Daniel 11:15 Commentary and Bible Study

Verses 15-17 expand on what verse 13-14 have told us about the initiative of Antiochus the Great on Egypt. ‘So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.’ The commentators agree that the prophecy was fulfilled as follows: Ptolemy had sent his general, Scopas, to reclaim land recently taken by Antiochus (while Antiochus was distracted over Pergamum). He came with choice fighting men – ‘his chosen people’ – who might have been expected to prevail, but they did not. Antiochus’ greater army defeated him at the battle of Panion (later called Paneas). Scopas retreated to the fortified city of Sidon with ten thousand men, but the city was besieged – ‘cast up a mount’. In spite of Egypt sending three of its best generals to lift the siege (Leupold), the city eventually fell – ‘neither shall there be any strength to withstand’. ‘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, which by his hand shall be consumed.’ ‘The glorious land’ or the beautiful land, is Palestine, so named because it is the land favoured by God. The people of God were constantly caught up in the struggle between these two great powers in the north and the south. Although what seems to have been a minority of Jews rebelled against Antiochus – ‘also the robbers of thy people’ (verse 14) – most of the Jews preferred to be ruled by the north, and Antiochus was welcomed when he took back control and showed Judah his favour. The last clause – ‘which by his hand shall be consumed’ – may refer to the way others apart from Palestine were treated; though some apply this to Israel, but translate the words differently: ‘and [it shall be] entirely in his hand’ (Leupold).‘He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.’ This predicts the action of Antiochus in giving to Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the child king, his daughter Cleopatra in marriage in 193 BC, a woman of great beauty. During this time, there were three powers at work; the rising power of the Romans also had an influence on the situation, because Rome was an ally of Egypt, and Antiochus was restrained in what he could do because he feared Rome. His purpose in giving his daughter was to have her poison or undermine Ptolemy – ‘corrupting her’, by causing her to act in a corrupt manner – in order to take Ptolemy’s kingdom from him – ‘He [Antiochus] shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom.’ But the scheme did not work – ‘she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him‘ – she did not side with her father, but instead remained loyal to her husband and frustrated her father’s schemes.