Daniel 11:42 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

NIV: He will extend his power over many countries; Egypt will not escape.

NASB: Then he will reach out with his hand against other countries, and the land of Egypt will not escape.

CSB: He will extend his power against the countries, and not even the land of Egypt will escape.

NLT: He will conquer many countries, and even Egypt will not escape.

KJV: He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

NKJV: He shall stretch out his hand against the countries, and the land of Egypt shall not escape.

In this section of prophecy, Daniel seems to predict an attack on Israel from both the south and the north (Daniel 11:40–41). Based on the suggestion of a large army, and details from prophets such as Ezekiel and Joel, the northern forces appear to be a collection from many nations. In this chapter, "the south" has usually been a reference to Egypt. However, Egypt is mentioned very directly here, so it may or may not be the kingdom which attacked in the prior verses.

It's possible that this describes a broken alliance or competing invasions. Perhaps Egypt—or some other southern nation—will attempt to attack Israel before the north can, but the north invades anyway. Perhaps they will be part of a planned attack, only to be betrayed afterwards by the northern coalition. Isaiah 19:4 predicts the eventual fall of Egypt to an aggressor.

A large, confederated group moving from north to south could coerce nations to surrender and add their military to their own. Ezekiel 38:5–6 lists countries that fight alongside the northern invader: Persia, Put, Gomer, Beth-togarmah, and Cush. Modern interpreters typically associate these with Iran, Libya, Turkey, Armenia, and the region of Sudan and Ethiopia, respectively. Some of these are also mentioned in the following verse (Daniel 11:43). With an overwhelming force, the invader from the north will extend his might all the way to north Africa, likely by deploying his ships to that part of the Mediterranean Sea (Daniel 11:40).

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.