Daniel 11:30
in Daniel 11Ships of Kittim will come against him, and he will lose heart. Then he will turn back and rage against the holy covenant and do damage. So he will return and show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
For ships of Kittim shall come against him; therefore he shall be grieved, and shall return, and have indignation against the holy covenant, and shall do his pleasure: he shall even return, and have regard unto them that forsake the holy covenant.
KJV
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.
⋯
This verse in Daniel 11
Commentary
11 notes on this verseFor the ships of Chittim shall come against him,.... Ptolemy king of Egypt, and his brother, being come to an agreement, sent an embassy to the senate of Rome, to implore their help and assistance against Antiochus, who was preparing to besiege them in Alexandria; upon which they sent their ambassadors Caius Popilius Laenas, Caius Decimus, and Caius Hostilius, in ships from Macedonia (z), or Greece, to Antiochus, to require him to desist from making war upon Ptolemy, and that he quit the land of Egypt; see Num 24:
This site's exposition
not be as the former
on Daniel 11:29-35
The ships of Chittim turn him back, the Roman ultimatum at Alexandria in the common identification the bench carries, and his grief becomes indignation against the holy covenant. Verse 31 is the chapter's crux: the sanctuary polluted, the daily sacrifice taken away, and the ABOMINATION THAT MAKETH DESOLATE set up, the thread that runs 9:27, here, and 12:11, and which the Lord cites at Matt 24:15 as spoken of by Daniel the prophet, still future in his mouth: the readings on near and far fulfilment, Antiochus and a fulfilment beyond him, are named with holders and no date is set. The people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits, and they that understand shall instruct many though they fall by sword and flame: the Maccabean generation is the bench's near reading, and the refining purpose, to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end, is the text's own.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
"And those who arrive from Kittim will come to him, and they will be brought low." He will ally himself with many Cypriots and other islanders (Kition to the present day is the main city of Cyprus); then he will set out against Egypt but …
"And the galleys shall come upon him, and the Romans, and he shall be dealt a heavy blow." Or, as another has rendered it, "...and they shall threaten him with attack." 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.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
), some of the Jews that were false to their religion, and introduced the customs of the heathen, with whom they made a covenant. See the fulfilling of this, 1 Mac. i. 11-15 , where it is expressly said, concerning those renegado Jews, that they made themselves uncircumcised and forsook the holy covenant.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
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.
Then he took Judea in his way home; and, because he could not gain his point in Egypt by reason of the Romans interposing, he wreaked his revenge upon the poor Jews, who gave him no provocation, but had greatly provoked God to permit him to do it, Dan. viii. He had a rooted antipathy to the Jews' religion: His heart was against the holy covenant,
4 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
He shall be grieved, and return; for it was a great vexation to him to be forced to yield thus. His rage and cruel practices against the Jews. This is that part of his government, or mis-government rather, which is most enlarged upon in this prediction.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him - Chittim is well known to mean the Roman empire. Antiochus, being now in full march to besiege Alexandria, and within seven miles of that city, heard that ships were arrived there from Rome, with legates from the senate. He went to salute them. They delivered to him the letters of the senate, in which he was commanded, on pain of the displeasure of the Roman people, to put an end to the war against his nephews.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Apollonius slew multitudes, dismantled and pillaged the city. They then, from a fortress which they built commanding the temple, fell on and slew the worshippers; so that the temple service was discontinued. Also, Antiochus decreed that all, on pain of death, should conform to the Greek religion, and the temple was consecrated to Jupiter Olympius.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
For the ships of Chittim shall come against him - The word rendered Chittim - כתים kı̂ttı̂ym - according to Gesenius, properly means “Cyprians,” so called from a celebrated Phoenician colony in the island of Cyprus. In a wider acceptation the name came to comprehend the islands and coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, especially the northern parts, and therefore stands for the islands and coasts of Greece and the AEgean Sea. See Gesenius, Lexicon, and compare Josephus, “Ant.” b. i. ch. vi. 1. The Egyptian government had called in the aid of the Romans, and Antiochus, therefore, was threatened with a war with the Romans if he did not abandon his enterprise against Egypt. The reference in the passage before us is to the embassage which the Romans sent to Antiochus in Egypt, requiring him to desist from his enterprise against Egypt. “When he had arrived at Leusine, about four miles from Alexandria, he met Caius Popilins Laenas, Caius Decimius, and Caius Hostilius, ambassadors, whom the Roman Senate had sent to him at the earnest request of Ptolemy Physcon. They were instructed to assure Antiochus that he must leave the kingdom of Egypt and the island of Cyprus in peace, or expect a war with the Romans. When Antiochus said that he would lay the affair before his council, Popilius, the head of the legation, with his staff drew a circle about the king in the sand on which they stood, and exclaimed, ‘Before you leave that circle, you must give me an answer which I can report to the Senate.’ Antiochius was confounded, but on a little reflection, he said he would do whatever the Senate required.” - Jahn, “Heb. Commonwealth,” pp. 265, 266; Polyb. “Legat.” Sections 90, 92; Livy, xliv. 14, 29, 41-46; xlv. 10, 12. […]
The words behind it
17 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּבָ֨אוּ | uvau | and they will come | H935 → | 2568 times |
| ב֜וֹ | vo | on <the> him | ||
| צִיִּ֤ים | tziyim | <the> ships of | H6716 → | |
| כִּתִּים֙ | kitim | Kittim | H3794 → | |
| וְנִכְאָ֔ה | venikhah | and he will be disheartened | H3512 → | |
| וְשָׁ֛ב | veshav | and he will turn back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| וְזָעַ֥ם | vezaam | and he will direct indignation | H2194 → | |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | towards | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| בְּרִֽית־ | berit- | [the] covenant of | H1285 → | 284 times |
| ק֖וֹדֶשׁ | kodesh | holiness | H6944 → | 469 times |
| וְעָשָׂ֑ה | veasah | and he will act | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| וְשָׁ֣ב | veshav | and he will turn back | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| וְיָבֵ֔ן | veyaven | and he will pay attention | H995 → | 170 times |
| עַל־ | ʾal- | on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| עֹזְבֵ֖י | ʾozevei | [those who] forsake | H5800 → | |
| בְּרִ֥ית | berit | <of> [the] covenant of | H1285 → | 284 times |
| קֹֽדֶשׁ׃ | kodesh | holiness | H6944 → | 469 times |
וּבָ֨אוּand they will come
uvauH935 →2568 times
ב֜וֹon <the> him
vo
צִיִּ֤ים<the> ships of
tziyimH6716 →
כִּתִּים֙Kittim
kitimH3794 →
וְנִכְאָ֔הand he will be disheartened
venikhahH3512 →
וְשָׁ֛בand he will turn back
veshavH7725 →1056 times
וְזָעַ֥םand he will direct indignation
vezaamH2194 →
עַל־towards
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
בְּרִֽית־[the] covenant of
berit-H1285 →284 times
ק֖וֹדֶשׁholiness
kodeshH6944 →469 times
וְעָשָׂ֑הand he will act
veasahH6213 →2628 times
וְשָׁ֣בand he will turn back
veshavH7725 →1056 times
וְיָבֵ֔ןand he will pay attention
veyavenH995 →170 times
עַל־on
ʾal-H5921 →5755 times
עֹזְבֵ֖י[those who] forsake
ʾozeveiH5800 →
בְּרִ֥ית<of> [the] covenant of
beritH1285 →284 times
קֹֽדֶשׁ׃holiness
kodeshH6944 →469 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
Numbers 24:24Ships will come from the coasts of Cyprus; they will subdue Asshur and Eber, but they too will perish forever.”
it leads to
- Genesis 10:4
And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
- Daniel 10:20
“Do you know why I have come to you?” he said. “I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I have gone forth, behold, the prince of Greece…
- Genesis 10:4
Through
Genesis 10:4And the sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.
it leads to
- Isaiah 23:1
This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Isaiah 23:1
Through
Isaiah 23:12He said, “You shall rejoice no more, O oppressed Virgin Daughter of Sidon. Get up and cross over to Cyprus—even there you will find no rest.”
it leads to
- Revelation 18:22
And the sound of harpists and musicians, of flute players and trumpeters, will never ring out in you again. Nor will any craftsmen of any trade be found in you again, nor the sound…
- Isaiah 47:1
“Go down and sit in the dust, O Virgin Daughter of Babylon. Sit on the ground without a throne, O Daughter of Chaldea! For you will no longer be called tender or delicate.
- Isaiah 23:1–2
This is the burden against Tyre: Wail, O ships of Tarshish, for Tyre is laid waste, without house or harbor. Word has reached them from the land of Cyprus.
- Ezekiel 26:13–14
So I will silence the sound of your songs, and the music of your lyres will no longer be heard.
- Revelation 18:22
Through
Jeremiah 2:10Cross over to the coasts of Cyprus and take a look; send to Kedar and consider carefully; see if there has ever been anything like this:
it leads to
- Psalms 120:5
Woe to me that I dwell in Meshech, that I live among the tents of Kedar!
- Psalms 120:5
Where this verse is studied
About Daniel
This page draws on 9 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); Carl Friedrich Keil, Biblical Commentary on the Book of Daniel; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Daniel; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:30.