Author	: Bill Kochman
Publish	: Jan. 30, 1998
Update	: Jul. 14, 2025
Parts	: 05

Synopsis:



Continuing our discussion from part three, as I just said, while some Bibles actually use the names Egypt and Syria in these prophecies, the 1611 Authorized King James Version of the Bible does not. Thus, I was totally in the dark as to who these two kings might be. When I later discovered that others had come to the same consensus as myself, it was truly a thrill for me. To show how I came to the conclusion that Egypt was the southern kingdom mentioned in Daniel, allow me to present the following information. My first lead was found in the following verses which discuss the queen of Sheba, who was the queen of the south who went to see and experience the glory and wisdom of King Solomon, as we can determine by the following group of verses:

"And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the LORD, she came to prove him with hard questions."


"And when the queen of Sheba had seen all Solomon's wisdom, and the house that he had built . . ."


"And she gave the king an hundred and twenty talents of gold, and of spices very great store, and precious stones: there came no more such abundance of spices as these which the queen of Sheba gave to king Solomon."


"And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her servants."


In discussing these famous encounters between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, Jesus had the following to say:

"The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."


"The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with the men of this generation, and condemn them: for she came from the utmost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here."


As can be seen, Jesus equated the queen of the south with the queen of Sheba because they are one and the same person. This then leaves us with one question: where or what is Sheba? Again, the Bible is self-interpreting and provides the answer for us in the Book of Genesis:

"And the sons of Cush; Seba, and Havilah, and Sabtah, and Raamah, and Sabtecha: and the sons of Raamah; Sheba, and Dedan."


The above verse demonstrates that Sheba was the grandson of Cush, and the great grandson of Ham, who was one of the three sons of Noah. In essence, he belonged to the races which eventually settled in north Africa.

In the twenty-first chapter of Genesis, we find the story of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Hagar and Ishmael. At Sarah's insistence, Abraham sent away Hagar and her son Ishmael after Ishmael had mocked them:

"And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac . . . And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba."


As I explain in other articles, it is this very same Ishmael who later married an Egyptian woman and became the father of the princes of the modern-day Arabs:

"And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."


It is in this same chapter that Abraham has problems with Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, when Abimelech's servants steal a water well which had been dug by Abraham's servants. They come to an agreement, and Abraham calls the place Beersheba:

"Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them."


Some of these wells were eventually filled in with dirt by the trouble-making Philistines until the servants of Isaac re-discovered them:

"For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth . . . And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day."


In the following verse from the Book of Joshua, we make another important discovery concerning Sheba and Beersheba:

"And they had in their inheritance Beersheba, or Sheba, and Moladah,"


So, in the above verses, we see that Beersheba and Sheba are one and the same place, and that it was re-named this by Isaac after his servants had re-discovered the well first dug there by his father Abraham. The name Beersheba -- which is pronounced be-ayr' sheh'-bah -- actually means "well of the sevenfold oath". Abraham first named it this because of the precise agreement he had made with Abimelech, as we see by the following set of Bible verses:

"And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well."


Looking at any ancient map of the area found in most Bibles will quickly confirm that Beersheba is located in a region which was formerly the northern border of the Egyptian Empire. In fact, at one time, it reached up to and included Syria as well. Thus, in the following prophecy, without using any external sources, we see that Daniel's mention of the "daughter of the south" and the "king of the south" is a reference to the leadership of Egypt. As I stated earlier, in some Bibles, the translators have already replaced "king of the south" with Egypt, and "king of the north" with Syria. In my view, this practice can be a bit dangerous because too much personal interpretation added in by the translator cam pollute the Scriptures and detract from their actual meaning and intent. I personally feel that it is better to allow the Bible student to search the Scriptures, comparing verse with verse, to draw their own conclusions.

Just as I suggested that the Ten Toes/Ten Horns and the eleventh "little horn" may represent the Beast and ten allied nations or leaders, I am likewise going to suggest that the following verses were completely fulfillment in the distant past. According to one historical perspective, the following verses may be describing the events surrounding what are referred to as the Seleucid Wars. As I mentioned earlier, the Seleucids were six dynastic kings who ruled over Asia Minor and Syria from about 312 BC to 64 BC. Most notable among them was Seleucus I who ruled from about 306 BC to 280 BC The last of these six kings fell to the Roman general Pompey who arrived at Jerusalem a year later:

"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."


Following the "Seleucid Wars" interpretation, the above verse may be indicating that one of the princes of Egypt would overcome the king, possibly through a coupe or rebellion, and become much more powerful than him. This may be a reference to Ptolemy I who began ruling Egypt upon Alexander the Great's death. Ptolemy I ruled from about 323 BC to 285 BC In the next verse we read:

"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."


According to some historians, in 252 BC, Ptolemy II -- who was the king of Egypt -- gave his daughter, Berenice, in marriage to Antiochus II, who was then the king of Syria. This was in order to conclude a peace treaty between the two kingdoms. It appears though that things did not work out as planned. Berenice was murdered in Antioch, Syria by Laodice, who was the former wife of Antiochus II, thus thwarting the plans of Ptolemy II and weakening his hand. The prophecy then continues as follows:

"But 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: And 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. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land."


After her death, Berenice's brother, Ptolemy III, ascended to the Egyptian throne. He declared war on the Seleucids of Syria hoping to avenge his sister's death. He was victorious against the Syrian king and carried off the spoils to Egypt. It appears that Ptolemy III either outlived the Syrian king, or else remained in power longer than him. However, this isn't where the story ends:

"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."


In verse ten above, it appears that the sons of the Syrian king, possibly Seleucus II this time, assembled a great army to come again against Ptolemy III, king of Egypt, to take revenge for the defeat of their father. In so doing, it appears that their mighty army passed through the land of Israel. Whether Israel allowed this, or whether she was pillaged during this event is not made clear. This results in the Egyptian king doing the following:

"And 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."


After this attack on Egypt by the sons of the Syrian king, the king of Egypt, possibly Ptolemy IV, again sends his forces to fight against the Syrian king. The Syrian sends out a great army against the Egyptian forces, but nevertheless, Ptolemy prevails. With this victory over the king of the north, the Egyptian king becomes lifted up in his pride and appears to slaughter tens of thousands as the verse below demonstrates:

"And 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."


Ptolemy's victory only lasts a few years as the king of the north again comes against him with an even greater army than before. This particular king of the north may be a reference to Antiochus III the Great who was later defeated by the Roman legions in a battle at Magnesia:

"For 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. 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."


In verse fourteen above, it appears that there is also rebellion against the Egyptian ruler from other quarters, possibly other nations who joined Antiochus in his campaign against Egypt. Considering that Ptolemy repeatedly defeated the king of the north, and then continued to kill or at least subdue tens of thousands of others, it isn't difficult to understand why he would become unpopular. The reference to 'the robbers of thy people' is still a bit of a mystery to me. We know that 'thy people' must be referring to the Jews since this is a prophecy Daniel was given regarding the future of his own people. Some have suggested that 'the robbers' might be referring to Jewish insurgents, but this is not made very clear. We then read the following:

"So 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. But 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."


In the verses above we see the defeat of the Egyptian forces by the Syrian king. The strongest Egyptian cities are taken, and it appears that even Ptolemy's best fighters -- "his chosen people"? -- were unable to stop the Syrian. This phrase, "chosen people", is commonly used to denote the Jews, so it could also mean that the Jews sided with the Egyptians but were still not able to withstand the Syrian invasion. It could be for this reason that part of the Syrian king's campaign was to also wreaks havoc in and subdue Israel, here referred to as 'the glorious land'. In verse seventeen, we see what appears to be a bit of inside treachery from one of the parties involved:

"He 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."


This verse is a bit puzzling. Some have suggested that this is referring to the king of the north -- meaning Antiochus -- forming an alliance with the king of Egypt and giving him a daughter in marriage. The idea put forth is that she would work from within to defeat the king of Egypt. However, according to this interpretation, she turns against the Syrian and the plan fails. In my view, the previous verse -- verse 16 -- implies that the conquest of Egypt has already been accomplished, so this interpretation doesn't make much sense, unless of course it wasn't a total conquest. Verse sixteen ends with the Syrian king entering Israel and pillaging it. Up until that point, it seems to me that Israel was just being used as a stepping stone to gain the ultimate prize: Egypt. Perhaps verse seventeen in implying that Antiochus decides to go in with his full force and completely take over Israel once and for all since they have resisted him. Because of the way the verse is written, it is difficult to tell who is the "he" and "him" in each case. The part regarding corrupting the daughter of women is still beyond my current understanding. In the following verses we read:

"After 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. Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found."


After conquering, Israel, Egypt and the surrounding area, this king of the north then sought to expand his power base out into the islands of the Mediterranean Sea and possibly further. However, it sounds as if treachery from someone within his own ranks eventually caused his downfall when he sought to return to his own land. Again, the details are a bit hazy here. This might be a reference to Antiochus's defeat by the Roman legions at Magnesia. Following the downfall of the one we are assuming to be Antiochus III the Great, another ruler arose who committed the grave mistake of raising taxes, an issue which apparently didn't sit too well with those he sought to rule. Some historians believe this new ruler was Antiochus III's successor, Seleucus IV, who sent Heliodorus into Israel in order to rob and desecrate the Jewish Temple at Jerusalem:

"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."


Following the short-lived rule of Seleucus IV, who died by unknown means, we finally come to verse twenty-one where we encounter the last of the six Seleucid kings, who is believed to have been Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the brother of Seleucus. Some say that Antiochus IV purposely won favor with the Romans through flatteries in order to take over his brother's position as the new king of Syria, and thus resolve the leadership crisis which occurred at his brother's death:

"And 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."


Those who embrace this interpretation of the Scriptures point back to Daniel 7:8 as a confirmation that the 'little horn' speaking great things is likewise referring to Antiochus IV Epiphanes. As noted, I prefer to look at the "little horn" as being the Beast who is mentioned in the Book of Revelation. Considering what he did -- which I will describe momentarily -- perhaps Antiochus IV Epiphanes was a foreshadow of the final Beast in Revelation:

"And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant."


The historical interpretation for this verse is that through military maneuvers, conspiracy, and whatever means were available to him, Antiochus IV Epiphanes swept away anyone who opposed him. This included the Jewish opposition, which at that time is believed to have been spearheaded by the Maccabees. The 'prince of the covenant' is believed to refer to Jason. According to this interpretation of events, Jason was removed as a result of the Hellenist High Priest, Menelaus, conspiring with Antiochus IV against those Jews who still devoutly followed the Torah. Those who support this view claim that Daniel 8:10-11 is referring to this same event and not to the Beast of the future. Concerning the 'prince of the covenant', I will offer an interesting perspective in part two of this article. The next verse reads:

"And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people."


Here again we see what some believe to be Antiochus IV's conspiracy with Menelaus and others who helped to bring about the downfall of Jason and traditional Jewish temple worship. Some also say that this view is supported by Daniel 8:25. Verse twenty-four then goes on to describe his tactics for winning favor with the common people by sharing the wealth. It also tells how for a set time Antiochus continued to expand his power base:

"He 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."


The next two verses then mention how Antiochus IV Epiphanes went against the king of Egypt, possibly Ptolemy IV, just as his predecessors had done. As before, this final Seleucid king was victorious against the king of the south. It appears that there was treachery from within the very household of the king of Egypt which facilitated his defeat. Whether this was a family conspiracy or just his own military forces abandoning him, we cannot really tell; but in either event, it resulted in many dead as the Syrian forces invaded:

"And 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. Yea, they that feed of the portion of his meat shall destroy him, and his army shall overflow: and many shall fall down slain."


This appears to have resulted in an attempt at some type of peace accord or treaty based on nothing but lies and mischief by both parties. But, God is in control, and everything transpired according to His perfect will:

"And 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."


The twenty-eighth verse seems to indicate that some kind of agreement was worked out which involved Israel. The fact that the covenant was called "holy" indicates it might have had something to do with temple worship. However, as the previous verse indicated, although Antiochus signed or confirmed this treaty or covenant, his heart was really not in it. After further pillaging Israel, he returned to Syria, as we see by the following Bible verse:

"Then 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."


Sometime later, we again see Antiochus IV heading south to plunder the land. This time however, he was met with opposition from naval forces from Chittim, or Kittim. This is a reference to Cyprus and is probably referring to Roman forces. Because of this, Antiochus IV was temporarily forced back which angered him even more and made him become further upset with the holy covenant he had signed with the Jews and the King of Egypt. He then conspired with others, possibly Jews, who had also turned against the covenant:

"At the time appointed he shall return, and come toward the south; but it shall not be as the former, or as the latter. For 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."


This conspiracy involving disloyal Jews resulted in another invasion of Jerusalem and the desecration of the Second Temple. This event is believed to have occurred in about the year 168/167 BC Menelaus was set up as Antiochus's puppet High Priest and pigs were slaughtered on the Temple altar totally defiling it according to Jewish law. While some disloyal Jews were won over to the Syrian king through his smooth talking, many faithful Jews resisted and were slain by the forces of Antiochus IV of Epiphanes. It is believed that this incident may be what has become known as the Maccabean Revolt recorded in the Apocrypha:

"And 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. And 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. And 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. Now when they shall fall, they shall be holpen with a little help: but many shall cleave to them with flatteries. 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."


Having defeated the Maccabean resistance, Antiochus becomes even more lifted up in his pride and exalts himself above every idol and every god, including above the God of gods, as we see by the following group of Bible verses:

"And 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. Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. But 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. 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."


In the previous verses, some people have interpreted the phrase "God of forces" as "God of fortresses" or "God of munitions", possibly meaning that he worshipped the god of military might. As in previous verses, we are again told that one of his policies was to divide the spoils between those who supported and assisted him in his conquests.

Please go to part five for the conclusion of this series.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.