Daniel 11:43 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He shall become ruler of the treasures of gold and of silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and the Libyans and the Cushites shall follow in his train.

NIV: He will gain control of the treasures of gold and silver and all the riches of Egypt, with the Libyans and Cushites in submission.

NASB: But he will gain control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; and Libyans and Ethiopians will follow at his heels.

CSB: He will get control over the hidden treasures of gold and silver and over all the riches of Egypt. The Libyans and Cushites will also be in submission.

NLT: He will gain control over the gold, silver, and treasures of Egypt, and the Libyans and Ethiopians will be his servants.

KJV: But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.

NKJV: He shall have power over the treasures of gold and silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt; also the Libyans and Ethiopians shall follow at his heels.

A figure described as a "king of the north" (Daniel 11:40) is prophesied to bring a coalition of armies through Israel and against Egypt (Daniel 11:41–42). This is part of a message given to Daniel (Daniel 10:1) regarding events in the end times just before God's final judgment. This verse indicates this leader gaining tremendous wealth by his conquests. He either dominates or absorbs the Cushites and Libyans; Cush corresponds to the region around modern-day Sudan and Ethiopia.

Ezekiel 38:5–6 appears to parallel this prediction. In Isaiah 20:4 the Lord prophesies this event by saying, "so shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptian captives and the Cushite exiles, both the young and the old, naked and barefoot, with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt."

At what seems to be the height of his military accomplishments, something will devastate this king of the north. The next two verses describe what triggers this devastation and what comes after (Daniel 11:44–45).

Daniel 11:36–45 is part of a prophecy given to Daniel; everything he was told was to occur after his own life. Viewed from the modern perspective, most of the predictions have been fulfilled in our past. In this passage, that viewpoint shifts to the future. In the last days before the final judgment, a time of tribulation, a notable figure will honor some kind of military god. He will be attacked by armies from the north, but the leader of those armies will hastily retreat to a location between the Mediterranean Sea and Israel, where he will perish.

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.