Daniel 11:16 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But he who comes against him shall do as he wills, and none shall stand before him. And he shall stand in the glorious land, with destruction in his hand.

NIV: The invader will do as he pleases; no one will be able to stand against him. He will establish himself in the Beautiful Land and will have the power to destroy it.

NASB: But he who comes against him will do as he pleases, and no one will be able to withstand him; he will also stay for a time in the Beautiful Land, with destruction in his hand.

CSB: The king of the North who comes against him will do whatever he wants, and no one can oppose him. He will establish himself in the beautiful land with total destruction in his hand.

NLT: The king of the north will march onward unopposed; none will be able to stop him. He will pause in the glorious land of Israel, intent on destroying it.

KJV: But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.

NKJV: But he who comes against him shall do according to his own will, and no one shall stand against him. He shall stand in the Glorious Land with destruction in his power.

When Daniel first received these prophecies, it was 536 BC (Daniel 10:1). What the angel tells him (Daniel 10:18–21; 11:2) is reasonably literal, referring to battles, nations, and kings using generic terms (Daniel 11:10–14). Centuries later, these predictions would be fulfilled; using the hindsight of history, we can put precise names and faces to biblical prophecy including the back-and-forth exchange of Israelite territory over the course of wars between Syria and Egypt (Daniel 11:10–14). The prior verse noted the defeat of "the forces of the south," who were overcome after the "king of the north" returned with a larger army and more allies. This corresponds to Antiochus III, who captured the city of Sidon and established firm Syrian control over the region, rendering Egypt irrelevant.

Eventually, Antiochus turned his attention to other concerns. His dominance in the Israel-Syria region was uncontested. Yet the Roman Empire, to the west, was beginning to pose a threat. Worse, Rome had friendly relations with Egypt and its grain exporters. Antiochus married his daughter to the Egyptian king. This only delayed renewed war between the two nations (Daniel 11:17).

Some Israelites had fought with Antiochus III, likely hoping to earn independence. Instead, Antiochus subjugated the Jews so they would never serve Egypt again. However, the Jewish people did not hate him. According to Josephus the historian, Antiochus granted favors to the Jews in Israel as compensation for the injuries they had suffered in the wars that had been fought in Israel between Antiochus and Egypt's generals (Josephus, Ant. B. XII.ch, iii). When Antiochus defeated Egypt, the Jews sided with Antiochus and welcomed him into Jerusalem.

Unfortunately, one of Antiochus III's sons and successors was Mithradates, later known as Antiochus IV Epiphanes: one of Israel's most infamous and hated persecutors (Daniel 8:23–25).

Daniel 11:2–20 provides a political timeline beginning with Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:30–31). The history—given as prophecy to the prophet Daniel around 536 BC (Daniel 10:1)—involves military conflicts between Greeks and Persians and between empires ruling from Syria and Egypt. These accounts are given to Daniel by an angel, probably Gabriel (Daniel 10:18–21). Parts of these prophecies are unusually straightforward, relying much less on symbolism and plainly indicating the events which will occur.

This chapter is most easily understood in terms of the historical events which it predicts. These include the conflicts between Ptolemaic Egypt and the Seleucid Empire up through the second century BC. This mentions the infamous Antiochus IV Epiphanes and what eventually became the Maccabean Revolt. The last portion of prophecy looks to the end times: blasphemous rulers, an invasion from the north, and a major defeat.

Daniel is receiving a prophecy, in an encounter which began in chapter 10. The substance of that prophecy is mostly given in chapter 11. This predicts the major events relating to Judea leading up to the conquest of the Roman Empire. It also begins to speak of end-times events. This leads to chapter 12 and the final prophetic remarks given to Daniel. Chapter 11 connects to other prophetic segments of Scripture such as Ezekiel 38 and Joel 2. Occurrences recorded here are also used by Jesus to depict end times events (Matthew 24:15).

The book of Daniel contains famous Old Testament stories and prophecies. Daniel was taken from the Israelite people and made an advisor for a conquering empire. He demonstrates faithfulness and wisdom during many years serving in this role. Though Daniel does not deliver a public message, Jesus refers to him as a "prophet" (Matthew 24:15). The first portion of the book mostly describes Daniel's interpretations of dreams and other events. The second portion looks ahead to the end times. Daniel is classified in English Bibles as a "major" prophet, meaning the book is relatively long and the content has broad implications. The book of Revelation echoes and expands on many of the same themes.