Daniel 11:39
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 39 | Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. | He will attack the strongest fortresses with the help of a foreign god and will greatly honor those who acknowledge him, making them rulers over many and distributing the land for a price. | And he shall deal with the strongest fortresses by the help of a foreign god: whosoever acknowledgeth him he will increase with glory; and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for a price. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedThis verse continues the picture of a self-exalting king who magnifies himself above every god (11:36-38). With a strange god he will act against the strongest fortresses, give honour and rule over many, and divide the land for a price. The chapter then says he will come to his end with none to help him (11:45). Daniel 11:36Daniel 11:37Daniel 11:38Daniel 11:39Daniel 11:45
SpeakingThe one who speaks to Daniel in this vision, saying "now will I shew thee the truth." This chapter does not name him. Daniel 11:1Daniel 11:2Daniel overview
ToDaniel, who records the vision in the first person. The book is for God's people in exile and after, and is sealed "to the time of the end." Daniel overview
Also involved"The king" of 11:36-45, whom the text does not name, and the people he sets to rule over many. The chapter also speaks of "the glorious land" and of God's people who suffer (11:33-35, 11:41). Daniel 11:36Daniel 11:39Daniel 11:33Daniel 11:35Daniel 11:41
The king acts in the strongest fortresses with a foreign god, the god "whom his fathers knew not" that he honours with gold and silver (11:38). He gives glory, makes some rule over many, and divides land "for gain," that is, for a price. This fits the picture of a king who regards no god but magnifies himself above all (11:37). Daniel 11:37Daniel 11:38Daniel 11:39Strong's H4242Strong's H2505A
Daniel lived in Babylon, serving under Babylonian and then Persian kings. The verse speaks of "the most strong holds" without naming them; the next verses place this king's actions in the glorious land, Egypt and nearby lands. Daniel overviewDaniel 11:39Daniel 11:41Daniel 11:42Daniel 11:45
The eventsThe vision looks ahead from Daniel's day through Persian and Greek kings (11:2-4) to a king who acts until "the time of the end" (11:35, 11:40). The verse itself gives no date. Daniel 11:2Daniel 11:3Daniel 11:4Daniel 11:35Daniel 11:40
WrittenTraditional: written by Daniel in the 500s BC; the vision is dated to the third year of Cyrus, about 536 BC. Scholarly: many critical scholars date the final form to about 167-164 BC under Antiochus IV, because chapter 11 describes those years in detail. Daniel overview
HereIt shows how this king builds power: through a strange god, through giving honour and rule, and through handing out land for a price. Yet he prospers only "till the indignation be accomplished" (11:36). Daniel 11:36Daniel 11:39Daniel 11:45
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel teaches that "the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men" and sets up and removes kings. Even this proud king's success runs on God's timetable, "for that that is determined shall be done." Daniel overviewDaniel 11:36Daniel 11:27
For readersPower built on gain and false worship looks strong but ends; Revelation 18 likewise shows the kings who grew rich with Babylon mourning her fall. God's people are called to know their God and be strong (11:32). Daniel 11:45Revelation 18:9Revelation 18:13Daniel 11:32
- strongholdsמָעוֹז
The word means a place or means of safety, a refuge or stronghold. It is also used figuratively of God as refuge. Here the king's strongholds are tied to a foreign god. Strong's H4581Daniel 11:39
- strange (foreign)נֵכָר
It means foreign or alien, and is used of foreign gods. That matches 11:38, "a god whom his fathers knew not." Strong's H5236Daniel 11:38
- acknowledgeנָכַר
It means to recognise or acknowledge, even to acknowledge with honour. It goes with "increase with glory" in this verse. Strong's H5234ADaniel 11:39
- gain (price)מְחִיר
It means price, hire or reward. With the verb "divide," which can mean to allot or apportion, it shows the land handed out as payment. Strong's H4242Strong's H2505A
Takeaway
This king builds power with a foreign god, honours and land, yet he "shall come to his end, and none shall help him." God, not such rulers, has the final word. Daniel 11:39Daniel 11:45Daniel overview
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.
Original Hebrew words
| English | Hebrew | Say it | Strong's | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| and he will act | וְעָשָׂ֞ה | ve-'a-SAH | H6213A | to make: doעָשָׂה (a.sah) : do/perform 1) to do, fashion, accomplish, make 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to do, work, make, produce 1a1a) to do 1a1b) to work 1a1c) to deal (with) 1a1d) to act, act with effect, effect 1a2) to make 1a2a) to make 1a2b) to produce 1a2c) to prepare 1a2d) to make (an offering) 1a2e) to attend to, put in order 1a2f) to observe, celebrate 1a2g) to acquire (property) 1a2h) to appoint, ordain, institute 1a2i) to bring about 1a2j) to use 1a2k) to spend, pass 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to be done 1b2) to be made 1b3) to be produced 1b4) to be offered 1b5) to be observed 1b6) to be used 1c) (Pual) to be made |
| to [the] fortresses of | לְמִבְצְרֵ֤י | le-miv-tze-REI | H4013 | fortificationמִבְצָר (miv.tsar) fortification, fortress, fortified city, stronghold |
| strongholds | מָֽעֻזִּים֙ | ma-'u-ZIM | H4581 | securityמָעוֹז (ma.oz) 1) place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold 1a) place of safety, fastness, harbour, stronghold 1b) refuge (of God) (fig.) 1c) human protection (fig.) |
| with | עִם־ | 'im- | H5973A | withעִם (im) 1) with 1a) with 1b) against 1c) toward 1d) as long as |
| a god of | אֱל֣וֹהַּ | 'e-LO-ah | H0433 | godאֱלָהּ (e.lah) 1) god, God 1a) god, heathen deity 1b) God (of Israel) |
| foreignness | נֵכָ֔ר | ne-KHAR | H5236 | foreignנֵכָר (ne.khar) 1) foreign, alien, foreignness, that which is foreign 1a) foreignness, foreign gods 1b) alien, foreigner 1c) foreign (vanities) |
| [one] who | אֲשֶׁ֥ר | 'a-SHER | H0834A | whichאֲשֶׁר (a.sher) A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when |
| he acknowledges | יַכִּ֖יר | hi-kir | H5234A | to recognizeנָכַר (na.khar) 1) to recognise, acknowledge, know, respect, discern, regard 1a) (Niphal) to be recognised 1b) (Piel) to regard 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to regard, observe, pay attention to, pay regard to, notice 1c2) to recognise (as formerly known), perceive 1c3) to be willing to recognise or acknowledge, acknowledge with honour 1c4) to be acquainted with 1c5) to distinguish, understand 1d) (Hithpael) to make oneself known |
| he will increase | יַרְבֶּ֣ה | yar-BEH | H7235A | to multiplyרָבָה (ra.vah) 1) be or become great, be or become many, be or become much, be or become numerous 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to become many, become numerous, multiply (of people, animals, things) 1a2) to be or grow great 1b) (Piel) to make large, enlarge, increase, become many 1c) (Hiphil) 1c1) to make much, make many, have many 1c1a) to multiply, increase 1c1b) to make much to do, do much in respect of, transgress greatly 1c1c) to increase greatly or exceedingly 1c2) to make great, enlarge, do much Aramaic equivalent: re.vah (רְבָה "to grow great" H7236) |
| honor | כָב֑וֹד | kha-VOD | H3519 | gloryכָּבוֹד (ka.vod) 1) glory, honour, glorious, abundance 1a) abundance, riches 1b) honour, splendour, glory 1c) honour, dignity 1d) honour, reputation 1e) honour, reverence, glory 1f) glory |
| and he will make rule them | וְהִמְשִׁילָם֙ | ve-him-shi-LAM | H4910 | to ruleמָשַׁל (ma.shal) 1) to rule, have dominion, reign 1a) (Qal) to rule, have dominion 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to cause to rule 1b2) to exercise dominion |
| over the many [people] | בָּֽרַבִּ֔ים | ba-ra-BIM | H7227A | manyרַב (rav) adj 1) much, many, great 1a) much 1b) many 1c) abounding in 1d) more numerous than 1e) abundant, enough 1f) great 1g) strong 1h) greater than adv 1i) much, exceedingly |
| and land | וַאֲדָמָ֖ה | va-'a-da-MAH | H0127G | land: soilאֲדָמָה (a.da.mah) : soil 1) ground, land 1a) ground (as general, tilled, yielding sustenance) 1b) piece of ground, a specific plot of land 1c) earth substance (for building or constructing) 1d) ground as earth's visible surface 1e) land, territory, country 1f) whole inhabited earth 1g) city in Naphtali |
| he will divide up | יְחַלֵּ֥ק | ye-cha-LEK | H2505A | to divideחָלַק (cha.laq) 1) to divide, share, plunder, allot, apportion, assign 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to divide, apportion 1a2) to assign, distribute 1a3) to assign, impart 1a4) to share 1a5) to divide up, plunder 1b) (Niphal) 1b1) to divide oneself 1b2) to be divided 1b3) to assign, distribute 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to divide, apportion 1c2) to assign, distribute 1c3) to scatter 1d) (Pual) to be divided 1e) (Hiphil) to receive a portion or part 1f) (Hithpael) to divide among themselves |
| for a price | בִּמְחִֽיר׃ | bim-CHIR | H4242 | priceמְחִיר (me.chir) 1) price, hire 1a) price 1b) hire, reward, gain |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.