Daniel 11

Daniel · Chapter 11

Daniel 11:40

1Also I in the first year of Darius the Mede, even I, stood to confirm and to strengthen him.2And 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.3And a mighty king shall stand up, that shall rule with great dominion, and do according to his will.4And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.5And 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.6And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times.7But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail:8And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north.9So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land.10But his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces: and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through: then shall he return, and be stirred up, even to his fortress.11And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand.12And when he hath taken away the multitude, his heart shall be lifted up; and he shall cast down many ten thousands: but he shall not be strengthened by it.13For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches.14And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall.15So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand.16But he that cometh against him shall do according to his own will, and none shall stand before him: and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed.17He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom, and upright ones with him; thus shall he do: and he shall give him the daughter of women, corrupting her: but she shall not stand on his side, neither be for him.18After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many: but a prince for his own behalf shall cause the reproach offered by him to cease; without his own reproach he shall cause it to turn upon him.19Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found.20Then shall stand up in his estate a raiser of taxes in the glory of the kingdom: but within few days he shall be destroyed, neither in anger, nor in battle.21And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.22And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.23And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.24He shall enter peaceably even upon the fattest places of the province; and he shall do that which his fathers have not done, nor his fathers’ fathers; he shall scatter among them the prey, and spoil, and riches: yea, and he shall forecast his devices against the strong holds, even for a time.25And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him.26Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain.27And both these kings’ hearts shall be to do mischief, and they shall speak lies at one table; but it shall not prosper: for yet the end shall be at the time appointed.28Then shall he return into his land with great riches; and his heart shall be against the holy covenant; and he shall do exploits, and return to his own land.29At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter.30For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant.31And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.32And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.33And they that understand among the people shall instruct many: yet they shall fall by the sword, and by flame, by captivity, and by spoil, many days.34Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries.35And some of them of understanding shall fall, to try them, and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end: because it is yet for a time appointed.36And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.38But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things.39Thus 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.40And 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.41He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon.42He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape.43But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.44But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him: therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.45And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him.

King James Version (1769)

Other translations

VerseKJVBSBASV
40And 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, sourced

After 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

BABYLONIAMEDIABabylon 1SusaUlai

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
    Hebrew · na.gach · H5055

    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

  • Hebrew · sa.ar · H8175B

    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
    Hebrew · sha.taph · H7857

    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
    Hebrew · qets · H7093

    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
  1. 612 BC
    WarNineveh 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)

  2. 605 BC
    WarBattle 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)

  3. 597 BC
    WarJerusalem 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)

  4. 586 BC
    WarJerusalem 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

  5. c. 575 BC
    BuildingBabylon 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

  6. 562 BC
    RulersNebuchadnezzar dies

    His son Evil-merodach became king and released Jehoiachin of Judah from prison. 2 Kings 25:27-30Jeremiah 52:31-34

  7. c. 553-543 BC
    RulersNabonidus 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

  8. 550 BC
    WarCyrus 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

  9. October 539 BC
    WarBabylon 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

  10. 538 BC
    God'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

  11. c. 536 BC
    God'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

  12. 334-331 BC
    WarAlexander 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

  13. 323-301 BC
    WarAlexander'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

  14. 167 BC
    WarAntiochus 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

EnglishHebrewSay itStrong'sMeaning
and at [the] time ofוּבְעֵ֣תu-ve-'ETH6256
time

עֵת (et) 1) time 1a) time (of an event) 1b) time (usual) 1c) experiences, fortunes 1d) occurrence, occasion

[the] endקֵ֗ץKetzH7093
end

קֵץ (qets) 1) end 1a) end, at the end of (of time) 1b) end (of space)

he will wage warיִתְנַגַּ֤חyit-na-GACHH5055
to gore

נָגַח (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 himעִמּוֹ֙i-MOH5973A
with

עִם (im) 1) with 1a) with 1b) against 1c) toward 1d) as long as

[the] king ofמֶ֣לֶךְME-lekhH4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

the southהַנֶּ֔גֶבha-NE-gevH5045H
Negeb

נֶ֫גֶב (ne.gev) region of southern Judah Also named: ne.gev (נֶ֫גֶב "south" H5045H) This name means south-country

so he may stormוְיִשְׂתָּעֵ֨רve-yis-ta-'ERH8175B
to storm

שָׂעַר (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 himעָלָ֜יו'a-LAVH5921A
upon

עַל (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 ofמֶ֣לֶךְME-lekhH4428G
king

מֶ֫לֶךְ (me.lekh) 1) king Aramaic equivalent: me.lekh (מֶ֫לֶךְ "king" H4430)

the northהַצָּפ֗וֹןha-tza-FONH6828G
north

צָפוֹן (tsa.phon) 1) north (of direction), northward 1a) north 1b) northward

with chariotryבְּרֶ֙כֶב֙be-RE-khevH7393G
chariot

רֶ֫כֶב (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 horsemenוּבְפָ֣רָשִׁ֔יםu-ve-FA-ra-SHIMH6571B
horseman

פָּרָשׁ (pa.rash) horseman

and with shipsוּבָאֳנִיּ֖וֹתu-vo-'o-ni-YOTH0591
fleet

אֳנִיָּה (o.niy.yah) 1) ship 1a) men of ships, seamen

manyרַבּ֑וֹתra-BOTH7227A
many

רַב (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 goוּבָ֥אu-VA'H0935G
to come (in): come

בּוֹא (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 landsבַאֲרָצ֖וֹתva-'a-ra-TZOTH0776G
land: country/planet

אֶ֫רֶץ (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 overflowוְשָׁטַ֥ףve-sha-TAFH7857
to overflow

שָׁטַף (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 throughוְעָבָֽר׃ve-'a-VARH5674A
to pass

עָבַר (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.