What does Daniel 11:6 mean?
Daniel's ongoing prophecy (Daniel 10:1; 11:2) has described a powerful king whose kingdom would be split four ways (Daniel 11:3–4). This was fulfilled in the person of Alexander the Great. After this, the king associated with "the south" is predicted in connection with one of his "princes," who will have even greater strength (Daniel 11:5). This corresponds to the way Ptolemy's former lieutenant, Seleucus, was appointed to rule in Babylon. When another of Alexander's former generals attacked in 316 BC, Ptolemy came to Seleucus's aid. When the fighting was done, Seleucus's kingdom was much larger than that of Ptolemy.Here, the angel (Daniel 10:18–21) mentions the two kingdoms uniting through a daughter of the king of the south and the king of the north. This agreement does not last; neither he nor she is strong enough to prevent what happens. The daughter, her servants, her father, and other loyal supporters are lost. The next verse mentions a campaign of vengeance waged by someone who shares the daughter's ancestry (Daniel 11:7).
Daniel was given these words in 536 BC (Daniel 10:1). History affirms earlier predictions about Alexander and his successors. It also ties this part of prophecy to further real-world events. Between 285 and 246 BC, this intrigue would play out between the nations of Egypt and the Seleucid Empire which stretched east from Syria.
Ptolemy II Philadelphus, son of Ptolemy I, came to rule Egypt. He was a rival of the grandson of Seleucus: Antiochus II Theos, who reigned from Syria. Seeking to end a series of wars over Syrian territory, Philadelphus insisted Antiochus marry Philadelphus's daughter, Berenice. This required Antiochus to divorce his wife Laodice, for whom he had founded the city of Laodicea (Revelation 3:14). In so doing, Antiochus disinherited his children and agreed to appoint a future son of Berenice's as heir to the throne. This occurred in approximately 250 BC, but the attempt at peace ended in disaster.
When Ptolemy II died, Antiochus II promptly abandoned Berenice and their child, reunited with Laodice, and claimed that Laodice's firstborn would inherit the throne. Mere months later, Antiochus died, likely poisoned by his scorned current-and-former partner, Laodice. In the resulting chaos, Laodice's supporters murdered Berenice and her son. This set up Laodice's son, Seleucus II Callinicus, to become king.
In turn, this would lead to acts of revenge by Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III Euergetes (Daniel 11:7).