Daniel 11:28
in Daniel 11The king of the North will return to his land with great wealth, but his heart will be set against the holy covenant; so he will do damage and return to his own land.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then shall he return into his land with great substance; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do his pleasure, and return to his own land.
KJV
Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.
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This verse in Daniel 11
Commentary
11 notes on this verseA commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
(1 Maccabees 1:19, 20, &c.). against the holy covenant--On his way back to Syria, he attacked Jerusalem, the metropolis of Jehovah's covenant-people, slew eighty thousand, took forty thousand prisoners, and sold forty thousand as slaves (2 Maccabees 5:5-14). he shall do exploits--He shall effect his purpose.
This site's exposition
shall stand up a vile person
on Daniel 11:21-28
The vile person enters without the honour of the kingdom and obtains it by flatteries, and the bench is unanimous on the near identification: Antiochus Epiphanes, the self-styled Illustrious whom his subjects renamed Epimanes, the madman. The prince of the covenant broken, the deceitful league, the scattering of prey and spoil his fathers never practiced, the lies spoken at one table between two kings: the portrait is of power exercised as fraud. His heart against the holy covenant at verse 28 turns the corridor's camera where it will stay, on what this king does to the sanctuary and the saints.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
"And his heart shall be against the holy covenant, and he shall succeed and return into his own land." Both the Greek and the Roman historians relate that after Antiochus had been expelled from Egypt and had gone back once more, he came to Judaea, that is, against the holy covenant, and that he despoiled the Temple and removed a huge amount of gold; and then, having stationed a garrison in the citadel, he returned to his own land.
Then at this point, the army, which dwelt in Syria, having heard what happened, ran against them and made war against them on the day of the Sabbath. Those who feared the law of God and who kept the commandment of God did not lift up their hands against them, nor throw a stone against them, nor devise hiding places. And the soldiers answered them and said, "'Come forth now and do the command of the king and live!' but they said, 'We will not come out, nor will we do the command of the king, we will die in our sincerity. Heaven and earth testifies against you because you kill us recklessly.'" [1 Maccabees 2:29-37] Then they fell upon them in fire and murder and in captivity and killed from them over a thousand souls. And so what was spoken to the blessed Daniel was fulfilled, "And he will go on a journey and his heart shall be lifted up against the holy covenant, and he shall want to do all according to his heart, and my slaves shall be persecuted and weakened in hunger and in sword and in captivity." [Daniel 11:28]
But nonetheless he will then return to his own kingdom with much wealth and great abundance. "And his heart will be against the holy covenant." At last, he will have one endeavor, namely, to destroy the law given by God to the Jews. Because he …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
) he did exploits against the Jews, in the sixth year of his reign; then he spoiled the city and temple. But the most terrible storm was in his return from Egypt, two years after, prophesied of
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Then shall he return - Antiochus shall depart with his booty gotten in Egypt. Against the holy covenant - Against the law of God, with the people that worshipped God according to his will.
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Then shall he return into his land with great riches,....
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.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Then shall he return onto his land with great riches - Antiochus did return, laden with riches, from the spoils that he took in Egypt; see 1 Maccabees 1:19,
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Then shall he return into his land with great riches - Enriched with the spoils of Egypt. Having taken Memphis, and the fairest portions of Egypt, he would, of course, carry great wealth to his own country on his return. Thus it is said in 1 Macc. 1:19: “Thus they got the strong cities in the land of Egypt, and he took the spoils thereof.” The meaning here is, that he would “set out” to return to his own land. As a matter of fact, on his way he would pause to bring desolation on Jerusalem, as is intimated in the subsequent part of the verse. And his heart shall be against the holy covenant - The words “holy covenant” are a technical expression to denote the Jewish institutions. The Hebrew people were called the “covenant people,” as being a people with whom God had entered into covenant. All their privileges were regarded as the result of that covenant, and hence, the word came to be applied to all the institutions of the nation. When it is said that his heart Was against that covenant, the meaning is, that he was enraged against it; and determined to bring calamity upon the place and people connected with it. The reason of this was the following: When he was in Egypt, a report was spread abroad that he was dead. In consequence of this rumour, Jason took the opportunity of recovering the office of high priest from his brother Menelaus, and with a thousand men took Jerusalem, drove Menelaus into the castle, and killed many whom he took for his enemies. Antiochus, hearing of this, supposed that all the Jews had revolted, and determined to inflict summary chastisement on them on his way to his own land. See Jahn, “Hebrew Commonwealth,” p. 263. And he shall do exploits, and return to his own land - The word “exploits” is supplied by the translators. The Hebrew is, simply, “he shall do;” that is, he shall accomplish the purpose of his heart on the covenant people. […]
The words behind it
11 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיָשֹׁ֤ב | veyasho | and he will return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| אַרְצוֹ֙ | ʾartzo | own land his | H776 → | 2504 times |
| בִּרְכ֣וּשׁ | birkhush | with property | H7399 → | 28 times |
| גָּד֔וֹל | gadol | great | H1419 → | 526 times |
| וּלְבָב֖וֹ | ulevavo | and heart his | H3824 → | 252 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | [will be] on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בְּרִ֣ית | berit | [the] covenant of | H1285 → | 284 times |
| קֹ֑דֶשׁ | kodesh | holiness | H6944 → | 469 times |
| וְעָשָׂ֖ה | veasah | and he will act | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| וְשָׁ֥ב | veshav | and he will return | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| לְאַרְצֽוֹ׃ | leartzo | to own land his | H776 → | 2504 times |
וְיָשֹׁ֤בand he will return
veyashoH7725 →1056 times
אַרְצוֹ֙own land his
ʾartzoH776 →2504 times
בִּרְכ֣וּשׁwith property
birkhushH7399 →28 times
גָּד֔וֹלgreat
gadolH1419 →526 times
וּלְבָב֖וֹand heart his
ulevavoH3824 →252 times
עַל־[will be] on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בְּרִ֣ית[the] covenant of
beritH1285 →284 times
קֹ֑דֶשׁholiness
kodeshH6944 →469 times
וְעָשָׂ֖הand he will act
veasahH6213 →2628 times
וְשָׁ֥בand he will return
veshavH7725 →1056 times
לְאַרְצֽוֹ׃to own land his
leartzoH776 →2504 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
Acts 3:25And you are sons of the prophets and of the covenant God made with your fathers when He said to Abraham, ‘Through your offspring all the families of the earth will be blessed.’
it leads to
- Genesis 22:18
And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
- Galatians 3:8
The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and foretold the gospel to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”
- 1 Chronicles 16:17
He confirmed it to Jacob as a decree, to Israel as an everlasting covenant:
- Acts 2:39
This promise belongs to you and your children and to all who are far off—to all whom the Lord our God will call to Himself.”
- Romans 9:4–5
the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory and the covenants; theirs the giving of the law, the temple worship, and the promises.
- Genesis 22:18
Through
Daniel 8:24His power will be great, but it will not be his own. He will cause terrible destruction and succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men along with the holy people.
it leads to
- Daniel 8:12
And in the rebellion, the host and the daily sacrifice were given over to the horn, and it flung truth to the ground and prospered in whatever it did.
- Daniel 8:12
Through
Daniel 11:22Then a flood of forces will be swept away before him and destroyed, along with a prince of the covenant.
it leads to
- Daniel 9:26
Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end…
- Daniel 8:10–11
It grew as high as the host of heaven, and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the earth, and trampled them.
- Daniel 9:26
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, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.43.1-4; 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 (1748-1763); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:28.