they shall return and carry on the war up to the frontier of the southern king. Considering the uncertainty of the readings in the Hebrew text, and the ambiguity of the language, this is anything but a definite statement. However, it has been explained to refer to the wars of Antiochus and Ptolemy Philopator, in course of which they took Seleucia, Tyre, and Ptolemais, besieged the Egyptians in Sidon, and actually took possession of Gaza.<p><span class= "bld">One shall certainly come.—</span>Not the king, but the multitude just spoken of. The words “overflow,” “pass through” “return,” all refer to the ebbing and flowing of the tide of war.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-11.htm">Daniel 11:11</a></div><div class="verse">And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, <i>even</i> with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.</div>(11) <span class= "bld">And the king.</span>—The ambiguity of this verse is very great. “He” may refer to either king; so that while some commentators see in the words an account of the successes of Ptolemy against Antiochus in the battle of Raphia (B.C. 217)—the “multitude” being the army of Antiochus, which was severely defeated at that place—others infer that the northern king is represented as defeating his rival. Evidently the words “with the king of the north” are added, as in <a href="/exodus/2-6.htm" title="And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews' children.">Exodus 2:6</a>, for the sake of clearness. This makes it most probable that the first of the two interpretations just given is correct, and that “he” refers to the northern king, “his hand” to the hand of the southern king. This is supported by <a href="/daniel/11-12.htm" title="And when he has taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.">Daniel 11:12</a>, where we read of the conduct of the southern king after his victory.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-12.htm">Daniel 11:12</a></div><div class="verse"><i>And</i> when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down <i>many</i> ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened <i>by it</i>.</div>(12) <span class= "bld">And when he.—</span>It is not clear whether “the multitude” or “the king” is subject of the sentence, or whether the verb “he hath taken away” is to be translated active or passive. The verse might mean, “And the multitude is lifted up—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> takes courage—and its heart is exalted,” or, “when the multitude takes courage the king’s heart is exalted.” The English translation is most in accordance with the context, but the second rendering is preferred by many, according to which the king’s courage and pride increase as he perceives the mightiness of his troops. The LXX. follow a different reading throughout the verse.<p><span class= "bld">And he shall cast down.—</span>These words describe the victory of the southern king after he has taken the “multitude” of the northern king.<p><span class= "bld">But he shall not be strengthened</span>—<span class= "ital">i.e.</span>, he does not prove so successful as he had hoped. His aim was to gain complete supremacy over his rival, but for reasons which are about to be stated he was unable to gain his object. Those interpreters who see a distinct reference to the wars of Ptolemy and Antiochus point out that though the loss of the Syrians was very great, yet Ptolemy did not follow up his success as he should have done. Instead of striking a decisive blow, he was content with regaining the towns which Antiochus had taken from him.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-13.htm">Daniel 11:13</a></div><div class="verse">For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.</div>(13) <span class= "bld">Shall return.—</span>In this and the next two verses the causes are mentioned to which the failure of the southern king was due. He returns some years after his defeat to take revenge, and brings with him a larger army than he had on the previous occasion.<p><span class= "bld">Much riches</span>—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> all that is necessary for the maintenance of a large army; literally, <span class= "ital">anything acquired.</span> This has been explained of the invasion of Egypt by Antiochus and Philip of Macedon, some thirteen or fourteen years after the battle of Raphia, when Ptolemy Epiphanes, a mere child, had succeeded his father, Philopator. On the hypothesis that these chapters refer to this period, it is surprising that there should be no allusion to the religious persecutions to which the Jews in Egypt had been subjected by Ptolemy Philopator, who, after his victory at Raphia, attempted to enter the Holy Place, as is mentioned in the Third Book of Maccabees. It should be remembered that the Jews suffered considerably from both parties during the whole of this period; but though the prophecy is supposed to have been written for their comfort and encouragement at this very juncture, yet not a word is said which bears allusion to them.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-14.htm">Daniel 11:14</a></div><div class="verse">And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.</div>(14) <span class= "bld">In those times.—</span>It must be noticed that at this verse—the earliest in which there is any reference to Daniel’s people and to the vision (<a href="/daniel/10-1.htm" title="In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed to Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing was true, but the time appointed was long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.">Daniel 10:1</a>; <a href="/context/daniel/10-7.htm" title="And I Daniel alone saw the vision: for the men that were with me saw not the vision; but a great quaking fell on them, so that they fled to hide themselves.">Daniel 10:7-8</a>)—we appear to be approaching the great crisis. We appear to be within “a very few days” (see <a href="/daniel/11-20.htm" title="Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.">Daniel 11:20</a>) of the vile-person who corresponds to the little horn of the fourth beast. At this period the king of the south suffers from many hostile opponents, while certain others, more closely connected with the Jews, become prominent for a while, but then fail. The obscurity of the Hebrew text was felt by the LXX., and distinct historical allusions can be found by those only who are determined to find them. These are stated to be some insurrections during the early years of Ptolemy Epiphanes, and a league which some of the Jews made with Antiochus the Great against Ptolemy.<p><span class= "bld">Robbers of thy people.—</span>This difficult expression occurs only in five other passages (<a href="/psalms/17-4.htm" title="Concerning the works of men, by the word of your lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.">Psalm 17:4</a>; <a href="/isaiah/35-9.htm" title="No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there:">Isaiah 35:9</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/7-11.htm" title="Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes? Behold, even I have seen it, said the LORD.">Jeremiah 7:11</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/7-22.htm" title="My face will I turn also from them, and they shall pollute my secret place: for the robbers shall enter into it, and defile it.">Ezekiel 7:22</a>; <a href="/ezekiel/18-10.htm" title="If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that does the like to any one of these things,">Ezekiel 18:10</a>). The words in this passage can only refer to certain Jews who committed various violent breaches of the Law, and on this occasion revolted against the king of the south.<p><span class= "bld">To establish the vision.—</span>The meaning is, the result of their acts is to bring about the accomplishment of the vision (<a href="/daniel/10-14.htm" title="Now I am come to make you understand what shall befall your people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.">Daniel 10:14</a>). The significant part of the verse is the “falling” of the robbers. It seems to mean that the conduct of these men shall bring them just the reverse of what they had expected.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-15.htm">Daniel 11:15</a></div><div class="verse">So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither <i>shall there be any</i> strength to withstand.</div>(15) <span class= "bld">The king of the north.—</span>This prince attacks the fortress of his rival, who is unable to resist him. Here it is supposed that the allusion is to the capture of Sidon by Antiochus the Great. The troops <span class= "ital">of</span> Ptolemy under Scopas had acquired possession of Jerusalem and of various portions of Syria during the absence of Antiochus. Scopas and the Egyptian troops under him fled to Sidon, where they were forced by famine to surrender to the Syrians (B.C. 198).<p><span class= "bld">The arms of the south</span>.—Comp. <a href="/daniel/11-31.htm" title="And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that makes desolate.">Daniel 11:31</a>. The phrase means the armed force of the south.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-16.htm">Daniel 11:16</a></div><div class="verse">But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.</div>(16) <span class= "bld">But he that cometh.</span>—We now hear of further proceedings of the northern king. He follows up the vision mentioned in the last verse, enters the glorious land (<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> Palestine), and commits great ravages in it. The king is described in language which reminds us of <a href="/daniel/11-3.htm" title="And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.">Daniel 11:3</a>. He acts just as he pleases after his entrance to the southern kingdom. This has been applied to the conduct of Antiochus the Great, but history does not speak of any acts of destruction committed by him in Palestine. On the contrary, it is recorded of him that he treated the Jews with kindness. (On the “glorious land,” see <a href="/daniel/8-9.htm" title="And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.">Daniel 8:9</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Which by his hand</span> . . .—Literally, <span class= "ital">destruction being in his hand.</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-17.htm">Daniel 11:17</a></div><div class="verse">He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand <i>on his side</i>, neither be for him.</div>(17) <span class= "bld">He shall also.—</span>He has further plans for subduing the dominions of the southern king. He brings together all the forces he can amass, and then attempts by means of a political marriage to establish peace; but this also proves a failure.<p><span class= "bld">Upright ones.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">all that is right;</span> hence the words have been explained, “straightforward pleas”. If “persons” are intended, it is not impossible that there may be a hint at the Jews taking the part of the northern king in the contest.<p><span class= "bld">Daughter of women</span>—<span class= "ital">i.e.</span>, a woman. (Comp. the phrase “son of man,” <a href="/ezekiel/2-1.htm" title="And he said to me, Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak to you.">Ezekiel 2:1</a>.) The rest of the verse is obscure. It seems to mean that the consequence of this marriage was the destruction of the woman mentioned. Or it is possible that “her” refers to the southern kingdom. St. Jerome explains it, “<span class= "ital">ut evertat Ptolemœum sive regnum ejus.”</span> This has been supposed to point to the marriage of Ptolemy Epiphanes with Cleopatra, the daughter of Antiochus the Great. However, the language is very general. (Comp. <a href="/daniel/11-6.htm" title="And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.">Daniel 11:6</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">But she shall not stand.—</span>These words form an explanatory clause, meaning that the plan will not answer.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-18.htm">Daniel 11:18</a></div><div class="verse">After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause <i>it</i> to turn upon him.</div>(18) <span class= "bld">Shall he turn.—</span>He goes northward, this being the direction indicated by “the isles.” This has been explained of the victories gained by Antiochus the Great in Asia Minor. He is stated to have reduced various towns and islands, and finally to have taken Ephesus. He was in this way brought into contact with the Romans, and was defeated by L. Scipio, who is identified with “the prince” mentioned in this verse. The Greek versions exhibit considerable variations.<p><span class= "bld">A prince.</span>—It is doubtful whether this is to be taken as nominative or as accusative. The English Version treats it as nominative, St. Jerome and Theodotion as accusative. In accordance with the latter rendering, the meaning is, “The king of the north will cause to cease the princes who have been his reproach. But the princes shall return him his reproach.” The word “prince” is used collectively to mean the rulers of the islands mentioned in the first part of the verse. It is stated that in the first instance the northern king will be successful, but in the end the princes will repay him the reproach which he inflicted upon them, as appears more fully in the next verse.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-19.htm">Daniel 11:19</a></div><div class="verse">Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.</div>(19) <span class= "bld">The fort.—</span>The king of the north is forced to take refuge in his fortresses, and here meets with his end. This is explained of the death of Antiochus the Great at Elymais, where he had profaned a temple.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-20.htm">Daniel 11:20</a></div><div class="verse">Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes <i>in</i> the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.</div>(20) <span class= "bld">A raiser of taxes.—</span>The marginal version is to be preferred, as it gives the meaning of the word “exactor,” or “oppressor,” which it has in <a href="/exodus/3-7.htm" title="And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;">Exodus 3:7</a>, and in every passage where it occurs, except perhaps <a href="/isaiah/9-4.htm" title="For you have broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.">Isaiah 9:4</a>. The new king of the north causes the “oppressor” to pass through “the majesty of the kingdom” (a phrase occurring elsewhere only in <a href="/psalms/145-12.htm" title="To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom.">Psalm 145:12</a>; but comp. <a href="/1_chronicles/29-25.htm" title="And the LORD magnified Solomon exceedingly in the sight of all Israel, and bestowed on him such royal majesty as had not been on any king before him in Israel.">1Chronicles 29:25</a>), meaning the “richest parts of his kingdom,” and not necessarily Palestine. The effect of this policy was that the king fell a victim to a conspiracy in a few days. According to St. Jerome, the person alluded to was Seleucus Philopator.<p>With this verse the first part of the prophecy concludes. It is to be observed that thus far (1) notes of time are very scanty; we only meet with indefinite expressions, such as “in the end of years” (<a href="/daniel/11-6.htm" title="And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king's daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.">Daniel 11:6</a>), “certain years” (<a href="/daniel/11-13.htm" title="For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.">Daniel 11:13</a>), “within few days” (<a href="/daniel/11-20.htm" title="Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.">Daniel 11:20</a>), and vague terms expressing sequence of time. (2) There is nothing in the text which implies any change of sovereigns, except in <a href="/daniel/11-7.htm" title="But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:">Daniel 11:7</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-19.htm" title="Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.">Daniel 11:19</a>. It follows from a careful study of these verses that according to their natural and literal sense they speak of only two southern kings and only one northern king. The southern king of whom we read most is apparently the offspring of the daughter of the first southern king, mentioned in <a href="/daniel/11-5.htm" title="And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.">Daniel 11:5</a>, and it is he who engages in conflict with the first northern king, and with his sons (<a href="/daniel/11-10.htm" title="But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.">Daniel 11:10</a>). The whole prophecy is eschatological, and refers to two opposing earthly powers which will affect the destiny of God’s people in the last times. It relates a series of wars and political intrigues between these two powers, all of which prove futile, and it concludes with the account of the death of the first northern king. <a href="/daniel/11-20.htm" title="Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.">Daniel 11:20</a> is a transition verse, in which another character is introduced, who will mark the approach of the end; while <a href="/daniel/11-21.htm" title="And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.">Daniel 11:21</a> introduces the most prominent object of the prophecy—a person who remains before the reader till the end of the chapter, while the southern king gradually disappears (<a href="/daniel/11-25.htm" title="And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.">Daniel 11:25</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-27.htm" title="And both of these kings' hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.">Daniel 11:27</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-40.htm" title="And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.">Daniel 11:40</a>), and what is apparently his country is mentioned without its sovereign in <a href="/daniel/11-43.htm" title="But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.">Daniel 11:43</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-21.htm">Daniel 11:21</a></div><div class="verse">And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.</div>(21) <span class= "bld">A vile person.</span>—The meaning of the language will be plainer after a reference to <a href="/psalms/119-141.htm" title="I am small and despised: yet do not I forget your precepts.">Psalm 119:141</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/22-28.htm" title="Is this man Coniah a despised broken idol? is he a vessel wherein is no pleasure? why are they cast out, he and his seed, and are cast into a land which they know not?">Jeremiah 22:28</a>. The moral character of the man is especially described. The words that follow explain more fully that he was not worthy of receiving royal majesty. This person is generally identified with Antiochus Epiphanes. The description certainly agrees with him very closely. In fact, just as his predecessors resembled in various points the kings spoken of in <a href="/context/daniel/11-1.htm" title="Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.">Daniel 11:1-20</a>, so Antiochus resembles the person here described. The language of St. Jerome about early interpreters of the Book of Daniel is striking: “<span class= "ital">Cumque multa quœ postea lecturi et exposituri sumus super Antiochi persona conveniant, typum eum volunt Antichristi habere, et quœ in illo ex parte prœceperint, in Antichristo ex toto esse complenda.</span>”<p><span class= "bld">Peaceably.—</span>Unexpectedly, as LXX. (Comp. <a href="/daniel/8-25.htm" title="And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand; and he shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken without hand.">Daniel 8:25</a>.) The king is here represented as taking possession of the kingdom by craft, and in the following clause he is said to gain his end by “flatteries,” or by intrigues and cunning hypocritical conduct. It does not appear that this was done by Antiochus Epiphanes.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-22.htm">Daniel 11:22</a></div><div class="verse">And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.</div>(22) <span class= "bld">With the arms.</span>—More correctly, <span class= "ital">and the arms in a flood;</span> that is, the overwhelming forces of invading armies are swept away by the troops of this terrible king. But besides the enemy, the “prince of the covenant” is to be destroyed also. This expression is most readily explained by observing that it stands in contrast with the hostile armies mentioned in the first clause. It is an expression similar to “men of covenant,” “lords of covenant,” and means “those who were at peace with him,” “prince” being used as a collective noun (see <a href="/daniel/11-18.htm" title="After this shall he turn his face to the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn on him.">Daniel 11:18</a>). This has been supposed to refer to the murder of Onias III. (<a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/4-1.htm" title="This Simon now, of whom we spake afore, having been a betrayer of the money, and of his country, slandered Onias, as if he had terrified Heliodorus, and been the worker of these evils.">2 Maccabees 4:1</a>, &c., <a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/4-33.htm" title="Which when Onias knew of a surety, he reproved him, and withdrew himself into a sanctuary at Daphne, that lieth by Antiochia.">2 Maccabees 4:33</a>, &c.); but there is no reason for supposing that the high priest was ever called by such a title as “prince of the covenant.”<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-23.htm">Daniel 11:23</a></div><div class="verse">And after the league <i>made</i> with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.</div>(23) <span class= "bld">He shall work.</span>—Apparently this verse explains more fully the means by which the king succeeds in maintaining his influence. He has already destroyed those who are at peace with him. From the time that he first becomes their confederate, he works deceitfully, coming up with hostile intent, accompanied only by a few people, and in this way throwing off their guard those whom he would destroy.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-24.htm">Daniel 11:24</a></div><div class="verse">He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do <i>that</i> which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers' fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: <i>yea</i>, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.</div>(24) <span class= "bld">Peaceably.—</span>The subject continues to be the perfidious conduct of the king mentioned in the last two verses. While the inhabitants are expecting nothing of the sort, he enters the richest parts of the province, and while he scatters largesses with profuseness and in apparent friendship, he is really planning attacks against the fortresses of the district, endeavouring to reduce them into his power.<p>This has been referred to the conduct of Antiochus Epiphanes, mentioned in <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/3-27.htm" title="Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army.">1 Maccabees 3:27-30</a>, after the defeat of the Syrian army by Judas Maccabæus. According to another interpretation, the meaning is that he will scatter or disperse the accumulated wealth of the different provinces “among them”—that is, to their hurt. The former explanation appears to be most in accordance with the deceit and craft which the prophecy attributes to the king.<p><span class= "bld">For a time</span>.—That is, the end of the time decreed by God. (Comp. <a href="/daniel/11-35.htm" title="And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.">Daniel 11:35</a>, <a href="/daniel/8-17.htm" title="So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell on my face: but he said to me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.">Daniel 8:17</a>; <a href="/daniel/8-19.htm" title="And he said, Behold, I will make you know what shall be in the last end of the indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be.">Daniel 8:19</a>; <a href="/daniel/12-4.htm" title="But you, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.">Daniel 12:4</a>; <a href="/daniel/12-6.htm" title="And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was on the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?">Daniel 12:6</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-25.htm">Daniel 11:25</a></div><div class="verse">And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.</div>(25) <span class= "bld">The south.—</span>Here, for the first time in the second portion of the prophecy, mention is made of the southern king. It is highly probable that the deceit mentioned in the last three verses had this king and his provinces for its object. This and the next two verses are supposed to describe the war of Antiochus with Ptolemy Philometor (see <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-16.htm" title="Now when the kingdom was established before Antiochus, he thought to reign over Egypt that he might have the dominion of two realms.">1 Maccabees 1:16-19</a>), or his war with Physcon, on which see Livy. xliv. 19.<p><span class= "bld">His power and his courage—</span><span class= "ital">i.e.</span>, his military skill as well as his personal energy.<p><span class= "bld">But he shall not stand.—</span>Comp. <a href="/daniel/8-4.htm" title="I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.">Daniel 8:4</a>. The subject is the king of the south, who finds the devices of his opponent are more than a match for him. The “devices are explained in the next two verses.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-26.htm">Daniel 11:26</a></div><div class="verse">Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.</div>(26) <span class= "bld">They that feed.—</span>The context points to treachery. The false companions of the southern king betray him to the enemy; he is broken, the hostile army pours in, and many are slain. This has been referred to the second campaign of Antiochus in Egypt; however, history is silent of any treachery against Physcon. St. Jerome remarks: “<span class= "ital">Nostri secundum superiorem sensum interpretantur omnia de Antichristo qui nasciturus est de populo Judœorum, et de Babylone venturus, primum superaturus est regem Egypti, qui est unus de tribus cornibus.”</span><p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-27.htm">Daniel 11:27</a></div><div class="verse">And both these kings' hearts <i>shall be</i> to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end <i>shall be</i> at the time appointed.</div>(27) <span class= "bld">Both these kings.—</span>The two rival kings are here described as living upon terms of outward friendship, while each is inwardly trying to outwit the other. The context is opposed to any reference to the combination of Antiochus and Philometor against Physcon (see Livy, xlv. 11; Polyb. xxix. 8). The object of the paragraph is to show that the southern king was attempting to fight his rival with his own weapons—viz., deceit—but the plots of each king fail.<p><span class= "bld">For yet</span> . . .—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> the end of each will come only at the time definitely ordained by God for the consummation of His kingdom (<a href="/daniel/11-35.htm" title="And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.">Daniel 11:35</a>). Man cannot hasten the events decreed by God’s providence. For an interesting commentary, read <a href="/context/isaiah/18-4.htm" title="For so the LORD said to me, I will take my rest, and I will consider in my dwelling place like a clear heat on herbs, and like a cloud of dew in the heat of harvest.">Isaiah 18:4-6</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-28.htm">Daniel 11:28</a></div><div class="verse">Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart <i>shall be</i> against the holy covenant; and he shall do <i>exploits</i>, and return to his own land.</div>(28) <span class= "bld">Then shall he return.—</span>He returns, apparently bringing abundant spoils with him, and while on the journey sets his heart against the holy covenant.<p><span class= "bld">Great riches.</span>—The prophecy points distinctly to Antiochus after his return from Egypt. (See <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-19.htm" title="Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt and he took the spoils thereof.">1 Maccabees 1:19-28</a>; <a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/5-11.htm" title="Now when this that was done came to the king's ear, he thought that Judea had revolted: whereupon removing out of Egypt in a furious mind, he took the city by force of arms,">2 Maccabees 5:11-17</a>.) This was the occasion of his first attack upon the theocracy. The typical character of Antiochus is drawn in <a href="/daniel/11-30.htm" title="For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.">Daniel 11:30</a>, &c., with still greater clearness.<p><span class= "bld">He shall do</span>—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> prosper in his undertakings against the covenant. (See the passages from the Books of Maccabees referred to in the last Note.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-29.htm">Daniel 11:29</a></div><div class="verse">At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.</div>(29) <span class= "bld">At the time appointed—</span><span class= "ital">i.e.</span>, in God’s own time. According to <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-29.htm" title="And after two years fully expired the king sent his chief collector of tribute unto the cities of Juda, who came unto Jerusalem with a great multitude,">1 Maccabees 1:29</a>, it was after two years were fully expired since his return to Syria that Antiochus made another attack upon Jerusalem. This attack was made after his return from Egypt.<p><span class= "bld">But it shall not be.</span>—No such success attended him at the latter as at the former invasion.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-30.htm">Daniel 11:30</a></div><div class="verse">For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.</div>(30) <span class= "bld">Ships of Chittim.—</span>On Chittim, see <a href="/genesis/10-4.htm" title="And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.">Genesis 10:4</a>; comp. <a href="/numbers/24-24.htm" title="And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever.">Numbers 24:24</a>. The LXX. explain this of the Romans, referring to the story in Livy, xlv. 11.<p><span class= "bld">He shall be grieved.—</span>Literally, <span class= "ital">he shall lose heart.</span> Compare the words of Livy, which describe the feelings of Antiochus at the peremptory demands of Popilius: “<span class= "ital">Obstupefactus tam violento imperio.”</span> Theodotion apparently imagined that the Cyprians came as allies to the aid of Antiochus.<p><span class= "bld">Return.</span>—That is, to Palestine, where he will indulge his anger.<p><span class= "bld">Have intelligence</span>—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> pay attention to them. These persons are such as those who are mentioned in <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-11.htm" title="In those days went there out of Israel wicked men, who persuaded many, saying, Let us go and make a covenant with the heathen that are round about us: for since we departed from them we have had much sorrow.">1 Maccabees 1:11-16</a>, who were anxious to Hellenise all their institutions, not only forsaking the outward sign of the covenant, but actually taking Greek names.<p>On the manner in which Antiochus treated the apostates, see <a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/4-14.htm" title="That the priests had no courage to serve any more at the altar, but despising the temple, and neglecting the sacrifices, hastened to be partakers of the unlawful allowance in the place of exercise, after the game of Discus called them forth;">2 Maccabees 4:14</a>, &c., and comp. <a href="/daniel/11-39.htm" title="Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.">Daniel 11:39</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-31.htm">Daniel 11:31</a></div><div class="verse">And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily <i>sacrifice</i>, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.</div>(31) <span class= "bld">Arms.</span>—A further statement of the assistance which the king obtains in his attacks upon all sacred institutions. The word “arms,” as in <a href="/daniel/11-5.htm" title="And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.">Daniel 11:5</a>, means “assistance,” especially military assistance, or some other aid, with which is contrasted in the next verse the help given by the apostates.<p><span class= "bld">The sanctuary of strength.</span>—In the Hebrew (see Theodotion) there are two nouns in apposition. Apparently the two words are a name for the Temple, which is so called because it was the spiritual support of God’s people, as well as a very powerful fortress. (See <a href="/isaiah/25-4.htm" title="For you have been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall.">Isaiah 25:4</a>, &c.; <a href="/context/psalms/31-2.htm" title="Bow down your ear to me; deliver me speedily: be you my strong rock, for an house of defense to save me.">Psalm 31:2-4</a>; and compare <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-44.htm" title="For the king had sent letters by messengers unto Jerusalem and the cities of Juda that they should follow the strange laws of the land,">1 Maccabees 1:44</a>; <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/6-7.htm" title="Also that they had pulled down the abomination, which he had set up upon the altar in Jerusalem, and that they had compassed about the sanctuary with high walls, as before, and his city Bethsura.">1 Maccabees 6:7</a>; <a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/6-4.htm" title="For the temple was filled with riot and revelling by the Gentiles, who dallied with harlots, and had to do with women within the circuit of the holy places, and besides that brought in things that were not lawful.">2 Maccabees 6:4</a>, which speak of the various deeds of Antiochus upon this occasion.) On the daily sacrifice, and on the abomination of desolation, see the Notes on <a href="/daniel/8-13.htm" title="Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said to that certain saint which spoke, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?">Daniel 8:13</a>.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-32.htm">Daniel 11:32</a></div><div class="verse">And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do <i>exploits</i>.</div>(32) <span class= "bld">Such as do wickedly.</span>—In these verses are traced the effects of the apostasy upon the people of God. These persons have been already spoken of in <a href="/daniel/11-30.htm" title="For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.">Daniel 11:30</a>. They had begun with indifference to true religion, they have now become intolerant of it.<p><span class= "bld">Corrupt.</span>—Literally, <span class= "ital">make profane.</span> On the Hebrew notion of profanity, see Cheyne’s <span class= "ital">Isaiah,</span> vol. 1, p. 3. These persons have now become as the heathen. (See <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/2-17.htm" title="Then answered the king's officers, and said to Mattathias on this wise, Thou art a ruler, and an honourable and great man in this city, and strengthened with sons and brethren:">1 Maccabees 2:17-18</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">But the people. . . .</span>—While the large mass of people becomes obedient to the persecutor, there is a party of true believers remaining, who are “strong,” or rather, confirm the covenant, and “do,” <span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> succeed in their attempt. That such a party existed in the time of Antiochus Epiphanes appears from <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-62.htm" title="Howbeit many in Israel were fully resolved and confirmed in themselves not to eat any unclean thing.">1 Maccabees 1:62</a>, &c., <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/2-3.htm" title="Simon; called Thassi:">1 Maccabees 2:3</a>, &c. Similarly in all times of persecution there will be a remnant, though it may be very small. which will remain firm to their covenant with God. (Comp. <a href="/1_kings/19-18.htm" title="Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth which has not kissed him.">1Kings 19:18</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-33.htm">Daniel 11:33</a></div><div class="verse">And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, <i>many</i> days.</div>(33) <span class= "bld">They that understand.—</span>This is the name by which those are called who were spoken of in the last verse as “knowing their God.” (Comp. <a href="/daniel/12-10.htm" title="Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.">Daniel 12:10</a>; <a href="/psalms/111-10.htm" title="The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endures for ever.">Psalm 111:10</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Shall instruct many.—</span>That is, their example shall give instruction to “the many” who yield to the flatteries mentioned in the last verse. They show them whither they are drifting. For illustration, see <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/2-1.htm" title="In those days arose Mattathias the son of John, the son of Simeon, a priest of the sons of Joarib, from Jerusalem, and dwelt in Modin.">1 Maccabees 2:1</a>, &c.; <a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/6-18.htm" title="Eleazar, one of the principal scribes, an aged man, and of a well favoured countenance, was constrained to open his mouth, and to eat swine's flesh.">2 Maccabees 6:18</a>. Others may be found in the history of any religious persecution.<p><span class= "bld">Yet they shall fall.—</span>The prophecy obviously refers to martyrdom, but whether to the sufferings of “those who understand” or of “those who are instructed” is not clear. Probably both are intended, as appears from <a href="/daniel/11-35.htm" title="And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.">Daniel 11:35</a>. The deaths mentioned in <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/1-57.htm" title="And whosoever was found with any the book of the testament, or if any committed to the law, the king's commandment was, that they should put him to death.">1 Maccabees 1:57</a>, &c., 3:41, 5:13, may be taken as typical of the sufferings of the Church in the last times.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-34.htm">Daniel 11:34</a></div><div class="verse">Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.</div>(34) <span class= "bld">Now when they shall fall.—</span>Referring to those who suffer during this persecution, to whichever class they belong. (See last Note). These will not be entirely without help, but there will be some small assistance given them. It will be small, either compared with their present needs, or contrasted with the great help which will be given them when the tribulation attains its greatest severity. In the Maccabee persecutions help was given to the sufferers by Judas and his brethren (<a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/3-11.htm" title="Which thing when Judas perceived, he went forth to meet him, and so he smote him, and slew him: many also fell down slain, but the rest fled.">1 Maccabees 3:11</a>, &c., <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/4-14.htm" title="So they joined battle, and the heathen being discomfited fled into the plain.">1 Maccabees 4:14</a>, &c.). This prevented the faithful from disappearing entirely.<p><span class= "bld">Many shall cleave. . . .</span>—Dissimulation will cause some to declare themselves upon the side of “those that understand.” This is a feature which will be noticed in religious persecutions; according as one party or the other gains in power, as its prospects brighten, it gains fresh adherents. This held true in the days of Antiochus. (See <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/6-21.htm" title="Howbeit certain of them that were besieged got forth, unto whom some ungodly men of Israel joined themselves:">1 Maccabees 6:21</a>, &c., 9:23.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-35.htm">Daniel 11:35</a></div><div class="verse">And <i>some</i> of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make <i>them</i> white, <i>even</i> to the time of the end: because <i>it is</i> yet for a time appointed.</div>(35) <span class= "bld">Some of them.—</span>The reason of this persecution is revealed. Whilst in <a href="/daniel/11-33.htm" title="And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.">Daniel 11:33</a> it appears that the sufferings of “those that understand” would instruct others, it appears that they would themselves profit by their sufferings. These gradations are mentioned (1) “to try “—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> to refine, as a precious metal is refined by fire; (2) “to purge “—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> to separate the bad from the good; (3) “to make white”—<span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> to cause them to become completely purified. (Comp. <a href="/psalms/51-7.htm" title="Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.">Psalm 51:7</a>; <a href="/isaiah/1-18.htm" title="Come now, and let us reason together, said the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.">Isaiah 1:18</a>). In this way the dissemblers are made known. The patient example of the sufferers is followed by others who are faithful, while the “flatterers” become open apostates.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-36.htm">Daniel 11:36</a></div><div class="verse">And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.</div>(36) <span class= "bld">The king.—</span>He raises himself by his thoughts and deeds, not only above the heathen deities, but above the true God. Though there can be no doubt that the northern king is still spoken of, it must be remarked that the features of Antiochus are gradually fading away from the portrait. In no sense can Antiochus be called an Atheist; nor does the language of the writer of <a href="//apocrypha.org/2_maccabees/9-12.htm" title="And when he himself could not abide his own smell, he said these words, It is meet to be subject unto God, and that a man that is mortal should not proudly think of himself if he were God.">2 Maccabees 9:12</a>, “think of himself as if he were God,” correspond with the words of this verse. Antiochus’ main object was to Hellenise the Jewish religion, and to force the Greek gods upon the Jews. The character of the northern king, on the contrary, finds a parallel in St. Paul’s description of Antichrist (<a href="/2_thessalonians/2-4.htm" title="Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.">2Thessalonians 2:4</a>).<p><span class= "bld">Marvellous things.—</span>That is, his utterances and blasphemies against the true God will be astounding. (Comp. <a href="/daniel/7-8.htm" title="I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things.">Daniel 7:8</a>; <a href="/daniel/7-11.htm" title="I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spoke: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame.">Daniel 7:11</a>; <a href="/daniel/7-20.htm" title="And of the ten horns that were in his head, and of the other which came up, and before whom three fell; even of that horn that had eyes, and a mouth that spoke very great things, whose look was more stout than his fellows.">Daniel 7:20</a>.) This will continue till God’s indignation against His people is accomplished.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-37.htm">Daniel 11:37</a></div><div class="verse">Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.</div>(37) <span class= "bld">Neither shall they.—</span>A further description is now given of the godlessness of this king, but the people of Israel are no longer mentioned in their relation to him. The northern king appears twice again in Palestine (<a href="/daniel/11-41.htm" title="He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.">Daniel 11:41</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-45.htm" title="And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.">Daniel 11:45</a>), and apparently dies there. He discards his hereditary religion, he has no regard to that natural affection which women look upon as most desirable, but exalts himself over all.<p><span class= "bld">Desire of women.</span>—The language used by Isaiah (<a href="/isaiah/44-9.htm" title="They that make a graven image are all of them vanity; and their delectable things shall not profit; and they are their own witnesses; they see not, nor know; that they may be ashamed.">Isaiah 44:9</a>), “delectable things,” has led some commentators to think that an idol is here intended. It has been stated that the allusion is to the Asiatic goddess of nature, Mylitta, who, again, has been identified with the “queen of heaven” (<a href="/jeremiah/7-18.htm" title="The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings to other gods, that they may provoke me to anger.">Jeremiah 7:18</a>, where see Notes). The context, however, leads us rather to think of human affection, or some other thing highly prized by women, for the words “neither shall he regard any god” would be unmeaning if a god were designated by “the desire of women.” It should be remembered that according to Polybius xxvi. 10, sec. 11, Antiochus exceeded all kings in the sacrifices which he offered at the gates, and in the honours which he paid to the gods.<p><span class= "bld">In his estate—</span><span class= "ital">i.e.</span>, in the place of the God whom he has rejected, he will worship the “god of forces.” There is no reason for taking this to be a proper name, as is done by the Syriac translator and Theodotion. It can only mean “fortresses” (see margin), so that the whole religion of this king is the taking of fortresses. To him war is everything, and to war everything else must give way. To war, as if it were a god, he does honour with all his wealth.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-39.htm">Daniel 11:39</a></div><div class="verse">Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge <i>and</i> increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain.</div>(39). <span class= "bld">A strange god.</span>—By this help he carries out his schemes, and all who acknowledge him are rewarded. (Comp. <a href="/revelation/13-4.htm" title="And they worshipped the dragon which gave power to the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like to the beast? who is able to make war with him?">Revelation 13:4</a>; <a href="/context/revelation/13-16.htm" title="And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:">Revelation 13:16-17</a>.)<p><span class= "bld">Divide the land.</span>—This is evidently done as a reward offered to those who join his ranks. No such conduct of Antiochus is recorded. Bribery, however, was not an unusual mode of persuasion adopted by him. (See <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/2-18.htm" title="Now therefore come thou first, and fulfil the king's commandment, like as all the heathen have done, yea, and the men of Juda also, and such as remain at Jerusalem: so shalt thou and thy house be in the number of the king's friends, and thou and thy children shall be honoured with silver and gold, and many rewards.">1 Maccabees 2:18</a>; <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/3-30.htm" title="He feared that he should not be able to bear the charges any longer, nor to have such gifts to give so liberally as he did before: for he had abounded above the kings that were before him.">1 Maccabees 3:30</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-40.htm">Daniel 11:40</a></div><div class="verse">And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over.</div>(40) <span class= "bld">At the time of the end.—</span>These verses speak of the last expedition of the northern king, and of the disappearance of the king of the south. The portrait of Antiochus, as noticed in the Note on <a href="/daniel/11-36.htm" title="And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.">Daniel 11:36</a>, was gradually fading away, and now not a line of it remains. No such invasion of Egypt as that mentioned here is mentioned in history. From the time mentioned in <a href="/daniel/11-30.htm" title="For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.">Daniel 11:30</a> he appears to have abstained from approaching too closely to the Roman authorities. The story related in <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/3-27.htm" title="Now when king Antiochus heard these things, he was full of indignation: wherefore he sent and gathered together all the forces of his realm, even a very strong army.">1 Maccabees 3:27-37</a> states that on hearing of the successes of the Maccabee princes he went into Persia on a plundering expedition, leaving Lysias his representative in Palestine. Lysias was defeated at Bethsur, and the news of the overthrow of his army was brought to Antiochus while he was in Persia. So appalling was the effect upon him of these tidings, that “he fell sick for grief” (<a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/6-8.htm" title="Now when the king heard these words, he was astonished and sore moved: whereupon he laid him down upon his bed, and fell sick for grief, because it had not befallen him as he looked for.">1 Maccabees 6:8</a>), and died. It is unnecessary <span class= "ital">to</span> suppose that the revelation resumes the narrative from <a href="/daniel/11-29.htm" title="At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.">Daniel 11:29</a> after a parenthetic passage (<a href="/context/daniel/11-30.htm" title="For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.">Daniel 11:30-39</a>), or to assume that we have a general recapitulation of the wars of Antiochus, described in <a href="/context/daniel/11-22.htm" title="And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflowed from before him, and shall be broken; yes, also the prince of the covenant.">Daniel 11:22-39</a>, without distinguishing the different campaigns. (For a good account of Antiochus, see <span class= "ital">Judas Maccabœus,</span> by C. R. Conder, R. E., Daniel 3.)<p><span class= "bld">Time of the end.—</span>Comp. <a href="/daniel/8-17.htm" title="So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell on my face: but he said to me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.">Daniel 8:17</a>. The words mean the end of the world, with which (<a href="/daniel/11-45.htm" title="And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.">Daniel 11:45</a>) the end of this king coincides. The word “push” occurs also in <a href="/daniel/8-4.htm" title="I saw the ram pushing westward, and northward, and southward; so that no beasts might stand before him, neither was there any that could deliver out of his hand; but he did according to his will, and became great.">Daniel 8:4</a>, and from the context it may be inferred that the southern king begins the last conflict, in the course of which both kings come to an end.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-41.htm">Daniel 11:41</a></div><div class="verse">He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many <i>countries</i> shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, <i>even</i> Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.</div>(41) <span class= "bld">The glorious land.—</span>See <a href="/daniel/11-16.htm" title="But he that comes against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.">Daniel 11:16</a>. On the occasion of his hasty march against Egypt, while passing through Palestine, the king takes the shortest route, avoiding the three tribes which had been distinguished by their hostility towards the people of Israel. It is remarkable that these nations (two of which appear as figures of Antichrist, <a href="/isaiah/25-10.htm" title="For in this mountain shall the hand of the LORD rest, and Moab shall be trodden down under him, even as straw is trodden down for the dunghill.">Isaiah 25:10</a>; <a href="/isaiah/63-1.htm" title="Who is this that comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, traveling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save.">Isaiah 63:1</a>) should escape, while other nations fell before Antichrist. It is also noteworthy that these three tribes are called nations, for after the return from the exile it appears that they ceased to have any distinct national existence. As tribes they had some considerable power, taking the part of Antiochus in the Maccabee wars. (See <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/3-10.htm" title="Then Apollonius gathered the Gentiles together, and a great host out of Samaria, to fight against Israel.">1 Maccabees 3:10</a>; <a href="//apocrypha.org/1_maccabees/5-1.htm" title="Now when the nations round about heard that the altar was built and the sanctuary renewed as before, it displeased them very much.">1 Maccabees 5:1-8</a>.) Judas also fortified Zion against the Idumæans.<p><span class= "bld">The chief of—</span><span class= "ital">i.e.,</span> the best of them. (Comp. <a href="/numbers/24-20.htm" title="And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever.">Numbers 24:20</a>.)<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-42.htm">Daniel 11:42</a></div><div class="verse">He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.</div>(42) <span class= "bld">He shall stretch forth.—</span>He seizes various countries through which he passes, and among them Egypt is especially selected for mention, representing, as it does, the most powerful of them. The king has at last attained his object. He has frequently been partially successful in his attempts (see <a href="/context/daniel/11-12.htm" title="And when he has taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.">Daniel 11:12-13</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-15.htm" title="So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.">Daniel 11:15</a>; <a href="/daniel/11-29.htm" title="At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.">Daniel 11:29</a>), but now Egypt is completely overthrown.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-43.htm">Daniel 11:43</a></div><div class="verse">But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians <i>shall be</i> at his steps.</div>(43) <span class= "bld">Libyans . . . Ethiopians.—</span>These nations are specified as allies of Egypt. (See <a href="/ezekiel/30-5.htm" title="Ethiopia, and Libya, and Lydia, and all the mingled people, and Chub, and the men of the land that is in league, shall fall with them by the sword.">Ezekiel 30:5</a>; <a href="/jeremiah/46-9.htm" title="Come up, you horses; and rage, you chariots; and let the mighty men come forth; the Ethiopians and the Libyans, that handle the shield; and the Lydians, that handle and bend the bow.">Jeremiah 46:9</a>.) They are represented as following the steps of the conqueror (comp. <a href="/exodus/11-8.htm" title="And all these your servants shall come down to me, and bow down themselves to me, saying, Get you out, and all the people that follow you: and after that I will go out. And he went out from Pharaoh in a great anger.">Exodus 11:8</a>), and as submitting themselves to him.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-44.htm">Daniel 11:44</a></div><div class="verse">But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.</div>(44) <span class= "bld">He shall go forth.</span>—The end of the northern king. While in Egypt he has bad news brought to him from the north and from the east, which stirs up feelings of revenge. Once again he halts in Palestine, where he comes to an end. That this cannot apply to Antiochus is evident from the following facts—(1) Antiochus was in Persia when the news of the defeat of Lysias reached him; (2) Judæa and Jerusalem cannot in any sense be regarded as either east or north of Persia; (3) Antiochus died in Persia, and not near Jerusalem.<p> <div class="versenum"><a href="/daniel/11-45.htm">Daniel 11:45</a></div><div class="verse">And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.</div>(45) <span class= "bld">He shall plant</span> . . .—For a similar prophecy, comp. <a href="/jeremiah/43-10.htm" title="And say to them, Thus said the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will send and take Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will set his throne on these stones that I have hid; and he shall spread his royal pavilion over them.">Jeremiah 43:10</a> (where see the Targum). The king is here represented as halting while a palatial tent is being erected for him. The word “palace” is omitted by the LXX., and simply transliterated “Apedno” by St. Jerome and Theodotion, as if it were a proper name.<p><span class= "bld">Between the seas—</span><span class= "ital">i.e.</span>, between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.<p><span class= "bld">The glorious holy mountain.—</span>Literally, <span class= "ital">The</span> <span class= "ital">mountain of the holy ornament,</span> generally explained to be Mount Zion. (Comp. <a href="/psalms/48-2.htm" title="Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King.">Psalm 48:2</a>.) This he threatens, as once did the Assyrian (comp. <a href="/context/isaiah/10-32.htm" title="As yet shall he remain at Nob that day: he shall shake his hand against the mount of the daughter of Zion, the hill of Jerusalem.">Isaiah 10:32-34</a>), but without success.<p><span class= "bld">He shall come to his end.—</span>It is to be remarked that the end of this king is placed in the same locality which is elsewhere predicted by the prophets as the scene of the overthrow of Antichrist (<a href="/ezekiel/39-4.htm" title="You shall fall on the mountains of Israel, you, and all your bands, and the people that is with you: I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort, and to the beasts of the field to be devoured.">Ezekiel 39:4</a>; <a href="/joel/3-2.htm" title="I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land.">Joel 3:2</a>; <a href="/joel/3-12.htm" title="Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about.">Joel 3:12</a>; <a href="/zechariah/14-2.htm" title="For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city.">Zechariah 14:2</a>).<p><span class= "bld"><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers<br /><br />Text Courtesy of <a href="//biblesupport.com" target="_top">BibleSupport.com</a>. 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