131Historical Account: 1 In the year BC 538 Jehovah’s angel raised up Darius the Mede (who likely reigned just one year in the province of Babylon). 2 Cyrus, Cambyses, and Darius will come to power in Persia. Then Xerxes will gain the most wealth of all, and he will gather all available nations in BC 481 for an (unsuccessful) invasion of Grecia.
11: 2 And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and when he is waxed strong through his riches, 132he shall stir up all against the realm of 133Greece.
132Or, all this shall stir up the realm of Greece.
133Hb. Javan.
11: 3 134And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.
1343 And some time later in BC 336 Alexander of Macedonia will arise and unite Grecia behind him and will be victorious everywhere he goes. 4 But in the peak of his power Alexander will suddenly die in BC 323, and his empire will be divided up into Macedonia (and Greece) to the west, Egypt to the south, Syria-Babylonia to the east, and Thrace to the north. Alexander’s family will all be slain within 13 years, and his generals and their successors will take these parts of the empire, though with much less power.
11: 4 And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of the heavens, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides these.
11: 5 135And 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.
1355 So Ptolemy I Soter (BC 323-285) became king in Egypt, and he protected General Seleucus, and Seleucus in BC 312 retook Syria and Babylon and began reigning as Seleucus I Nicator (312-281); in BC 301 he defeated Antigonus again, and after Lysimachus had conquered Macedonia and annexed it to Thrace, Seleucus conquered Lysimachus, and so Syria ruled the larger part of Alexander’s empire. (Soon north Thrace was lost, and Macedonia became the Antigonid Kingdom under Gonatas.)
11: 6 136And at the end of years they shall join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make 137an agreement: but she shall not retain the strength of her arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm; but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.
1366 And a few Syro-Egyptian wars later and many years later Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246, sponsor of the Septuagint?) will make a covenant with Antiochus II Theos (261-246), so that Antiochus will divorce his wife Laodice and marry Berenice, the daughter of Ptolemy II; but after Ptolemy’s death Antiochus shall visit Laodice and her children, and then Laodice shall poison Antiochus and cause also Berenice and her son and all her Egyptian attendants to be slain, and Laodice shall secure the throne of Syria for her son Seleucus II Callinicus (246-225).
137Or, equitable conditions:
11: 7 138But out of a shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his 139place, who shall come 140unto the army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail.
1387 But Berenice’s brother Ptolemy III Evergetes (246-222) will come with vengeance, and will be welcomed by the city of Seleucia, and will conquer as far as Babylon; 8 And he will carry an immense spoil back to Egypt, including the idols the Persians had taken away, and he himself will attack Syria no more. 9 Then in BC 243 Seleucus II will enter into the kingdom of Egypt and will be defeated; thereafter struggles with his brother Hierax will keep him at home.
139Or, office,
140Or, against
11: 8 And also their gods, with their 141molten images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, shall he carry captive into Egypt; and he shall 142refrain some years from the king of the north.
141Or, princes,
142Or, continue more years than the king of the north.
11: 9 And he shall come into the realm of the king of the south, but he shall return into his own land.
11: 10 143And his sons shall war, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, 144which shall come on, and overflow, and pass through; and 145they shall return and war, even to his fortress.
14310 And Seleucus’ sons, Seleucus III Soter (225-223) and Antiochus III Magnus (The Great, 223-187) will raise a great army, and Antiochus will retake Seleucia and conquer Judea, even to the border of Egypt; 11 And in BC 217 Ptolemy IV Philopator (222-203) will press the Fourth Syrian war at Raphia (20 miles SW of Gaza) with an army of 70,000 foot soldiers, 5,000 horsemen and 73 elephants, and will defeat 62,000 soldiers, 6,000 horsemen and 102 larger (Asian) elephants. 12 When he will take multitudes captive, he will give himself to vice and will seek to enter into the Temple at Jerusalem, and returning to Alexandria in anger he will slay 40,000 Jews, but Egypt will be weakened; 13 For Antiochus will strengthen himself and raise a still larger army and will retake Judea in BC 201 from the six-year-old king Ptolemy V Epiphanes (203-181).
144Or, and he shall come on,
145Or, he
11: 11 And the king of the south shall be moved with anger, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north; and he shall set forth a great multitude, and the multitude shall be given into his hand.
11: 12 And the multitude shall 146be carried away, and his heart shall be exalted; and he shall cast down tens of thousands, but he shall not prevail.
146Or, be lifted up,
11: 13 And the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former; and he shall come on at the end of the times, even 147of years, with a great army and with much substance.
147Or, for
11: 14 148And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the children of the law-breakers of thy people shall lift themselves up to establish the vision; but they shall fall.
14814 In the days of Ptolemy V, Antiochus, Philip V of Macedonia, and many nations will turn against Egypt; and the rebels of Judea also, but the Egyptian general Scopas will conquer them; 15 Then will Antiochus return (and defeat Scopas at Panium) and besiege him at Sidon: three elite relief forces will fail; so Scopas and his army will surrender and be humiliated, about BC 200. 16 But Antiochus will conquer at will, (and will be welcomed by the Jews,) and the battlefield will be Judea. 17 Antiochus will seek to gain Egypt by strategy and in a peace treaty will give his daughter Cleopatra I (ca. 205-174) to Ptolemy, ca. BC 194, with a dowry to have included Judea. But Cleopatra will not help her father. [Some suggest this is Cleopatra VII, 1½ centuries later.]
11: 15 So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mound, and take 149a well-fortified city: and the forces of the south shall not stand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to stand.
149Or, the fortified cities:
11: 16 But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him; and he shall stand in the glorious land, and in his hand shall be destruction.
11: 17 And he shall set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him 150equitable conditions; and he shall perform them: and he shall give him 151the daughter of 152women, 153to corrupt her; but 154she shall not stand, neither be for him.
150Lit. upright ones;
151the daughter of women, That is, the finest example (or, most beautiful) among women,
152So Massoretic, Vg., GkTh. 4QDanc Sept., Aram. read men,
153Or, to destroy it;
154Or, it
11: 18 155After this shall he turn his face unto the 156coast-lands, and shall take many: but a 157prince shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; yes, moreover, he shall cause his reproach to turn upon him.
15518 Antiochus will capture many Mediterranean ports, but the Roman general Lucius Scipio will defeat 80,000 near Smyrna and put him twelve years to tribute in BC 189. 19 To raise the tribute he will attempt to plunder the temple of Jupiter Belus in Elymias, but he will be slain with all his attendants. 20 Then Seleucus IV Philopator (187-175) will collect the annual 1000-talents tribute for the Romans, and will send Heliodorus to rob the Temple in Jerusalem, but a few years later Heliodorus will slay him (and attempt to seize the throne).
156Or, isles,
157Or, captain That is, a military prince
11: 19 Then he shall turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he shall stumble and fall, and shall not be found.
11: 20 Then shall stand up in his 158place one that shall cause an exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom; but within few days he shall be 159destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
158Or, office And in verse 21.
159Hb. broken,
11: 21 160And in his place shall stand up a contemptible person, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom: but he shall come in time of security, and shall obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
16021 And though Demetrius, the son of Seleucus, is the rightful heir, and Heliodorus and Ptolemy VI Philometor (181-146), son of Cleopatra I, will also seek the throne, Demetrius’ uncle Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164) will flatter the Pergamuns and Syrians and buy off the Romans, and become king and live lasciviously; 22 And all opposition forces will be dissipated, and Jason will bribe him to take the office of high priest in Jerusalem from his brother Onias III, but in BC 171 their youngest brother Menelaus will offer a bigger bribe and thus in turn replace Jason as high priest and have Onias killed. [Those who piously refused to accept the appointment of a Gentile king became the Pharisees; the priests and wealthy minority were known as the Zadokites, or Sadducees.] 23 Antiochus will use friendship pacts for treachery and will thus obtain Judea. 24 He will be extravagant and will prefer intrigue to armed force for awhile;
11: 22 And the overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be broken; yes, also the prince of 161the covenant.
161Or, his covenant.
11: 23 And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.
11: 24 In time of security shall he come even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them prey, and spoil, and substance: yes, he shall devise his devices against the strongholds, even for a time.
11: 25 162And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall war in battle with an exceeding great and mighty army; but he shall not stand; for they shall devise devices against him.
16225 And then in BC 169 he will go into Egypt and take the land from Pelusium to Memphis, for Ptolemy’s allies will desert to Antiochus. 26 And Ptolemy will be ruined by his own ministers, and his army will be beaten, and many will be slain; 27 And they will confer for peace but will plot each other’s destruction, yet neither will succeed. 28 And Antiochus will take much spoils with him. And en route to his own land, finding that Jason (had heard he was dead and) had taken Jerusalem, Antiochus shall capture the city, slay 40,000, sell another 40,000 as slaves, pollute the Temple and altar with swine, profane the Most Holy, and take the golden vessels. 29 But Antiochus shall fail in his plot to set Physcon against his brother Ptolemy VI, and so in BC 168 he shall again come into Egypt, but with different results; 30 For Mediterranean (Roman) ships shall come to Alexandria, and Caius Popilius Laenus will order him to withdraw. And Antiochus shall send his tax collector Apollonius to Jerusalem, slaughter many people, outlaw Judaism, consecrate the Temple to Jupiter Olympus, and compel all by penalty of death to conform to the Greek religion. [Then Judea revolted in BC 166 under the Maccabees. Antiochus died raving mad. The priesthood did not support the revolt; so when it was successful, Simon Maccabee was appointed high priest ca. BC 140. The Zadokite priesthood then withdrew from the Jewish community and formed the Qumran community in the desert, from whom came the Dead Sea Scrolls. Douay Bible footnotes and Reformation and Jewish commentators usually agree through verse 30.]
11: 26 Yes, they that eat of his dainties shall 163destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.
163Hb. break him,
11: 27 And as for both these kings, their hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table: but it shall not prosper; for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.
11: 28 Then shall he return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do his pleasure, and return to his own land.
11: 29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come into the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.
11: 30 For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do his pleasure: he shall even return, and have regard unto them that forsake the holy covenant.
11: 31 164And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall 165profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt-offering, and they shall set up the abomination that maketh desolate.
164Interpretive History 31 And the Roman forces will take his kingdom (and Judea) in BC 63, and they will crucify Jesus (at the insistence of Judean leadership) in AD 33 April 3, and destroy the Temple (and all Jerusalem) in AD 68-70, (decimate/exile Jewry,) and set up a religion in the image of the Babylonian/Greek pantheon [parallel to Antiochus IV, who removed the Jewish high priest at the urging of a Jew, plundered the Temple, and established the heathen worship with Jupiter/Zeus at the head.]; 32 And those who sin against the Lord’s people will heathen Rome corrupt by promotion and wealth, but in spite of it the truly godly will be zealous for Him and grow stronger. 33 And the faithful will make converts throughout the Empire (and beyond), even though Rome will slay them, burn them, imprison them, and confiscate their goods for centuries. 34 Now after the Diocletian persecution Constantine will grant relief in March 313, and then many hypocrites will also profess belief; 35 Then still more of the faithful will be slain even until the end of the age, but it will not hurt the spiritual development of the true saints.
165Lit. pierce Similar to the word slain in vs. 26.
11: 32 And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he 166pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
166Hb. make profane by flatteries;
11: 33 And 167they that are wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, and by captivity and by spoil, many days.
167Or, the teachers of the people shall instruct many;
11: 34 Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries.
11: 35 And some of 168them that are wise shall fall, to refine them, and to purify, and to make them white, even to the time of the end; because it is yet for the time appointed.
168Or, the teachers shall fall,
11: 36 169And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods; and he shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished; for that which is determined shall be done.
16936 Then the sovereign will be his own law and will exalt himself above everything in earth or heaven and will accuse God of evil, and he will succeed for centuries. 37 He will exalt himself above the heathen pantheon, will impose clerical celibacy, and will put down every other god, true or false: 38 But instead he will respect only the right of might and will install a new kind of worship and will build immense institutions for that worship (or, foreign worship); 39 And he will employ that worship against the Almighty and His people, he will crown and rule over the kings and emperors of Europe, and he will extort bribes for distributing lands.
11: 37 Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.
11: 38 But in his 170place shall he honor the god of fortresses; and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things.
170Or, office
11: 39 And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: 171whosoever acknowledgeth him 172he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
171Or, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory, even he shall cause etc.
172Or, shall increase glory, even he etc.
11: 40 173And at the time of the end shall the king of the south 174contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through.
17340 And in later times the Ottoman Empire will threaten the papacy, and England will rebel from Rome under Henry VIII and subsequently establish a vast empire, taking some of it from Roman Catholic countries. 41 The British will intercede in the 1878 Berlin Congress of Nations to open up Palestine, and will conquer many lands, but Trans-Jordan and its capital Amman will be unaffected at this time. 42 And Britain will occupy Egypt in 1882 and many countries; 43 And they will control vast mineral and archaeological treasures; and from Egypt they will begin expanding into the Libyan desert and into Black Africa. 44 But military preparations in Germany and the other Central Powers will cause Britain to engage in World War I. 45 And in December 1917 British General Allenby will take Jerusalem, and assume mandate over Palestine, but the mighty British Empire will subsequently disintegrate and die. [Consequently, Israel was reborn 1948 May 15.]
174Hb. push at him;
11: 41 He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall be delivered out of his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.
11: 42 He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries; and the land of Egypt shall not escape.
11: 43 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.
11: 44 But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him; and he shall go forth with great fury to destroy and 175utterly to sweep away many.
175Hb. to devote many.
11: 45 And he shall plant the tents of his palace 176between the seas at the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.
176Or, between the seas and the glorious holy mountain;
