Daniel 11:22-32

22 "The overflowing 1forces will be flooded away before * him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant.
23 "After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.
24 "In a time of tranquility he will enter the 2richest parts of the realm, and he will accomplish what his fathers never did, nor his ancestors; he will distribute plunder, booty and possessions among them, and he will devise his schemes against strongholds, but only for a time.
25 "He will stir up his strength and courage against the 3king of the South with a large army; so the king of the South will mobilize an extremely * large and mighty army for war; but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him.
26 "Those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will 4overflow, but many will fall down slain.
27 "As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on 5evil, and they will 6speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the 7end is still to come at the appointed time.
28 "Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.
29 "At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before.
30 "For ships of 8Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.
31 "Forces from him will arise, 9desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the 10abomination of desolation.
32 "By 11smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display 12strength and take action.

Daniel 11:22-32 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO DANIEL 11

In this chapter the angel makes good his promise to Daniel, that he would show him what was written in the Scripture of truth, concerning the monarchies of the earth, and what would befall his people the Jews in the latter days; and after he had observed that he had strengthened and confirmed Darius the Mede, who was the first king of the then present flourishing monarchy, Da 11:1, he foretells the number of the kings of Persia, and particularly describes the fourth, Da 11:2 predicts the rise of the Grecian monarchy under Alexander the great, and the disposition of it after his death, Da 11:3,4 and then proceeds to give an account of the two principal kingdoms of that monarchy, into which it was divided, the Seleucidae and Lagidae; and of their kings, the king of Egypt, and the king of Syria, under the names of the king of the south, and the king of the north, and of their power and agreement, Da 11:5,6 and then of their various wars between themselves and others, and the success of them, Da 11:7-20, and particularly of Antiochus, his character and manner of coming to the kingdom, and of his wars with the king of Egypt, and the issue of them, Da 11:21-29 and of his persecution of the Jews, and the distress he should bring on them, and the use it should be of to the godly among them, Da 11:30-35, and then his antitype, antichrist, is described; the western antichrist, his character and actions, Da 11:36-39 then the eastern, his power, wealth and riches, hail and rain, Da 11:40-45.

Cross References 12

  • 1. Daniel 9:26; Daniel 11:10
  • 2. Numbers 13:20; Nehemiah 9:25; Ezekiel 34:14
  • 3. Daniel 11:5
  • 4. Daniel 11:10, 40
  • 5. Psalms 52:1; Psalms 64:6
  • 6. Psalms 12:2; Jeremiah 9:3-5; Jeremiah 41:1-3
  • 7. Daniel 8:19; Daniel 11:35, 40; Habakkuk 2:3
  • 8. Genesis 10:4; Numbers 24:24; Isaiah 23:1, 12; Jeremiah 2:10
  • 9. Daniel 8:11-13; Daniel 12:11
  • 10. Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14
  • 11. Daniel 11:21, 34
  • 12. Micah 5:7-9; Zechariah 9:13-16; Zechariah 10:3-6

Footnotes 11

  • [a]. Lit "Into tranquility and the richest...he will enter"
  • [b]. Or "province"
  • [c]. Lit "fathers' fathers"
  • [d]. Lit "heart"
  • [e]. Lit "break"
  • [f]. Or "be swept away, and many"
  • [g]. Lit "possessions"
  • [h]. Lit "it will not happen as the first and as the last"
  • [i]. I.e. Cyprus
  • [j]. Lit "that makes desolate;" or "that causes horror"
  • [k]. Or "pollute those"
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