Daniel Chapter 11
Chapter 11 is the crux of the argument about the date of Daniel. The chapter begins with a mention of Persian rule followed by the conquest of Alexander the Great. It then begins a detailed and lengthy description of the conflict between two of Alexander’s successors, the Ptolemies in Egypt and the Seleucids in Syria. While the majority of the chapter is historically accurate, the last several verses diverge from the historical record. Critical scholars argue that Daniel must have been written after the events describe, during the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, and the last verses were incorrect predictions of yet future events. Most conservative scholars argue that all of chapter 11 was still in the future at the time of its writing (6th Century BC), and is therefore, prophecy. The last few verses, they argue, are not a description of Antiochus Epiphanes, but of a yet future king who will be known as the Antichrist.
Annotated Commentary with Links
| 1“As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him. | There is no current historical record of Darius the Mede, but from the text of Daniel, he appears to have ruled Babylon for a very short time until Cyrus, the king of Persia, took over personal rule of Babylon. |
| 2“Now will I show you the truth. Behold, three more kings will stand up in Persia; and the fourth will be far richer than all of them. When he has grown strong through his riches, he will stir up all against the realm of Greece. | Cyrus was succeeded by his son Cambyses, who was succeeded by a ruler known as Pseudo-Smerdis. Pseudo-Smerdis was, in turn, killed and replaced by Darius I, a court official not related to Cyrus. The fourth king after Cyrus was Xerxes I, the son of Darius, Xerxes the first invaded Greece in 481 BC but was ultimately defeated. |
| 3A mighty king will stand up, who will rule with great dominion, and do according to his will. | Alexander the Great, the king of Macedonia, invaded Persia and conquered it in 331 BC. |
| 4When he stands up, his kingdom will be broken, and will be divided toward the four winds of the sky, but not to his posteriety, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom will be plucked up, even for others besides these. | Alexander died in 323 BC at the age of 32. After a period of armed conflict, his empire was eventually divided amongst four of his generals. |
| 5“The king of the south will be strong. One of his princes will become stronger than him, and have dominion. His dominion will be a great dominion. | Two of his chief successors were Ptolemy I who ruled Egypt (the king of the south) and Seleucus I who ruled Syria (the king of the north). Initially Seleucus and Ptolemy were allies, but came into conflict over the territory between their two kingdoms, this area included Israel. The prince who became strong is a reference to Seleucus I who was a prince, or general or Alexander, and came to rule a large territory. |
| 6At the end of years they will join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement; but she will not retain the strength of her arm; neither will he stand, nor his arm; but she will be given up, with those who brought her, and he who became the father of her, and he who strengthened her in those times. | After the First Syrian War fought for control of the Levant (the land including Israel), the son of Ptolemy I, Ptolemy II, and the son of Seleucid I, Antiochus I, agreed on a peace settlement. As part of the peace agreement, the daughter of Ptolemy II, Berenice, was married to the son of Antiochus I, Antiochus II. However, Antiochus II died suddenly and Berenice and her son was assassinated. |
| 7“But out of a shoot from her roots one will stand up in her place, who will enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and will deal against them, and will prevail. | The brother of Berenice, Ptolemy III, responded to the murder of his sister by invading the Seleucid kingdom. He occupied the city of Antiochus and successfully campaigned throughout Syria. |
| 8Also their gods, with their molten images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, will he carry captive into Egypt; and he will refrain some years from the king of the north. | Ptolemy III had to return to Egypt in 245 BC to put down an uprising. He took with him the idols and temple goods of the Seleucids as a sign of their defeat. |
| 9He will come into the realm of the king of the south, but he will return into his own land. | With the retreat of Ptolemy III back to Egypt, Seleucus II, the son of Antiochus II by a former marriage, was able to regain control of the Seleucid kingdom. He briefly attacked the Ptolemies near Egypt before agreeing to peace. |
| 10His sons will wage war, and will assemble a multitude of great forces, which will come on, and overflow, and pass through; and they will return and wage war, even to his fortress. | Seleucus II had two sone, Seleucus III and Antiochus III. At this time, the Seleucid Empire was fighting on two fronts, against the Parthians in the east and against the Galatians and Pergamon in Anatolia. |
| 11“The king of the south will be moved with anger, and will come out and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he will send out a great multitude, and the multitude will be given into his hand. | Seleucus III was assassinated by his army in Anatolia, and his brother, Antiochus III became king. He attacked the northern territories of Egypt, now ruled by Ptolemy IV. Egypt responded by defeating the Seleucid army at the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC. |
| 12The multitude will be lifted up, and his heart will be exalted; and he will cast down tens of thousands, but he won’t prevail. | Ptolemy IV failed to capitalize on his victory over Antiochus III, and instead spent the rest of his reign neglecting his duties, leading to the decline of the Ptolemeic Empire. |
| 13The king of the north will return, and will send out a multitude great than the former; and he will come on at the end of the times, even of years, with a great army and with much substance. | Ptolemy IV died in 204 BC, leaving his 6-year old son, Ptolemy V as king. Antiochus III again attacked the northern territories of the Ptolemeic Empire, starting the Fifth Syrian War (202-195 BC). |
| 14“In those times many will stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the violent among your people will lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they will fall. | Antiochus III was joined in his conquests of Philip V of Macedonia as well as Jewish soldiers who wanted to replaced their Polemic rulers. |
| 15So the king of the north will come, and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city: and the forces of the south won’t stand, neither his chosen people, neither will there be any strength to stand. | In 200 BC, Antiochus III defeated the Ptolemeic Empire in Judah, seized control of Judah, and forced the Ptolemeic army into a siege at the city of Sidon. The Ptolemeic general, Skips, was forced to surrender the siege due to starvation. |
| 16But he who comes against him will do according to his own will, and no one will stand before him; and he will stand in the glorious land, and destruction will be in his hand. | After his defeat of the Ptolemies, Antiochus III consolidated his rule over the conquered nations of Judah, Phoenicia and the surrounding lands. |
| 17He will set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions; and he will perform them. He will give him the daughter of women, to corrupt her; but she will not stand, neither be for him. | After receiving pressure from Rome to stop the hostilities with Egypt, Antiochus III attempted an alliance with Egypt by marrying his daughter, Cleopatra I to the Ptolemeic king, Ptolemy V. |
| 18After this he will turn his face to the islands, and will take many; but a prince will cause the reproach offered by him to cease; yes, moreover, he will cause his reproach to turn in him. | With his alliance with Egypt secure, Antiochus attempted to capture the coastal territory of the Eastern Mediterranean. He invaded Greece in 192 BC, but was eventually defeated by the Romans. |
| 19Then he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he will stumble and fall, and won’t be found. | Antiochus III was forced by the Romans to pay reparations and send his son to Rome as a hostage. The eastern territories of the Seleucid Empire took this opportunity to rebel. Antiochus responded by marching to the east. In 187 BC, Antiochus was killed when the local inhabitants rose up after the Seleucid army plundered a temple to Bel. |
| 20“Then one who will cause a tax collector to pass through the kingdom to maintain its glory will stand up in his place; but within a few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle. | Antiochus III was succeed by Seleucus IV, who instituted a heavy tax on his lands. Seleucus IV was assassinated by his official, Heliodorus, in 175 BC. |
| 21“In his place a contemptible person will stand up, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he will come in time of security, and will obtain the kingdom by flatteries. | The official heir to Seleucus IV was his son, Demetrius, but Demetrius was a hostage in Rome. The throne was seized by Antiochus IV, the brother of Seleucus IV, in 175 BC. Antiochus IV was a usurper, with no legal right to the throne. |
| 22The overwhelming forces will be overwhelmed before him, and will be broken; yes, also the prince of the covenant. | The exact meaning of these next 3 verses are unclear, but Antiochus IV’s reign was notable for two major events, the Sixth Syrian war with Egypt and the Hellenization of Judah. |
| 23After the treaty made with him he will work deceitfully; for he will come up, and will become strong, with a small people. | Pro-Greek culture Jewish families in Jerusalem arranged for the High Priest, Onias III, to be replaced by his brother Jason. This was arranged by paying a large tribute to Antiochus IV. |
| 24In time of security he will come even on the fattest places of the province; and he will do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he will scatter among them prey, and plunder, and substance. Yes, he will devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time. | While Jason was pro-Seleucid and pro Greek culture, wealthy families in Jerusalem preferred another candidate for High Priest, and convinced Antiochus IV to replace Jason with Menelaus, who was not of the priestly line. This led to a civil war in Judah, creating instability at a time Antiochus IV was focusing on his rivals in Egypt. |
| 25“He will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south will wage war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he won’t stand; for they will devise devices against him. | Ptolemy V died in 180 BC, leaving his 6 year-old son, Ptolemy VI as king. Of note, Antiochus IV was uncle to Ptolemy VI through his sister, Cleopatra I, who had been married to Ptolemy V. |
| 26Yes, those who eat of his dainties will destroy him, and his army will be swept away. Many will fall down slain. | Antiochus successfully invaded Egypt and threatened the capital of Alexandria. Ptolemy VI was 16 years old at this time. The reference to “those who eat of his dainties” may be a reference to his advisors, who pushed the young king into an ill-advised war with the Seleucids. |
| 27As for both these kings, their hearts will be to do mischief, and they will speak lies at one table; but it won’t prosper, for the end will still be at the time appointed. | Ptolemy VI and Antiochus IV met in Antiochus’ camp outside Alexandria. They reached some sort of agreement, but scholars speculate neither intended to keep their promises. The Egyptian courtiers rejected the agreement between Ptolemy VI and Antiochus IV and instead appointed the brother of Ptolemy VI, Ptolemy VIII, as king. Antiochus IV stormed Alexandria, but failed to take the city. |
| 28Then he will return into his land with great substance; and his heart will be against the holy covenant; and he will take action, and return to his own land. | Antiochus placed Ptolemy VI in Memphis as a vassal and returned to the north to deal with domestic unrest. On his way back to Syria, Antiochus looted the temple in Jerusalem. |
| 29“He will return at the appointed time, and come into the south; but it won’t be in the latter time as it was in the former. | After Antiochus IV left Egypt, Ptolemy VI and his brother established a joint rule. Antiochus responded by invading Egypt again in 168 BC. |
| 30For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be grieved, and will return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and will take action. He will even return, and have regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. | Antiochus’ invasion was stopped by a Roman fleet led by the Roman counsel, Gaius Populous Laenes. Rome demanded that Antiochus withdraw from Egypt, and required Antiochus give his answer before he left the confines of a circle the counsel drew in the sand. On his way back to Syria, Antiochus learned that in Jerusalem, the former High Priest Jason had attempted to overthrow Menelaus, whom Antiochus had appointed. |
| 31“Forces will stand on his part, and they will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering, and they will set up the abomination that makes desolate. | Antiochus responded by tearing down the city walls of Jerusalem, killing thousands of Israelites, and sold others into slavery. He placed Appolonius, one of his soldiers in charge of the city. Appolonius promoted sacrifices to Greek gods and ritual prostitution in the temple. In December of 167 BC, the daily sacrifices at the temple were halted and according to 1 Maccabees, an altar to a pagan god was set up on the altar of burnt offerings. Some commentators describe the sacrifice of a pig on the altar. |
| 32He will pervert those who do wickedly against the covenant by flatteries; but the people who know their God will be strong and take action. | Antiochus instituted policies to outlaw the Jewish faith. Some Jews promoted the Hellenization of Jerusalem while others opposed the edicts. |
| 33“Those who are wise among the people will instruct many, yet will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, many days. | A priest named Mattathias started a rebellion in the village of Modein. This led to a wide-spread revolution lead by the sons of Mattathias. This revolution was known as the Maccaben revolt. |
| 34Now when they fall, they will be helped with a little help; but many will join themselves to them with flatteries. | |
| 35Some of those who are wise will fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed. | |
| 36“The king will do according to his will; and he will exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvelous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is accomplished; for that which is determined will be done. | Up until verse 36, the text has accurately reported the historical events of the life of Antiochus IV and the Maccabean revolt. In verse 36, however, the text diverges from the historical record. Critical scholars interpret this divergence as evidence Daniel was written at the time of the Maccabean revolt and the latter verse of chapter 11 were incorrect prophecies about the still future end of Antiochus IV. Conservative scholars argue that these verses describe the future Antichrist. |
| 37Neither will he regard the god of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he will magnify himself above all. | The term “God of his fathers” is used more than 45 times in the Old Testament and it always refers to Yahweh, the God of the Israelites. Scholars are split, however, on whether the future king, the Antichrist, will be Jewish, as he could come from a Christian, or even Islamic background. |
| 38But in his place he will honor the god of fortresses. He will honor a god whom his fathers didn’t know with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. | Most scholars believe this verse means the Antichrist will raise a massive army and place his faith in his military might. |
| 39He will deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. He will increase with glory whoever acknowledges him; and he will cause them to rule over many, and will divide the land for a price. | In the Old Testament, the term “foreign god” always refers to a pagan god or idol. This may mean that the Antichrist will worship some pagan god. It can be argued that ultimately, Satan is the power behind pagan gods, so the Antichrist will worship Satan. This idea is reinforced in Revelation. |
| 40“At the time of the end the king of the south will contend with him; and the king of the north will come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he will enter into countries, and will overflow and pass through. | This verse clearly seems to be referencing someone other than Antiochus IV Epiphanes, because the king of the north will oppose him. Antiochus IV, as the king of the Seleucid kingdom, was the king of the north. |
| 41He will enter also into the glorious land, and many counties will be overthrown; but these will be delivered out of his hand: Edom. and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. | The Antichrist will gain some sort of authority of influence over Israel, the glorious land. Edom, Moab and the children of Ammon are all modern day Jordan. |
| 42He will stretch out his hand also on the countries; and then land of Egypt won’t escape. | |
| 43But he will have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and the Libyans and the Ethiopians will be at his steps. | |
| 44But news out of the east and out of the north will trouble him; and he will go out with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many. | The Antichrist may return to the north to face an invasion or he may need to put down a rebellion. |
| 45He will plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him. | The Antichrist may set up a military headquarters near Jerusalem (the glorious holy mountain) and will die there. |
| World English Bible |
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