Daniel 11:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: “Then the king of the south shall be strong, but one of his princes shall be stronger than he and shall rule, and his authority shall be a great authority.

NIV: The king of the South will become strong, but one of his commanders will become even stronger than he and will rule his own kingdom with great power.

NASB: Then the king of the South will grow strong, along with one of his princes who will gain ascendancy over him and rule; his domain will be a great realm indeed.

CSB: "The king of the South will grow powerful, but one of his commanders will grow more powerful and will rule a kingdom greater than his.

NLT: The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.

KJV: And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.

NKJV: “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.

As part of a prophecy delivered to Daniel (Daniel 10:1; 11:2), an angelic being has mentioned the four kings who would eventually replace Alexander the Great (Daniel 11:3–4). History confirms these predictions, which were given in 536 BC and not fulfilled until some two hundred years later. Alexander died in 323 BC without an heir. His conquered territory was split among four of his generals: Lysimachus, Cassander, Ptolemy, and Seleucus (Daniel 7:6; 8:5, 8). In this verse, the "king of the south" is described in ways consistent with historical records about Ptolemy.

Ptolemy I Soter initially received authority over the territory of Egypt in 323 BC. Seleucus I Nicator was one of his "princes." In 321 BC, Seleucus was appointed over Babylon. Five years later, he was challenged by another of Alexander's former military leaders. Ptolemy successfully aided Seleucus, his former subordinate; as a result, Seleucus controlled a much larger territory than even Ptolemy, including Syria and Media. This corresponds to this verse which predicts the "prince" will become stronger than the "king of the south."

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.