Daniel 11 · Verse 40

Daniel 11:40

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.
Daniel 11:40, King James Version

Daniel 11:40 in other translations

BSBAt 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.
WEB“At the time of the end the king of the south will contend with him; and the king of the north will come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, with horsemen, and with many ships. He will enter into the countries, and will overflow and pass through.
ASVAnd 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.
YLT‘And at the time of the end, push himself forward with him doth a king of the south, and storm against him doth a king of the north, with chariot, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he hath come in to the lands, and hath overflowed, and passed over,
DARBYAnd 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 overflow and pass through.
BBEAnd at the time of the end, the king of the south will make an attack on him: and the king of the north will come against him like a storm-wind, with war-carriages and horsemen and numbers of ships; and he will go through many lands like overflowing waters.
WebsterAnd 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.

What does Daniel 11:40 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
40. The difficulty of reconciling this with Antiochus' history is that no historian but Porphyry mentions an expedition of his into Egypt towards the close of his reign. This Da 11:40, therefore, may be a recapitulation summing up the facts of the first expedition to Egypt (171-170 B.C.), in Da 11:22, 25; and Da 11:41, the former invasion of Judea, in Da 11:28; Da 11:42, 43, the second and third invasions of Egypt (169 and 168 B.C.) in Da 11:23, 24, 29, 30. Auberlen takes rather Porphyry's statement, that Antiochus, in the eleventh year of his reign (166-165 B.C.), invaded Egypt again, and took Palestine on his way. The "tidings" (Da 11:44) as to the revolt of tributary nations then led him to the East. Porphyry's statement that Antiochus starting from Egypt took Arad in Judah, and devastated all Phoenicia, agrees with Da 11:45; then he turned to check Artaxias, king of Armenia. He died in the Persian town Tabes, 164 B.C., as both Polybius and Porphyry agree. Doubtless, antitypically, the final Antichrist, and its predecessor Mohammed, are intended, to whom the language may be more fully applicable than to Antiochus the type. The Saracen Arabs "of the south" "pushed at" the Greek emperor Heraclius, and deprived him of Egypt and Syria. But the Turks of "the north" not merely pushed at, but destroyed the Greek empire; therefore more is said of them than of the Saracens. Their "horsemen" are specified, being their chief strength. Their standards still are horse tails. Their "ships," too, often gained the victory over Venice, the great naval power of Europe in that day. They "overflowed" Western Asia, and then "passed over" into Europe, fixing their seat of empire at Constantinople under Mohammed II [Newton].

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 40 At the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him - These kings are to be understood in reference to the times of which the prophet speaks. While the kingdoms of Egypt and Syria were subsisting, the king of the south and the north applied to them exclusively: but they did not exist at the time of which the prophet speaks; therefore other southern and northern powers must be sought. These we may find in the Saracens, who were of the Arabians, who came from the south, headed by the false prophet Mohammed, who pushed at him - made war on the Greek emperor Heraclius, and with amazing rapidity deprived him of Egypt, Syria, and many of his finest provinces. And the king of the north - The Turks, who were originally Scythians, seized on the remains of the Greek empire; and in process of time rendered themselves masters of the whole. They are represented as coming like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen; their armies being chiefly composed of cavalry. And with many ships - With these they got possession of many islands and maritime countries; and were so powerful in their fleets, that they entirely defeated the Venetians; and at last their fleets became of the utmost consequence to them in besieging, and afterwards taking, Constantinople, a.d. 1453, which they hold to the present day. So they entered into the countries, and overflowed, rendering themselves masters of all Asia Minor and Greece.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Daniel 11:31-45

The remainder of this prophecy is very difficult, and commentators differ much respecting it. From Antiochus the account seems to pass to antichrist. Reference seems to be made to the Roman empire, the fourth monarchy, in its pagan, early Christian, and papal states. The end of the Lord's anger against his people approaches, as well as the end of his patience towards his enemies. If we would escape the ruin of the…

Read the full comment on Daniel 11:31-45 →

Daniel 11:40 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

וּבְעֵ֣תu.ve.'Etand at [the] time ofH6256
קֵ֗ץKetz[the] endH7093
יִתְנַגַּ֤חyit.na.Gachhe will wage warH5055
עִמּוֹ֙i.Mowith himH5973
מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
הַנֶּ֔גֶבha.Ne.gevthe southH5045
וְיִשְׂתָּעֵ֨רve.yis.ta.'Erso he may stormH8175
עָלָ֜יו'a.Lavon himH5921
מֶ֣לֶךְMe.lekh[the] king ofH4428
הַצָּפ֗וֹןha.tza.Fonthe northH6828
בְּרֶ֙כֶב֙be.Re.khevwith chariotryH7393
וּבְפָ֣רָשִׁ֔יםu.ve.Fa.ra.Shimand with horsemenH6571
וּבָאֳנִיּ֖וֹתu.vo.'o.ni.Yotand with shipsH591
רַבּ֑וֹתra.BotmanyH7227
וּבָ֥אu.Va'and he will goH935
בַאֲרָצ֖וֹתva.'a.ra.Tzotin landsH776
וְשָׁטַ֥ףve.sha.Tafand he will overflowH7857
וְעָבָֽר\׃ve.'a.Varand he will pass throughH5674

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Daniel 11:40

  • Revelation 16:12

    And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared.

  • Daniel 11:10

    But 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.

  • Isaiah 5:28

    Whose arrows are sharp, and all their bows bent, their horses’ hoofs shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind:

  • Daniel 11:35

    And 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.

  • Jeremiah 4:13

    Behold, he shall come up as clouds, and his chariots shall be as a whirlwind: his horses are swifter than eagles. Woe unto us! for we are spoiled.

  • Isaiah 21:1

    The burden of the desert of the sea. As whirlwinds in the south pass through; so it cometh from the desert, from a terrible land.

  • Ezekiel 38:4

    And I will turn thee back, and put hooks into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them clothed with all sorts of armour, even a great company with bucklers and shields, all of them handling swords:

  • Daniel 12:4

    But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

  • Zechariah 9:14

    And the Lord shall be seen over them, and his arrow shall go forth as the lightning: and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet, and shall go with whirlwinds of the south.

  • Ezekiel 38:14-18

    Therefore, son of man, prophesy and say unto Gog, Thus saith the Lord God; In that day when my people of Israel dwelleth safely, shalt thou not know it? And thou shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty army: And thou shalt come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O Gog, before their eyes. Thus saith the Lord God; Art thou he of whom I have spoken in old time by my servants the prophets of Israel, which prophesied in those days many years that I would bring thee against them? …

  • Revelation 9:16

    And the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand: and I heard the number of them.

  • Daniel 11:5-6

    And 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. And 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.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
at the.
35; 8:17; 12:4
the king of the south. The Saracens.
5,6; Eze 38:14-18
the king of the north. The Turks. like.
Isa 5:28; 21:1; 66:15; Jer 4:13; Zec 9:14
with horsemen.
Eze 38:4,15; Re 9:16; 16:12
overflow.
10,22

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Daniel 11:39

    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.

  • Daniel 11:40

    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.

  • Daniel 11:41

    He 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.

Read all of Daniel 11

Daniel 11:40 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Empero al cabo del tiempo el rey del mediodía se acorneará con él; y el rey del norte levantará contra él como tempestad, con carros y gente de á caballo, y muchos navíos; y entrará por las tierras, é inundará, y pasará.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et, au temps de la fin, le roi du midi heurtera contre lui, et le roi du nord fondra sur lui comme une tempête, avec des chars et des cavaliers, et avec beaucoup de navires, et entrera dans les pays et inondera et passera outre;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und zur Zeit des Endes wird der König des Südens mit ihm zusammenstoßen, und der König des Nordens wird gegen ihn anstürmen mit Wagen und mit Reitern und mit vielen Schiffen; und er wird in die Länder eindringen und wird sie überschwemmen und überfluten.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et in tempore præfinito præliabitur adversus eum rex austri, et quasi tempestas veniet contra illum rex aquilonis in curribus, et in equitibus, et in classe magna, et ingredietur terras, et conteret, et pertransiet.