Daniel 11:14

14. Shall many stand up Antiochus the Great succeeded in allying Philip of Macedon with him in his attack on Egypt, and there were also insurrections even in Egypt itself against the new and infant Ptolemy. Also the robbers, etc.. R.V., “also the children of the violent among thy people shall lift themselves up,” etc. These “sons of oppressors” are variously thought of as the tax collectors, who then, as in later Egypt, were a scourge to the land; or perhaps as the Egyptian Jews, who, because of their hatred of Ptolemy Philopator, were very friendly with Antiochus, who showed them special favors (Josephus, Antiquities, XII, Daniel 3:3). That the expression refers to the Jews seems most probable, because these deeds were done “to establish the vision;” that is, doubtless, to bring in the fulfillment of the prophecies which spoke of the exaltation of the people of Israel and their holy city. Many who take this view translate, following the Greek, “and the builders of the breaches of thy people shall lift themselves up to establish vision;” meaning to say that those who stood up for Antiochus against Ptolemy were good Jews who longed for the restoration of Jerusalem to its former glory, and took the stand they did for that reason. But the antagonistic attitude of this prophecy toward Antiochus Epiphanes makes it improbable that there would unnecessarily be thrown in here a word of praise for the Jews who had sustained the enterprises of the father of this hateful king. (Compare also Daniel 11:16.) Besides, the Jews of Egypt and of Palestine were never noted for their friendliness to each other.

They shall fall That is, the hopes of these friends of Antiochus shall be crushed. The vision of Jerusalem’s glory cannot be fulfilled by any Syrian king. (Compare notes Daniel 9:24; Daniel 10:14.) It is a curious circumstance that the later Jewish expositors explain these “children of the breakers of thy people” as referring to the followers of Jesus. Jephet Ibu Ali says, “Matthew the publican, Mark the fisherman, Luke the disciple of Paulus, and John the kinsman of Jesus,… these have been the cause of our ruin and destruction during our captivity.”