The Kings of the South and the North
Daniel 11:14 And 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.
there shall many... Antiochus the Great and Philip of Macedonia united in conquering Egypt. In 198 B.C. Egypt was defeated and Palestine was again under the Seleucids.
king of the... This was Ptolemy V, called Epiphanes, the Illustrious. He was only 5 years old at this time, when Philopater died. Rome for the first time interfered to make Antiochus surrender his conquests. Not daring to disobey Rome, Antiochus made peace with Ptolemy and betrothed to him his daughter Cleopatra, 193 B.C.
also the robbers... The Jews who rejected their religion and joined Ptolemy under Scopas, the Egyptian general defeated by Antiochus the Great in 198 B.C. Violent Jews wanted Judean independence from Egypt, but failed in their revolt.
to establish the... To take the side of Syria to help fulfill the prophecy of liberating Judea. In doing so they fell under the wrath of the Egyptians, for Scopas came with a large army, while Antiochus was engaged in other parts, and subdued Israel taking much spoil into Egypt.
This happens almost as if it were to fulfill the prophecy.
Syria was not Egypt’s only enemy, for Philip V of Macedonia joined with Antiochus III against Egypt. Many Jews (your own people, i.e., Daniel’s people, the Jews; cf. “your people” in Dan. 9:24; 10:14) also joined Antiochus against Egypt. Perhaps the Jews hoped to gain independence from both Egypt and Syria by joining the conflict, but their hopes were not realized.
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