Daniel 11:4-29

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 11:1-4

Here, 1. The angel Gabriel lets Daniel know the good service he has done to the Jewish nation (Dan. 11:1): ?In the first year of Darius the Mede, who destroyed Babylon and released the Jews out of that house of bondage, I stood a strength and fortress to him, that is, I was instrumental to protect him, and give him success in his ward, and, after he had conquered Babylon, to confirm him in his resolution to release the Jews,? which, it is likely, met with much opposition. Thus by the angel,... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 11:5-20

Here are foretold, I. The rise and power of two great kingdoms out of the remains of Alexander's conquests, Dan. 11:5. 1. The kingdom of Egypt, which was made considerable by Ptolemaeus Lagus, one of Alexander's captains, whose successors were, from him, called the Lagidae. He is called the king of the south, that is, Egypt, named here, Dan. 11:8, 42, 43. The countries that at first belonged to Ptolemy are reckoned to be Egypt, Phoenicia, Arabia, Libya, Ethiopia, etc. Theocr. Idyl. 17. 2. The... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Daniel 11:21-45

All this is a prophecy of the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, the little horn spoken of before (Dan. 8:9) a sworn enemy to the Jewish religion, and a bitter persecutor of those that adhered to it. What troubles the Jews m 8000 et with in the reigns of the Persian kings were not so particularly foretold to Daniel as these, because then they had living prophets with them, Haggai and Zechariah, to encourage them; but these troubles in the days of Antiochus were foretold, because, before that time,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:4

And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken ,.... When Alexander was risen up to his highest pitch of grandeur, was sole monarch of the world, in the height of his ambition, in the prime of his days, he was cut off by death; his kingdom remained no more one, but became many, was seized by different persons, his generals, and so broke to pieces: and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven ; which seem to have respect to the four horns or kings, which came up in his... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:5

And the king of the south shall be strong ,.... That is, the king of Egypt, which lay south to Syria, as Syria lay north to Egypt; and therefore the king of the one is called the king of the south, and the other the king of the north, throughout this prophecy; and by the king of the south, or Egypt, is here meant Ptolemy Lagus, one of Alexander's generals, who had Egypt for his share; and a very powerful king he was; for he reigned over Egypt, Lybia, Cyrene, Ethiopia, Arabia, Phoenicia,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:6

And in the end of years they shall join themselves together ,.... The two kings of Egypt and Syria; not the two former kings, but their successors: the king of Egypt was Ptolemy Philadelphus, the second king of Egypt, the son of Ptolemy Lagus; this is the king of Egypt who collected such a vast number of books into his library at Alexandria, and got the law of Moses translated into Greek: the king of Syria was Antiochus, surnamed Theos; this name was first given him by the Milesians, upon... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:7

But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate ,.... Or, "out of a branch of her roots a shoot thereof shall stand or rise up" F24 כנו "plantatio ejus", V. L. ; by "her roots" are meant her ancestors, particularly Ptolemy Lagus; by "a branch" from thence, Ptolemy Philadelphus her father; and by the "shoot" out of that, or its plantation, as the Vulgate Latin version, is designed her brother, Ptolemy Euergetes; who succeeded her father in the kingdom, and stood firm... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:8

And shall also carry captive into Egypt their gods, with their princes ,.... Jerom relates, from the historians he conversed with, that Ptolemy carried captive with him into Egypt two thousand five hundred images; among which were many of the idols which Cambyses, when he conquered Egypt, carried from thence; and Ptolemy replacing them in their proper temples, gained him the affection of his people the Egyptians, who were much addicted to idolatry; hence they gave him the name of Euergetes,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:9

So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom ,.... Into his own kingdom, the kingdom of Egypt; or into the kingdom of Syria, the kingdom of Seleucus, and conquer great part of it, and ravage and spoil it: and shall return into his own land ; the land of Egypt; he shall go and come with ease, and as he pleases, none to hinder him; and come back with a great spoil, as before related: Cocceius renders it, and something "shall come in the kingdom of the king of the south, and he... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Daniel 11:10

But his sons shall be stirred up ,.... Not of the king of the south, or Egypt, but of the king of the north, or Syria; the sons of Seleucus Callinicus, who died, as Justin F6 Ibid. (Justin, l. 27.) c. 3. says, by a fall from his horse; these were Seleucus Ceraunus and Antiochus, who was afterwards called the great: these being irritated and provoked by what Ptolemy Euergetes had done in revenge of his sister, taking part of their father's kingdom from him, and carrying off so rich a... read more

Group of Brands