Daniel 11:40
King James Version (1769)
Other translations
| Verse | KJV | BSB | ASV |
|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. | At 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 many countries and sweeping through them like a flood. | And at the time of the end shall the king of the south contend with him; and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass through. |
In context
AI-assisted, sourcedAfter describing a king who exalts himself above every god (11:36-39), the speaker tells Daniel that "at the time of the end" the king of the south will push at him. The king of the north will then come against him like a whirlwind with chariots, horsemen and ships, flooding through many lands. The next verses carry this campaign into the glorious land and Egypt, and end with the invader coming "to his end, and none shall help him" (11:41-45). Daniel 11:36Daniel 11:37Daniel 11:38Daniel 11:39Daniel 11:40Daniel 11:41Daniel 11:42Daniel 11:45
SpeakingThe speaker talks to Daniel in the first person: "I... stood to confirm and to strengthen him," in the first year of Darius the Mede. He promises to "shew thee the truth." These verses do not give his name. Daniel 11:1Daniel 11:2Daniel overview
ToDaniel, who is told to shut up and seal the words "even to the time of the end." Daniel 12:4Daniel overview
Also involvedThe king of the south, the king of the north, and the "him" whom the south pushes at and the north comes against. The verse does not name who "him" is. The lands the invader enters, including the glorious land and Egypt, are affected too. Daniel 11:40Daniel 11:41Daniel 11:42
The verse foretells a war at the time of the end. The south strikes first, and the north comes with a swift, overwhelming invasion by land and sea that floods through countries. The words "overflow, and pass through" repeat the language used of an earlier northern king in 11:10. Daniel 11:40Daniel 11:10Daniel 11:41
The war ranges between a northern and a southern power. In the chapter the south is tied to Egypt (11:8, 11:42), and the campaign passes through "the countries" into the glorious land (11:41). Daniel received the vision in the reign of Cyrus king of Persia. Daniel 11:8Daniel 11:40Daniel 11:41Daniel 11:42Daniel overview
The eventsThe verse sets these events "at the time of the end," the same phrase used in 11:35 and 12:4. The text does not give a date. Daniel 11:40Daniel 11:35Daniel 12:4
WrittenTraditional view: Daniel wrote in the 500s BC, and this vision came in the third year of Cyrus, about 536 BC. Scholarly view: many critical scholars date the book's final form to about 167-164 BC, under the Greek king Antiochus IV, because chapter 11 describes those years in detail. Daniel overview
HereThe vision shows that even the fiercest wars of kings run to a time God has appointed. The chapter says "the end shall be at the time appointed" and "that that is determined shall be done." Daniel 11:27Daniel 11:35Daniel 11:36
In the whole of ScriptureDaniel teaches that the most High rules in the kingdom of men and sets up and removes kings. The one whose campaign closes this chapter also "shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Daniel overviewDaniel 11:45
For readersReaders are not told to fear the storm of armies. The people who know their God will be strong (11:32), and the wise are being purified "even to the time of the end" (11:35). Daniel 11:32Daniel 11:35
Christians read this differently
The verse does not name the king of 11:36-39, and no cited Scripture settles who "him" is. Some read the self-exalting king as the king of the north himself, so that the south pushes at him and he storms back against the south. Others read him as a separate king whom both the south and the north attack. Daniel 11:36Daniel 11:40
- push atנָגַח
The word means to push, thrust or gore, and in this form "to engage in thrusting, wage war." The south's push is an act of war. Strong's H5055
In this form the word means "to storm against, come as a storm." Other prophets use the same picture of invading chariots: "his chariots shall be as a whirlwind" (Jeremiah 4:13). Strong's H8175BJeremiah 4:13Isaiah 5:28
- overflowשָׁטַף
The word means to overflow or engulf, like floodwater. The chapter uses the same flood language of an earlier northern king who would "overflow, and pass through" (11:10). Strong's H7857Daniel 11:10Daniel 11:40
- endקֵץ
The word means end, including the end of a period of time. The phrase "time of the end" also appears in 11:35 and 12:4, which ties this verse to the close of the whole vision. Strong's H7093Daniel 11:35Daniel 12:4
Takeaway
Daniel 11:40 pictures a storm-like war between north and south "at the time of the end." Its point is that God has fixed that time, and the one who sweeps through the lands "shall come to his end, and none shall help him." Daniel 11:40Daniel 11:36Daniel 11:45Daniel 12:4
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 at [the] time of | וּבְעֵ֣ת | u-ve-'ET | H6256 | timeעֵת (et) 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion |
| [the] end | קֵ֗ץ | Ketz | H7093 | endקֵץ (qets) 1) end 1a) end, at the end of (of time) 1b) end (of space) |
| he will wage war | יִתְנַגַּ֤ח | yit-na-GACH | H5055 | to goreנָגַח (na.gach) 1) to push, thrust, gore 1a) (Qal) to gore 1b) (Piel) to push or thrust at 1c) (Hithpael) to engage in thrusting, wage war |
| with him | עִמּוֹ֙ | i-MO | H5973A | withעִם (im) 1) with 1a) with 1b) against 1c) toward 1d) as long as |
| [the] king of | מֶ֣לֶךְ | ME-lekh | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| the south | הַנֶּ֔גֶב | ha-NE-gev | H5045H | Negebנֶ֫גֶב (ne.gev) region of southern Judah Also named: ne.gev (נֶ֫גֶב "south" H5045H) This name means south-country |
| so he may storm | וְיִשְׂתָּעֵ֨ר | ve-yis-ta-'ER | H8175B | to stormשָׂעַר (sa.ar) 1) to storm away, sweep away, whirl away 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to sweep away 1a2) to storm away (of God's action against the wicked) (fig) 1b) (Niphal) to be stormy, be tempestuous (exceedingly) 1c) (Piel) to whirl away, be stormed away 1d) (Hithpael) to storm against, come as a storm |
| on him | עָלָ֜יו | 'a-LAV | H5921A | uponעַל (al) prep 1) upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against 1a) upon, on the ground of, on the basis of, on account of, because of, therefore, on behalf of, for the sake of, for, with, in spite of, notwithstanding, concerning, in the matter of, as regards 1b) above, beyond, over (of excess) 1c) above, over (of elevation or pre-eminence) 1d) upon, to, over to, unto, in addition to, together with, with (of addition) 1e) over (of suspension or extension) … |
| [the] king of | מֶ֣לֶךְ | ME-lekh | H4428G | kingמֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430) |
| the north | הַצָּפ֗וֹן | ha-tza-FON | H6828G | northצָפוֹן (tsa.phon) 1) north (of direction), northward 1a) north 1b) northward |
| with chariotry | בְּרֶ֙כֶב֙ | be-RE-khev | H7393G | chariotרֶ֫כֶב (re.khev) : chariot 1) a team, chariot, chariotry, mill-stone, riders 1a) chariotry, chariots 1b) chariot (single) 1c) upper millstone (as riding on lower millstone) 1d) riders, troop (of riders), horsemen, pair of horsemen, men riding, ass-riders, camel-riders Also means: re.khev (רֶ֫כֶב ": millstone" H7393H) |
| and with horsemen | וּבְפָ֣רָשִׁ֔ים | u-ve-FA-ra-SHIM | H6571B | horsemanפָּרָשׁ (pa.rash) horseman |
| and with ships | וּבָאֳנִיּ֖וֹת | u-vo-'o-ni-YOT | H0591 | fleetאֳנִיָּה (o.niy.yah) 1) ship 1a) men of ships, seamen |
| many | רַבּ֑וֹת | ra-BOT | 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 he will go | וּבָ֥א | u-VA' | H0935G | to come (in): comeבּוֹא (bo) : come/go_in 1) to go in, enter, come, go, come in 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to enter, come in 1a2) to come 1a2a) to come with 1a2b) to come upon, fall or light upon, attack (enemy) 1a2c) to come to pass 1a3) to attain to 1a4) to be enumerated 1a5) to go 1b) (Hiphil) 1b1) to lead in 1b2) to carry in 1b3) to bring in, cause to come in, gather, cause to come, bring near, bring against, bring upon 1b4) to bring to pass 1c) (Hophal) 1c1) to be brought, brought in 1c2) to be introduced, be put |
| in lands | בַאֲרָצ֖וֹת | va-'a-ra-TZOT | H0776G | land: country/planetאֶ֫רֶץ (e.rets) : country/field 1) land, earth 1a) earth 1a1) whole earth (as opposed to a part) 1a2) earth (as opposed to heaven) 1a3) earth (inhabitants) 1b) land 1b1) country, territory 1b2) district, region 1b3) tribal territory 1b4) piece of ground 1b5) land of Canaan, Israel 1b6) inhabitants of land 1b7) Sheol, land without return, (under) world 1b8) city (-state) 1c) ground, surface of the earth 1c1) ground 1c2) soil 1d) (in phrases) 1d1) people of the land 1d2) space or distance of country (in measurements of distance) 1d3) level or plain country 1d4) land of the living 1d5) end(s) of the earth … |
| and he will overflow | וְשָׁטַ֥ף | ve-sha-TAF | H7857 | to overflowשָׁטַף (sha.taph) 1) to wash, rinse, overflow, engulf, rinse or wash off 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to overflow 1a2) to flow, run 1a3) to rinse or wash off 1b) (Niphal) to be swept away, be rinsed out 1c) (Pual) to be rinsed, be scoured and rinsed |
| and he will pass through | וְעָבָֽר׃ | ve-'a-VAR | H5674A | to passעָבַר (a.var) 1) to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to pass over, cross, cross over, pass over, march over, overflow, go over 1a2) to pass beyond 1a3) to pass through, traverse 1a3a) passers-through (participle) 1a3b) to pass through (the parts of victim in covenant) 1a4) to pass along, pass by, overtake and pass, sweep by 1a4a) passer-by (participle) 1a4b) to be past, be over 1a5) to pass on, go on, pass on before, go in advance of, pass along, travel, advance 1a6) to pass away 1a6a) to emigrate, leave (one's territory) 1a6b) to vanish … |
Words and meanings from STEPBible data (Tyndale House, Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). The capitalized syllable is the stressed one.