Daniel 11:4
in Daniel 11But as soon as he is established, his kingdom will be broken up and parceled out toward the four winds of heaven. It will not go to his descendants, nor will it have the authority with which he ruled, because his kingdom will be uprooted and given to others.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides these.
KJV
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.
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This verse in Daniel 11
Commentary
14 notes on this verseUnderstand this as referring to Alexander, who was certain that his last day was not close and therefore did not have children, who could be the heirs of his reign, and left it to his friends after dividing it into four parts.
This site's exposition
the first year of Darius the Mede
on Daniel 11:1-4
“Three more kings will arise in Persia,” then a fourth “far richer than all the others” who stirs everyone against Greece. Keil and Barnes identify the fourth as Xerxes, the “mighty king” as Alexander. This precision is why Porphyry disputed the book's date, and Jerome answered him.
This site's exposition
toward the four winds of heaven
Jamieson, Fausset and Brown date the kingdom broken toward the four winds from the battle of Ipsus in 301 B.C. Clarke traces how the descendants of Alexander were given up to death, his wife and brother slain. Wesley notes that the four at first ruled as commanders.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
Alexander of Macedon rose against him, who was the son of Philip, and he seized his kingdom. And after he subjected the Persians, his kingdom was divided to the four winds of heaven. For while dying, Alexander divided his kingdom to four chiefs.
When, as we have already mentioned, Alexander joined together the whole known world, so to speak, into his kingdom and then suffered the fate common to all humankind, the kingdom was divided into four parts.
He does not spend much time on the ruler of Asia Minor or Macedonia, especially since no grief befell the Jews through them. He mentions only the two through whom the Jews would be tested with grievous misfortunes. These are the king of Egypt and …
Verses 3, 4. "But there shall rise up a strong king and shall rule with great power, and he shall do whatever he pleases. And when he shall have arisen, his kingdom shall be broken." He clearly refers to Alexander the Great, king of the Macedonians, and son of Philip. For after he had overcome the Illyrians and Thracians, and had conquered Greece and destroyed Thebes, he crossed over into Asia. And when he had routed Darius's generals and taken the city of Sardis, he afterwards captured India and founded the city of Alexandria.
And so he says to him, "Behold, still three kings shall arise in Persia and the fourth will be rich with greater riches than all. And after he himself masters his riches he shall rise against all the kingdoms of the Greeks. And a mighty king shall arise, and he shall be lord of a great dominion and he shall do according to his will. And as his kingdom rises it shall be shattered and divided to the four winds of heaven." [Daniel 11:2-4] And so we have already described these things above when we made the account concerning the four beasts, but since now Scripture describes all these things again in detail, it is absolutely necessary also for us to make a second account, so that we do not forsake Scripture as idle and indemonstrable.
6 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
) his kingdom shall soon be broken, and divided into four parts, but not to his posterity, nor shall any of his successors reign according to his dominion; none of them shall have such large territories nor such an absolute power. His kingdom was plucked up for others besides those of his own family. Arideus, his brother, was made king in Macedonia;
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
When he shall stand up - When he is come to his highest point. Nor according to his dominion - They did not reign as kings at first, but only as captains; and as to the extent of their dominion, it was far less than Alexander's, yea, all four fell short of his.
And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
His kingdom shall be broken - Shall, after his death, be divided among his four chief generals, as we have seen before. See Dan 8:22. And not to his posterity - The family of Alexander had a most tragical end: 1. His wife Statira was murdered soon after his death by his other wife Roxana. 2. His brother Aridaeus who succeeded him, was killed, together with his wife Euridice, by command of Olympias, Alexander’s mother, after he had been king about six years and some months. 3. Olympias herself was killed by the soldiers in revenge.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
kingdom . . . divided toward . . . four winds--the fourfold division of Alexander's kingdom at his death (Da 8:8, 22), after the battle of Ipsus, 301 B.C. not to his posterity--(See on Da 8:8;
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
And when he shall stand up - In the might and power of his kingdom. When his power shall be fully established. I understand this, with Rosenmuller and Havernick, as meaning, when he shall be at the height of his authority and power, then his kingdom would be broken up. The reference is, undoubtedly, to the sudden death of Alexander; and the sense is, that his empire would not “gradually” diminish and decay, but that some event would occur, the effect of which would be to rend it into four parts. His kingdom shall be broken - To wit, by his death. The language is such as is properly applicable to this, and indeed implies this, for it is said that it would not be “to his posterity” - an event which might be naturally expected to occur; or, in other words, the allusion to his posterity is such language as would be employed on the supposition that the reference here is to his death. And shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven - Into four parts. For the remarkable fulfillment of this prediction, see the notes at Dan 8:8. And not to his posterity - See also the notes at Dan 8:8. Nor according to his dominion which he ruled - This was literally true of the division of the empire. No one of his successors ever obtained as wide a dominion as he did himself. For his kingdom shall be plucked up - By his death. This does not naturally mean that it would be by “conquest,” for it is said that it would be “divided toward the four winds of heaven” - language which is not properly expressive of conquest. All that is implied is met by the supposition, that at his decease the kingdom which had been founded by him, and which had been sustained by his valor and political wisdom, would fall to pieces. Even for others beside those - That is, to others beside those to whom it should be at first divided. Literally, “exclusively, or to the exclusion of” - מלבד mı̂llebad. […]
The words behind it
19 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וּכְעָמְדוֹ֙ | ukheamedo | and just as arises he | H5975 → | 521 times |
| תִּשָּׁבֵ֣ר | tishaver | it will be broken up | H7665 → | 147 times |
| מַלְכוּת֔וֹ | malkhuto | kingdom his | H4438 → | 91 times |
| וְתֵחָ֕ץ | vetechatz | and it will be divided | H2673 → | |
| לְאַרְבַּ֖ע | learba' | to [the] four | H702 → | 318 times |
| רוּח֣וֹת | ruchot | [the] winds of | H7307 → | 378 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וְלֹ֣א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| לְאַחֲרִית֗וֹ | leacharito | to posterity his | H319 → | 61 times |
| וְלֹ֤א | velo' | and not | H3808 → | 5168 times |
| כְמָשְׁלוֹ֙ | khemashelo | like dominion his | H4915 → | |
| אֲשֶׁ֣ר | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מָשָׁ֔ל | mashal | he had dominion | H4910 → | 81 times |
| כִּ֤י | ki | for | H3588 → | 4482 times |
| תִנָּתֵשׁ֙ | tinatesh | it will be plucked up | H5428 → | |
| מַלְכוּת֔וֹ | malkhuto | kingdom his | H4438 → | 91 times |
| וְלַאֲחֵרִ֖ים | velaacherim | and to others | H312 → | |
| מִלְּבַד־ | milevad- | <from> <to> besides | H905 → | 200 times |
| אֵֽלֶּה׃ | ʾeleh | these | H428 → | 746 times |
וּכְעָמְדוֹ֙and just as arises he
ukheamedoH5975 →521 times
תִּשָּׁבֵ֣רit will be broken up
tishaverH7665 →147 times
מַלְכוּת֔וֹkingdom his
malkhutoH4438 →91 times
וְתֵחָ֕ץand it will be divided
vetechatzH2673 →
לְאַרְבַּ֖עto [the] four
learba'H702 →318 times
רוּח֣וֹת[the] winds of
ruchotH7307 →378 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וְלֹ֣אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
לְאַחֲרִית֗וֹto posterity his
leacharitoH319 →61 times
וְלֹ֤אand not
velo'H3808 →5168 times
כְמָשְׁלוֹ֙like dominion his
khemasheloH4915 →
אֲשֶׁ֣רwhich
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מָשָׁ֔לhe had dominion
mashalH4910 →81 times
כִּ֤יfor
kiH3588 →4482 times
תִנָּתֵשׁ֙it will be plucked up
tinateshH5428 →
מַלְכוּת֔וֹkingdom his
malkhutoH4438 →91 times
וְלַאֲחֵרִ֖יםand to others
velaacherimH312 →
מִלְּבַד־<from> <to> besides
milevad-H905 →200 times
אֵֽלֶּה׃these
ʾelehH428 →746 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
Daniel 7:2Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.
it leads to
- Revelation 7:1
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back its four winds so that no wind would blow on land or sea or on any tree.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Revelation 7:1
Through
Jeremiah 12:15But after I have uprooted them, I will once again have compassion on them and return each one to his inheritance and to his land.
it leads to
- Jeremiah 49:6
Yet afterward I will restore the Ammonites from captivity,” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 48:47
Yet in the latter days I will restore Moab from captivity,” declares the LORD. Here ends the judgment on Moab.
- Jeremiah 49:39
“Yet in the last days, I will restore Elam from captivity,” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 49:6
Through
Jeremiah 12:17But if they will not obey, then I will uproot that nation; I will uproot it and destroy it, declares the LORD.”
it leads to
- Isaiah 60:12
For the nation or kingdom that will not serve you will perish; it will be utterly destroyed.
- Psalms 2:8–12
Ask Me, and I will make the nations Your inheritance, the ends of the earth Your possession.
- Isaiah 60:12
Through
Daniel 8:8Thus the goat became very great, but at the height of his power, his large horn was broken off, and four prominent horns came up in its place, pointing toward the four winds of…
it leads to
- Daniel 7:2
Daniel declared: “In my vision in the night I looked, and suddenly the four winds of heaven were churning up the great sea.
- Daniel 8:22
The four horns that replaced the broken one represent four kingdoms that will rise from that nation, but will not have the same power.
- Daniel 7:2
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies8
On this verse
About Daniel

This page draws on 14 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; Ephrem the Syrian, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:3; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.41.6; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.41.2-3; 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; Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:3-4:13 and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:3-4.
