Daniel 11

This final vision spans from 536 BC to a future when Daniel will rise from the dead and receive his inheritance. All earthly kingdoms will be destroyed. The eternal kingdom of the Son of Man will arise. God's people will finally be rescued, and death, the ultimate enemy, will be defeated.

Darius the Mede: See study note on Daniel 5:31. Darius's first year was likely 539 BC.

Three more kings: The Persian kings who followed Cyrus II were most likely:

• Cambyses, who ruled from 530 to 522 BC,

• Gaumata, who ruled in 522 BC and was a usurper, and

• Darius I, who ruled from 521 to 486 BC.

The fourth was probably Xerxes I, who ruled from 486 to 465 BC (see study note on Esther 1:1). Xerxes was famous for his wealth, his army of 1,700,000 soldiers, and his large navy (see Herodotus, Histories 7.6). He used these forces to fight against Greece, but did not succeed. The Persians could not defeat Greece's growing power. God's guiding hand influenced the historical events in this chapter.

The messenger shared a broad overview of history. It started with Persia, continued through the fall of Greece, and covered the rise and fall of a wicked king or several kings (Daniel 11:21–45). It concluded with the final resurrection and victory of God's people.

Alexander the Great was a powerful king (see study note on Daniel 8:21) who ruled from 336 to 323 BC. He conquered much of the known world in thirteen years, from Greece to India and from the north to Egypt in the south.

• Alexander died on June 10, 323 BC, in Babylon when he was 33 years old. He was at the height of his power and wanted to be worshiped as a god.

• Alexander's descendants could not govern, and his brother Philip was not capable.

• because his kingdom will be … given to others: Several of Alexander's generals divided his empire. By 301 BC, their conflicts had divided it into four parts (see Daniel 7:4–7; 8:8–12 and Daniel 7:7–7; 8:8–12). God guides history, and its end belongs to him.

The first king of the south was Ptolemy I Soter, who ruled from 323 to 285 BC. One of his officials, Seleucus I Nicator, took control of Syria and ruled from 321 to 281 BC. Both were military commanders under Alexander the Great. At first, the Ptolemies controlled Palestine from 320 to 198 BC.

In this passage, the king of the South refers to Alexander's general Ptolemy and his descendants, who ruled Egypt. The king of the North refers to Alexander's general Seleucus and his descendants, who ruled Syria and Mesopotamia.

After Alexander's death, the kings of Egypt and Syria fought for control of Palestine, a strategically important land. The holy city and its people were caught between these two powers. These battles continued until their predetermined end (Daniel 11:27, 35, 40, 45; 12:1, 7).

Historical accounts of these events appear in 1, 2, and 3 Maccabees and in the works of Herodotus, Livy, Polybius, Porphyry, and Josephus.

Antiochus II Theos was the king of the north, who ruled from 261 to 246 BC. Ptolemy II Philadelphus was the king of the south, who ruled from 284 to 246 BC. They formed an alliance. In 250 BC, Antiochus married Ptolemy’s daughter, Berenice Syra, but abandoned her in 246 BC. Later, both she and Antiochus were murdered.

one from her family line: Berenice’s brother Ptolemy III Euergetes, became king of the south from 246 to 221 BC. He invaded Syria with his army, defeated the king of the north, Seleucus II Callinicus, who ruled from 246 to 226 BC, and occupied the fortress cities of Antioch and Seleucia. He expanded the Ptolemaic kingdom to its greatest size. When he returned to Egypt, he took their idols with him but left Seleucus II on the throne.

Seleucus II, the king of the north, attempted to invade Egypt in 242 BC but Ptolemy III defeated him.

• The sons of Seleucus II were:

  • Seleucus III Ceraunus, who ruled from 226 to 223 BC, and

  • Antiochus III the Great, who ruled from 223 to 187 BC.

• a great army … sweeping through like a flood: Antiochus III aggressively tried to reclaim lost lands, including Palestine.

• as far as his fortress: Antiochus III advanced to Raphia, near Egypt's border, in 217 BC. In the battle that followed, the king of the south, Ptolemy IV Philopater, who ruled from 221 to 203 BC, defeated Antiochus III and kept control of Palestine.

• Ptolemy IV’s success did not last long. In 198 BC, Antiochus III, the king of the north, returned.

• Antiochus III had been conquering lands to the north and east. From these lands, he raised a fully equipped army that was much larger than before (compare 3 Maccabees 1:1–5).

• A general uprising of Jews and rebel Egyptians who supported Antiochus III occurred. The king of the south was Ptolemy V Epiphanes, who ruled from 203 to 181 BC.

• they will fail: The Egyptian commander, Scopas, stopped the rebellion in 200 BC.

In 198 BC at Paneas, King Antiochus III of the north defeated Egyptian General Scopas. He besieged and captured Sidon, a fortified city, and took control of Palestine.

with destruction in his hand: Antiochus III tried to make the Jews adopt Greek culture and abandon their ancient customs. However, some Jews welcomed him, and he responded by giving them special privileges. He allowed them to live according to their own laws. His son, Antiochus IV, did not treat them this way (Daniel 11:21–39).

Antiochus III allied with Ptolemy V by giving his daughter, Cleopatra I, to him in marriage. Antiochus wanted to take over Egypt from within. However, his plan failed when Cleopatra became loyal to Egypt. Egypt then allied with Rome.

Antiochus III expanded his territory to include the coastlands of Anatolia, Macedonia, and Greece. However, the Romans defeated him in 191 and 190 BC. The prince was the well-known Roman general Scipio. He stopped the expansion of Antiochus III and forced him to give up the lands he had taken in the west and return in shame.

After this, Antiochus III stayed within his own fortresses. He was killed there in 187 BC by local people rebelling against him.

Antiochus III’s successor was his son Seleucus IV Philopater, who ruled from 187 to 175 BC. He was known for sending Heliodorus, a tax collector, to collect large sums of money. This money was needed to maintain royal splendor and pay the heavy tribute imposed by Rome. Heliodorus tried to steal from the temple in Jerusalem but was stopped by divine intervention (see 2 Maccabees 3:1–40). Heliodorus murdered Seleucus after a short seven-year reign.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power next, ruling from 175 to 163 BC. He is the small horn mentioned in Daniel 8:9–14, 23–26. His story is vividly described in 1 Maccabees 1:7–6:16; 2 Maccabees 1:1–10:5; 4 Maccabees 4:15–18:5. Antiochus was considered despicable because he seized the throne and for his actions as king. He was not in line for royal succession and took the throne from his brother’s son.

The prince of the covenant was Onias III, the high priest (see study notes on Daniel 9:25–26). Antiochus IV removed him in 175 BC and replaced him with his brother Jason (2 Maccabees 4:7–10). In 171 BC, Menelaus murdered Onias and became high priest from 171 to 162 BC. Menelaus supported Antiochus IV’s plan to spread Greek culture (see study note on Daniel 9:27).

he will act deceitfully: Antiochus IV made false promises to introduce Greek religion into Judea. Lawless followers supported his policies (see 1 Maccabees 1:11–15).

the richest provinces: Antiochus IV took the temple's riches, demanded large payments from Jerusalem, and placed troops there (1 Maccabees 1:29–40).

Ptolemy VI Philometor ruled from 181 to 146 BC. He was the king of the South. Antiochus IV attacked Egypt twice between 170 and 168 BC (1 Maccabees 1:17–19).

In 170 BC, Antiochus IV attacked Jerusalem and the temple. He killed thousands and enslaved many others (1 Maccabees 1:20–42; 2 Maccabees 5:1–23). His arrogance was great (1 Maccabees 1:24–25; compare Daniel 7:28; 8:9).

• Antiochus IV invaded the south (Egypt) again (see Polybius, Histories 29.1).

• The warships from western coastlands refer to the Romans. The Roman general Popilius Laenas drew a circle in the sand, made Antiochus stand inside it, and forced him to decide whether to return home or prepare for war with Rome before leaving the circle.

  Fearing the Roman fleet, Antiochus chose to withdraw and return home. He then took out his anger and humiliation on the Jews, the people of the holy covenant. He captured Jerusalem in 167 BC and rewarded those who joined him. He defiled the altar (see Daniel 8:9–14, 23–26), stopped the sacrifices, set up a statue of the Greek god Zeus in the temple, and persecuted and killed those who refused to abandon the covenant (see 1 Maccabees 1:62–64; compare Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15).

the abomination of desolation: See study note on Daniel 9:27.

Wise people know God and his laws and follow them, even in a hostile and deceptive environment. Many were killed for their faithfulness to God and his laws during this time (1 Maccabees 1:11; Daniel 7:19; 2 Maccabees 6–7).

Help arrived when Mattathias's family and their supporters (the Maccabees) started a national revolt. Antiochus was busy elsewhere and could not stop it. In 164 BC, three years after the temple was desecrated, the Maccabees recaptured Jerusalem. They removed the statue of Zeus, cleansed the altar, and restored daily sacrifices (Daniel 8:11–14, 26; 1 Maccabees 1:59). This event is celebrated during Hanukkah (see John 10:22).

• Antiochus IV considered himself equal to God (2 Maccabees 9:1–10:12), but God restrained him until the time of wrath ended.

• what has been decreed must be accomplished: Antiochus suddenly developed a painful disease and died in 163 BC in the mountains of Persia (see Daniel 8:25; 1 Maccabees 4:52–53; 6:16; 2 Maccabees 9:4, 28; 10:5).

Some interpreters see these verses as a transition from the earthly Antiochus IV to a figure who is larger than history itself (Daniel 7:8).

• no regard for the gods of his father: He abandoned the Syrian gods to worship Greek gods.

• The one desired by women might be a Canaanite or Egyptian fertility deity.

• History does not mention a god of fortresses, but this might refer to the lavish gifts Antiochus gave to cities and Greek temples. He might have done this to improve his reputation and power (see Livy, History 41.20).

No known southern or northern king did these actions.

Most commentators believe these verses describe the end of history (compare Mark 13:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:3–12; Revelation 19:19–21). These verses reflect the actions of Antiochus IV, but there is no historical record of these events. Antiochus serves as a model for future rulers who oppose the God of gods.

• the Beautiful Land: Israel (compare Daniel 8:9; 11:16) is once more the target of an evil king's attack.

• Moab, Edom, and Ammon were nations that surrounded ancient Israel and Judah.

• The holy mountain includes Zion, Jerusalem, and the temple, where God chose for his name to dwell.

• The sea likely refers to the Mediterranean Sea.