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Daniel 11:2

in Daniel 11

Now then, I will tell you the truth: Three more kings will arise in Persia, and then a fourth, who will be far richer than all the others. By the power of his wealth, he will stir up everyone against the kingdom of Greece.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And now will I show thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and when he is waxed strong through his riches, he shall stir up all against the realm of Greece.

KJV

And now will I shew thee the truth. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia; and the fourth shall be far richer than they all: and by his strength through his riches he shall stir up all against the realm of Grecia.

This verse in Daniel 11

Commentary

13 notes on this verse

A commentator

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible · Written before 1832.

There shall stand up yet three kings - Gabriel had already spoken of Cyrus, who was now reigning; and after him three others should arise. These were, 1. Cambyses, the son of Cyrus. 2. Smerdis, the Magian, who was an impostor, who pretended to be another son of Cyrus. And, 3. Darius, the son of Hystaspes, who married Mandane, the daughter of Cyrus. Cambyses reigned seven years and five months; Smerdis reigned only seven months; and Darius Hystaspes reigned thirty-six years.

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

Three more kings will arise

Readers name the kings differently. Adam Clarke counts Cambyses, Smerdis and Darius son of Hystaspes, with Xerxes as the fourth, and John Wesley says Darius gathered that wealth for Xerxes. Hippolytus counted Darius, Artaxerxes and Xerxes, and made a Darius the fourth.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers4 voices

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 4.41.1 · Written before 235.

proposed

"And now," he says, "I will proclaim to you the truth." [Daniel 11:2] And so was the truth able to proclaim some other thing beyond the truth? The truth was what was seen by Daniel and he proclaimed the truth. He himself, with the truth being revealed in the world, teaches the truth. On account of which the blessed disciples are taught by Christ.

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 4.41.4-5 · Written before 235.

proposed

"Still three," he says, "kings shall arise in Persia and the fourth will be rich with greater riches than all." [Daniel 11:2] For after Cyrus, Darius arose, then Artaxerxes, next Xerxes. These three were kings. Scripture is fulfilled. "And the fourth will be rich with greater riches." [Daniel 11:2] Who is this but Darius, who after reigning and being glorious, became wealthy and rose against all the kingdoms of the Greeks?

A commentator

Jerome

St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER ELEVEN · Written before 420.

proposed

Verse 2. "And now I shall proclaim the truth to thee." And the meaning is this: "Because thou desirest to know what shall befall the kings of Persia, hearken thou to the order of events and hear the answer to thy request." "And behold, three more kings shall arise in Persia, and the fourth shall be enriched exceedingly above them all, and when he shall have grown mighty through his wealth, he shall stir up all men against the kingdom of Greece."

A commentator

Hippolytus of Rome

Commentary on Daniel 4.41.2-3 · Written before 235.

proposed

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.

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Ishodad of Merv

COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:2 · Written before 850.

proposed

After Cyrus, who reigned first, there were numerous kings in Persia until those three. But the angel indicates by "three kings" those who were called with the name Darius, because there were only three kings who had the same name Darius. And by revealing through …
5 more voices on this verse

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

): Now I will tell thee the truth, that is, the true meaning of the visions of the great image, and of the four beasts, and expound in plain terms what was before represented by dark types. (1.) There shall stand up three kings in Persia, besides Darius, in whose reign this prophecy is dated, ch. ix.

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens

A commentator

John Wesley

1703–1791

Explanatory Notes upon the Old Testament (1765)

proposed

He - Xerxes was more potent than all the other three, because his father Darius had gathered an incredible mass for him, which he himself increased for six years together, before he made his expedition against Greece.
And now will I show thee the truth,....

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

A commentator

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

(Ahasuerus, Artaxerxes, and Darius, in Ezr 4:6, 7, 24). The Ahasuerus of Esther (see on Da 9:1) is identified with Xerxes, both in Greek history and in Scripture, appearing proud, self-willed, careless of contravening Persian customs, amorous, facile, and changeable (Da 11:2). fourth . . . riches . . . against . . .
And now will I show thee the truth - That is, the truth about events that are to occur in the future, and which will accord with what is written in “the scripture of truth,” Dan 10:21. Behold, there shall stand up yet three kings in Persia - The phrase “stand up means that there would be so many kings in Persia; that is, there would be three before the fourth which he mentions. The same Hebrew word here rendered “stand up” (עמד ‛âmad) occurs in Dan 11:3-4, Dan 11:6-8, Dan 11:14-16 (twice), Dan 11:17, Dan 11:20, Dan 11:21, Dan 11:25, Dan 11:31; also in Dan 12:1, Dan 12:13. In Dan 11:8 it is rendered “continue;” in Dan 11:15, “withstand;” in the other cases, “stand up,” or simply stand. Gesenius says it is a word used particularly of a new prince, as in Dan 8:23; Dan 11:2-3, Dan 11:20. He does not say that there would be none afterward, but he evidently designs to touch on the great and leading events respecting the Persian empire, so far as they would affect the Hebrew people, and so far as they would constitute prominent points in the history of the world. He does not, therefore, go into all the details respecting the history, nor does he mention all the kings that would reign. The prominent, the material points, would be the reign of those three kings; then the reign of the fourth, or Xerxes, as his mad expedition to Greece would lay the real foundation for the invasion of Persia by Alexander, and the overthrow of the Persian empire; then the life and conquests of Alexander, and then the wars consequent on the division of his empire at his death. The “three kings” here referred to were Cambyses, Smerdis, and Darius Hystaspis. As this communication was made in the third year of Cyrus Dan 10:1, these would be the next in order; and by the fourth is undoubtedly meant Xerxes. […]

The words behind it

22 Hebrew words

Every 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.

  • וְעַתָּ֕הand now

    veatahH6258 →433 times

  • אֱמֶ֖תtruth

    ʾemetH571 →127 times

  • אַגִּ֣ידI will tell

    ʾagidH5046 →370 times

  • לָ֑ךְto you

    lakh

  • הִנֵּה־there!

    hineh-H2009 →843 times

  • עוֹד֩yet

    ʾodH5750 →490 times

  • שְׁלֹשָׁ֨הthree

    sheloshahH7969 →432 times

  • מְלָכִ֜יםkings

    melakhimH4428 →2525 times

  • עֹמְדִ֣ים[are] about to arise

    ʾomedimH5975 →521 times

  • לְפָרַ֗סfor Persia

    lefarasH6539 →28 times

  • וְהָֽרְבִיעִי֙and the fourth [king]

    vehareviiH7243 →

  • יַעֲשִׁ֤ירhe will gain wealth

    yaashirH6238 →

  • עֹֽשֶׁר־wealth

    ʾosher-H6239 →

  • גָּדוֹל֙great

    gadolH1419 →526 times

  • מִכֹּ֔לmore than everyone

    mikolH3605 →5413 times

  • וּכְחֶזְקָת֣וֹand according to strength his

    ukhechezkatoH2393 →

  • בְעָשְׁר֔וֹby wealth his

    veasheroH6239 →

  • יָעִ֣ירhe will stir up

    yairH5782 →

  • הַכֹּ֔ל<the> everyone

    hakolH3605 →5413 times

  • אֵ֖ת<obj.>

    ʾetH853 →10935 times

  • מַלְכ֥וּת[the] kingdom of

    malkhutH4438 →91 times

  • יָוָֽן׃Greece

    yavanH3120 →11 times

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Amos 3:7

    Surely the Lord GOD does nothing without revealing His plan to His servants the prophets.

    it leads to

    • John 15:15

      No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have…

    • Genesis 18:17

      And the LORD said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?

    • Psalms 25:14

      The LORD confides in those who fear Him, and reveals His covenant to them.

    • Revelation 1:1

      This is the revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants what must soon come to pass. He made it known by sending His angel to His servant John,

    • Daniel 9:22–27

      He instructed me and spoke with me, saying: “O Daniel, I have come now to give you insight and understanding.

  • Through

    Revelation 21:5

    And the One seated on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” Then He said, “Write this down, for these words are faithful and true.”

    it leads to

    • 2 Corinthians 5:17

      Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away. Behold, the new has come!

    • Isaiah 42:9

      Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”

    • Isaiah 43:19

      Behold, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way in the wilderness and streams in the desert.

Where this verse is studied

About Daniel

Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
Daniel among the Exiles, Gustave Doré, 1866. Public domain.
This page draws on 13 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; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.41.4-5; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.41.1; Hippolytus of Rome, Commentary on Daniel 4.41.2-3; Ishodad of Merv, COMMENTARY ON DANIEL 11:2; 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 and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.