Daniel 11:2
Konteks11:2 Now I will tell you the truth.
“Three 1 more kings will arise for Persia. Then a fourth 2 king will be unusually rich, 3 more so than all who preceded him. When he has amassed power through his riches, he will stir up everyone against 4 the kingdom of Greece.
Daniel 11:30
Konteks11:30 The ships of Kittim 5 will come against him, leaving him disheartened. 6 He will turn back and direct his indignation against the holy covenant. He will return and honor 7 those who forsake the holy covenant.
[11:2] 1 sn Perhaps these three more kings are Cambyses (ca. 530-522
[11:2] 2 sn This fourth king is Xerxes I (ca. 486-465
[11:2] 3 tn Heb “rich with great riches.”
[11:2] 4 tn The text is difficult. The Hebrew has here אֶת (’et), the marker of a definite direct object. As it stands, this would suggest the meaning that “he will arouse everyone, that is, the kingdom of Greece.” The context, however, seems to suggest the idea that this Persian king will arouse in hostility against Greece the constituent elements of his own empire. This requires supplying the word “against,” which is not actually present in the Hebrew text.
[11:30] 5 sn The name Kittim has various designations in extra-biblical literature. It can refer to a location on the island of Cyprus, or more generally to the island itself, or it can be an inclusive term to refer to parts of the Mediterranean world that lay west of the Middle East (e.g., Rome). For ships of Kittim the Greek OT (LXX) has “Romans,” an interpretation followed by a few English versions (e.g., TEV). A number of times in the Dead Sea Scrolls the word is used in reference to the Romans. Other English versions are more generic: “[ships] of the western coastlands” (NIV, NLT); “from the west” (NCV, CEV).
[11:30] 6 sn This is apparently a reference to the Roman forces, led by Gaius Popilius Laenas, which confronted Antiochus when he came to Egypt and demanded that he withdraw or face the wrath of Rome. Antiochus wisely withdrew from Egypt, albeit in a state of bitter frustration.