“And his sons will mobilize and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one of them will keep on coming and overflow and pass through, so that he may again wage war up to his fortress.
Parallel translations
- WEB His sons shall war, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on, and overflow, and pass through; and they shall return and war, even to his fortress.
- KJV But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.
- BSB But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as his fortress.
- NKJV However his sons shall stir up strife, and assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come and overwhelm and pass through; then he shall return to his fortress and stir up strife.
- NLT However, the sons of the king of the north will assemble a mighty army that will advance like a flood and carry the battle as far as the enemy’s fortress.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The northern king's sons gather great armies that surge like a flood, carrying war up to the enemy's fortress. The conflict escalates as a new generation renews the fight.
Overview
The sons of the northern king assemble overwhelming forces, foreshadowing the rise of the Seleucid power that would press hard against Egypt and threaten the land of Israel. The imagery of overflowing armies conveys the mounting intensity of these wars. Yet the prophecy's flow shows God charting each advance and retreat, none of it outside His ordained plan.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Jer 51:42The sea has come up on Babylon. She is covered with the multitude of its waves.
- Dan 9:26After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and its end shall be with a flood, and even to the end shall be war; desolations are determined.
- Dan 11:26Yes, they who eat of his dainties shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow; and many shall fall down slain.
- Dan 11:7But out of a shoot from her roots shall one stand up in his place, who shall come to the army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail.
- Jer 46:7–8“Who is this who rises up like the Nile, whose waters toss themselves like the rivers?
- Dan 11:39–40He shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whoever acknowledges him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price.
- Isa 25:12He has brought the high fortress of your walls down, laid low, and brought to the ground, even to the dust.
- Isa 8:7–8now therefore, behold, the Lord brings upon them the mighty flood waters of the River: the king of Assyria and all his glory. It will come up over all its channels, and go over all its banks.
- Dan 11:22The overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be broken; yes, also the prince of the covenant.
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Christ at the center
Daniel sees the stone cut without hands that shatters the kingdoms, and 'one like a son of man' given everlasting dominion — titles and visions Jesus claims as his own.
How Daniel 11:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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