Commentary - Daniel 11:10-13

Bird's-eye view

In this section of Daniel's remarkably detailed prophecy, the angel continues to unveil the future conflicts between the successors of Alexander the Great. Specifically, we are watching the bloody rivalry between the Seleucid empire to the north of Israel (the king of the North) and the Ptolemaic empire to the south in Egypt (the king of the South). This is not a random collection of geopolitical predictions for the curious. Rather, God is demonstrating His absolute and meticulous sovereignty over the affairs of men and nations. He is showing His people, who were caught in the middle of these conflicts, that He knows the end from the beginning. The great empires that seem so mighty are but pawns on His chessboard. This detailed history, written in advance, serves to anchor the faith of the saints, assuring them that the God who can predict the precise movements of pagan armies is more than capable of fulfilling His ultimate covenant promises in the coming of the Messiah, whose kingdom will crush all these earthly powers.

The passage details a series of campaigns, victories, and defeats, focusing on the pride and temporary triumphs of these kings. We see massive armies raised, battles won, and hearts lifted up in arrogance, only to be followed by further conflict and instability. This relentless cycle of war illustrates the futility of human ambition apart from God. It is a picture of the world under the curse, a constant striving for power that never leads to lasting peace. For the believer, this is a reminder that our hope is not in the shifting fortunes of earthly kingdoms, but in the unshakable kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was established in the midst of these very empires and is destined to fill the whole earth.

Outline

Context In Daniel

This passage is part of the final and most detailed vision given to Daniel, which begins in chapter 10 and runs to the end of the book. An angelic messenger, likely Gabriel, is giving Daniel a play-by-play account of the history that will unfold between the Persian empire and the coming of the Messiah. Chapter 11 opens with the fall of Persia and the rise of Alexander the Great ("a mighty king," v. 3). After Alexander's death, his kingdom is divided among his four generals, and the prophecy narrows its focus to the two dynasties that most directly impacted Israel: the Seleucids in Syria (the North) and the Ptolemies in Egypt (the South). The verses immediately preceding our text describe the initial conflicts and intrigues between these two powers. Our passage, verses 10-13, picks up the historical narrative, detailing the reigns of Antiochus III (the Great) of the North and Ptolemy IV Philopator of the South. This is not abstract apocalypticism; it is concrete, verifiable history foretold, designed to show that God is in complete control of the timeline leading to the events of the New Covenant.

Key Issues

History on God's Leash

It is crucial that we read a passage like this with the right set of glasses. If we see it as a mere exercise in historical trivia or a code to be cracked for predicting our own times, we miss the point entirely. The sheer detail of this prophecy is meant to be faith-building. The God we serve is not a distant, deistic clockmaker who wound up the world and let it go. He is the sovereign Lord of history who directs the councils of kings and the movements of armies. He told Daniel what was going to happen centuries before it occurred, not to satisfy idle curiosity, but to arm His people with confidence in His Word.

The kings of the North and South thought they were acting out of their own ambitions, rage, and strategic genius. And in one sense, they were. But behind their every move was the unseen hand of God, weaving their sinful machinations into His perfect redemptive plan. The land of Israel was the geographical bridge between these two warring empires, and so God's people were constantly trampled underfoot. This prophecy was their assurance that their suffering was not meaningless. It was part of the story God was writing, a story that would culminate not in the victory of a Ptolemy or a Seleucid, but in the enthronement of the Son of David, Jesus Christ.

Verse by Verse Commentary

10 “And his sons will wage war. So they will gather a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and overflow and pass through, that he may again wage war up to his very fortress.

The pronoun "his" refers back to the king of the North mentioned in the previous verses, Seleucus II. His sons were Seleucus III and the more famous Antiochus III, also known as Antiochus the Great. After his brother's brief reign, Antiochus III took the throne and began an aggressive campaign to reclaim the territories his father had lost. The prophecy says "one of them," which was Antiochus III, will "keep on coming and overflow and pass through." This is military language describing a relentless, flooding invasion. History records that this is precisely what Antiochus III did. He swept down through the Levant, conquering the lands controlled by Egypt, pushing the conflict right up to the border of Egypt itself, to the fortress of Raphia. God is not speaking in vague generalities. He is giving Daniel the headlines four hundred years in advance.

11 And the king of the South will be enraged and go forth and fight with the king of the North. Then the latter will cause a great multitude to stand, but that multitude will be given into the hand of the former.

The "king of the South" at this time was Ptolemy IV Philopator, a notoriously decadent and lazy ruler. But Antiochus's invasion finally provoked him. He was "enraged." He mustered his own army to meet the threat. The prophecy notes that the king of the North, Antiochus, will raise a "great multitude," a massive army. Historical sources confirm his army was significantly larger than Ptolemy's. But notice what God says will happen. That great multitude "will be given into the hand of the former." Despite having the superior force, Antiochus will lose. The battle of Raphia in 217 B.C. was a decisive victory for Ptolemy, precisely as prophesied. The outcome of battles is not determined by the size of the army, but by the decree of God. He gives the victory to whomever He wills.

12 Then the multitude will be carried away, his heart will be lifted up, and he will cause tens of thousands to fall; yet he will not prevail.

Following his stunning victory, Ptolemy IV acted just as we would expect a sinful man to act. His "heart will be lifted up." He became arrogant and proud. Instead of pressing his advantage and destroying the Seleucid power, he was content to make a peace treaty and return to his debauched lifestyle in Egypt. The text says he "will cause tens of thousands to fall," referring to the massive casualties inflicted on Antiochus's army at Raphia. But the final clause is key: "yet he will not prevail." His victory was temporary. His pride blinded him to the long-term strategic reality. He won the battle, but because of his arrogance and complacency, he would not ultimately win the war. This is a profound moral lesson embedded in the historical prediction. Pride goes before a fall, for nations as well as for individuals.

13 And the king of the North will again cause a much greater multitude than the former to stand, and at the end of the times of those years, he will keep on coming with a great military force and much equipment.

God's prophetic clock keeps ticking. "At the end of the times of those years," which turned out to be about fourteen years later, the king of the North, Antiochus III, returns. He had spent the intervening years consolidating his power in the east, and now he was ready for round two. Just as the prophecy states, he came back with a "much greater multitude," a re-equipped and larger army. He took advantage of the fact that Ptolemy IV had died and his successor was just a small child. The political situation had changed, and Antiochus was ready to exploit it. This sets the stage for the next phase of the conflict, which would see the land of Israel definitively pass from Ptolemaic to Seleucid control, leading eventually to the great crisis under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the subject of the subsequent prophecies.

Application

First, this passage ought to fill us with a profound sense of awe at the sovereignty of God. The God of the Bible is not a God of broad strokes. He is a God of minute details. He knows the names of kings, the outcomes of battles, and the number of years between treaties before any of it comes to pass. This means we can trust His Word implicitly. If He was faithful to predict these geopolitical shifts with 100 percent accuracy, we can be certain He will be faithful to fulfill every promise He has made to us in the gospel of His Son.

Second, we should see in the rage and pride of these kings a picture of fallen humanity. They build their kingdoms on violence and ambition, their hearts are lifted up in victory, and their triumphs are fleeting. This is the story of the city of man. It is a constant, churning cycle of conflict that ultimately goes nowhere. We are called to be citizens of another city, the heavenly Jerusalem. Our King is not like these petty tyrants. Our King, the Lord Jesus, conquered not by raising a great multitude, but by laying down His own life. His heart was not lifted up in pride, but was humbled even to the point of death on a cross. His victory was not temporary, but eternal. And His kingdom will not be followed by another, but will stand forever.

Finally, this passage reminds us that God's people often find themselves caught in the crossfire of worldly powers. Israel was the turf over which these pagan kings fought. In the same way, the church often finds itself squeezed by the conflicts of the ungodly world. But we are not to despair. The God who saw Israel through the Ptolemaic and Seleucid conflicts is the same God who has promised to be with us to the end of the age. The empires of our day are no more sovereign than they were in Daniel's time. They are all on a leash, and our Father holds the end of it. Our task is to be faithful in the midst of the turmoil, knowing that the kingdoms of this world are becoming the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.