Daniel's Rise and Fall of Empires

Daniel's Rise and Fall of Empires

Kings of the South and the North

Daniel 11:20 "Then 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."

Then shall stand up... The tax raiser who succeeded Antiochus the Great was his son, Seleucus IV, called Philopater, who reigned 187-176 B.C. His kingdom then consisted of Syria, Cilicia, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Media, and Persia.

raiser of taxes... Seleucus IV was called a raiser of taxes because he was compelled to pay a yearly war indemnity exacted by Rome. He raised money from many new sources, even sending his minister, Heliodorus, to Jerusalem to plunder the temple. Rome required Seleucus IV Philopater to render tribute. The Romans put heavy payment requirements on all those they controlled. The Syrian set out to tax his subjects heavily to raise the tribute.

but within few days... What is meant by the "few days" is not stated. It could not be that he ruled only a few days, for he reigned 11 years. This perhaps refers to his quick death from the time he sought to plunder the Jewish temple at Jerusalem to get the money deposited there, which is here called "the glory of the kingdom."

he shall be... This refers to the manner of death of Seleucus IV—not in anger and not in battle fighting with the enemy, but basely and treacherously assassinated by Heliodorus who sought to be king, the one in whom he trusted. He died of poison.