Daniel 11:17

Kings of the South and North · Daniel 11:1–35
Read Daniel 11

Translations

Modern
He will resolve to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and will reach an agreement with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plan will not succeed or help him.
Traditional
He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.
Literal
And he will set his face to enter with the strength of all his kingdom, and upright ones with him; and he will act, and the daughter of women he will give to him, to corrupt her, and she will not stand and she will not be for him.
Latin
Et ponet faciem suam ut veniat ad tenendum universum regnum ejus, et recta faciet cum eo: et filiam feminarum dabit ei, ut evertat illud: et non stabit, nec illius erit.

Original

Hebrew
English
He will resolve to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and will reach an agreement with the king of the South. He will give him a daughter in marriage in order to overthrow the kingdom, but his plan will not succeed or help him.

Notes

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.

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.

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.

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.

Events

Glossary

Apocalyptic Book of Daniel Daniel (Person)

Topics

Syria: Prophecies Respecting: Its History in Connection with the Macedonia Empire The Macedonian Empire: Predictions Respecting: Its Four Divisions