What does Daniel 11:15 mean?
In this passage, the "king of the north" is the leader of Syria, or the Seleucid Empire. The "king of the south" is the ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. Daniel has been given prophecy about was then the far future (Daniel 10:1; 11:2). Many of those predictions were about clashes between these two empires (Daniel 11:10–12). Most recently, the prophecy has noted how the king of the north would assemble allies to fight against the south (Daniel 11:13–14). Among those are some of "[Daniel's] own people," meaning Israelites. History affirms that Antiochus III resumed attacks against Egypt after amassing a larger army. This verse continues to describe those efforts.The angel (Daniel 10:18–21; 11:2) makes note of a "well-fortified city." Based on how these predictions were fulfilled, this seems to be Sidon. Within a few years of successfully capturing Sidon, Antiochus III established broad control over the former territory of Israel (Daniel 11:16). That the Egyptian warriors have no strength likely refers to siegeworks, or to the fact that Antiochus's ultimate battle against Egypt's forces resulted in the erasure of the entire Egyptian force. After this clash—the Battle of Panium in 200 BC—Ptolemaic Egypt dwindled and lost influence in the world.