What does Daniel 11:37 mean by "He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers"? Canonical Placement and Setting Daniel 11:37 forms part of the angel Gabriel’s detailed prophecy (Daniel 10–12) delivered to Daniel in the third year of Cyrus (539 BC). The passage unfolds a succession of “kings of the North and South,” climaxing with a singular, blasphemous ruler who arises “at the time of the end” (Daniel 11:35b, 40). Verse 37 lies in the core description of this final king: “He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or the desire of women, nor will he show regard for any other god, for he will exalt himself above them all.” — Daniel 11:37 Immediate Literary Context Verses 36-39 outline three parallel traits: 1. Self-exaltation above every deity (v. 36, 37b). 2. Contempt for traditional worship (v. 37a). 3. Substitution of a foreign, militaristic deity (“a god of fortresses,” v. 38). Verse 37 therefore centers on his religious apostasy and unprecedented self-deification. Primary Interpretive Models 1. Historical-Prophetic (Antiochus IV Epiphanes, 175-164 BC) • Antiochus grew up in the Seleucid dynasty, nominally devoted to the Olympian pantheon. • Contemporary sources (Polybius 26.10; 1 Maccabees 1:41-61) record his aggressive suppression of both Jewish and traditional Hellenic cults, elevating Zeus Olympios above all. • Coins minted after 168 BC depict him with the title “Theos Epiphanes” (“manifest god”), signaling self-exaltation. • He plundered temples across Syria, Persia, and Judea (2 Maccabees 9:2) without discrimination, illustrating “no regard.” • Objection: Antiochus did promote Zeus; thus some argue he showed regard for at least one ancestral god. Supporters answer that his self-deification eclipsed customary worship. 2. Eschatological-Typological (Final Antichrist) • Gabriel’s time-markers “the time of the end” (vv. 35, 40) broaden the horizon. • 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 echoes Daniel 11:36-37, portraying “the man of lawlessness” who “exalts himself over every so-called god.” • Revelation 13 presents a “beast” receiving global worship, “uttering blasphemies against God” (v. 6). • If Jewish by birth, “gods of his fathers” could reference the God of Israel, making the clause a charge of covenant apostasy (cf. Deuteronomy 6:4-15). • If Gentile, the phrase parallels Antiochus: rejection of inherited paganism in favor of personal divinity. Most conservative commentators view Antiochus as an historical type and the Antichrist as the ultimate fulfillment, preserving both the near and far layers of prophecy (cf. Matthew 24:15—Jesus alludes to “the abomination of desolation… spoken of by the prophet Daniel,” yet projects it beyond Antiochus to future events). “No Regard” as Behavioral Description The Hiphil imperfect יָבִין (yābîn, “regard,” “pay attention”) signals deliberate neglect, not mere ignorance. He consciously overturns inherited pieties, whether Hellenistic or Mosaic, consistent with a personality cult: • Suppression of public sacrifice (cf. Daniel 9:27). • Desecration of sacred spaces (1 Maccabees 1:54; future parallel, Revelation 13:6). • Legal decrees outlawing traditional worship (1 Maccabees 1:44-50). Comparative Scriptural Parallels • Psalm 10:4—The wicked in proud countenance seek no God. • Isaiah 14:13-14—Luciferic boast “I will ascend… I will make myself like the Most High.” • Ezekiel 28:2—Prince of Tyre claims, “I am a god.” • Mark 13:14; Matthew 24:15—Christ transfers Danielic language to eschaton. These passages confirm a biblical pattern: tyrannical figures spurn ancestral worship, enthroning self. Historical Corroborations Archaeological ostraca from Maresha (second-century BC) record Seleucid tax edicts stripping temple revenues—material evidence of temple profanation. Coins from Antioch-in-Persis (c. 165 BC) display Antiochus with radiate crown and thunderbolt, iconography of supreme Greco-Syrian deity, underscoring his dismissal of smaller household gods. Answer to the Question “He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers” signifies that the predicted king—historically modeled by Antiochus IV and consummately realized in the Antichrist—will repudiate the traditional deities of his lineage or nation. His disdain is not passive; it is an active, strategic abandonment designed to elevate himself and a militaristic ideology above every established cult. The clause therefore communicates total religious rebellion, prefiguring the ultimate human attempt to dethrone all divine authority in favor of self-exaltation, a venture God will decisively crush at the consummation of history. Key Cross-References Concise Summary Daniel 11:37 foretells a ruler who will intentionally abandon the worship framework handed down by his ancestors—whether pagan or Jewish—replacing it with personal and militaristic deification. Historically foreshadowed by Antiochus IV, this prophecy finds its ultimate, end-time fulfillment in the Antichrist, harmonizing the near-far pattern of biblical prophecy and underscoring God’s sovereign governance over history. |
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