Daniel 11:2
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 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. | 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. | 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. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedA heavenly messenger begins telling Daniel what is "noted in the scripture of truth." He starts with Persia: three more kings will rise, then a fourth, far richer, who will use his wealth to rouse everyone against Greece. This opens a long, detailed forecast of kings and wars that runs through the rest of chapter 11. Daniel 11:2Daniel 10:21Daniel 11:3Daniel 11:5
SpeakingThe messenger who came to Daniel in the vision. He says he will return to fight "the prince of Persia," with only Michael holding with him. In the first year of Darius the Mede he "stood to confirm and to strengthen him." Daniel 10:20Daniel 10:21Daniel 11:1
ToDaniel, a man of Judah taken to Babylon, who still served there into the reign of the Persian king Cyrus. Daniel overview
Also involvedThe coming kings of Persia and the realm of Greece. Later the chapter turns to the kings of the south and north and to Daniel's own people. Daniel 11:2Daniel 11:5Daniel 11:14Daniel 11:32
This is a prophecy, not a command. It says three more Persian kings will "stand up." A fourth will grow very rich and, by the strength his riches give him, stir up all against Greece. The verse does not name any of these kings, and no cited Scripture names them. Daniel 11:2Strong's H5975IStrong's H6238
Daniel lived and served in Babylon under Persian kings. The prophecy concerns Persia and the Greek realm to its west. Daniel overviewPersiaGreeceDaniel 11:2
The eventsThe vision came in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, about 536 BC. The verse looks ahead to kings who would reign after that time. Ezra records that Persian kings followed Cyrus, naming Darius and Ahasuerus. Daniel overviewEzra 4:5Ezra 4:6
WrittenTraditional: Daniel wrote it in the 500s BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC because chapter 11 is so detailed, while others keep the 500s BC date, citing Matthew 24:15. Daniel overview
HereThe verse begins showing Daniel the true course of coming empires. It explains the messenger's warning that after Persia "the prince of Grecia shall come." Daniel 10:20Daniel 10:21Daniel 11:2
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel shows that God sets up and removes kings and rules in the kingdom of men. Telling these reigns in advance fits that point, as Amos says: God reveals his secret to his servants the prophets. Daniel overviewAmos 3:7
For readersRich and powerful rulers do not set history's course; God does, and he tells it before it happens. His words are "true and faithful," and Scripture "cannot be broken." Daniel overviewRevelation 21:5John 10:35Daniel 8:26
- truthאֱמֶת
The word means firmness, faithfulness, reliability, and truth. It ties this forecast to "the scripture of truth" in 10:21 and to 8:26, where the vision is called "true." Strong's H0571HDaniel 10:21Daniel 8:26
- stand upעָמַד
Its meanings include "to arise, appear, come on the scene." The same English wording marks each new ruler through the chapter, as in 11:3, 11:7, 11:20 and 11:21. Strong's H5975IDaniel 11:3Daniel 11:7Daniel 11:20Daniel 11:21
- stir upעוּר
It means to rouse or incite. The rich fourth king does not just fight Greece; he rouses others against it. Strong's H5782Daniel 11:2
- Greciaיָוָן
The Hebrew is Javan, meaning Ionia or Greece. It is the same realm whose "prince" the messenger says will come after Persia. Strong's H3120HDaniel 10:20
Takeaway
Long before these kings reigned, God told Daniel how Persia's rulers would rise and turn against Greece. However great a king's riches, the course of empires is in God's hand, and his word about it is true. Daniel 11:2Daniel overviewDaniel 10:21Amos 3:7
Drafted by AI from the Scripture and data shown under “Show sources,” then checked automatically and by a second AI pass. Updated 2026-10-28.
The world around the text
About 605-536 BC. King of Babylon: Nebuchadnezzar (605-562 BC). Where Daniel lived and served for about seventy years. The capital of the Babylonian empire, on the Euphrates south of modern Baghdad, in the land the Bible calls Shinar and Chaldea.
Who ruled
- King of BabylonNebuchadnezzar605-562 BC
The king who besieged Jerusalem, carried Daniel and the temple vessels to Babylon, and later destroyed the city and temple. His own building inscriptions boast of the Babylon he built. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 24:12 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 25:1Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- Last king of Babylon, and his son who ruled in his placeNabonidus and Belshazzar556-539 BC
Nabonidus spent about ten years at the oasis of Tema in Arabia and left his son Belshazzar to rule in Babylon. That is why Belshazzar could only offer Daniel the place of "third ruler in the kingdom": he was himself second. Daniel 5:1Daniel 5:7Daniel 5:29Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Verse Account of Nabonidus
- Received the kingdom after Babylon fellDarius the MedianFrom 539 BC
Daniel says he "took the kingdom, being about threescore and two years old" and set 120 princes over it. Records outside the Bible do not name him; he has been identified with Gubaru, the governor Cyrus set over Babylon, or with Cyrus himself. Daniel 5:31Daniel 6:1Daniel 9:1Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)
- King of PersiaCyrus559-530 BC
He united the Medes and Persians, took Babylon in 539 BC, and let the exiles go home to rebuild the temple, as Isaiah had named him beforehand. Daniel 1:21Daniel 6:28Daniel 10:1Ezra 1:1-4Isaiah 44:28-45:1Cyrus Cylinder
- King of JudahJehoiakim609-598 BC
Judah's king when Daniel was taken. Jeremiah warned him and his people that the land would serve Babylon seventy years. Daniel 1:1-22 Kings 23:36-24:6Jeremiah 25:1-11
What was happening, 612 BC to 167 BC
- 612 BCWarNineveh falls
Babylon and the Medes destroyed Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, as Nahum and Zephaniah had foretold. Babylon became the great power of the region. Nahum 3:7Zephaniah 2:13Fall of Nineveh Chronicle (ABC 3)
- 605 BCWarBattle of Carchemish
Nebuchadnezzar defeated Pharaoh Necho of Egypt at Carchemish on the Euphrates, in Jehoiakim's fourth year. The same year he came against Jerusalem and took the first captives, Daniel among them. Jeremiah 46:2Daniel 1:1-4Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 597 BCWarJerusalem surrenders
Nebuchadnezzar took King Jehoiachin, his nobles and craftsmen to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel went into exile with them. 2 Kings 24:10-17Ezekiel 1:2Babylonian Chronicles (ABC 5)
- 586 BCWarJerusalem and the temple destroyed
Babylon's army burned the temple and the city and broke down its walls. Daniel later prays over "the desolations of Jerusalem" and asks God to shine on his "sanctuary that is desolate." 2 Kings 25:8-10Jeremiah 52:12-14Daniel 9:2Daniel 9:17
- c. 575 BCBuildingBabylon rebuilt in splendor
Nebuchadnezzar rebuilt Babylon with great walls, palaces and the blue-glazed Ishtar Gate, and his inscriptions praise his own work. Compare his boast: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?" Daniel 4:30Nebuchadnezzar's East India House InscriptionHerodotus, Histories 1.178-183
- 562 BCRulersNebuchadnezzar dies
His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34
- c. 553-543 BCRulersNabonidus leaves Babylon to Belshazzar
King Nabonidus stayed at Tema in Arabia for about ten years, and the yearly New Year festival in Babylon was not held. Belshazzar governed in Babylon. Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Daniel 5:1Daniel 7:1
- 550 BCWarCyrus unites the Medes and Persians
Cyrus of Persia defeated Astyages king of the Medes, joining the two peoples in one kingdom. Daniel's vision names the ram's two horns as "the kings of Media and Persia," the higher coming up last. Daniel 8:3Daniel 8:20Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.127-130
- October 539 BCWarBabylon falls to Cyrus
Cyrus's army entered Babylon without a long siege. Herodotus says the people were feasting when the city was taken. Daniel records that "in that night was Belshazzar the king of the Chaldeans slain." Daniel 5:30-31Nabonidus Chronicle (ABC 7)Herodotus, Histories 1.191Cyrus Cylinder
- 538 BCGod's peopleCyrus lets the exiles return
In his first year over Babylon, Cyrus proclaimed that the Jews could go back and build the LORD's house in Jerusalem. Daniel "continued even unto the first year of king Cyrus." Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Daniel 1:21Cyrus Cylinder
- c. 536 BCGod's peopleThe temple's foundation is laid
The returned exiles rebuilt the altar and laid the foundation of the temple. In the third year of Cyrus, Daniel was still in the east, mourning and praying. Ezra 3:1-11Daniel 10:1-3
- 334-331 BCWarAlexander the Great conquers Persia
Alexander of Macedon crossed into Asia and overthrew the Persian empire within four years. Daniel 8:21 names the rough goat as "the king of Grecia" and its great horn as "the first king." Daniel 8:5-8Daniel 8:21Arrian, Anabasis of Alexander 1-3
- 323-301 BCWarAlexander's empire is divided
Alexander died young, and after twenty years of war his generals divided his empire, chiefly into four kingdoms. Daniel 8:22 says "four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation, but not in his power." Daniel 8:8Daniel 8:22Daniel 11:4Diodorus Siculus, Library 18-20Plutarch, Demetrius 28-30
- 167 BCWarAntiochus IV defiles the temple
The Greek king Antiochus IV banned Jewish worship and set up a pagan altar on the altar of burnt offering. 1 Maccabees calls it "the abomination of desolation." Two centuries later Jesus spoke of "the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet" as still to come. 1 Maccabees 1:54-59Josephus, Antiquities 12.5.4Matthew 24:15
The full picture: places, culture and daily life. Scripture first, then ancient records of these years (the Babylonian Chronicles, the Cyrus Cylinder, Nebuchadnezzar's inscriptions) and ancient writers (Herodotus, Arrian, Diodorus, Josephus). Drafted by Claude and not yet reviewed by a person.
Where
- Greece regionMapAbout this place
- Persia regionMapAbout this place
Locations from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Some ancient sites are uncertain.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and now | וְעַתָּ֕ה | ve-'a-TAH | H6258 | nowעַתָּ֫ה (at.tah) 1) now 1a) now 1b) in phrases |
| truth | אֱמֶ֖ת | 'e-MET | H0571H | truth: faithfulאֱמֶת (e.met) : faithful 1) firmness, faithfulness, truth 1a) sureness, reliability 1b) stability, continuance 1c) faithfulness, reliableness 1d) truth 1d1) as spoken 1d2) of testimony and judgment 1d3) of divine instruction 1d4) truth as a body of ethical or religious knowledge 1d5) true doctrine adv 2) in truth, truly |
| I will tell | אַגִּ֣יד | 'a-GID | H5046 | to tellנָגַד (na.gad) 1) to be conspicuous, tell, make known 1a) (Hiphil) to tell, declare 1a1) to tell, announce, report 1a2) to declare, make known, expound 1a3) to inform of 1a4) to publish, declare, proclaim 1a5) to avow, acknowledge, confess 1a5a) messenger (participle) 1b) (Hophal) to be told, be announced, be reported |
| there! | הִנֵּה־ | hi-neh- | H2009 | beholdהִנֵּה (hin.neh) behold, lo, see, if |
| yet | עוֹד֩ | 'Od | H5750 | stillעוֹד (od) subst 1) a going round, continuance adv 2) still, yet, again, besides 2a) still, yet (of continuance or persistence) 2b) still, yet, more (of addition or repetition) 2c) again 2d) still, moreover, besides Aramaic equivalent: od (עוֹד "still" H5751) |
| three | שְׁלֹשָׁ֨ה | she-lo-SHAH | H7969 | threeשָׁלֹשׁ (sha.losh) 1) three, triad 1a) 3, 300, third Aramaic equivalent: te.lat (תְּלָת "three" H8532) |
| kings | מְלָכִ֜ים | me-la-KHIM | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| [are] about to arise | עֹמְדִ֣ים | 'o-me-DIM | H5975I | to stand: standעָמַד (a.mad) : stand/stop/establish 1) to stand, remain, endure, take one's stand 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to stand, take one's stand, be in a standing attitude, stand forth, take a stand, present oneself, attend upon, be or become servant of 1a2) to stand still, stop (moving or doing), cease 1a3) to tarry, delay, remain, continue, abide, endure, persist, be steadfast 1a4) to make a stand, hold one's ground 1a5) to stand upright, remain standing, stand up, rise, be erect, be upright 1a6) to arise, appear, come on the scene, stand forth, appear, rise up or against … |
| for Persia | לְפָרַ֗ס | le-fa-RAS | H6539 | Persiaאֲפָֽרְסָיֵא (a.pha.re.say) Persia or Apharsite = "causers of division (?)" (CLBL) an unknown office (TWOT) perhaps a title of an official Another spelling of pa.ras (פָּרַס "Persia" H6539) |
| and the fourth [king] | וְהָֽרְבִיעִי֙ | ve-ha-re-vi-'I | H7243 | fourthרְבִיעִי (re.vi.i) 1) fourth 1a) fourth 1b) four square 1c) fourth part Aramaic equivalent: re.vi.ay (רְבִיעִי "fourth" H7244) |
| he will gain wealth | יַעֲשִׁ֤יר | ya-'a-SHIR | H6238 | to enrichעָשַׁר (a.shar) 1) to be or become rich or wealthy, enrich, pretend to be rich 1a) (Qal) to be or become rich 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to make rich 1b2) to gain riches 1c) (Hithpael) to enrich oneself, pretend to be rich |
| wealth | עֹֽשֶׁר־ | 'o-sher- | H6239 | richesעֹ֫שֶׁר (o.sher) wealth, riches |
| great | גָּדוֹל֙ | ga-dOl | H1419A | great: largeגָּדוֹל (ga.dol) adj 1) great 1a) large (in magnitude and extent) 1b) in number 1c) in intensity 1d) loud (in sound) 1e) older (in age) 1f) in importance 1f1) important things 1f2) great, distinguished (of men) 1f3) God Himself (of God) subst 1g) great things 1h) haughty things 1i) greatness Also means: ga.dol (גָּדוֹל ": old" H1419K) § Haggedolim = "the great one" (CLBL) Haggedolim, the great man?, father of Zabdiel |
| more than everyone | מִכֹּ֔ל | mi-KOL | H3605 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606) |
| and according to strength his | וּכְחֶזְקָת֣וֹ | u-khe-chez-ka-TO | H2393 | strengthחֶזְקָה (chez.qah) strength, strong, being strong, force |
| by wealth his | בְעָשְׁר֔וֹ | ve-'a-she-RO | H6239 | richesעֹ֫שֶׁר (o.sher) wealth, riches |
| he will stir up | יָעִ֣יר | ya-'IR | H5782 | to rouseעוּר (ur) 1) to rouse oneself, awake, awaken, incite 1a) (Qal) to rouse oneself, awake 1b) (Niphal) to be roused 1c) (Polel) to stir up, rouse, incite 1d) (Hithpolel) to be excited, be triumphant 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to rouse, stir up 1e2) to act in an aroused manner, awake |
| the everyone | הַכֹּ֔ל | ha-KOL | H3605 | allכֹּל (kol) 1) all, the whole 1a) all, the whole of 1b) any, each, every, anything 1c) totality, everything Aramaic equivalent: kol (כֹּל "all" H3606) |
| [the] kingdom of | מַלְכ֥וּת | mal-KHUT | H4438 | kingdomמַלְכוּ (mal.khu) 1) royalty, reign, kingdom 1a) royalty, kingship, kingly authority 1b) kingdom 1c) realm (of territory) 1d) reign (of time) |
| Greece | יָוָֽן׃ | ya-VAN | H3120H | Greeceיָוָן (ya.van) § Javan = "Ionia" or "Greece" 1) Greece, Ionia, Ionians 2) location of descendants of Javan |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.