Daniel 11:18 Commentary and Bible Study

Commentators agree that history records the following fulfilment of this further part of the prophecy: Antiochus III the Great now turned his attention elsewhere. He believed that the south, Egypt, was now secure through the marriage of his daughter, and he looked to ‘the isles’, a term used in Jewish history for not only the islands of the Mediterranean, but also its coasts – ‘and took many’. This was territory which Rome counted as its own, but Antiochus acted with great haughtiness, casting reproach or shame on the Roman overlords. He then suffered a series of defeats, notably at the Battle of Magnesia in 190 BC at the hands of Lucius Cornelius Scipio (also named Scipio Asiaticus), a leader of the Roman army – ‘a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease.’ The ancient histories record that Rome with thirty thousand men defeated Antiochus with seventy thousand infantry and twelve thousand cavalry, killing fifty thousand infantry and four thousand cavalry (Barnes) – modern scholars reduce these numbers. Antiochus’ reproach was turned back upon him. ‘Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.’ Antiochus tried to make peace and Rome pressed its advantage, and imposed an enormous levy upon him, taking all land west of the Taurus mountains, and forcing him to pay heavy fines which later fell on his son. By a shameful reversal, Antiochus who had sought to take the strongholds of others, was compelled to seek refuge in his own strongholds, such as the city of Antioch, his capital. He did not go to war again, and eventually died, leaving two sons, Seleucus (or Ceraunus), and Antiochus Epiphanes (who was kept hostage in Rome for twelve years).‘Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom.’ Antiochus the Great was replaced by his eldest son Seleucus IV Philopator. This is the ruler referred to in verse 20. This man was ‘not only a covetous man, and a lover of money above all things; and therefore laid heavy taxes on his subjects, to gratify his avarice; but he was indeed obliged to it, to raise the thousand talents yearly to pay the Romans which his father had laid himself under obligation to do’ (Gill). One notable tax raiser was his treasurer, Heliodorus, who was sent to Jerusalem to extract money from the temple. ‘But within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.’ In a few days, or in a short time – he reigned about twelve years at most, compared to his father’s reign of thirty-seven years – he would be destroyed. He did not die in a personal conflict or in battle, but was poisoned.