Daniel 11:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion and do as he wills.

NIV: Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great power and do as he pleases.

NASB: And a mighty king will arise, and he will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.

CSB: Then a warrior king will arise; he will rule a vast realm and do whatever he wants.

NLT: Then a mighty king will rise to power who will rule with great authority and accomplish everything he sets out to do.

KJV: And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

NKJV: Then a mighty king shall arise, who shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

An angel appeared to Daniel around 536 BC (Daniel 10:1) to relate further details about the future (Daniel 11:2). The prior verse indicated that four rulers would emerge after Cyrus of Persia. The fourth, later revealed as Xerxes, would amass enormous wealth and power before attacking Greece in 480 BC. This verse indicates another king, coming after Xerxes, with absolute and uncontested rule. This was fulfilled nearly 150 years after Xerxes, when Alexander the Great conquered Persia between 334 and 330 BC.

Aspects of this prediction affirm other prophecies given to Daniel. The image from Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2:1) included segments representing the Persian and Greek empires (Daniel 2:32). In chapter 7, Alexander the Great was symbolized by a leopard with wings (Daniel 7:6), and then by a "horn" of a goat in chapter 8 (Daniel 8:5). Alexander's might and power were proven by his rapid conquest of lands as far away as India. However, Alexander would die without an established heir; when he died, his massive territory was divided into four separate regions controlled by his generals (Daniel 11:4).

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.