Daniel 11:10-19

 Daniel 11

Prophecy: Kings of the North and the South

The Syrian Wars

Antiochus III the Great, Seleucus III Ceraunus,
Ptolemy IV Philopator, Ptolemy V Epiphanes,
Cleopatra I, Scipio Asiaticus 

Daniel 11:10-19

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Introduction

How do you consider prophecies?

There are many persons who trust a fortune-telling by a medium, or an omen they read in the horoscope, but not the prediction of events more than 300 years before, by a biblical prophet. If you know some of them, know that this word could reach out to them and show them Who is the One that knows everything which will happen. The passage we are reading today is in Daniel 11:10-19, one of the most astonishing prophecies in the Bible.

The prophecy

This is the rendering of the New International Version:

"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.

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. 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.

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. 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. 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. 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. 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 will not succeed or help him.

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

This is the original Hebrew:

    10 ובנו יתגרו ואספו המון חילים רבים ובא בוא ושטף ועבר וישב ויתגרו עד מעזה

 11 ויתמרמר מלך הנגב ויצא ונלחם עמו עם מלך הצפון והעמיד המון רב ונתן ההמון בידו 12 ונשא ההמון ירום לבבו והפיל רבאות ולא יעוז

 13 ושב מלך הצפון והעמיד המון רב מן הראשון ולקץ העתים שנים יבוא בוא בחיל גדול וברכוש רב  14 ובעתים ההם רבים יעמדו על מלך הנגב ובני פריצי עמך ינשאו להעמיד חזון-ונכשלו  15 ויבא מלך הצפון וישפך סוללה ולכד עיר מבצרות וזרעות הנגב לא יעמדו ועם מבחריו ואין כח לעמד 16 ויעש הבא אליו כרצונו ואין עומד לפניו ויעמד בארץ הצבי וכלה בידו 17 וישם פניו לבוא בתקף כל מלכותו וישרים עמו-ועשה ובת הנשים יתן לו להשחיתה ולא תעמד ולא לו תהיה 

18 וישב פניו לאיים ולכד רבים והשבית קצין חרפתו לו בלתי חרפתו ישיב לו 19 וישב פניו למעוזי ארצו ונכשל ונפל ולא ימצא

And it sounds like this:

10 Ubenó yitgarú veasfú hamón xayalím rabím, ubá bo veshatáf veavár veyashóv veyitgarú ad mauzá

11 Veyitmarmár mélek hanégev, veyatsá venilxám imó im-mélek hatsafón veheemíd hamón rab venitén hahamón beyadó. 12 Venitsá hehamón yarúm levavó vehifíl riboót veló yaóz.

13 Vesháv mélek hatsafón veheemíd hamón rab min-harishón, ulekéts haitím shaním yabó bo bexáyil gadól ubirxúsh rab. 14 Ubaitím hahém rabím yaamdú al-mélek hanégev ubené paritsé ammexá yinaseú lehaamíd xazón venixshalú. 15 Veyabó mélek hatsafón veyishpóx solelá, velaxád ir mivsarót, uzeroót hanégev lo yaamódu, veám mivxaráv veéin kóax laamód. 16 Veyáas habá eláv kirtsonó, veéin oméd lepanáv, veyaamód beérets-hatsebí, vexalá beyadó. 17 Veyasém panáv labó betókef kol-malxutó, visarím imó, veasá. Ubát hanashím yitén-lo lehashxitá, veló taamód, veló-lo tiheyé. 

18 Vayasév panáv leiyím, velaxád rabím, vehishbít katsín xerpató lo biletí xerpató yashív lo. 19 Veyashév panáv lemautzé aretsó, venixshál venafál, veló yimatsé.

Interpretation of the prophecy

The translation of NIV for these verses is literal, with some adjustments which respect the Hebrew idea, and use a more fluent English. The main character whose deeds are prophesied in these verses is Antiochus III the Great (241-187 BC) who reigned in the Seleucid Empire from 223 BC to his death. He fought two campaigns against the Ptolemaic Egypt, and conquered Israel and Syria, that would remain in the power of the Seleucids (the Ptolemies never got them back).

Who are the kings of the north and south, the comander and the daughter given in marriage to the king of the south?

In verse 10 we read that there would be sons of Seleucus II Callinicus (a king of the north) who would fight for the Seleucid Empire. The first one was Seleucus III Ceraunus, who attacked Attalus I of Pergamon (it was a little kingdom at the time, south of Troy, in Asia Minor). He died in that campaign, and was succedded by his brother, king Antiochus III the Great. As Daniel prophesied, he attacked Ptolemy IV Philopator, the king of Egypt (or king of the south). 

The 4th Syrian war (219-217 BC) is Antiochus' first attempt against Egypt. He conquered many territories, "sweeping on like an irresistible flood and carrying the battle as far as [Ptolemy's] fortress". He conquered all of Lebanon, Israel and attacked Egypt. But Ptolemy defeated him and forced him to retreat north of Lebanon. That's the prophecy of verse 11. Ptolemy IV was "filled with pride", but he "did not remain triumphant". 

Verses 13-17 prophesy the 5th Syrian war (202-195 BC). Antiochus' "huge army fully equipped" included cataphracts, heavy cavalry with both the warrior and the horse protected with full armours. The Egyptian king at the time was Ptolemy V Epiphanes, who was totally defeated by Antiochus. The Seleucids occupied the whole Syria, Lebanon and Israel (the Beautiful Land). Antiochus didn't conquer Egypt, but he sent his daughter Cleopatra I to marry Ptolemy and secure it as a vassal state, which didn't prosper. Some Jewish soldiers fought under Antiochus III standard, the "violent among your own people", but they "didn't succeed" because the king's campaign, which included some Roman territories, failed on that regard, and also in the unification of the Seleucid and Ptolemaic empires. The prophecy about Rome is in verses 18-19.

In Daniel 11:18-19 we see a new person, a "commander" who would "put and end to his insolence", the insolence being the conquest of Greece, the "coastlands". The one who "turned his insolence back on him" was Scipio Asiaticus, a Roman general. In the battle of Magnesia, Antiochus was defeated by him and lost a large swath in Asia Minor, which caused Pergamon - Rome's ally - to occupy almost half the peninsula. Back in the Seleucid Empire, Antiochus died in Persia, 187 BC, trying to plunder a temple to get money to pay the tribute the Romans imposed on him. 

God protects His people

Antiochus III the Great was friendly to the Jews - maybe the reason many fight together with him - as the Ptolemies had been. He brought many Jews back from Babylon to Asia Minor, helped the temple in Jerusalem economically and granted the Jews their religious freedom.

Daniel's prophetical gift

The amazing fulfilment of the prophecies of this passage about Seleucus III, Antiochus III the Great and all other ones, has caused many liberal theologians to doubt the time of the book of Daniel which is - according to the prophet himself - more than 300 years before the events prophesied. But for us who believe in God, the Holy Spirit - or Spirit of God - and the anointing of the prophets of Israel by the Spirit, this prophetical gift is corroborated by the total fulfilment in history - which we know from sources outside the Bible - of Daniel's prophecy, not only about those kings and others in this passage, but in the whole book. If the book of Daniel were written after the events it prophesies, it would be a spoof, and not a part of the canon of the Holy Scripture for both Jews and Christians, quoted by Our Lord Jesus Christ, and prophetically parallel to the book of Revelation, the great prophetical book of the New Testament.

Receive Jesus!

It is our prayer that everyone who reads the Holy Scripture shall receive the revelation to believe. We need the Spirit of God to discern the Word of God. If you have not yet received Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, do it! The Lord is coming to take away His bride - the church - with Him, and the terrible judgements of the last times will punish this world as never before. 

In the love of Christ your brother

Israel Leonard

PS. Jesus is coming soon!