Daniel 11:21-39

11:21 “Then there will arise in his place a despicable person ¹  to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred. He will come on the scene in a time of prosperity and will seize the kingdom through deceit. 11:22 Armies ²  will be suddenly ³  swept away in defeat ⁴  before him; both they and a covenant leader ⁵  will be destroyed. ⁶  11:23 After ⁷  entering into an alliance with him, he will behave treacherously; he will ascend to power with only a small force. ⁸  11:24 In a time of prosperity for the most productive areas of the province he will come and accomplish what neither his fathers nor their fathers accomplished. He will distribute loot, spoils, and property to his followers, and he will devise plans against fortified cities, but not for long. ⁹  11:25 He will rouse his strength and enthusiasm ¹⁰  against the king of the south ¹¹  with a large army. The king of the south will wage war with a large and very powerful army, but he will not be able to prevail because of the plans devised against him. 11:26 Those who share the king’s fine food will attempt to destroy him, and his army will be swept away; ¹²  many will be killed in battle. 11:27 These two kings, their minds ¹³  filled with evil intentions, will trade ¹⁴  lies with one another at the same table. But it will not succeed, for there is still an end at the appointed time. 11:28 Then the king of the north ¹⁵  will return to his own land with much property. His mind will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then return to his own land. 11:29 At an appointed time he will again invade the south, but this latter visit will not turn out the way the former one did. 11:30 The ships of Kittim ¹⁶  will come against him, leaving him disheartened. ¹⁷  He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor ¹⁸  those who forsake the holy covenant. 11:31 His forces ¹⁹  will rise up and profane the fortified sanctuary, ²⁰  stopping the daily sacrifice. In its place they will set up ²¹  the abomination that causes desolation. 11:32 Then with smooth words he will defile ²²  those who have rejected ²³  the covenant. But the people who are loyal to ²⁴  their God will act valiantly. ²⁵  11:33 These who are wise among the people will teach the masses. ²⁶  However, they will fall ²⁷  by the sword and by the flame, ²⁸  and they will be imprisoned and plundered for some time. ²⁹  11:34 When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with them deceitfully. 11:35 Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.

11:36 “Then the king ³⁰  will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every deity and he will utter presumptuous things against the God of gods. He will succeed until the time of ³¹  wrath is completed, for what has been decreed must occur. ³²  11:37 He will not respect ³³  the gods of his fathers – not even the god loved by women. ³⁴  He will not respect any god; he will elevate himself above them all. 11:38 What he will honor is a god of fortresses – a god his fathers did not acknowledge he will honor with gold, silver, valuable stones, and treasured commodities. 11:39 He will attack ³⁵  mighty fortresses, aided by ³⁶  a foreign deity. To those who recognize him he will grant considerable honor. He will place them in authority over many people, and he will parcel out land for a price. ³⁷ 

[11:21]  ¹ sn This despicable person to whom the royal honor has not been rightfully conferred is Antiochus IV Epiphanes (ca. 175-164 B.C.).

[11:22]  ² tn Heb “arms.”

[11:22]  ³ tc The present translation reads הִשָּׁטֹף (hishatof), Niphal infinitive absolute of שָׁטַף (shataf, “to overflow”), for the MT הַשֶּׁטֶף (hashetef, “flood”).

[11:22]  ⁴ tn The words “in defeat” are added in the translation for clarification.

[11:22]  ⁵ tn Heb “a prince of the covenant.”

[11:22]  ⁶ tn Heb “broken” or “shattered.”

[11:23]  ⁷ tn The preposition מִן (min) is probably temporal here (so BDB 583 s.v. 7.c; cf. KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV), although it could also be understood here as indicating means (so J. Goldingay, Daniel [WBC], 279, n. 23a; cf. TEV, NLT).

[11:23]  ⁸ tn Heb “nation.”

[11:24]  ⁹ tn Heb “and unto a time.”

[11:25]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “heart.”

[11:25]  ¹¹ sn This king of the south was Ptolemy Philometer (ca. 181-145 B.C.).

[11:26]  ¹² tc The present translation reads יִשָׁטֵף (yishatef, passive) rather than the MT יִשְׁטוֹף (yishtof, active).

[11:27]  ¹³ tn Heb “heart.” So also in v. 28.

[11:27]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “speak.”

[11:28]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of the north) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:30]  ¹⁶ sn The name Kittim has various designations in extra-biblical literature. It can refer to a location on the island of Cyprus, or more generally to the island itself, or it can be an inclusive term to refer to parts of the Mediterranean world that lay west of the Middle East (e.g., Rome). For ships of Kittim the Greek OT (LXX) has “Romans,” an interpretation followed by a few English versions (e.g., TEV). A number of times in the Dead Sea Scrolls the word is used in reference to the Romans. Other English versions are more generic: “[ships] of the western coastlands” (NIV, NLT); “from the west” (NCV, CEV).

[11:30]  ¹⁷ sn This is apparently a reference to the Roman forces, led by Gaius Popilius Laenas, which confronted Antiochus when he came to Egypt and demanded that he withdraw or face the wrath of Rome. Antiochus wisely withdrew from Egypt, albeit in a state of bitter frustration.

[11:30]  ¹⁸ tn Heb “show regard for.”

[11:31]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “arms.”

[11:31]  ²⁰ tn Heb “the sanctuary, the fortress.”

[11:31]  ²¹ tn Heb “will give.”

[11:32]  ²² tn Or “corrupt.”

[11:32]  ²³ tn Heb “acted wickedly toward.”

[11:32]  ²⁴ tn Heb “know.” The term “know” sometimes means “to recognize.” In relational contexts it can have the connotation “recognize the authority of, be loyal to,” as it does here.

[11:32]  ²⁵ sn This is an allusion to the Maccabean revolt, which struggled to bring about Jewish independence in the second century B.C.

[11:33]  ²⁶ tn Heb “the many.”

[11:33]  ²⁷ tn Heb “stumble.”

[11:33]  ²⁸ tn Or “by burning.”

[11:33]  ²⁹ tn Heb “days.”

[11:36]  ³⁰ sn The identity of this king is problematic. If vv. 36-45 continue the description of Antiochus Epiphanes, the account must be viewed as erroneous, since the details do not match what is known of Antiochus’ latter days. Most modern scholars take this view, concluding that this section was written just shortly before the death of Antiochus and that the writer erred on several key points as he tried to predict what would follow the events of his own day. Conservative scholars, however, usually understand the reference to shift at this point to an eschatological figure, viz., the Antichrist. The chronological gap that this would presuppose to be in the narrative is not necessarily a problem, since by all accounts there are many chronological gaps throughout the chapter, as the historical figures intended by such expressions as “king of the north” and “king of the south” repeatedly shift.

[11:36]  ³¹ tn The words “the time of” are added in the translation for clarification.

[11:36]  ³² tn Heb “has been done.” The Hebrew verb used here is the perfect of certitude, emphasizing the certainty of fulfillment.

[11:37]  ³³ tn Heb “consider.”

[11:37]  ³⁴ tn Heb “[the one] desired by women.” The referent has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[11:39]  ³⁵ tn Heb “act against.”

[11:39]  ³⁶ tn Heb “with.”

[11:39]  ³⁷ tn Or perhaps “for a reward.”