11:2The angelic messenger was revealing Israel's future (see 10:20, 21). Only God can reveal future events so clearly. God’s work not only deals with the sweeping panorama of history but also focuses on the intricate details of people’s lives. And his plans—whether for nations or individuals—are unshakable.
Life Application Study BibleDanielChapter 11
Daniel 11
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1398, 1399, 1400
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
11Daniel 11
1But at the height of his power, his kingdom will be broken apart and divided into four parts. It will not be ruled by the king’s descendants, nor will the kingdom hold the authority it once had. For his empire will be uprooted and given to others. 5“The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength. 6“Some years later an alliance will be formed between the king of the north and the king of the south. The daughter of the king of the south will be given in marriage to the king of the north to secure the alliance, but she will lose her influence over him, and so will her father. She will be abandoned along with her supporters. 7But when one of her relatives* becomes king of the south, he will raise an army and enter the fortress of the king of the north and defeat him. ®When he returns to Egypt, he will carry back their idols with him, along with priceless articles of gold and silver. For some years afterward he will leave the king of the north alone. 9“Later the king of the north will invade the realm of the king of the south but will soon return to his own land. 10However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy's fortress. 1 Then, ina rage, the king of the south will rally against the vast forces assembled by the king of the north and will defeat them. 12After the enemy army is swept away, the king of the south will be filled with pride and will execute many thousands of his enemies. But his success will be short lived. 13“A few years later the king of the north will return with a fully equipped army far greater than before. ‘At that time there will be a general uprising against the king of the south. Violent men among your own people will join them in fulfillment of this vision, but they will not succeed. Then the king of the north will come and lay siege to a fortified city and capture it. The best troops of the south will not be able to stand in the face of the onslaught. 16" The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him: He will pause in the glorious land of Israel,* intent on destroying it. 17He will make plans to come with the might of his entire kingdom and will form an alliance with the king of the south. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom from within, but his plan will fail. 18” After this, he will turn his attention to the coastland and conquer many cities. But a commander from another land will put an end to his insolence and cause him to retreat in shame. 19He will take refuge in his own fortresses but will stumble and fall and be seen no more. 20"His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. But after a very brief reign, he will die, though not from anger or in battle. 21“The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue. 22Before him great armies will be swept away, including a covenant prince. 23With deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers. 24Without warning he will enter the richest areas of the land. Then he will distribute among his followers the plunder and wealth of the rich—something his predecessors had never done. He will plot the overthrow of strongholds, but this will last for only a short while. 25“Then he will stir up his courage and raise a great army against the king of the south. The king of the south will go to battle with a mighty army, but to no avail, for there will be plots against him. 26His own household will cause his downfall. His army will be swept away, and many will be killed. 27Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time. 28"The king of the north will then retum home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey. 29“Then at the appointed time he will once again invade the south, but this time the result will be different. 30For warships from western coastlands* will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant. 31“His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration.* 32He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him. 33“ Wise leaders will give instruction to many, but these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed. 34During these persecutions, little help will arrive, and many who join them will not be sincere. 35And some of the wise will fall victim to persecution. In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come. 36“The king will do as he pleases, exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods. He will succeed, but only until the time of wrath is completed. For what has been determined will surely take place. 3’7He will have no respect for the gods of his ancestors, or for the god loved by women, or for any other god, for he will boast that he is greater than them all. 38Instead of these, he will worship the god of fortresses—a god his ancestors never knew—and lavish on him gold, silver, precious stones, and expensive gifts. 39Claiming this foreign god’s help, he will attack the strongest fortresses. He will honor those who submit to him, appointing them to positions of authority and dividing the land among them as their reward.* 40“Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. 41He will enter the glorious land of Israel,* and many nations will fall, but Moab, Edom, and the best part of Ammon will escape. 42He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape. 43He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians* will be his servants. 44"But then news from the east and the north will alarm him, and he will set out in great anger to destroy and obliterate many. 4SHe will stop between the glorious holy mountain and the sea and will pitch his royal tents. But while he is there, his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him.
Textual footnotes
- 11:7 Hebrew a branch from her roots.
- 11:16 Hebrew the glorious land.
- 11:30 Hebrew from Kittim.
- 11:31 Hebrew the abomination of desolation.
- 11:41 Hebrew the glorious land.
- 11:43 Hebrew Cushites.
Life Application Notes 20 notes
11:2ffBabylon was defeated by Medo-Persia. Medo-Persia was defeated by Greece under Alexander the Great, whe conquered most of the Mediterranean and Middie Eastern lands. After Alexander’s death, the empire was divided into four parts. The Ptolemies gained control of the southern section of Palestine, and the Seleucids took the northern part. Verses 2-20 show the conflict between the Ptolemies and Seleucids over control of Palestine in 300-200 B.C. Verses 21-35 describe the persecution of Israet under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. In verses 36-45 the prophecy shifts to the end times. Antiochus IV fades from view, and the Antichrist of the last days becomes the center of attention.
11:3This mighty king of Greece was Alexander the Great, who conquered Medo-Persia and built a huge empire in only four years.
11:4,5Eventually Alexander the Great's empire was divided into four nations. These four weaker nations were comprised of the following regions: (1) Egypt, (2) Babylonia and Syria, (3) Asia Minor, and (4) Macedonia and Greece. The king of Egypt (“the king of the south”) was Ptotemy I or perhaps a reference to the Ptolemaic dynasty in general.
11:6,7These prophecies seem to have been fulfilled many years later in the Seleucid wars between Egypt and Syria. In 252 B.C., Ptolemy i! of Egypt (“the south”) gave his daughter Berenice in marriage to Antiochus 1! of Syria (“the north”) to finalize a peace treaty between their two lands. But Berenice was murdered in Antioch by Antiochus li’s former wife, Laodice. Berenice’s brother, Ptolemy Ill, ascended the Egyptian throne and declared war against the Seleucids to avenge his sister’s murder.
11:9-11The king of Syria (‘the north”) was Seleucus I], and the king of Egypt (“the south”) was Ptolemy IV.
11:13-16This king of the north may have been Antiochus III (the Great). He defeated many Egyptian cities and established himself in Israel (“the glorious land”). He was later defeated by the Romans at Magnesia (11:18).
11:17The invader, Antiochus III, tried to bring peace between Egypt and Syria by having his daughter marry Ptolemy V Epiphanes of Egypt, but the plan failed.
11:20The successor to Antiochus I!l was Seleucus!V. He sent Heliodorus to collect money from the Temple treasury in Jerusalem.
11:21Seleucus IV was succeeded by his brother, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who found favor with the Romans.
11:22The “great armies” refer to the way all opposition against Antiochus IV will be broken. The covenant prince may be the high priest Onias III, who was assassinated by Menelaus in 170 B.C.
11:27These two treacherous kings were probably Antiochus!V of Syria and Ptolemy V1 of Egypt. Treachery and deceit are a power broker’s way to position himself over someone else. When two power brokers try to gain the upper hand, it is a mutually weakening and self-destructive process. It is also futile because God ultimately holds all power in his hands.
11:29-31Antiochus IV would again invade “the south,” but enemy ships would cause him to retreat. On his way back, he plundered Jerusalem, desecrated the Temple, and stopped the Jews’ daily sacrifices. The Temple was desecrated when he sacrificed pigs on an altar erected in honor of Zeus. According to Jewish law, pigs were unclean and were not to be touched or eaten. To sacrifice a pig in the Temple was the worst kind of insult an enemy could level against the Jews. This happened from 168 to 167 B.C.
11:32This reference to those who have violated the covenant may include Menelaus, the high priest, who was won over by Antiochus and who conspired with him against the Jews who were loyal to God. The “people who know their God” may refer to the Maccabees and their sympathizers, but a further fulfillment May lie in the future.
11:33,34Those who are wise will teach many, but they wil aiso face great persecution. Difficult times show up our weaknesses and our inability to cope. We want answers, leadership, and clear direction. During these times, God’s Word begins to interest even those who would never look at it otherwise. We should look for opportunities to share God’s Word in hard times. We must also be prepared to face persecution and rejection as we teach and preach.
11:35God’s messenger described a time of trial when even wise believers would fall victim to persecution.!f we persevere in our faith, any such experience will only refine us and make us stronger. Are you facing trials? Recognize them as opportunities to strengthen your faith. If you remain steadfast in these experiences, you will be stronger in your faith and closer to God.
11:37The “god loved by women” may refer to Tammuz, a Babylonian fertility god. Tammuz is also mentioned in Ezekiel 8:14. In other words, this person won't recognize any deity or religions at all, not even pagan ones. Instead, he will proclaim himself to be divine and the ultimate power.
11:38The “god of fortresses” is believed by some to be Jupiter or Zeus. The implication is that this king will make war his god. More than all his predecessors, he will wage war and glorify its horrors.
11:40The Antichrist of the last days becomes the center of attention from this point through the rest of the book of Daniel.
11:45“The glorious holy mountain” is Mount Zion or the city of Jerusalem.