The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority.
Parallel translations
- WEB The king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
- KJV And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
- NKJV “Also the king of the South shall become strong, as well as one of his princes; and he shall gain power over him and have dominion. His dominion shall be a great dominion.
- NASB “Then the king of the South will grow strong, along with one of his princes who will gain ascendancy over him and rule; his domain will be a great realm indeed.
- NLT “The king of the south will increase in power, but one of his own officials will become more powerful than he and will rule his kingdom with great strength.
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 king of the south grows strong, and one of his commanders becomes even stronger with great dominion. The prophecy turns to the rival kingdoms that emerged from the divided empire.
Overview
The 'king of the south' refers to the Ptolemaic kingdom of Egypt, one of the divisions of Alexander's empire, while a powerful commander reflects the rise of the Seleucid rulers to the north. From here the chapter traces the long struggle between these dynasties, whose wars affected the land of Israel caught between them. The detailed accuracy again displays God's command over history.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Dan 11:14In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail.
- Dan 11:11In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his enemy.
- Dan 11:25And with a large army he will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the South, who will mobilize a very large and powerful army but will not withstand the plots devised against him.
- Dan 11:40At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading many countries and sweeping through them like a flood.
- Dan 11:8–9He will take even their gods captive to Egypt, with their metal images and their precious vessels of silver and gold. For some years he will stay away from the king of the North,
- Dan 11:3–4Then a mighty king will arise, who will rule with great authority and do as he pleases.
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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 11:5 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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