Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Daniel 11:29
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
29. Antiochus’ ‘third’ Egyptian expedition (b.c. 168).
the time appointed ] the time fixed in the counsels of God.
but it shall not be in the latter time as in the former ] this expedition will not be as successful as the previous one.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
At the time appointed – In the purposes of God. See the notes at Dan 11:27. That is, at the time when God shall design to accomplish his own purposes in regard to him. The idea is, that there was a definite period in the Divine Mind in which all this was to be done, and that when this should occur Antiochus would return again to invade Egypt.
He shall return, and come toward the south – With an intention of invading Egypt. The occasion of this invasion was, that after the departure of Antiochus, leaving Ptolemy in possession of Egypt, or having professedly given up the kingdom to him, Ptolemy suspected the designs of Antiochus, and came to an agreement with his brother Physcon, that they should share the government between them, and resist Antiochus with their united power. To do this, they hired mercenary troops from Greece. Antiochus, learning this, openly threw off the mask, and prepared to invade Egypt again, 167 b.c. He sent his fleet to Cyprus to secure possession of that island, and led his army toward Egypt to subdue the two brothers, designing to annex the whole country to his dominions.
But it shall not be as the former, or as the latter – At the first invasion or the second. In these he was successful; in this he would not be. The reason of his want of success is stated in the following verse – that by the aid which the two brothers had obtained from abroad, as expressed in the next verse, they would be able to oppose him.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 29. At the time appointed he shall return] Finding that his treachery was detected, and that the two brothers had united their counsel and strength for their mutual support, he threw off the mask; and having collected a great army early in the spring, he passed through Coelesyria; entered Egypt; and the inhabitants of Memphis having submitted to him, he came by easy marches to Alexandria. But, says the prophet, “it shall not be as the former or as the latter:” he had not the same success as the former, when he overthrew the Egyptian army at Pelusium; nor as the latter, when he took Memphis, and subdued all Egypt, except Alexandria. See the reason.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Come toward the south, i.e. Egypt, to fight against Ptolemy and his wife Cleopatra, sister to Antiochus.
But it shall not be as the former, or as the latter; this shall not be so prosperous as the two former expeditions, but shall fail of his victory and booty.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
29. At the time appointed“thetime” spoken of in Da 11:27.
returnhis second openinvasion of Egypt. Ptolemy Philometer, suspecting Antiochus’ designswith Physcon, hired mercenaries from Greece. Whereupon Antiochusadvanced with a fleet and an army, demanding the cession to him ofCyprus, Pelusium, and the country adjoining the Pelusiac mouth of theNile.
it shall not be as theformernot successful as the former expedition. PopiliusLoelignas, the Roman ambassador, met him at Eleusis, four miles fromAlexandria, and presented him the decree of the senate; on Antiochusreplying that he would consider what he was to do, Popilius drew aline round him with a rod and said, “I must have a reply to giveto the senate before you leave this circle.” Antiochussubmitted, and retired from Egypt; and his fleets withdrew fromCyprus.
or as the latterthatmentioned in Dan 11:42; Dan 11:43[TREGELLES]. Or, makingthis the third expedition, the sense is “not as the firstor as the second” expeditions [PISCATOR].Rather “not as the former, so shall be this latter”expedition [GROTIUS].
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south,…. At the time appointed of God, he should return from Syria again to Egypt; which was his third expedition thither, and was occasioned by the Alexandrians setting up the brother of Ptolemy Philometor for king; wherefore he hastened to Egypt with a large army, under a pretence of restoring the deposed king; but in reality to seize the kingdom for himself y:
but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter; this expedition should not succeed so well as the two former, as it did not; he could not carry his point, neither subdue Egypt, nor get any of the two brothers into his hands, as he had done before; the reason of which follows:
y See the Universal History, vol. 9. p. 282, 409.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
In order that he might bring Egypt wholly under his power, he undertook a new expedition thither ( , he comes again). But this expedition, like the first, was not successful ( , as-so, cf. Jos 14:11; Eze 18:4). For the ships of Chittim come against him. , ships the Chittaei, for , Num 24:24, whence the expression is derived is Cyprus with its chief city (now Chieti or Chitti); see under Gen 10:4. Ships coming from Cyprus are ships which come from the west, from the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean. In 1 Macc. 1:1 and 8:5 is interpreted of Macedonia, according to which Bertholdt and Dereser think of the Macedonian fleet with which the Roman embassy sailed to Alexandria. This much is historically verified, that the Roman embassy, led by Popillius, appeared with a fleet in Alexandria, and imperiously commanded Antiochus to desist from his undertaking against Egypt and to return to his own land (Liv. xlv. 10-12). The lxx have therefore translated these words by: , and correctly, so far as the prophecy has received the first historical accomplishment in that factum. , he shall lose courage, is rightly explained by Jerome: non quod interierit, sed quod omnem arrogantiae perdiderit magnitudinem .
(Note: The historical facts have been briefly and conclusively brought together by Hitzig thus: “On the complaint of the Alexandrians the Roman senate sent an embassage, at the head of which was C. Popillius Laenas (Polyb. xxix. 1; Liv. xliv. 19). After being detained at Delos (Liv. xliv. 29), they set sail to Egypt after the battle at Pydna (Liv. xlv. 10). Here he met Antiochus four Roman miles from Alexandria, and presented to him the message of the senate. When Antiochus explained that he wished to lay the matter before his counsellors, Popillius described with the staff he carried on his hand a circle round the king, and commanded him to give his answer before he left this circle. Antiochus, confounded by the circumstance, submitted and withdrew from Egypt (Liv. xlv. 12; Polyb. xxix. 11; Appian, Syr. c. 66; Justin. xxxiv. 3).”)
, not: he was again enraged, for nothing is said of a previous . , and he turned round (back) from his expedition against Egypt. Since he was not able to accomplish anything against the ( the south), he turns his indignation against Judah to destroy the covenant people (cf. Dan 11:28). The in Dan 11:30 resumes the in Dan 11:30, so as further to express how he gave vent to his anger. Hitzig’s interpretation of the first of the return to Palestine, of the second, of the return from Palestine to Antiochus, is not justified. , he shall observe, direct his attention to the Jews who forsook the holy covenant, i.e., the apostate Jews, that he might by their help execute his plans against the Mosaic religion – partim ornando illos honoribus, partim illorum studiis ad patriam religionem obliterandam comparatis obsecundando , as C. B. Michaelis excellently remarks; cf. 1 Macc. 1:11-16 with 2:18.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
First of all, the angel says, Antiochus should return a short time afterwards and take possession of Egypt. This was the fruit of that pretended peace and perfidious friendship which has already been mentioned. For the uncle and nephew banqueted together in mutual distrust, as the angel has already stated, and as we found in the 27 verse of this chapter. This deception was shortly afterwards dissolved, when Antiochus, without any reasonable impulse, returned to Egypt. In this way he shewed his want of nothing but an opportunity for breaking the truce, and he only delayed it for a time, because he had no wish to oppress his nephew in haste. This, then, is one point. We may take the word מועד mogned, “time,” for a period divinely predetermined; but. as this explanation may seem too forced, I am contented with the common one. He shall return, then, for a time, and shall come, says he, to Egypt; but the latter exposition shall not be like the former; for the whole preparation for war which had struck such terror into Egypt should lose its effect. He had seized on a portion of the kingdom, and King Ptolemy Philometor was besieged when Publius Popilius arrived, of whom the angel will presently speak. For the cause of his return is added, —
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
c. PERVERSITY
TEXT: Dan. 11:29-39
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.
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.
31
And forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continued burnt-offering, and they shall set up the abomination that maketh desolate.
32
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall be pervert by flatteries; but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.
33
And they that are wise among the people shall instruct many; yet they shall fall by the sword and by flame, captivity and by spoil, many days.
34
Now when they shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries.
35
And some of them 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.
36
And 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.
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.
38
But in his place 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.
39
And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgeth him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
QUERIES
a.
What is the time appointed?
b.
Who are those who do wickedly against the covenant?
c.
When and what is the indignation that shall be accomplished?
PARAPHRASE
At the time appointed in the providence of Almighty God, the king of Syria will make a third military expedition against the kingdom of Egypt. But he will not have success on this expedition, because a fleet of warships shall come against him from the West. This will cause the king of Syria great vexation and on his return to Syria he will vent his rage on the covenant people and there will be no one in Palestine able to resist him. He will make influential associations with apostate Jews and use them to his advantage while at the same time he will station a garrison of Syrian troops in the citadel. They will defile the Holy Sanctuary of the Jews by forbidding all the temple services and by erecting an abominable idol inside the temple. And by deceit and flattery the king of Syria will encourage the wicked Jews to commit even more wickedness and apostasy. But those who believe in Jehovah and remain loyal to Him will show themselves to be people of courage accomplishing many valiant deeds in His name. The spiritually wise and understanding leaders of the covenant people will also cause many others of the people to appreciate and understand spiritual things of God. But many of these valiant ones will lose their lives in terrible persecution and slavery which shall continue for a long time. They will have very little help in these terrible times; as a matter of fact, many of those who appear to be of their number will be false loyalists. The terrible suffering of the faithful shall serve to purify Gods people and purge them of the ungodly among them. This painful, purifying process will continue to the end of the troublous times of the Jewish dispensation, just as God has appointed and predicted it before. During this time the king of Syria will appear to be able to do whatever he wishes to do. He will be so audacious as to elevate himself above every man-made god and will viciously and blatantly blaspheme the God of heaven and he will not be hindered until Gods righteous indignation against His covenant-breaking people is fulfilled, for it will be fulfilled even as it was prophesied long before. This egotistical maniac will renounce the gods of his ancestors, the favorite gods of other nations, and will exalt himself above everything, whether divine or human. He will give allegiance to no god but war and to that he will devote great treasures of gold, silver, jewels, and other treasures. The strongest fortresses will call forth his most ardent love for warfare. He will confer honor on those who, like himself, love warfare and elevate such to rule over territories which he shall apportion to them for their loyalties.
COMMENT
Dan. 11:29 AT THE TIME APPOINTED HE SHALL RETURN . . . INTO THE SOUTH . . . There is no question among exegetes that from Dan. 11:29 through 35 Daniel is predicting the future of Antiochus IV. At Dan. 11:36, however, some would have Daniel begin to predict the Antichrist to come supposedly at the end of the Christian age. We shall deal with this problem later.
Daniel means at the time appointed within the providential schedule of God. God knows the future of all history and whatever happens God uses to serve His purposes. This third expedition of Antiochus IV against Egypt in the spring of 168 B.C. ultimately served the Divine purpose toward the Jews. Antiochus efforts against Egypt did not fare as well on this third campaign as before. In fact, he was humiliated. In Egypt the two brothers, Ptolemy Philometor and Ptolemy Physcon, were no longer at odds with one another. Their sister, Cleopatra, had succeeded in persuading them that their interests lay along the same lines, and that any efforts to allow Antiochus to control the situation for them was pure folly. Besides these brothers had sought the support of the Romans. Because of this Antiochus decided to attack.
Dan. 11:30 FOR SHIPS OF KITTIM SHALL COME AGAINST HIM; . . . Kittim is Cyprus but to those of Palestine Cyprus (Kittim) referred not only to the island but to all the regions that lay beyond it to the westtherefore Rome. Those who translated the LXX understood this so well that they rendered his verse, And the Romans will come, etc.
What happened is a famous historical episode that has often been retold. C. Popillius Laenas headed the Roman embassy at the time when it encountered Antiochus, who was besieging Alexandria. The Roman appraised him of the demand of the senate that he quit the land. Antiochus hesitated and sought to gain time. With his staff the Roman drew a circle about the king and curtly told him that his decision must be reached before he stepped outside of the circle, or else he would have to meet the Romans in war. Antiochus, having lived in Rome as a young man for many years, well knew the strength of the Romans and, above all things, wanted to keep them appeased, and so, though thoroughly vexed and agitated, he had to give his word that he would withdraw from Egypt immediately.
The rage he was unable to vent on Egypt is now turned against the people of Palestine. If Egypt was to remain unconquered by him and a rival power, Antiochus found it more necessary than ever to retain his hold on Palestine. He dispatched Appolonius, his general, to occupy the city of Jerusalem. In a Sabbath attack, when he knew that the orthodox Jews would not fight, he slaughtered large numbers of the Jews. The city walls were destroyed, and a new fortress, the Akra, was built on the site of the citadel. Antiochus forces were assisted by Menelaus and his apostate followers, Antiochus had regard unto these that had forsaken the holy covenant.
Dan. 11:31 AND FORCES SHALL STAND ON HIS PART . . . The Akra was garrisoned by a large force of Syrian soldiers which was expected to keep the Jews in submission to the policies of Antiochus. One of Israels darkest periods began. A systematic attempt was made to Hellenize the country by force. An edict demanded the fusion of all the nationalities of the Seleucid empire into one people. Greek deities were to be worshipped by all. An elderly Athenian philosopher was sent to Jerusalem to supervise the enforcement of the order. He identified the God of Israel with Jupiter, and ordered a bearded image of the pagan deity, perhaps in the likeness of Antiochus, set up upon the Temple altar. The Jews spoke of this as the Abomination of Desolation. Syrian soldiers and their paramours performed licentious heathen rites in the very Temple courts. Swine were sacrificed on the altar. The drunken orgy associated with the worship of Bacchus was made compulsory. Conversely, Jews were forbidden to practice circumcision, Sabbath observance, or the observance of the feasts of the Jewish year, upon penalty of death. Copies of the Hebrew Scriptures were ordered destroyed. All of this can be obtained from the historical record of I Maccabees.
Dan. 11:32 . . . BUT THE PEOPLE THAT KNOW THEIR GOD SHALL BE STRONG, AND DO EXPLOITS . . . Those Jews who had followed Menelaus in welcoming the paganization of their religion and society were encouraged by the deceit and flattery of Antiochus representatives to become even more degenerate and apostate. On the other hand, the pious Jews suffered extreme tortures but they left examples of courage and faith in their wake. The laws of Antiochus promulgating Hellenism and proscribing Judaism were enforced with the utmost cruelty. An aged scribe, Eleazar, was flogged to death because he refused to eat swines flesh. A mother and her seven children were successively butchered, in the presence of the governor, for refusing to pay homage to an image. Two mothers who had circumcised their new-born sons were driven through the city and cast headlong from the wall. But such loyalty to Gods laws in the face of suffering only served to fan the spark of freedom in the hearts of the pious Jews. This spark would later ignite and burn into a flame in the Maccabean family.
Dan. 11:33-35 AND THEY THAT ARE WISE AMONG THE PEOPLE . . . It is now revealed to the prophet that in the midst of all the paganizing of the covenant people in the centuries to come there will be a faithful remnantthe wise ones. In the book of Maccabees they are called the godly onesHasidim, (cf. 1Ma. 2:42). These godly ones will teach others the faithful way of God, but many of them shall suffer much for their faith. It is possible that Heb. 11:32-40 may have reference to these times.
The little help they receive probably refers to Judas Maccabees whose efforts were valiant enough but he was never able to put an end to all the distresses of the people (cf. 1Ma. 3:1 ff; 1Ma. 4:14 ff). Many Jews who did not really believe in the Maccabean cause played the hypocrite and joined it for fear of being classified as an apostate.
The suffering this remnant had to endure for its faith, however, would have a purging, purifying effect. It did not take long to separate the hypocrites from the true godly ones. And this purging process was to last until the end, because it is yet for the time appointed. God has appointed the exact time within which these troublous times shall occur. They will end! We believe their end will come with the end of the Syrian domination and the occupation of Palestine by Rome. In other words near the end of the Jewish dispensation and the coming of the Messiah. This would parallel the predictions concerning the 70 weeks of chapter 9 where the beginning and end of the troublous times are shown to be, respectively, the restoration under the Persians and the coming of the Messiah. Chapters 10 and 11 are, after all, simply amplifications of chapters 8 and 9.
Dan. 11:36 . . . THE KING SHALL DO ACCORDING TO HIS WILL . . . There are numerous speculations as to who the king is here: (a) Constantine the Great; (b) Omar ibn El-Khat-tab; (c) The Eoman empire; (d) the little horn of Daniel 7, who is an apostate from Christianityhe establishes his palace in Jerusalem, from which time runs the Great Tribulation, the last 3 years of Daniels 70th week (SRB); (e) the Antichrist, a Jew who in the midst of the Jewish people will assume kingly honors, being recognized by the Jewish postate as the Messiah-King, and by the Christian apostates as the Antichrist. In the middle of the 70th week he will come and take his seat in the Jerusalem temple and will claim divine worship (Gaebelein); (f) The pope of Rome and the Papal System; (g) Herod the Great; (h) The Antichrist of the so-called traditional interpretation of the Christian Church.
We believe the king is none other than Antiochus Epiphanes. (a) It is contrary to all sound principles of contextual exegesis to suppose that, in a continuous description, with no indication whatever of a change of subject, part should refer to one person, and part to another, and that the king of Dan. 11:36, should be a different king from the one whose doings are described in Dan. 11:21-35; (b) There would be no purpose served for Daniel to predict for the Jews of the captivity the machinations of some Antichrist whose deeds 2500 years hence would have no relationship whatsoever to their present predicament or their future hope for a Messianic deliverance; (c) the king cannot be the little horn of Daniel 7 which grew out of the fourth world empire (Rome) because this king very evidently grew out of the he-goat (Greece); (d) this king is the same as the little horn grown great out of the four notable horns from the he-goat of Daniel 8. Lange writes, The king can be no other than the one hitherto represented, the antitheistic persecutor of Israel, the king of the north, Antiochus Epiphanes. It is therefore not . . . the N.T. antichrist . . . all of which interpretations contradict the context, and arbitrarily interpose a hiatus of centuries between Dan. 11:35 and the closing verses of the chapter.
Antiochus, in his proud imagination, conceived of himself as the only god. He caused to be inscribed the following words: Of King Antiochus, God. Manifest, Victory-bearer. Antiochus magnified himself above every god plundering temples at Jerusalem, Elymais and other places. He commanded that all national religious systems under his power should be united in one which he himself had decreed. He blasphemed the name of Jehovah in word and action.
One other scriptural parallel which ties the king of Dan. 11:36 to Antiochus IV is the phrase the indignation. One need only refer to Dan. 8:19 to see that the indignation belongs contextually to the time of the successors of the he-goat (Greece). Thus, the king of Dan. 11:36 is none other than Antiochus IV. The power of the king to do according to his will shall continue until the God-determined end of the period of indignation, which is the end of the troublous times of Dan. 9:25.
Dan. 11:37 NEITHER SHALL HE REGARD THE GODS OF HIS FATHERS . . . Antiochus, who had lived some years at Rome, had learned to despise the Syrian gods, and to prefer Jupiter Olympius and Xenias of the Romans and Greeks. But secretly he had contempt for all religion except a religion of military power as Dan. 11:38-39 show.
The desire of woman is a title applied to one of the pagan goddesses such as the goddess of nature, Astarte, Artemis and Nanaea. It is expressly reported of Antiochus that he inflicted a gross indignity on the worship of the great goddess by attempting to plunder a temple of Artemis or Aphrodite in Elymais.
Dan. 11:38-39 . . . IN HIS PLACE SHALL HE HONOR THE GOD OF FORTRESSES . . . It is not so much a particular god whom Antiochus honors as it is his tendency to trust in and worship fortifications and war in general. He will regard no god, but only war; the taking of fortresses he will make his god. To this end he will devote great treasures, gold, silver, jewels and all sorts of treasurerseven people.
All strong fortresses and strategems of war shall receive his adoration and worship. All who worship warfare and fortification will receive his support and he will elevate all such to positions of rule.
Antiochus IV was, without doubt, a mad man (Epimanes). He arrogantly defied every god known and unknown, except military power (Rome). He blatantly blasphemed even Jehovah-God of the Jews. He worshipped war. He attempted paganization of the world. He was crafty, deceitful, and capable of any treachery to serve his own purposes. There were many such haters of God and lovers of self before him. There have been many like him since (Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, etc., just to name a few in our own century). But this section is no more a prophecy of The Antichrist than any other such person in the Bible or subsequent history like him is. The apostle John plainly indicates that there is no one individual who is The antichrist, but there are many antichrists. In fact, Who is the liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? This is the anticrist, even he that denieth the Father and the Son, and even now have there arisen many antichrists; (cf. 1Jn. 2:18-23). Antiochus, like the great image, the four beasts, the ram and the he-goat, is simply a personification of the enemy of God, the devil, as chapter 10 indicates when it speaks of supernatural powers at work in these world powers.
QUIZ
1.
What were the ships of Kittim and how did they stop Antiochus?
2.
Which campaign against Egypt is this for Antiochus?
3.
What did he do to the Holy Land on his way back to Syria from Egypt?
4.
How did the terrible things which came upon the Jews serve to purify them?
5.
What evidence is there that Dan. 11:36 ff is not speaking of The Antichrist?
6.
What god did Antiochus revere the most?
7.
What relationship does Antiochus have to other ungodly men who have come upon the world since him?
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(29) At the time appointedi.e., in Gods own time. According to 1Ma. 1:29, it was after two years were fully expired since his return to Syria that Antiochus made another attack upon Jerusalem. This attack was made after his return from Egypt.
But it shall not be.No such success attended him at the latter as at the former invasion.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
29. It shall not be, etc. Rather, not as the former shall be the latter. This campaign “into the south” (168 B.C.) shall not be successful as was the last (Dan 11:25-27).
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘At the time appointed he will return and come into the south, but it will not be in the latter time as it was in the former. For ships of Kittim will come against him.’
We are not being given the whole history of war between Egypt and Syria and some of it is now skipped over. What mattered to the author was the parts that affected God’s purposes. For what now took place was at the appointed time. Antiochus’ destiny was in God’s hands.
He thought once more to invade Egypt (in 168 BC), and at first met with success, reaching Alexandria, but then he met up with the power that had destroyed his father, the might of the fourth empire, represented here by the might of Rome. Before this he could do nothing.
‘Ships of Kittim.’ Compare Num 24:24. Kittim in fact denotes Cyprus, from which possibly some of the Roman fleet sailed, although it may only be that it represented ‘the Roman world across the seas’, Cyprus being the nearest point known to them. So this was in fact the Romans (LXX reads ‘and the Romans will come’) under Gaeus Popilius Linus who sailed to Egypt to prevent his activities. Egypt had clearly made some kind of treaty with Rome. He met with Antiochus and demanded that he should withdraw and did so in a humiliating way. He had no doubts that Antiochus would do so.
Antiochus was furious, but he had no option except to withdraw, for he was no match for Rome, and, determined to avenge himself on the annoying people who were continually thwarting his wishes, and to seize further treasures, he turned his anger on Israel.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Dan 11:29-30. At the time appointed he shall return, &c. Antiochus perceiving that his policy was detected, and that the two brothers had provided for their mutual safety, was so offended, that he prepared war much more eagerly and maliciously against both, than he had before against one of them. Early in the spring he set forward with his army; and, passing through Coelo-Syria, came into Egypt; and the inhabitants of Memphis submitting to him, he came by easy marches down to Alexandria. But this expedition was not so successful as his former ones. The reason of which follows, Dan 11:30. The ships of Chittim came against him; those ships of Chittim which brought the Roman ambassadors to command a peace between the contending kings. See the account of this matter in the note on chap. Dan 8:23. The reason of the Romans acting in this imperious manner, and of Antiochus’s ready obedience, was, the total conquest which Paulus AEmilius the consul had just made of the kingdom of Macedonia. It was a great mortification to Antiochus, to be thus humbled and disappointed of his prey: therefore he grieved and returned. “He led back his forces into Syria, says Polybius, grieving and groaning:” and had indignation against the holy covenant; for he vented all his anger upon the Jews; he detached Apollonius with twenty-two thousand men; who, coming to Jerusalem, slew great multitudes, plundered and set fire to the city, pulled down the houses and walls round it, and built a strong fortress on an eminence which commanded the temple: then issuing thence, they fell on those who came to worship, and shed innocent blood on every side the sanctuary, defiling it so that the temple was deserted, the whole service omitted, and the city entirely forsaken by the natives. So he did; and after his return to Antioch, he published a decree, which obliged all persons to conform to the religion of the Greeks; insomuch that the Jewish law was abrogated, the heathen worship was set up in its stead, and the temple itself consecrated to Jupiter Olympius. In the transacting of these matters, he had intelligence with them that forsook the covenant; with Menelaus and the other apostate Jews of his party, who were the king’s chief instigators against their religion and country. This is asserted by the writer of 1Ma 1:41, &c. 2Ma 6:1; 2Ma 6:9 and confirmed by Josephus de Bell. Jud. lib. 1 cap. 1: sect. 1. It may be proper to pause a little here, and reflect how particular and circumstantial this prophesy is concerning the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, from the death of Alexander to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. There is not so concise, comprehensive, and regular an account of their kings and affairs to be found in any authors of those times. The prophesy is really more perfect than any history; and is so wonderfully exact, not only to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, but likewise equally so beyond that time, that we may conclude in the words of the inspired writer, “No one could thus know the times or the seasons, but he who hath them in his own power.” See Act 1:7 and Bishop Newton.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Dan 11:29 At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
Ver. 29. At the time appointed. ] After two years.
And come toward the south.
But it shall not be as the former.
Or as the latter.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Dan 11:29-35
29At the appointed time he will return and come into the South, but this last time it will not turn out the way it did before. 30For ships of Kittim will come against him; therefore he will be disheartened and will return and become enraged at the holy covenant and take action; so he will come back and show regard for those who forsake the holy covenant. 31Forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. 32By smooth words he will turn to godlessness those who act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people who know their God will display strength and take action. 33Those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many; yet they will fall by sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder for many days. 34Now when they fall they will be granted a little help, and many will join with them in hypocrisy. 35Some of those who have insight will fall, in order to refine, purge and make them pure until the end time; because it is still to come at the appointed time.
Dan 11:29 At the appointed time This is the recurrent theological theme of the book of Daniel, that God is in total control of time and history (cf. Dan 11:27; Dan 11:29; Dan 11:35-36; Dan 11:45; Dan 8:19).
he will return and come into the South This refers to a second campaign by Antiochus IV against Ptolemy VI, which is recorded in 1Ma 1:29 and Polybius 29:1.
Dan 11:30 For the ships of Kittim will come against him There has been much discussion of the meaning of Kittim (BDB 508). In the OT it seems to refer to Cypress (cf. Gen 10:4; Isa 23:1). However, it came to be used for the Romans (cf. the Dead Sea Scrolls; the Septuagint and Jerome).
If this does refer to Rome then it may relate to the Roman consul Gaius Popilius Laenas’ confrontation in 172 B.C. of Antiochus IV as he besieged Alexandria, Egypt. The account of this confrontation is found in Cicero, Philippus 8.8; Livy, Ab Lrbe Condita 45.10,15; and Polybius 29:1.
Dan 11:31 desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice This phrase refers to the temple in Jerusalem and its sacrificial system (cf. Dan 8:11; Dan 9:27; Dan 12:11). Many see this as referring to the attempt by Jason, the brother of Onias III, to become High Priest. Jason, through intrigue in the Seleucid court, became High Priest, but in three years he was replaced with another Seleucid sympathizer, Menelaus. Onias III was finally killed in 171 B.C. because he objected to Menelaus’ attempt to Hellenize the Jews.
the abomination of desolation In this context it seems to refer to Antiochus IV Epiphanes’ orders to offer a pig on the altar in the Temple in Jerusalem and set up a shrine to Zeus Olympus in the Holy Place (Dec. 168 B.C., cf. 1Ma 1:54; 1Ma 1:59). This started the Maccabean revolution. Jesus uses this same phrase to describe the coming of the Roman armies against Jerusalem in Mat 24:15, Mar 13:14 and Luk 21:20. Obviously this phrase is used in several ways to describe the horrors that the people of God would face throughout history. There is an obvious allusion to end-time events, but as to specific details, they will remain ambiguous until that day comes.
Dan 11:32-33 they will fall by the sword There is a clear cleavage within national Israel. There are compromising Jews and there are faithful Jews who would not accept Hellenization (i.e., false worship). This refers to the Hasidim or Maccabean army who opposed Antiochus IV (cf. 1Ma 1:62; 1Ma 2:42; 1Ma 7:13).
Dan 11:34 Now when they fall they will be granted a little help This seems to be the only biblical reference to the revolt of Judas Macabbeas, the son of the priest Mattathias of Modim. He rededicated the temple in December 165 B.C., which is the source of the modern Jewish celebration known as Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights, which remembers the cleansing of the temple. Notice they could not do it without supernatural, divine aid!
Dan 11:35 This shows that the purpose of the trials and problems that God’s people face is not a direct result of sin, as the Exile was, but is a direct connection because they follow the God of heaven. The entire book of Daniel is a series of conflicts between God and His people and organized human government controlled by the evil one and his angels (cf. Psalms 2; Ezekiel 38-39).
In context those who have insight is linked with Dan 11:33, which refers to the Maccabean revolt against the Hellenistic policies of Antiochus IV. However, because Dan 11:36-45 do not fit Antiochus’ day, this phrase may refer to persecuted (will fall) believers in the end-time (until the end time). If this is so the text itself gives us a temporal marker (see also at the end time in Dan 11:40).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the former. In verses: Dan 11:25, Dan 11:26. the latter. In verses: Dan 11:42, Dan 11:43.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Dan 11:29
Dan 11:29 At the time appointedH4150 he shall return,H7725 and comeH935 toward the south;H5045 but it shall notH3808 beH1961 as the former,H7223 or as the latter.H314
Dan 11:29
At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.
Not realizing that he was involved in the overriding providence of the sovereign Almighty, Antiochus now returned to establish his control over Ptolemy-Egypt. While Antiochus IV was away, the Ptolemies petitioned Rome for help and Rome was more than willing to help. The Romans, not willing to allow anybody the chance to gain enough power to be a potential threat wanted to stop Antiochus IVs advances and they were also interested in the vast grain resources of Egypt.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
come toward the south
Antiochus Epiphanes’ second expedition against Egypt. Stopped by the mandate of Rome, Dan 11:30, he turns against the Jews:
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
time: Dan 8:19, Dan 10:1, Isa 14:31, Act 17:26, Gal 4:2
as the former: Dan 11:23, Dan 11:25
Reciprocal: Dan 11:27 – yet Dan 11:35 – even
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Dan 11:29. This paragraph must include half of verse 39 to get the predictions. It is a prophecy of the fourth expedition of Epiphanes into Egypt. Vot be as the former or as the latter. Some indeflniteness is seen in the historians as to which expeditions are meant since he had made three of them before. But it is clear that the fourth one would not be as successful as the others had been. The reason for it is given in the statement about the ships of Chittim that were to come against him. I shall quote the history for this paragraph:
“Fourth expedition of Antiochus into Egypt-Advice being brought to Antiochus, that the two brothers were reconciled, he threw off the mask, and declared publicly that he intended to conquer Egypt for himself. And, to support his pretensions, ‘he returned toward the south, that is, into Egypt, but. was not so successful in this expedition as before. As he was advancing to besiege Alexandria, Popilius and the other Roman ambassadors, who were on board a fleet composed of Macedonian or Greek ships, for this the Hebrew word Chittim signifies, which they found at Delos, obliged him to lay down his arms, and leave Egypt. He obeyed, but with the utmost reluctance, and made the city and temple of Jerusalem feel the dire effects of his indignation,’ as will be presently seen.”-Roliins Ancient History, Volume 4, pages 239, 240
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Dan 11:29-30. At the time appointed Namely, by God. At the time determined by the divine providence, he shall return and come toward the south He shall march into Egypt again. Antiochus perceiving that his fine-woven policy was unravelled, and that the two brothers, Philometor and Euergetes, instead of wasting and ruining each other in war, had laid aside their mutual dissensions, and provided for their common safety and interest by making peace, and agreeing to reign jointly, was so offended, that he prepared war much more eagerly and maliciously against both than he had before against one of them. Early, therefore, in the spring he set forward with his army, and passing through Closyria, came into Egypt; and the inhabitants of Memphis submitting to him, he came by easy marches down to Alexandria. But it shall not be as the former That is, this expedition shall not be so successful as his former ones: for the ships of Chittim shall come against him That is, the ships which brought the Roman ambassadors, namely, Popilius Lnas and his companions; who came from Italy, touched at Greece, and arrived in Egypt, at the supplication of the Ptolemies, to command a peace between the contending kings: see an account of this matter in the note on Dan 8:23. The reason of the Romans acting in this imperious manner, and of Antiochus so readily obeying, was, as Polybius suggests, the total conquests that milius the Roman consul had just made of the kingdom of Macedonia. Therefore he shall be grieved and return It was a great mortification to Antiochus to be so humbled, and so disappointed of his expected prey. He led back his forces into Syria, says Polybius, grieved and groaning, but thinking it expedient to yield to the times for the present. And have indignation against the holy covenant Or, the law of God. Antiochus being disappointed in his designs upon Egypt, vented all his fury upon the Jews; for he detached Apollonius with an army of twenty-two thousand men, who coming to Jerusalem slew great multitudes, plundered the city, set fire to it in several places, and pulled down the houses and walls round about it. Then they built, on an eminence in the city of David, a strong fortress, which might command the temple; and issuing from thence they fell upon those who came to worship, and shed innocent blood on every side of the sanctuary, and defiled it; so that the temple was deserted and the whole service omitted; the city was forsaken of its natives, and became a habitation of strangers. So shall he do, he shall even return, &c. After his return to Antioch, he published a decree which obliged all persons, upon pain of death, to conform to the religion of the Greeks; and so the Jewish law was abrogated, the heathen worship was set up in its stead, and the temple itself was consecrated to Jupiter Olympus. In the transacting of these matters he had intelligence with them that forsook the holy covenant Namely, Menelaus and the other apostate Jews of his party, who were the kings chief instigators against their religion and country: see 1Ma 1:41-64; 2Ma 6:1-9. It may be proper to stop here, and reflect a little, how particular and circumstantial this prophecy is concerning the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria, from the death of Alexander to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes. There is not so complete and regular a series of their kings; there is not so concise and comprehensive an account of their affairs, to be found in any author of those times. The prophecy is really more perfect than any history. No one historian hath related so many circumstances, and in such exact order of time, as the prophet hath foretold them; so that it has been necessary to have recourse to several authors, Greek and Roman, Jewish and Christian; and to collect something from one, and something from another, for the better explaining and illustrating the great variety of particulars contained in this prophecy. The prophecy indeed is wonderfully exact, not only to the time of Antiochus Epiphanes, but beyond that time. So that we may conclude in the words of the inspired writer; No one could thus declare the times and seasons but He who hath them in his own power: see Act 1:7; and Bishop Newton.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Dan 11:29. he shall return: i.e. to Egypt, an allusion to the second Egyptian campaign in 168 B.C., which resulted in disaster for Antiochus.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
In the same year, Antiochus decided to attack Egypt. When he arrived with his army, the Roman consul, Popillius Laenas, met him at Alexandria and prevented him from invading Egypt. Consequently he was not able to do what he wanted with Egypt as he had previously.