Daniel 11:5
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.
Original Language Analysis
Cross References
Historical Context
After Alexander the Great's sudden death at age 33 (323 BC), his vast empire—stretching from Greece to India—had no clear successor, as his sons were too young. The resulting power vacuum led to the Wars of the Diadochi (Successors) among Alexander's generals. Eventually the empire divided into four main kingdoms (fulfilling Daniel 7:6, 8:8, 8:22): Ptolemy I took Egypt and Libya; Seleucus I took Syria, Mesopotamia, and the eastern provinces; Cassander took Macedonia and Greece; and Lysimachus took Thrace and Asia Minor. Seleucus initially served under Ptolemy as a general but fled to Egypt after losing his position, later returning with Ptolemy's help to establish his own dynasty—the Seleucid Empire (312-63 BC). At its peak under Seleucus I and Antiochus III, the Seleucid Empire exceeded the Ptolemaic kingdom in both territorial size and military power, controlling vast regions from the Mediterranean to India. Geographically, Israel (Judea) lay directly between these two major powers—Egypt to the south, Syria to the north—making it a contested buffer zone repeatedly affected by their conflicts throughout the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC. Daniel's detailed prophecy covering these conflicts (verses 5-35) provided Jewish readers with a historical roadmap demonstrating God's sovereignty over Gentile powers and His protective oversight of His covenant people during this tumultuous period.
Questions for Reflection
- How does fulfilled predictive prophecy (written c. 536 BC, fulfilled 323-285 BC and beyond) validate Scripture's divine origin and authority?
- What does God's revelation of specific geopolitical details about Gentile kingdoms teach about His comprehensive sovereignty over all history?
- Why would God give such remarkably detailed prophecy about conflicts between pagan kingdoms, and how would this have encouraged Jewish exiles and returnees?
- What does Israel's geographical position between 'north' and 'south' powers teach about God's people often being caught between opposing worldly forces?
- How should the precision of historically-fulfilled prophecy strengthen our confidence in yet-unfulfilled eschatological prophecies?
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Analysis & Commentary
The prophecy shifts from Persian period to specific Hellenistic predictions: '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.' This refers to Ptolemy I Soter (323-285 BC), one of Alexander the Great's generals who controlled Egypt ('king of the south' from Israel's geographical perspective), and Seleucus I Nicator, who was initially Ptolemy's subordinate officer but became independent ruler of Syria, Mesopotamia, and the eastern territories ('king of the north'). Seleucus ultimately wielded greater power than Ptolemy—his empire at its zenith stretched from Syria to India. The remarkable precision of this centuries-old prophecy demonstrates divine foreknowledge. The phrase structure contrasts the two: Ptolemy 'shall be strong' while Seleucus 'shall be strong above him'—accurately predicting the Seleucid Empire's eventual superiority over Ptolemaic Egypt. Reformed theology emphasizes that such detailed predictive prophecy validates Scripture's divine origin and inspiration; only God possesses exhaustive foreknowledge and can reveal future events with such specificity and accuracy.