Daniel 11:20
in Daniel 11In his place one will arise who will send out a tax collector for the glory of the kingdom; but within a few days he will be destroyed, though not in anger or in battle.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then shall stand up in his place one that shall cause an exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom; but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
KJV
Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.
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This verse in Daniel 11
Commentary
10 notes on this verseVerse 20. "And there shall stand up in his place one most vile and unworthy of kingly honor, and in a few days he shall be destroyed, not in rage nor in a battle." The reference is to the Seleucus surnamed Philopator, the son of Antiochus the Great, who during his reign performed no deeds worthy of Syria or of his father, but perished ingloriously without fighting a single battle.
This site's exposition
the king of the south shall be strong
on Daniel 11:5-20
Sixteen verses of south against north, Ptolemies against Seleucids by the whole bench's reading, traced campaign by campaign: the king's daughter given north in a failed alliance, the branch of her roots avenging her, gods and vessels carried captive into Egypt, multitudes raised and cast down, the mount cast up against the fenced cities. At verse 16 the wars enter the glorious land, Judea as the road between the rivals, which is the corridor's whole point of view: the text watches empires through the land they trample. The raiser of taxes destroyed neither in anger, nor in battle closes the stretch, and the notes keep RESTRAINT here, the identifications carried once as the bench carries them rather than verse by verse.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
He was in fact not glorious, seeming instead to be an insignificant figure, because he was kept under guard in Rome. "And he will return, and he will gain mastery over a kingdom by his cunning." But, nonetheless, especially since he had been brought down …
He is talking about Antiochus Epiphanes, who on his return from Rome succeeded his brother Seleucus. Seleucus (called Philopator) succeeded Antiochus the Great, since he was his son. When Seleucus died, Antiochus Epiphanes received the throne. He says about the latter, "From his root kingship …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom,....
The kingdom of Syria, which was set up by Seleucus Nicanor, or the conqueror; he was one of Alexander's princes, and became stronger than the other, and had the greatest dominion of all, was the most powerful of all Alexander's successors. It was said that he had no fewer than seven-two kingdoms under him.
This world is full of wars and fightings, which come from men's lusts, and make it a theatre of sin and misery. All the changes and revolutions of states and kingdoms, and every event, even the most minute and contingent, were plainly and perfectly foreseen by the God of heaven, and to him nothing is new.
3 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes - Seleucus Philopater succeeded his father Antiochus. He sent his treasurer Heliodorus to seize the money deposited in the temple of Jerusalem, which is here called the glory of the kingdom, see 2 Maccabees 9:23. He was so cramped to pay the annual tax to the Romans, that he was obliged to burden his subjects with continual taxes.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
in his estate--in Antiochus' stead: his successor, Seleucus Philopater, his son. in the glory of the kingdom--that is, inheriting it by hereditary right. MAURER translates, "one who shall cause the tax gatherer (Heliodorus) to pass through the glory of the kingdom," that is, Judea, "the glorious land" (Da 11:16, 41;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase+unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Then shall stand up in his estate - Margin, “or, place.” The word used - כן kên - means, properly, “a stand, station, place” (see the notes at Dan 11:7), and the idea here is simply that he would be succeeded in the kingdom by such an one. His successor would have the character and destiny which the prophecy proceeds to specify. A raiser of taxes - One who shall be mainly characterized for this; that is, whose government would be distinguished eminently by his efforts to wring money out of the people. The Hebrew word נגשׂ nâgas' means, properly, to urge, to drive, to impel, and it is then applied to one who urges or presses a debtor, or who exacts tribute of a people. The word is used with reference to “money” exactions in Deu 15:2-3: “Every creditor that lendeth aught unto his neighbor, he shall not exact it of his neighbor or of his brother. Of a foreigner thou mayest exact it again.” So in 2Ki 23:35, Jehoiakim taxed the land “to give the money according to the commandment of Pharaoh: he exacted the silver and the gold of the people of the land.” In Zec 9:8 - “And no oppressor shall pass through them anymore” - the same word is used. Here it denotes one who would be mainly characterized by his extorting tribute of his people, or using means to obtain money. In the glory of the kingdom - The word “in” here is supplied by our translators. Lengerke renders it, “who shall suffer the tax-gatherer (eintreiber) to go through the glory of the kingdom.” This is evidently the meaning. He would lay the richest and most productive parts of his kingdom under contribution. This might be either to pay a debt contracted by a former monarch; or to carry on war; or to obtain the means of luxurious indulgence; or for purposes of magnificence and display. But within few days - A comparatively brief period. Compare Gen 27:44; Gen 29:20. […]
The words behind it
14 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְעָמַ֧ד | veamad | and he will arise | H5975 → | 521 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| כַּנּ֛וֹ | kano | place his | H3653 → | 17 times |
| מַעֲבִ֥יר | maavir | [one who] will send through | H5674 → | 556 times |
| נוֹגֵ֖שׂ | noges | an oppressor | H5065 → | |
| הֶ֣דֶר | heder | [the] splendor of | H1925 → | |
| מַלְכ֑וּת | malkhut | a kingdom | H4438 → | 91 times |
| וּבְיָמִ֤ים | uvyamim | and in days | H3117 → | 2304 times |
| אֲחָדִים֙ | ʾachadim | one<s> | H259 → | 971 times |
| יִשָּׁבֵ֔ר | yishaver | he will be broken | H7665 → | 147 times |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| בְאַפַּ֖יִם | veapayim | in anger<s> | H639 → | |
| וְלֹ֥א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| בְמִלְחָמָֽה׃ | vemilchamah | in battle | H4421 → | 320 times |
וְעָמַ֧דand he will arise
veamadH5975 →521 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
כַּנּ֛וֹplace his
kanoH3653 →17 times
מַעֲבִ֥יר[one who] will send through
maavirH5674 →556 times
נוֹגֵ֖שׂan oppressor
nogesH5065 →
הֶ֣דֶר[the] splendor of
hederH1925 →
מַלְכ֑וּתa kingdom
malkhutH4438 →91 times
וּבְיָמִ֤יםand in days
uvyamimH3117 →2304 times
אֲחָדִים֙one<s>
ʾachadimH259 →971 times
יִשָּׁבֵ֔רhe will be broken
yishaverH7665 →147 times
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
בְאַפַּ֖יִםin anger<s>
veapayimH639 →
וְלֹ֥אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
בְמִלְחָמָֽה׃in battle
vemilchamahH4421 →320 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Isaiah 60:17Instead of bronze I will bring you gold; I will bring silver in place of iron, bronze instead of wood, and iron instead of stones. I will appoint peace as your governor and righteousness…
it leads to
- Hebrews 11:40
God had planned something better for us, so that together with us they would be made perfect.
- Isaiah 30:26
The light of the moon will be as bright as the sun, and the light of the sun will be seven times brighter—like the light of seven days—on the day that the LORD binds…
- Isaiah 1:26
I will restore your judges as at first, and your counselors as at the beginning. After that you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”
- Zechariah 12:8
On that day the LORD will defend the people of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like David, and the house of David will be like God, like the angel of…
- 1 Kings 10:21–27
All King Solomon’s drinking cups were gold, and all the utensils of the House of the Forest of Lebanon were pure gold. There was no silver, because it was accounted as nothing in the…
- Hebrews 11:40
Through
Proverbs 30:33For as the churning of milk yields butter, and the twisting of the nose draws blood, so the stirring of anger brings forth strife.”
it leads to
- Proverbs 29:22
An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered man abounds in transgression.
- Proverbs 28:25
A greedy man stirs up strife, but he who trusts in the LORD will prosper.
- Proverbs 17:14
To start a quarrel is to release a flood; so abandon the dispute before it breaks out.
- Proverbs 29:22
Where this verse is studied
About Daniel

This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Daniel; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER ELEVEN; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:21 and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:20.
