Daniel 11:5

5 And the king of the south shall be strong; and one of their princes shall prevail against him, and shall obtain a great dominion.

Daniel 11:5 Meaning and Commentary

Daniel 11:5

And the king of the south shall be strong
That is, the king of Egypt, which lay south to Syria, as Syria lay north to Egypt; and therefore the king of the one is called the king of the south, and the other the king of the north, throughout this prophecy; and by the king of the south, or Egypt, is here meant Ptolemy Lagus, one of Alexander's generals, who had Egypt for his share; and a very powerful king he was; for he reigned over Egypt, Lybia, Cyrene, Ethiopia, Arabia, Phoenicia, Coelesyria, Cyprus, and several isles in the Aegean sea, and many cities in Greece: and one of his princes;
not of Ptolemy king of Egypt, but of Alexander the great; and this is Seleucus Nicator, afterwards called king of the north, having Syria for his part, which lay to the north of Egypt, as before observed: and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion;
that is, be a greater and more powerful prince than Ptolemy king of Egypt: his dominion shall be a great dominion;
even greater than the others; for he reigned over Macedonia, Greece, Thrace, Asia, Syria, Babylonia, Media, and all the eastern countries as far as India; even from Taurus to the river Indus, and so likewise from Taurus to the Aegean sea: these two are only mentioned, who shared the Persian monarchy, because the Jews were only affected by them, for the sake of whom this prophecy is delivered.

Daniel 11:5 In-Context

3 An there shall rise up a mighty king, and he shall be lord of a great empire, and shall do according to his will.

4 And when his kingdom shall stand up, it shall be broken, and shall be divided to the four winds of heaven; but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled over: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, and to others beside these.

5 And the king of the south shall be strong; and one of their princes shall prevail against him, and shall obtain a great dominion.

6 And after his years they shall associate; and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north, to make agreements with him: but she shall not retain power of arm; neither shall his seed stand: and she shall be delivered up, and they that brought her, and the maiden, and he that strengthened her in these times.

7 out of the flower of her root there shall arise his place, and shall come against the host, and shall enter into the strongholds of the king of the north, and shall fight against them, and prevail.