“Three 2 more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth 3 king will be unusually rich, 4 more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against 5 the kingdom of Greece. 11:3 Then a powerful king 6 will arise, exercising great authority and doing as he pleases. 11:4 Shortly after his rise to power, 7 his kingdom will be broken up and distributed toward the four winds of the sky 8 – but not to his posterity or with the authority he exercised, for his kingdom will be uprooted and distributed to others besides these.
1 sn The antecedent of the pronoun “I” is the angel, not Daniel. The traditional chapter division at this point, and the presence of a chronological note in the verse similar to ones used elsewhere in the book to position Daniel’s activities in relation to imperial affairs, sometimes lead to confusion on this matter.
2 sn Perhaps these three more kings are Cambyses (ca. 530-522
3 sn This fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465
4 tn Heb “rich with great riches.”
5 tn The text is difficult. The Hebrew has here אֶת (’et), the marker of a definite direct object. As it stands, this would suggest the meaning that “he will arouse everyone, that is, the kingdom of Greece.” The context, however, seems to suggest the idea that this Persian king will arouse in hostility against Greece the constituent elements of his own empire. This requires supplying the word “against,” which is not actually present in the Hebrew text.
6 sn The powerful king mentioned here is Alexander the Great (ca. 336-323
7 tn Heb “and when he stands.”
8 tn Or “the heavens.” The Hebrew term שָׁמַיִם (shamayim) may be translated “heavens” or “sky” depending on the context.