Daniel 11:1-2 (TS2009)
And in the first year of Dareyawesh the Mede, I myself stood up to support and protect him. And now I declare the truth to you: See, three more sovereigns are to arise in Persia, and the fourth is to become far richer than them all. And by his power, through his riches, he stirs up all against the rulership of Greece.

The three rulers after Cyrus the Great are Cambyses II, Bardiya and Darius I. The fourth is Xerxes I who ruled the empire at its territorial apex and who is known for his invasion of Greece in 480 BC which failed. The Persians were ultimately defeated and Greece went on to conquer Persia.



Daniel 11:3-4 (TS2009)
And a mighty sovereign shall arise, and he shall rule with great authority, and do as he pleases. But when he has arisen, his rule shall be broken up and divided toward the four winds of the heavens, but not among his descendants nor according to his authority with which he ruled, because his rule shall be uprooted, even for others besides these.

After Xerxes I the Persian Empire was in decline. It was eventually conquered by Alexander the Great. After Alexander's death, at age 32 in 323 BC, his empire was divided among his four generals. The four major kingdoms were the Ptolemaic Kingdom or Egypt, the Seleucid Empire or Syria, the Kingdom of Macedon and Thrace and Asia Minor. From Jerusalem's point of view Egypt was the king of the South and Syria was the King of the North. There were also some minor insignificant states besides these.



Daniel 11:5-6 phrase by phrase...

And a sovereign of the South shall become strong
The strong King of the South is Ptolemy I.

and one of his princes; and he shall be strong over him and shall rule – his rule shall be a great rule
The stronger prince is Seleucus I Nicator who served as admiral under Ptolemy I in the fight against Antigonus during the Third War of the Diadochi from 314 to 311 BC. He was the founder of the Seleucid Empire.

And at the end of years they shall join themselves together, and a daughter of the sovereign of the South shall come to the sovereign of the North to make an alliance
After Antigonus was defeated and Ptolemy and Seleucid had formed separate kingdoms, the daughter of Ptolemy II, Berenice, was given in marriage to the Seleucid king Antiochus II Theos in order to create or maintain peace between the kingdoms.

But she shall not retain the strength of her power, nor would he or his power stand. And she shall be given up with those who brought her, and he who brought her forth, and he who supported her in those times
In 246 BC Berenice was killed by Laodice I, the first wife of Antiochus II. Antiochus II and his son with Berenice, Antiochus, were both also killed by Laodice I in 246 BC. Berenice's father, Ptolemy II, died in 246 BC.

Daniel 11:7-9 phrase by phrase...

But from a branch of her roots one shall arise in his place
This is about the Third Syrian War. Berenice's brother Ptolemy III takes over.

and he shall come into the defence and come into a stronghold of the sovereign of the North
Ptolemy III avenges his sister's death.

and shall act against them, and shall prevail
He succesfully attacks Seleucus II in 246 BC.

and also their mighty ones, with their princes and their precious utensils of silver and gold he shall seize and bring to Mitsrayim
He invaded and plundered the Seleucid Empire*, captured Antioch and even reached Babylon.

And he shall stand more years than the sovereign of the North
Ptolemy III reigned from 246 to 222 BC. Seleucus II from 246 to 225 BC.

Then he shall enter the reign of the sovereign of the South, but shall return to his own land
Antiochus III wanted to reconquer territory and attacked Ptolemy IV, but his invasion of Coele-Syria in 221 BC failed due to resistance by Ptolemy's military general Theodotus of Aetolia.

Daniel 11:10-12 phrase by phrase...

But his sons shall stir themselves up, and assemble a great army
The sons of Antiochus III were Antiochus, Seleucus IV Philopator and Antiochus IV Epiphanes. Antiochus fought in the army under his father.

And he shall certainly come and overflow and pass through
In 219 BC Antiochus III began the Fourth Syrian War.

then return to his stronghold, and be stirred up
The campaigns of 219 BC and 218 BC carried the Seleucid armies almost to the confines of the Ptolemaic Kingdom.

Then the sovereign of the South shall be enraged and go out to fight with him...
This probably talks about the Battle of Raphia in 217 BC. Ptolemy IV had 70,000 infantry, 5,000 cavalry, and 73 war elephants and Antiochus III 62,000 infantry, 6,000 cavalry, and 102 elephants. Ptolemy's victory secured the province of Coele-Syria for Egypt, but it wouldn't last for long...

Daniel 11:13-17 phrase by phrase...

And the sovereign of the North shall return and raise an army greater than the former, and certainly come at the end of some years with a great army and much supplies
The Fifth Syrian War. Antiochus III staged a second invasion of Coele-Syria.

And in those times many shall rise up against the sovereign of the South
Antiochus III made an alliance with Philip V of Macedon who was involved in the Cretan War from 205 to 200 BC and the Second Macedonian War against Rome from 200 to 197 BC.

while some violent ones among your people exalt themselves to establish the vision, but they shall stumble
This is likely about the growing enmity between traditional Judaism and Hellenistic Judaism leading up to the Maccabean Revolt, a Jewish rebellion led by the Maccabees against the Seleucid Empire and against Hellenistic influence on Jewish life. The main phase of the revolt lasted from 167 to 160 BC and ended with the Seleucids in control of Judea.

Then the sovereign of the North shall come in and build a siege mound, and capture a city of strongholds...
The Battle of Panium took place in 200 BC in which cataphracts were used to attack Egypt. The city captured was Sidon. This time Antiochus III won the battle and recaptured Coele Syria in 198 BC.

and stand in the Splendid Land with destruction in his hand
Antiochus III also recaptured Judea in 198 BC and went on to raid Ptolemy V's remaining coastal strongholds in Caria and Cilicia.

And he shall set his face to enter with the strength of his entire rule, and make an alliance with him
Ptolemy signed a conciliatory treaty with Antiochus in 195 BC, leaving the Seleucid king in possession of Coele-Syria.

And he shall do so, and give him the daughter of women to corrupt her.
Under pressure from Antiochus III Ptolemy V agreed to marry Antiochus' daughter Cleopatra I around 195 BC. This ended the Fifth Syrian War.

But she shall not stand, neither be for him.
Just before his death in 180 BC, Ptolemy V had been planning a new war against the Seleucid kingdom, but Cleopatra I immediately ended the war preparations and pursued a peaceful policy, because of her own Seleucid roots and because a war would have threatened her hold on power. Cleopatra I died around 177 BC.

Daniel 11:18-20 phrase by phrase...

Then he shall turn his face to the coastlands and capture many
This is about the Roman-Seleucid War from 192 to 188 BC. Antiochus III moved to Asia Minor, by land and by sea, to secure the coast towns which belonged to the remnants of Ptolemaic overseas dominions and the independent Greek cities. He captured the coastlands without much trouble.

But a ruler shall bring the reproach against them to an end.
Antiochus III's enterprise earned him the antagonism of the Roman Republic. Smyrna and Lampsacus appealed to the republic of the west and the tension grew after Antiochus had in 196 BC established a footing in Thrace. By the Treaty of Apamea in 188 BC Antiochus abandoned all the country north and west of the Taurus, most of which the Roman Republic gave either to Rhodes or to the Attalid ruler Eumenes II, its allies. As a consequence of this blow to the Seleucid power, the outlying provinces of the empire, recovered by Antiochus, reasserted their independence. The treaty marked a shift of power from the Seleucid Empire to Rome.

And with the reproach removed, he shall turn back on him.
The Roman Republic left the vassal states to themselves and retreated.

Then he shall turn his face toward the strongholds of his own land, but shall stumble and fall, and not be found
Antiochus III then mounted a fresh eastern expedition in Luristan, where he died while pillaging a temple of Bel at Elymais, Persia, in 187 BC.

And in his place one shall stand up who imposes taxes on the adorned city of the rule, but within a few days he is destroyed, but not in wrath or in battle.
Antiochus III was succeeded by his son Seleucus IV Philopator who sent Heliodorus, a tax collector, to Jerusalem to collect money to pay the Romans. On his return from Jerusalem in 175 BC, Heliodorus is believed to have assassinated Seleucus, and seized the throne for himself. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, another son of Antiochus III, managed to oust Heliodorus in the same year. An infant son of Seleucus, also named Antiochus, was formal head of state for a few years until Epiphanes had him murdered.

Daniel 11:21-23 phrase by phrase...

And in his place shall arise a despised one
Antiochus III was liked by the Jews. But his son not. Antiochus IV Epiphanes forbade Jewish religious practices and persecuted Jews.

to whom they shall not give the excellency of the rule
Antiochus IV Epiphanes was not meant to be ruler of the Seleucid Empire. His oldest brother Antiochus was appointed as the heir to the Seleucid throne in 187 BC. Second in line was his older brother Seleucus.

But he shall come in peaceably, and seize the rule by flatteries
After having been political hostage of the Roman Republic for about 14 years since the Battle of Magnesia was lost by his father, Antiochus IV Epiphanes returned and made an alliance with Eumenes II of Pergamum in order to claim the Seleucid throne in 175 BC. He proclaimed himself co-regent with Antiochus, the first son and heir of Seleucus IV Philopator, who co-ruled from 175 to 170 BC. See List of Syrian monarchs.

Armies shall be utterly swept away before him and broken,
Antiochus IV Epiphanes would prove to be a strong Seleucid king who would win many wars.

even the prince of the covenant
In 175 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes replaced the Jewish High Priest Onias III, the chief religious official of Judaism, with a Hellenistic Jew, namely Jason. An abomination in the eyes of traditional Jews.

And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully
In 170 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes murdered his co-ruler Antiochus in order to seize the throne for himself.

and he shall become strong with a small people
Antiochus IV Epiphanes started his Seleucid career in an empire heavily indebted to Rome. Before rising to the throne in Syria he spent time in Athens from which he had to work his way up.



Daniel 11:24-31 phrase by phrase...

Without warning he shall come into the richest parts of the province
Antiochus III left a vast territory despite having lost Asia Minor in the end to Rome with the Treaty of Apamea. Antiochus IV Epiphanes gained the rich provinces Coele-Syria and Judea from Egypt. Since the end of the rulership of Antiochus III temples were plundered more often in order to finance for example wars.

and he shall do what neither his fathers nor his fathers' fathers have done, scattering among them plunder, spoil, and goods
Antiochus IV cultivated a reputation as an extravagant and generous ruler. He scattered money to common people in the streets of Antioch; gave unexpected gifts to people he did not know; contributed money to the Temple of Zeus at Athens and the altar at Delos; put all his Western military forces on a massive parade at Daphne*, a suburb of Antioch; and held opulent banquets with the aristocracy using the best spices, clothing, and food. He also supplemented the Seleucid army with mercenaries. The Seleucids were the wealthiest kings in the world, they were able to pay a tribute to Rome of about 1,500 talents in 13 years and maintained a great army to fight Egypt. In 1 Maccabees 3:30 it is said that Antiochus IV Epiphanes gave more lavishly than preceding kings.

He shall devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time
Antiochus IV did not plan to attack Egypt in order to not get into trouble with Rome. Instead he focussed on the eastern part of his empire. Until Egypt itself began attacking Syria.

And he shall stir up his power and his heart against the sovereign of the South with a great army, and the sovereign of the South shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army, but not stand,
In 170 BC King Ptolemy VI Philometor demanded the return of Coele-Syria, but Antiochus IV Epiphanes launched a preemptive strike against Egypt, conquering all but Alexandria and captured king Ptolemy whom he gave rule over Egypt as a puppet king.

for they shall devise plots against him. And those who have been eating his food shall destroy him, and his army be swept away, and many fall down slain
Antiochus IV Epiphanes' invasion of Egypt led to unrest and subsequent calls by the Alexandrian Mob* for Ptolemy VIII and Cleopatra II to ascend to the throne. Later these two co-ruled with Ptolemy VI Philometor until 164 BC. Ptolemy VIII was known for his many intrigues. His reign was characterised by fierce political and military conflict with Ptolemy VI.

And both these sovereigns’ hearts are to do evil, and speak lies at the same table, but not prosper, for the end is still for an appointed time.
Ptolemy and Antiochus both sought after their own good and deceived each other. Ptolemy hoped for the intervention of its ally Rome which was completely occupied by the Third Macedonian War. Antiochus hoped that that war would last long enough so he could conquer Alexandria without Rome's meddling.

And he shall return to his land with great wealth
Antiochus IV Epiphanes returned to Syria with tremendous riches of his plundering.

but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
Antiochus IV Epiphanes then returned and passed by Jerusalem because of a revolt and re-installed Menelaus as the High Priest around 170 BC who had been deposed by Jason.

At the time appointed he shall return and come into the south
In 168 BC Antiochus IV Epiphanes marches again to Alexandria in order to completely conquer Egypt. Also angered by the alliance of his puppet king Ptolemy VI with Ptolemy VIII.

but it shall not be this time as it was before. For ships of Kittim shall come against him
Jeremiah 2:10 speaks about the "isles of Kittim". In this context it refers to islands of the Mediterranean Sea. Between the Second and Third Punic War Rome became the leading force in the Mediterranean region. The Egyptians sent to Rome asking for help and the Senate despatched Gaius Popilius Laenas to Alexandria. Meanwhile, Antiochus IV Epiphanes had seized Cyprus and Memphis on his way to Alexandria.

and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back
Around 168 BC, at Eleusis, on the outskirts of Alexandria, he met Gaius Popilius Laenas who offered the Seleucid king an ultimatum from the Senate: he must evacuate Egypt and Cyprus immediately. Antiochus chose to obey the Roman ultimatum. The "Day of Eleusis" ended the Sixth Syrian War and Antiochus' hopes of conquering Egyptian territory.

and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant
Antiochus was furious and passing through Judea he again plundered Jerusalem and the temple and persecuted and killed many Jews.

He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant. And strong ones shall arise from him
Antiochus sided with the Hellenistic Jews who gained much power and influence in Judea. From 168–167 BC Antiochus established a military Greek citadel called the Acra in Jerusalem to serve as a stronghold for Hellenized Jews and a Greek military garrison.

and profane the set-apart place, the stronghold, and shall take away that which is continual, and set up the abomination that lays waste.
The traditional Jews resisted the Hellenization forced upon them and Antiochus sent an army which killed many. Antiochus IV ordered the worship of Zeus in Judea. The abomination that lays waste has to do with the worship of false gods and it often starts by means of assimilation of pagan peoples and customs as was the case with Hellenization. Antiochus was also the first Seleucid king to use divine epithets on coins which included for example the epithet "manifest god".

Daniel 11:32-35 (TS2009)
And by flatteries he shall profane those who do wrong against the covenant, but the people who know their Elohim shall be strong, and shall act. And those of the people who have insight shall give understanding to many. And they shall stumble by sword and flame, by captivity and plundering, for days. And when they stumble, they shall be helped, a little help, but many shall join them, by flatteries. And some of those who have insight shall stumble, to refine them, and to cleanse them, and to make them white, until the time of the end, for it is still for an appointed time.

The Jewish Maccabees had started a rebellion against Antiochus IV and the Hellenistic Jews. In 167 BC the Seleucid Empire was also under attack from the east by king Mithridates I of Parthia. Antiochus IV Epiphanes died in 164 BC. The so-called Maccabean Revolt lasted from 167 to 160 BC and it led to the Hasmonean dynasty which ruled over Judea. The Maccabees were aided by the Romans which is evidenced by the Roman-Jewish Treaty of 161 BC. With help from Rome the Jews were released from Seleucid domination. Officially the Hasmonean Kingdom operated semi-independently within the Seleucid Empire from 140 to 110 BC, then independently from 110 to 63 BC, and then under control of the Roman Republic. However, in reality Rome was already largely in control of the events in the Middle East since Antiochus IV Epiphanes was expelled from Egypt and Cyprus by the Romans in 168 BC. The King of the North shifted from the declining Seleucid Empire to the growing Roman Empire while the King of the South still remained Egypt, but only for a little while...

Daniel 11:36-37 phrase by phrase...

And the sovereign shall do as he pleases, and exalt himself and show himself to be great above every mighty one,
The Romans controlled the Mediterranean by that time.

and speak incredible matters against the Ěl of mighty ones
The first Roman Emperor, Augustus, crowned himself Pontifex Maximus which is Latin for "greatest priest". It was the most important position in ancient Roman Religion and it became politicized with the Roman Empire. Augustus established the Roman imperial cult for worship of the Emperor as a god. He also labeled himself Divi filius which means "son of god". Around 30 AD the Son of God was executed during the reign of the second Roman Emperor, Tiberius, under pressure from the Jews.

and shall prosper until the wrath has been accomplished – for what has been decreed shall be done
If the wrath mentioned here is the wrath of God against the Jews who consistently rejected Him and worshipped false gods, then it possibly refers to the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, by Roman Emperor Titus. This destruction marks the end of the Jewish nation as God's people and is a further confirmation of the new covenant of God for people from all nations around the world. The year 70 AD is also the time in which the Roman Empire experienced the so-called Year of the Four Emperors, the first civil war since Mark Antony's death. It ended the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

and have no regard for the mighty ones of his fathers
With the change from Republic to Empire also the religious traditions changed. See Religion in Ancient Rome. For five centuries, the Roman Republic (509-27 BC) did not give worship to any historic figure, or any living man, although surrounded by divine and semi-divine monarchies. As the Roman Empire developed, the Imperial cult gradually developed more formally and constituted the worship of the Roman Emperor as a god. This practice began at the start of the Empire under Augustus, and became a prominent element of Roman religion. Also, with the expansion of the Roman Empire new foreign gods were absorbed from for example Greece, Egypt and Persia.

nor for the desire of women
Augustus once said: If we could survive without a wife, citizens of Rome, all of us would do without that nuisance; but since nature has so decreed that we cannot manage comfortably with them, nor live in any way without them, we must plan for our lasting preservation rather than for our temporary pleasure.* He banished his own daughter Julia in harsh conditions because she had affairs with men. Homosexuality was normal in ancient Rome. As opposed to the former Greek Empires no women ever ruled or co-ruled the Roman Empire. Freeborn women in ancient Rome were citizens but could not vote or hold political office.

nor have regard for any mighty one, but exalt himself above them all
See previous comments.



Daniel 11:38-39 (TS2009)
But in his place he shall give esteem to a mighty one of strongholds. And to a mighty one which his fathers did not know he shall give esteem with gold and silver, with precious stones and costly gifts. And he shall act against the strongest strongholds with a foreign mighty one, which he shall acknowledge. He shall increase in esteem and cause them to rule over many, and divide the land for gain.

The mighty one which his fathers didn't know might be Mithra, an ancient Persian deity, which is linked to Sol Invictus. Mithraism was introduced with the Roman Empire and became the leading cult in the Imperial Roman army. It originated from Persian Zoroastrianism and was not (widely) practiced during the Roman Republic. Also, Julius Caesar was the first Roman politician to strike coins with his own portrait*, a generally unacceptable act of political arrogance in Rome before that time. The Roman Emperors who followed him of course continued this practice. See for example Aureus.
With the expansion Roman colonies were created in the conquered lands. Retired generals and soldiers obtained land in order to settle themselves.



Daniel 11:40 phrase by phrase...

At the time of the end
The Jews viewed the coming of the Messiah as an event in the time of the end, the end of an age of oppression.

the sovereign of the South shall push at him
Julius Caesar was assassinated by a group of senators on the Ides of March of 44 BC. The Second Triumvirate was an extraordinary commission and magistracy created at the end of the Roman republic for Caesar's generals Mark Antony, Lepidus, and Octavian (Augustus) to give them practically absolute power. They defeated Caesar's killers in 42 BC and divided the government of the Republic among themselves. Antony was assigned Rome's eastern provinces, including the client kingdom of Egypt, then ruled by Cleopatra VII Philopator with whow he had an affair. Ultimately he became an enemy of Octavian.

and the sovereign of the North rush against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships.
Between 32 and 30 BC the Final War of the Roman Republic took place between Mark Antony with Egypt and Octavian with Rome. In 31 BC the Battle of Actium took place in which Octavian defeated the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt. This event marked the end of the Hellenistic Period, the Ptolemaic Kingdom and the Roman Republic and it marks the official beginning of the Roman Empire.

And he shall enter the lands, and shall overflow and pass over
The Roman Empire expanded rapidly under first Roman Emperor Augustus...



Daniel 11:41-45 phrase by phrase...

and shall enter the Splendid Land
The Roman Empire under Augustus encompassed the land of Israel.

and many shall stumble
Many of God's people stumbled and were converted to Roman traditions and religion, just like during the Hellenistic period.

but these escape from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the sons of Ammon
But the Roman Empire under Augustus did not encompass the kingdoms of Edom, Moab and Ammon southeast of Israel.



And he shall stretch out his hand against the lands
Many lands and peoples were conquered by Rome at the start of its empire.

and the land of Mitsrayim shall not escape
Egypt was conquered.

And he shall rule over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the riches of Mitsrayim
The Romans literally plundered Egypt.

and Libyans and Kushites shall be at his steps
Lybia and the Kingdom of Kush south of Egypt were literally at its borders.

Then reports from the east and the north shall disturb him
Parthia posed a threat to Rome in the east. See Roman–Parthian Wars. Germania posed a threat in the north. See Germanic Wars.

and he shall go out with great wrath to destroy and put many under the ban
See Wars of Augustus.

and he shall pitch the tents of his palace between the seas and the splendid set-apart mountain
The House of Augustus is located in Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. Italy is literally between the seas. Since the first Roman Emperor imperial palaces were built on Palatine Hill. It is also where the temples for the Roman gods were built. The word palace comes from Palatine Hill in Rome. Figuratively speaking Rome built its palaces between the people (often symbolised by "seas") and God's Kingdom (symbolised by the "splendid set-apart mountain"). The Roman Emperor made himself to be worshipped like god.

but shall come to his end with none to help him
Although he exalted himself as a god he died as a mortal man.

Daniel 12:1-4 (TS2009)
Now at that time Mika’el shall stand up, the great head who is standing over the sons of your people. And there shall be a time of distress, such as never was since there was a nation, until that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book, and many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth wake up, some to everlasting life, and some to reproaches, everlasting abhorrence. And those who have insight shall shine like the brightness of the expanse, and those who lead many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. But you, Dani’el, hide the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. Many shall diligently search and knowledge shall increase.

Michael is the powerful messenger of God who leads God's army against Satan and his army at Armageddon (Revelation 12:7, Daniel 10:13). This talks of the resurrection of the dead and judgement at the future time of the end. In other prophecies we learned that the focus is on the periods when God intervenes on earth. This includes the ancient empires during the prophets until the Messiah and His disciples and the final global empire when the remainder of God's chosen ones will be persecuted and killed to be taken up into heaven to complete God's Kingdom. The period inbetween is irrelevant because there is no divine intervention.

Shortly before the time of the end a battle will take place between two remaining rival powers on earth. The King of the South is likely represented by the Anglo-American Empire and its allies and the King of the North is likely represented by China, Russia and their allies. The time of the end mentioned here is future prophecy. The phrase many shall diligently search and knowledge shall increase likely points to the period shortly before or during Satan's final global empire when events will reveal the true meaning of the end time prophecies. It is also close to the time that the Good News of the Kingdom of God will be spread in all the world, probably with help from the remainder of God's chosen ones on earth before they are taken up into heaven.

Brougher Petty Maddox - Antiochus Epiphanes (1944)
Paul Tanner - The Rise of Antiochus Iv Epiphanes and His Assault against Judaea (June 11, 2001)
The History Files - Seleucid (Hellenic) Empire
Bruce N. Fisk - Second Temple Judaism: A Brief Historical Outline