Daniel 11:26-36

26 "Those who eat his choice food will destroy him, and his army will 1overflow, but many will fall down slain.
27 "As for both kings, their hearts will be intent on 2evil, and they will 3speak lies to each other at the same table; but it will not succeed, for the 4end 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 5Kittim 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, 6desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the 7abomination of desolation.
32 "By 8smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display 9strength and take action.
33 "10Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will 11fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days.
34 "Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will 12join with them in 13hypocrisy.
35 "Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to 14refine, 15purge and make them 16pure until the 17end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.
36 "Then the king will 18do as he pleases, and he will exalt and 19magnify himself above every god and will 20speak monstrous things against the 21God of gods; and he will prosper until the 22indignation is finished, for that which is 23decreed will be done.

Daniel 11:26-36 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 23

  • 1. Daniel 11:10, 40
  • 2. Psalms 52:1; Psalms 64:6
  • 3. Psalms 12:2; Jeremiah 9:3-5; Jeremiah 41:1-3
  • 4. Daniel 8:19; Daniel 11:35, 40; Habakkuk 2:3
  • 5. Genesis 10:4; Numbers 24:24; Isaiah 23:1, 12; Jeremiah 2:10
  • 6. Daniel 8:11-13; Daniel 12:11
  • 7. Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; Mark 13:14
  • 8. Daniel 11:21, 34
  • 9. Micah 5:7-9; Zechariah 9:13-16; Zechariah 10:3-6
  • 10. Malachi 2:7
  • 11. Matthew 24:9; John 16:2; Hebrews 11:36-38
  • 12. Matthew 7:15; Acts 20:29, 30
  • 13. Daniel 11:21, 32; Romans 16:18
  • 14. Deuteronomy 8:16; Proverbs 17:3; Daniel 12:10; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2, 3
  • 15. John 15:2
  • 16. Revelation 7:14
  • 17. Daniel 11:27
  • 18. Daniel 5:19; Daniel 11:3, 16
  • 19. Isaiah 14:13; Daniel 5:20; Daniel 8:11, 25; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
  • 20. Revelation 13:5, 6
  • 21. Deuteronomy 10:17; Psalms 136:2; Daniel 2:47
  • 22. Isaiah 10:25; Isaiah 26:20; Daniel 8:19
  • 23. Daniel 9:27

Footnotes 11

  • [a]. Lit "break"
  • [b]. Or "be swept away, and many"
  • [c]. Lit "possessions"
  • [d]. Lit "it will not happen as the first and as the last"
  • [e]. I.e. Cyprus
  • [f]. Lit "that makes desolate;" or "that causes horror"
  • [g]. Or "pollute those"
  • [h]. Or "Instructors of" the "people"
  • [i]. Or "the instructors"
  • [j]. Lit "white"
  • [k]. Lit "extraordinary"
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