What does Daniel 11:30 mean?
ESV: For ships of Kittim shall come against him, and he shall be afraid and withdraw, and shall turn back and be enraged and take action against the holy covenant. He shall turn back and pay attention to those who forsake the holy covenant.
NIV: Ships of the western coastlands will oppose him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and vent his fury against the holy covenant. He will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
NASB: For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will withdraw in fear and will return and curse the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and pay attention to those who abandon the holy covenant.
CSB: Ships of Kittim will come against him, and being intimidated, he will withdraw. Then he will rage against the holy covenant and take action. On his return, he will favor those who abandon the holy covenant.
NLT: For warships from western coastlands will scare him off, and he will withdraw and return home. But he will vent his anger against the people of the holy covenant and reward those who forsake the covenant.
KJV: For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
NKJV: For ships from Cyprus shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and return in rage against the holy covenant, and do damage. “So he shall return and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant.
Verse Commentary:
Among the Jewish history's most hated enemies is Antiochus IV Epiphanes. This passage is part of Daniel's recorded prophecy (Daniel 10:1) which foretold the rise of this dark figure. History confirms these predictions and allows us to explain them in greater detail. Recently, Daniel has noted Antiochus's return from a successful campaign in Egypt, after which he raided the Jewish temple in Jerusalem (Daniel 11:25–28). This moment in history is seen as one of the initial insults which sparked a chain of terrible violence.
The prior verse (Daniel 11:29) noted that Antiochus would once again move against Egypt, under the sovereign timing of God. This time, however, the trip would not end in victory. To that point, Antiochus IV Epiphanes had been able to focus his efforts on Egypt because the ever-growing Roman Empire was engaged in a war with Macedonia. Even though Rome traded with Egypt for grain, they could not spare armies to defend an ally across the Mediterranean Sea. As Antiochus prepared to march on Egypt once again, Rome defeated Macedonia.
When Antiochus moved into Egypt in 168 BC, a Roman delegation met them. The Roman emissary insisted that Antiochus take his forces out of Egypt and away from Cyprus, the large island north of Egypt. This area was called Kittim by the Hebrew people (Genesis 10:4–5; Numbers 24:24). Rome's ultimatum was posed as an all-or-nothing, immediate choice. Antiochus was forced to either agree to a retreat, or face war with a much more powerful enemy. In a rage, Antiochus agreed and returned his forces to their home territory.
At that time, unrest was rising in Israel, particularly in and around Jerusalem. Antiochus turned his attention to crushing this rebellion. Among his more infamous acts were forbidding Jewish religious practices, desecrating the temple with pagan rituals and the blood of unclean animals, and the slaughter of tens of thousands of Israelites. The crassest of these assaults involved replacing the altar of God with an altar to Zeus, on which a pig (Leviticus 11:7–8) was sacrificed. This is connected to the phrase "abomination of desolation" (Daniel 8:13; 11:31; 12:11; Matthew 24:15). Epiphanes's actions also foreshadow a noted figure from the end times: the Antichrist.
Verse Context:
Daniel 11:21–35 continues from a series of prophecies about many rulers over many decades. In contrast, this segment's predictions focus on a single ruler and his hateful actions against Egypt and Israel. History knows this figure as Antiochus IV Epiphanes: one of the Jewish people's most vicious and hated persecutors.
Chapter Summary:
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.
Chapter Context:
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).
Book Summary:
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.
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