Daniel 11:28-35

11:28 Then the king of the north ¹  will return to his own land with much property. His mind will be set against the holy covenant. He will take action, and then return to his own land. 11:29 At an appointed time he will again invade the south, but this latter visit will not turn out the way the former one did. 11:30 The ships of Kittim ²  will come against him, leaving him disheartened. ³  He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor ⁴  those who forsake the holy covenant. 11:31 His forces ⁵  will rise up and profane the fortified sanctuary, ⁶  stopping the daily sacrifice. In its place they will set up ⁷  the abomination that causes desolation. 11:32 Then with smooth words he will defile ⁸  those who have rejected ⁹  the covenant. But the people who are loyal to ¹⁰  their God will act valiantly. ¹¹  11:33 These who are wise among the people will teach the masses. ¹²  However, they will fall ¹³  by the sword and by the flame, ¹⁴  and they will be imprisoned and plundered for some time. ¹⁵  11:34 When they stumble, they will be granted some help. But many will unite with them deceitfully. 11:35 Even some of the wise will stumble, resulting in their refinement, purification, and cleansing until the time of the end, for it is still for the appointed time.

¹ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king of the north) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² sn The name Kittim has various designations in extra-biblical literature. It can refer to a location on the island of Cyprus, or more generally to the island itself, or it can be an inclusive term to refer to parts of the Mediterranean world that lay west of the Middle East (e.g., Rome). For ships of Kittim the Greek OT (LXX) has “Romans,” an interpretation followed by a few English versions (e.g., TEV). A number of times in the Dead Sea Scrolls the word is used in reference to the Romans. Other English versions are more generic: “[ships] of the western coastlands” (NIV, NLT); “from the west” (NCV, CEV).

³ sn This is apparently a reference to the Roman forces, led by Gaius Popilius Laenas, which confronted Antiochus when he came to Egypt and demanded that he withdraw or face the wrath of Rome. Antiochus wisely withdrew from Egypt, albeit in a state of bitter frustration.

⁴ tn Heb “show regard for.”

⁵ tn Heb “arms.”

⁶ tn Heb “the sanctuary, the fortress.”

⁷ tn Heb “will give.”

⁸ tn Or “corrupt.”

⁹ tn Heb “acted wickedly toward.”

¹⁰ tn Heb “know.” The term “know” sometimes means “to recognize.” In relational contexts it can have the connotation “recognize the authority of, be loyal to,” as it does here.

¹¹ sn This is an allusion to the Maccabean revolt, which struggled to bring about Jewish independence in the second century B.C.

¹² tn Heb “the many.”

¹³ tn Heb “stumble.”

¹⁴ tn Or “by burning.”

¹⁵ tn Heb “days.”