Daniel 11

1 And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him.)

The Kings of the South and the North

2 “Now then, I tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. When he has gained power by his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

3 Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.

4 After he has arisen, his empire will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the power he exercised, because his empire will be uprooted and given to others.

5 “The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power.

6 After some years, they will become allies. The daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to make an alliance, but she will not retain her power, and he and his power^[a] will not last. In those days she will be betrayed, together with her royal escort and her father^[b] and the one who supported her.

7 “One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious.

8 He will also seize their gods, their metal images and their valuable articles of silver and gold and carry them off to Egypt. For some years he will leave the king of the North alone.

9 Then the king of the North will invade the realm of the king of the South but will retreat to his own country.

10 His sons will prepare for war and assemble a great army, which will sweep on like an irresistible flood and carry the battle as far as his fortress.

11 “Then the king of the South will march out in a rage and fight against the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be defeated.

12 When the army is carried off, the king of the South will be filled with pride and will slaughter many thousands, yet he will not remain triumphant.

13 For the king of the North will muster another army, larger than the first; and after several years, he will advance with a huge army fully equipped.

14 “In those times many will rise against the king of the South. Those who are violent among your own people will rebel in fulfillment of the vision, but without success.

15 Then the king of the North will come and build up siege ramps and will capture a fortified city. The forces of the South will be powerless to resist; even their best troops will not have the strength to stand.

16 The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.

17 He will determine to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will make an alliance with the king of the South. And he will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plans^[c] will not succeed or help him.

18 Then he will turn his attention to the coastlands and will take many of them, but a commander will put an end to his insolence and will turn his insolence back on him.

19 After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more.

20 “His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle.

21 “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.

22 Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed.

23 After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.

24 When the richest provinces feel secure, he will invade them and will achieve what neither his fathers nor his forefathers did. He will distribute plunder, loot and wealth among his followers. He will plot the overthrow of fortresses—but only for a time.

25 “With a large army he will stir up his strength and courage against the king of the South. The king of the South will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to stand because of the plots devised against him.

26 Those who eat from the king’s provisions will try to destroy him; his army will be swept away, and many will fall in battle.

27 The two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will sit at the same table and lie to each other, but to no avail, because an end will still come at the appointed time.

28 The king of the North will return to his own country with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action against it and then return to his own country.

29 “At the appointed time he will invade the South again, but this time the outcome will be different from what it was before.

30 Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.

31 “His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation.

32 With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.

33 “Those who are wise will instruct many, though for a time they will fall by the sword or be burned or captured or plundered.

34 When they fall, they will receive a little help, and many who are not sincere will join them.

35 Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.

The King Who Exalts Himself

36 “The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place.

37 He will show no regard for the gods of his ancestors or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all.

38 Instead of them, he will honor a god of fortresses; a god unknown to his ancestors he will honor with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts.

39 He will attack the mightiest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him. He will make them rulers over many people and will distribute the land at a price.^[d]

40 “At the time of the end the king of the South will engage him in battle, and the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots and cavalry and a great fleet of ships. He will invade many countries and sweep through them like a flood.

41 He will also invade the Beautiful Land. Many countries will fall, but Edom, Moab and the leaders of Ammon will be delivered from his hand.

42 He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape.

43 He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites^[e] in submission.

44 But reports from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in a great rage to destroy and annihilate many.

45 He will pitch his royal tents between the seas at^[f] the beautiful holy mountain. Yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.

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Daniel 11 Commentary

Chapter 11

The vision of the Scriptures of truth.

Verses 1-30 The angel shows Daniel the succession of the Persian and Grecian empires. The kings of Egypt and Syria are noticed: Judea was between their dominions, and affected by their contests. From ver. ( 5-30 ) , is generally considered to relate to the events which came to pass during the continuance of these governments; and from ver. ( 21 ) , to relate to Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a cruel and violent persecutor of the Jews. See what decaying, perishing things worldly pomp and possessions are, and the power by which they are gotten. God, in his providence, sets up one, and pulls down another, as he pleases. This world is full of wars and fightings, which come from men's lusts. All changes and revolutions of states and kingdoms, and every event, are plainly and perfectly foreseen by God. No word of God shall fall to the ground; but what he has designed, what he has declared, shall infallibly come to pass. While the potsherds of the earth strive with each other, they prevail and are prevailed against, deceive and are deceived; but those who know God will trust in him, and he will enable them to stand their ground, bear their cross, and maintain their conflict.

Verses 31-45 The remainder of this prophecy is very difficult, and commentators differ much respecting it. From Antiochus the account seems to pass to antichrist. Reference seems to be made to the Roman empire, the fourth monarchy, in its pagan, early Christian, and papal states. The end of the Lord's anger against his people approaches, as well as the end of his patience towards his enemies. If we would escape the ruin of the infidel, the idolater, the superstitious and cruel persecutor, as well as that of the profane, let us make the oracles of God our standard of truth and of duty, the foundation of our hope, and the light of our paths through this dark world, to the glorious inheritance above.

Taken from Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible (Concise)

Cross References 54

1. S Daniel 5:31
2. Daniel 10:21
3. S Daniel 10:20
4. S Daniel 8:4,21
5. S Daniel 7:2; Daniel 8:22
6. S Jeremiah 42:10
7. ver 6
8. Isaiah 37:19; S Isaiah 46:1-2
9. Jeremiah 43:12
10. Isaiah 8:8; Jeremiah 46:8; S Daniel 9:26
11. Daniel 8:7-8
12. S Ezekiel 4:2
13. S Daniel 8:4
14. S Joshua 1:5; S Daniel 8:7
15. S Daniel 8:9
16. S Psalms 20:4
17. S Isaiah 66:19; S Jeremiah 25:22
18. Hosea 12:14
19. S Psalms 27:2; S Psalms 46:2
20. S Psalms 37:36; S Ezekiel 26:21
21. Isaiah 60:17
22. Daniel 4:17
23. S Daniel 8:25
24. S Isaiah 28:15
25. Daniel 8:10-11
26. Daniel 8:25
27. Nehemiah 9:25
28. Psalms 64:6
29. Psalms 12:2; Jeremiah 9:5
30. Habakkuk 2:3
31. S Genesis 10:4
32. S 1 Samuel 17:32
33. S Job 15:13
34. Hosea 3:4
35. S Jeremiah 19:4; Daniel 8:11-13; S Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15*; Mark 13:14*
36. Micah 5:7-9
37. Daniel 12:3; Malachi 2:7
38. Matthew 24:9; John 16:2; Hebrews 11:32-38
39. Matthew 7:15; Romans 16:18
40. S Job 28:1; S Psalms 78:38; S Isaiah 48:10; Daniel 12:10; Zechariah 13:9; John 15:2
41. Jude 1:16
42. Revelation 13:5-6
43. S Deuteronomy 10:17; S Isaiah 14:13-14; S Daniel 7:25; Daniel 8:11-12,25; 2 Thessalonians 2:4
44. S Isaiah 10:25; Isaiah 26:20
45. Ezekiel 35:13; S Daniel 8:24
46. S Isaiah 21:1
47. Isaiah 5:28
48. S Isaiah 8:7; S Ezekiel 38:4
49. S Ezekiel 20:6; Malachi 3:12
50. S Isaiah 11:14
51. S Jeremiah 48:47
52. S Ezekiel 30:4
53. 2 Chronicles 12:3; Nahum 3:9
54. S Isaiah 2:2,4; Daniel 8:9

Footnotes 6

[a]. Or "offspring"
[b]. Or "child" (see Vulgate and Syriac)
[c]. Or "but she"
[d]. Or "land for a reward"
[e]. That is, people from the upper Nile region
[f]. Or "the sea and"

Chapter Summary

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.