The Prophet Daniel

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- Kapitel 11 -

“And so, from the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood firm, so that he might be reinforced and strengthened.(a)

And now I will announce to you the truth. Behold, up to a certain point, three kings will stand in Persia, and the fourth will be exceedingly enriched in power above them all. And when he has grown strong by his resources, he will stir up all against the kingdom of Greece.(b)

(c)

But there will rise up a strong king, and he will rule with great power, and he will do what he pleases.(d)

(e)

And when he has been firmly established, his kingdom will be shattered and will be divided towards the four winds of the heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his power with which he ruled. For his kingdom will be torn to pieces, even for the outsiders who have been expelled from these.(f)

And the king of the South will be reinforced, yet one of his leaders will prevail over him, and he will rule with riches, for great is his domain.(g)

(h)

(i)

And after the end of years, they will form a federation, and the daughter of the king of the South will come to the king of the North to make friendship, but she will not obtain the strength of arms, neither will her offspring stand firm, and she will be handed over, along with those who brought her, her young men, and those who comforted her in these times.(j)

(k)

And a transplant from the germination of her roots will stand up, and he will come with an army, and will enter into the province of the king of the North, and he will abuse them, and will hold it fast.(l)

(m)

And, in addition, he will carry away captive into Egypt their gods, and their graven images, and likewise their precious vessels of gold and silver. He will prevail against the king of the North.(n)

And the king of the South will enter into the kingdom, and will return to his own land.

But his sons will be challenged, and they will assemble a multitude of very many forces. And he will arrive rushing and overflowing. And he will be turned back, and he will be enraged, and he will join the battle in his redness.(o)

(p)

(q)

And the king of the South, having being challenged, will go forth and will fight against the king of the North, and he will prepare an exceedingly great multitude, and a multitude will be given into his hand.(r)

And he will seize a multitude, and his heart will be exalted, and he will cast down many thousands, but he will not prevail.

For the king of the North will change strategy and will prepare a multitude much greater than before, and at the end of times and years, he will rush forward with a great army and exceedingly great resources.(s)

And in those times, many will rise up against the king of the South. And likewise the sons of the deceivers among your people will extol themselves, so as to fulfill the vision, and they will collapse.(t)

And the king of the North will arrive and will transport siege works, and he will seize the most fortified cities. And the arms of the South will not withstand him, and his elect will rise up to resist, but the strength will not.

And when he arrives, he will do just as he pleases, and there will be none who stand against his face. And he will stand in the illustrious land, and it will be consumed by his hand.(u)

(v)

(w)

And he will set his face to strive to hold his entire kingdom, and he will make fair conditions with him. And he will give him a daughter among women, so as to overthrow it. But she will not stand, neither will she be for him.(x)

(y)

(z)

(aa)

And he will turn his face towards the islands, and he will seize many. And he will cause the leader of his reproach to cease, and his reproach will be turned around for him.(ab)

And he will turn his face to the empire of his own land, and he will strike, and will overthrow, but he will not succeed.

And there will stand up in his place one who is most worthless and unworthy of kingly honor. And in a short time, he will be worn out, but not in fury, nor in battle.(ac)

And there will stand up in his place the despicable one, and he will not be assigned the honor of a king. And he will arrive in secret, and he will obtain the kingdom by deceitfulness.(ad)

(ae)

And the arms of the fighting will be assaulted before his face and will be shattered, and, in addition, the leader of the federation.(af)

(ag)

And, after making friends, he will trick him, and he will go up and will overcome with a small people.(ah)

And he will enter into rich and resourceful cities, and he will do what his fathers never did, nor his fathers’ fathers. He will scatter their spoils, and their prey, and their riches, and will form a plan against the most steadfast, and this until a time.(ai)

And his strength and his heart will be enraged against the king of the South with a great army. And the king of the South will be provoked into going to war by having many allies and exceedingly good circumstances, and yet these will not stand, for they will form plans against him.(aj)

(ak)

And those who eat bread with him will crush him, and his army will be suppressed, and very many will die, having been executed.(al)

And the heart of two kings will be similar, to do harm, and they will speak lies at one table, but they will not succeed, because as yet the end is for another time.(am)

And he will return to his land with many resources. And his heart will be against the holy testament, and he will act, and he will return to his own land.(an)

At the appointed time, he will return, and he will approach the South, but the latter time will not be like the former.

And the Greek warships(ao) and the Romans will come upon him, and he will be pierced, and will retreat, and will have scorn against the testament of the sanctuary, and he will act. And he will return and will consult their adversaries, who have forsaken the covenant of the sanctuary.(ap)

(aq)

And arms will take his side, and they will pollute the sanctuary of the strength, and they will take away the continual sacrifice and will replace it with the abomination of desolation.(ar)

(as)

And the impious within the testament will imitate deceitfully, but the people, knowing their God, will persevere and will act.

And the teachers among the people will teach many, but they will be ruined by the sword, and by fire, and by captivity, and by assaults for many days.(at)

And when they have fallen, they will be supported with a little help, but many will apply to them deceitfully.

And some of the learned will be ruined, that they may be kindled and chosen and purified, up to the predetermined time, because there will be still another time.(au)

The King Who Exalts Himself

And the king will act according to his will, and he will be lifted up and will be extolled against every god. And he will speak great things against the God of gods, and he will control, until the passion is completed. Once accomplished, the limit is reached with certainty.(av)

And he will give no thought to the God of his fathers, and he will be in the desire of women, and he will not attend to any gods, because he will rise up against all things.(aw)

But he will do homage to the god Maozim in his place, and, a god whom his fathers did not know, he will worship with gold, and silver, and precious stones, and costly things.(ax)

And he will act to reinforce Maozim with an alien god, of whom he has become aware, and he will increase their glory, and will give them power over many, and he will distribute land for free.(ay)

And, at the predetermined time, the king of the South will fight against him, and the king of the North will come against him like a tempest, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with a great fleet, and he will enter into the lands, and will crush and pass through.

And he will enter into the glorious land, and many will fall. But only these will be saved from his hand: Edom, and Moab, and the first part of the sons of Ammon.(az)

And he will cast his hand upon the lands, and the land of Egypt will not escape.

And he will rule over the treasure chests of gold, and silver, and all the precious things of Egypt, and likewise he will pass through Libya and Ethiopia.

And rumors from the East and from the North will trouble him. And he will arrive with a great multitude to destroy and to execute many.(b0)

And he will fasten his tabernacle, Apadno, between the seas, upon an illustrious and holy mountain, and he will come even to its summit, and no one will help him.”(b1)

(b2)

Fußnoten

(a)11:1 The word fortis is used in Daniel to refer to the strength of the Christian faith. But here the word roboraretur is used instead. Thus, Darius the Mede is not a faithful Christian or Jew. The angel strengthens him for some purpose, but he is not a holy leader whose strength is from God.(Conte)

(b)11:2 Three kings:Viz., Cambyses, Smerdes Magus, and Darius, the son of Hystaspes.(Challoner)

(d)11:3 This king is the long-awaited great monarch, a holy devout Catholic king. Here the word fortis is again used to refer to the strength of the Christian faith. This king is not merely strong in body or in worldly power, he has a strong in faith in God.(Conte)

(e)11:3 A strong king:Alexander.(Challoner)

(f)11:4 The word “lacerabitur” has a meaning like: mangled, or wounded, or lacerated, but also (esp. in this context) means torn into pieces. Not a happy day for this kingdom. The externos or outsiders are those outside the Catholic faith or who have been “exceptis his” that is, who have been expelled from the Church.(Conte)

(g)11:5 Notice that now we are told about the South, Austri, whereas before we were told about the Meridian, the area near the equator.(Conte)

(h)11:5 The king of the south:Ptolemeus the son of Lagus, king of Egypt, which lies south of Jerusalem.(Challoner)

(i)11:5 One of his princes:that is, one of Alexander’s princes, shall prevail over him: that is, shall be stronger than the king of Egypt. He speaks of Seleucus Nicator, king of Asia and Syria, whose successors are here called the kings of the north, because their dominions lay to the north in respect to Jerusalem.(Challoner)

(j)11:6 A federation, or a league, or an alliance.(Conte)

(k)11:6 The daughter of the king of the south:Viz., Berenice, daughter of Ptolemeus Philadelphus, given in marriage to Antiochus Theos, grandson of Seleucus.(Challoner)

(l)11:7 The phrase “germine radicum eius plantation” is an unusual expression, which probably refers to some type of unusual medical technology used (in the distant future) in procreation. In modern terms, this sounds like something having to do with unnatural conception and birth, something similar to in vitro fertilization, or surrogate mothering, or human cloning.(Conte)

(m)11:7 A plant, etc:Ptolemeus Evergetes, the son of Philadelphus.(Challoner)

(n)11:8 The king of the north:Seleucus Callinicus.(Challoner)

(o)11:10 Even though the translation is the literal “sons” the meaning might be metaphorical. The reference to the king’s redness, robere eius, means that the king will be either angry or embarrassed. The word provocabuntur can also be translated as provoked.(Conte)

(p)11:10 His sons:Seleucus Ceraunius, and Antiochus the Great, the sons of Callinicus.(Challoner)

(q)11:10 He shall come:Viz., Antiochus the Great.(Challoner)

(r)11:11 The king of the south:Ptolemeus Philopator, son of Evergetes.(Challoner)

(s)11:13 Usually, opibus is translated as power or wealth, but in this context it means something like resources, though with a distinct military connotation.(Conte)

(t)11:14 The phrase “filii prævaricatorum populi tui” literally means the sons of the deceivers (or traitors) of your people. But the word “sons” is often used metaphorically in Jewish literature. The sons of the deceivers are not the biological offspring of deceivers, but those who act as if they were the offspring of deception personified.(Conte)

(u)11:16 The illustrious land might seem to be the holy land of Israel, but the expression in Latin used here is somewhat different from other expressions referring to the land of Israel, so perhaps a different interpretation is indicated.(Conte)

(v)11:16 He shall come upon him:Viz., Antiochus shall come upon the king of the south.(Challoner)

(w)11:16 The glorious land:Judea.(Challoner)

(x)11:17 A woman among women is an exemplary woman (cf. song of songs). But the phrase a daughter among women is an unusual twist on the more common expression of a woman among women. From the context and from the expression, this phrase would still seem somewhat complementary. She is an exemplary woman – but so young as to be called a daughter rather than a woman. An exemplary young woman, and perhaps the meaning is also that she is too young for the task she has been given. In any case, she fails at her unenviable task and she does not remain with him.(Conte)

(y)11:17 All his kingdom:Viz., all the kingdom of Ptolemeus Epiphanes, son of Philopator.(Challoner)

(z)11:17 A daughter of women:That is, a most beautiful woman, viz., his daughter Cleopatra.(Challoner)

(aa)11:17 To overthrow it:Viz., the kingdom of Epiphanes: but his policy shall not succeed; for Cleopatra shall take more to heart the interest of her husband, than that of her father.(Challoner)

(ab)11:18 The prince of his reproach:Seipio the Roman general, called the prince of his reproach, because he overthrew Antiochus, and obliged him to submit to very dishonourable terms, before he would cease from the war.(Challoner)

(ac)11:20 One most vile:Seleucus Philopator, who sent Heliodorus to plunder the temple: and was shortly after slain by the same Heliodorus.(Challoner)

(ad)11:21 The despectus is the despicable one, the Antichrist.(Conte)

(ae)11:21 One despised:Viz., Antiochus Epiphanes, who at first was despised and not received for king. What is here said of this prince, is accommodated by St. Jerome and others to Antichrist; of whom this Antiochus was a figure.(Challoner)

(af)11:22 Of the fighter:That is, of them that shall oppose him, and shall fight against him.(Challoner)

(ag)11:22 The prince of the covenant:or, of the league. The chief of them that conspired against him: or the king of Egypt his most powerful adversary.(Challoner)

(ah)11:23 The phrase “modico populo” can mean a small people (not influential), or people who are short of stature, or people who are moderate and restrained, or people who are a short distance away. The phrase is quite ambiguous, in and of itself.(Conte)

(ai)11:24 The word rapinas resembles the English word rape, and can mean rape in some contexts. But it tends to have a more general meaning, something like assault (including robbery) and/or the loot obtained from such a robbery. The most steadfast would seem to be the Christians.(Conte)

(aj)11:25 The king of the South is not foolish or rash, he knows it is very dangerous to go to war against the North – the only kingdom which can and has repeatedly defeated the South in war. But he will have so many things in his favor, including allies and good fortune, that he enters into a war that he ultimately will lose.(Conte)

(ak)11:25 The king:Ptolemeus Philometor.(Challoner)

(al)11:26 “Et comedentes panem cum eo,” (those who eat bread with him,) could well be a reference to the Eucharist. The king of the South and his kingdom may be the last refuge of Christianity, but it is a sinful kingdom, not a holy one. Here the Antichrist uses unfaithful Christians to help him overcome the kingdom where Christianity has the most influence. Later, he uses a similar tactic (in promoting the abomination of desolation).(Conte)

(am)11:27 These two other kings are the kings of the East and of the Meridian (Africa). They realize the danger of the Antichrist and try to outmaneuver and out-deceive him. The word “malefaciant” can mean to do evil, but in this context (of trying to defeat the Antichrist), it tends more towards the meaning of doing harm.(Conte)

(an)11:28 The holy testament is the Christian faith. He acts against Christianity in the conquered land of the South, where Christianity is strongest, and in the two conquered lands of the two kings.(Conte)

(ao)11:30 Greek warshipsThe Trieres is a type of warship used by the ancient Greeks. But in Daniel, Greece symbolizes democracy, since that is where democracy first began. So, giving the text a modern interpretation, these warships are from an area which still, at that time in the future, practices some form of democracy. But, though the ships are Greek ships, the crew is Roman, which in the modern context would refer to Roman Catholics (or to Christians in general during a future time when all Christians are united in one Church). This interpretation explains why the Antichrist is indignant against Christianity after his defeat and why he sets out to destroy the Faith about halfway through his reign. Daniel 9:27 refers to this time of half a week of years. This text is translated quite differently in other English texts. RSV: “ships of Kittim,” NIV: “Ships of the western coastlands,” NKJV: “ships from Cyprus,” NIRV: “Roman ships,” NLT: “warships from western coastlands.” The Bible has been translated into Latin since the earliest days of the Church, so this Latin text (Trieres, et Romani) may be based on some ancient manuscripts, in Hebrew or Greek, which are not now extant.(Conte)

(ap)11:30 consult ... sanctuaryThe Antichrist then consults the adversaries of the Christians, those who have abandoned the Christian faith.(Conte)

(aq)11:30 The galleys and the Romans:Popilius, and the other Roman ambassadors, who came in galleys, and obliged him to depart from Egypt.(Challoner)

(ar)11:31 Here again the word strength is used to refer to Christianity, as in the sanctuary of the strength, which will be polluted by the abomination of desolation (a false Eucharist). The continual sacrifice is the Eucharist.(Conte)

(as)11:31 They shall place there the abomination, etc:The idol of Jupiter Olympius, which Antiochus ordered to be set up in the sanctuary of the temple: which is here called the sanctuary of strength, from the Almighty that was worshipped there.(Challoner)

(at)11:33 The word rapina can mean sexual assault. In other contexts, rapina tends more towards robbery or even the loot obtained by robbery, but in this context rapina refers to physical assaults of various kinds.(Conte)

(au)11:35 The learned are not pure and on fire with the love of God; but some will be brought to this by suffering. Not many, just some. The very learned tend not to be very faithful nor very holy.(Conte)

(av)11:36 The word “iracundia” can refer to anger and is sometimes translated in this context as wrath, that is, until the wrath of God is completed. But such a translation does not fit the context well. The verse is about the Antichrist exalting himself, and acting according to his ill will, and controlling the world, and blaspheming God. This is not yet the Wrath of God on the unrepentant wicked. In this context, the phrase refers to the Passion of the Church, that is, to the great sufferings of the faithful during the reign of the Antichrist.(Conte)

(aw)11:37 The phrase “erit in concupiscentiis feminarum” does not mean that he will lust after women, but that women will lust for him.(Conte)

(ax)11:38 The god Maozim:That is, the god of forces or strong holds.(Challoner)

(ay)11:39 And he shall increase glory, etc:He shall bestow honours, riches and lands, upon them that shall worship his god.(Challoner)

(az)11:41 The illustrious land, terra inclyta, (Dan 11:16) is probably a different land than the glorious land, terram gloriosam. The glorious land appears to be Israel, the holy land.(Conte)

(b0)11:44 Fama is rumors, or news, or reports. The word interficiat implies that the killing is an execution, from governmental authority (whether legitimate or not), and not a killing in battle.(Conte)

(b1)11:45 Again, illustrious would seem to indicate a different land than the glorious land of Israel.(Conte)

(b2)11:45 Apadno:Some take it for the proper name of a place: others, from the Hebrew, translate it his palace.(Challoner)

“As for me, in the first year of Darius the Mede, I stood up to confirm and strengthen him.

“Now I will show you the truth. Behold, three more kings will stand up in Persia. The fourth will be far richer than all of them. When he has grown strong through his riches, he will stir up all against the realm of Greece.

A mighty king will stand up, who will rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.

When he stands up, his kingdom will be broken and will be divided toward the four winds of the sky, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion with which he ruled; for his kingdom will be plucked up, even for others besides these.

“The king of the south will be strong. One of his princes will become stronger than him, and have dominion. His dominion will be a great dominion.

At the end of years they will join themselves together; and the daughter of the king of the south will come to the king of the north to make an agreement, but she will not retain the strength of her arm. He will also not stand, nor will his arm; but she will be given up, with those who brought her, and he who became the father of her, and he who strengthened her in those times.

“But out of a shoot from her roots one will stand up in his place, who will come to the army and will enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and will deal against them and will prevail.

He will also carry their gods with their molten images, and with their goodly vessels of silver and of gold, captive into Egypt. He will refrain some years from the king of the north.

He will come into the realm of the king of the south, but he will return into his own land.

His sons will wage war, and will assemble a multitude of great forces which will come on, and overflow, and pass through. They will return and wage war, even to his fortress.

“The king of the south will be moved with anger and will come out and fight with him, even with the king of the north. He will send out a great multitude, and the multitude will be given into his hand.

The multitude will be carried off, and his heart will be exalted. He will cast down tens of thousands, but he won’t prevail.

The king of the north will return, and will send out a multitude greater than the former. He will come on at the end of the times, even of years, with a great army and with abundant supplies.

“In those times many will stand up against the king of the south. Also the children of the violent among your people will lift themselves up to establish the vision, but they will fall.

So the king of the north will come and cast up a mound, and take a well-fortified city. The forces of the south won’t stand, neither will his select troops, neither will there be any strength to stand.

But he who comes against him will do according to his own will, and no one will stand before him. He will stand in the glorious land, and destruction will be in his hand.

He will set his face to come with the strength of his whole kingdom, and with him equitable conditions. He will perform them. He will give him the daughter of women, to destroy the kingdom, but she will not stand, and won’t be for him.

After this he will turn his face to the islands, and will take many, but a prince will cause the reproach offered by him to cease. Yes, moreover, he will cause his reproach to turn on him.

Then he will turn his face toward the fortresses of his own land; but he will stumble and fall, and won’t be found.

“Then one who will cause a tax collector to pass through the kingdom to maintain its glory will stand up in his place; but within few days he shall be destroyed, not in anger, and not in battle.

“In his place a contemptible person will stand up, to whom they had not given the honor of the kingdom; but he will come in time of security, and will obtain the kingdom by flatteries.

The overwhelming forces will be overwhelmed from before him, and will be broken. Yes, also the prince of the covenant.

After the treaty made with him he will work deceitfully; for he will come up and will become strong with few people.

In time of security he will come even on the fattest places of the province. He will do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers. He will scatter among them prey, plunder, and wealth. Yes, he will devise his plans against the strongholds, but only for a time.

“He will stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south will wage war in battle with an exceedingly great and mighty army, but he won’t stand; for they will devise plans against him.

Yes, those who eat of his delicacies will destroy him, and his army will be swept away. Many will fall down slain.

As for both these kings, their hearts will be to do evil, and they will speak lies at one table; but it won’t prosper, for the end will still be at the appointed time.

Then he will return into his land with great wealth. His heart will be against the holy covenant. He will take action, and return to his own land.

“He will return at the appointed time and come into the south; but it won’t be in the latter time as it was in the former.

For ships of Kittim will come against him. Therefore he will be grieved, and will return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and will take action. He will even return, and have regard to those who forsake the holy covenant.

“Forces from him will profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and will take away the continual burnt offering. Then they will set up the abomination that makes desolate.

He will corrupt those who do wickedly against the covenant by flatteries; but the people who know their God will be strong and take action.

“Those who are wise among the people will instruct many; yet they will fall by the sword and by flame, by captivity and by plunder, many days.

Now when they fall, they will be helped with a little help; but many will join themselves to them with flatteries.

Some of those who are wise will 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.

The King Who Exalts Himself

“The king will do according to his will. He will exalt himself and magnify himself above every god, and will speak marvelous things against the God of gods. He will prosper until the indignation is accomplished, for that which is determined will be done.

He won’t regard the gods of his fathers, or the desire of women, or regard any god; for he will magnify himself above all.

But in their place, he will honor the god of fortresses. He will honor a god whom his fathers didn’t know with gold, silver, and with precious stones and pleasant things.

He will deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god. He will increase with glory whoever acknowledges him. He will cause them to rule over many, and will divide the land for a price.

“At the time of the end the king of the south will contend with him; and the king of the north will come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships. He will enter into the countries, and will overflow and pass through.

He will enter also into the glorious land, and many countries will be overthrown; but these will be delivered out of his hand: Edom, Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.

He will also stretch out his hand on the countries. The land of Egypt won’t escape.

But he will have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt. The Libyans and the Ethiopians will follow his steps.

But news out of the east and out of the north will trouble him; and he will go out with great fury to destroy and utterly to sweep away many.

He will plant the tents of his palace between the sea and the glorious holy mountain; yet he will come to his end, and no one will help him.