The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; so he will do damage and return to his own land.
Parallel translations
- WEB Then he will return into his land with great substance; and his heart will be against the holy covenant; and he will take action, and return to his own land.
- KJV Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
- ESV And he shall return to his land with great wealth, but his heart shall be set against the holy covenant. And he shall work his will and return to his own land.
- NKJV While returning to his land with great riches, his heart shall be moved against the holy covenant; so he shall do damage and return to his own land.
- NASB Then he will return to his land with much plunder; but his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and then return to his own land.
- NLT “The king of the north will then return home with great riches. On the way he will set himself against the people of the holy covenant, doing much damage before continuing his journey.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
Returning with great wealth, the king sets his heart against the holy covenant, takes action against it, and goes home. The tyrant turns his hostility directly upon God's people.
Overview
On his way back from Egypt, Antiochus acts against the 'holy covenant,' attacking the Jewish faith and plundering Jerusalem. His hostility is now aimed squarely at the worship of the true God. This rising persecution leads toward the great desecration of the temple, the central crisis this part of the prophecy foretells.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Dan 8:24His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people.
- Dan 11:22Then a flood of forces will be swept away before him and destroyed, along with a prince of the covenant.
- Dan 11:30–32Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage against the holy covenant and do damage. So he will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
- Acts 3:25And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
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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 11:28 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
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.