Daniel 11:5
in Daniel 11The king of the South will grow strong, but one of his commanders will grow even stronger and will rule his own kingdom with great authority.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
KJV
And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion.
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This verse in Daniel 11
Commentary
9 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
And the king of the south - The angel here leaves the general history of the empire, and confines himself, in his predictions, to two parts of it - the kingdom of the south, and the kingdom of the north; or the kingdoms to the north and the south of Palestine - that of Syria and that of Egypt; or that of the Seleucidae, and that of the Ptolemies.
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
Verse 5. "And the king of the South shall be strengthened." The reference is to Ptolemy, son of Lagos, who was the first to become king in Egypt, and was a very clever, mighty and wealthy man, and possessed such power that he was able to restore Pyrrhus, King of Epirus, to his kingdom after he had been driven out, and also to seize Cyprus and Phoenicia. And after he had conquered Demetrius, the son of Antigonus, he restored to Seleucus that portion of his kingdom which Antigonus had taken away from him.
He is talking about Ptolemy Philopator, who was not satisfied with the kingdom of Egypt but who added also Phoenicia, Samaria and Judea. When he says, "one of his princes will grow strong," he is talking about Scopas, whom also Josephus the Hebrew historian mentions. …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
The king of the south - This king was Ptolemy, the first king of Egypt after Alexander who is brought in, because he took Jerusalem by treachery; for the angel minds only those persons and things which related to the Jews.
And the king of the south shall be strong,....
The kingdom of Egypt, which was made considerable by Ptolemæus Lagus, one of Alexander's captains, whose successors were, from him, called the Lagidæ. He is called the king of the south, that is, Egypt, named here,
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
Holy Scripture handles external history only so far as it is connected with God's people, Israel [JEROME]. TREGELLES puts a chasm between the fourth and fifth verses, making the transition to the final Antichrist here, answering to the chasm (in his view) at Da 8:22, 23. king of . . . south--literally, "of midday": Egypt (Da 11:8, 42), Ptolemy Soter, son of Lagus.
The king of the south - This was Ptolemy Lagus, one of his generals, who had the government of Egypt, Libra, etc., which are on the south of Judea. He was strong, for he had added Cyprus, Phoenicia, Caria, etc., to his kingdom of Egypt. And one of his princes - shall be strong above him - This was Seleucus Nicator, who possessed Syria, Babylon, Media, and the neighboring countries. This was the king of the north, for his dominions lay north of Judea.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְיֶחֱזַ֥ק | veyechezak | so he may become strong | H2388 → | 291 times |
| מֶֽלֶךְ־ | melekh- | [the] king of | H4428 → | 2525 times |
| הַנֶּ֖גֶב | hanegev | the south | H5045 → | 112 times |
| וּמִן־ | umin- | and one of | H4480 → | 1188 times |
| שָׂרָ֑יו | sarav | commanders his | H8269 → | 421 times |
| וְיֶחֱזַ֤ק | veyechezak | so he may become strong | H2388 → | 291 times |
| עָלָיו֙ | ʾalav | on him | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| וּמָשָׁ֔ל | umashal | and he will exercise dominion | H4910 → | 81 times |
| מִמְשָׁ֥ל | mishal | [will be] a dominion | H4474 → | |
| רַ֖ב | rav | great | H7227 → | 454 times |
| מֶמְשַׁלְתּֽוֹ׃ | memshalto | dominion his | H4475 → |
וְיֶחֱזַ֥קso he may become strong
veyechezakH2388 →291 times
מֶֽלֶךְ־[the] king of
melekh-H4428 →2525 times
הַנֶּ֖גֶבthe south
hanegevH5045 →112 times
וּמִן־and one of
umin-H4480 →1188 times
שָׂרָ֑יוcommanders his
saravH8269 →421 times
וְיֶחֱזַ֤קso he may become strong
veyechezakH2388 →291 times
עָלָיו֙on him
ʾalavH5921 →5755 times
וּמָשָׁ֔לand he will exercise dominion
umashalH4910 →81 times
מִמְשָׁ֥ל[will be] a dominion
mishalH4474 →
רַ֖בgreat
ravH7227 →454 times
מֶמְשַׁלְתּֽוֹ׃dominion his
memshaltoH4475 →
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 11:40At the time of the end, the king of the South will engage him in battle, but the king of the North will storm out against him with chariots, horsemen, and many ships, invading…
it leads to
- Daniel 11:10
But his sons will stir up strife and assemble a great army, which will advance forcefully, sweeping through like a flood, and will again carry the battle as far as his fortress.
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Daniel 11:35
Some of the wise will fall, so that they may be refined, purified, and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time.
- Isaiah 5:28
Their arrows are sharpened, and all their bows are strung. The hooves of their horses are like flint; their chariot wheels are like a whirlwind.
- Revelation 16:12
And the sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river Euphrates, and its water was dried up to prepare the way for the kings of the East.
- Zechariah 9:14
Then the LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning. The Lord GOD will sound the ram’s horn and advance in the whirlwinds of the south.
- Daniel 11:10
Through
Daniel 11:11In a rage, the king of the South will march out to fight the king of the North, who will raise a large army, but it will be delivered into the hand of his…
it leads to
- Daniel 8:7
I saw him approach the ram in a rage against him, and he struck the ram and shattered his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him, and the goat threw him…
- Daniel 8:7
Through
Daniel 11:14In those times many will rise up against the king of the South. Violent ones among your own people will exalt themselves in fulfillment of the vision, but they will fail.
it leads to
- Revelation 17:17
For God has put it into their hearts to carry out His purpose by uniting to give their kingdom to the beast, until the words of God are fulfilled.
- Acts 4:25–28
You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of Your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?
- Revelation 17:17
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); Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Daniel; 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); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theodoret of Cyrus, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:5.
