What is the meaning of Daniel 11:6? After some years they will form an alliance • Daniel portrays real political maneuvering between the “king of the South” (Ptolemaic Egypt) and the “king of the North” (Seleucid Syria). • History records a truce about 250 BC when Ptolemy II Philadelphus and Antiochus II Theos agreed to stop fighting (cf. Daniel 11:27, another treaty scene). • Scripture often shows rulers trusting diplomacy rather than God (Isaiah 30:1; Psalm 118:8-9). Daniel’s prophecy assures believers that God foreknew every treaty centuries before it was inked. and the daughter of the king of the South will go to the king of the North to seal the agreement • Ptolemy II sent his daughter Berenice to marry Antiochus II, requiring him to divorce Laodice. • This fulfills the picture of a daughter used as a political pawn (2 Kings 8:18, where Jehoram marries Athaliah). • The literal precision of Daniel’s wording underscores God’s sovereignty over even marital arrangements of pagan courts (Proverbs 21:1). But his daughter will not retain her position of power • When Ptolemy II died (246 BC), Antiochus II took back Laodice, who soon poisoned him and eliminated Berenice. • The verse’s blunt outcome parallels Psalm 146:3-4—trust in princes fails. • God’s word proves accurate: the very figure meant to secure peace loses both influence and life. nor will his strength endure • Antiochus II’s kingdom weakened; Laodice installed her son Seleucus II, but civil war erupted (cf. Daniel 11:19, another failed northern ruler). • Earthly might crumbles when leaders act outside God’s purposes (Job 12:19-21). At that time she will be given up, along with her royal escort and her father and the one who supported her • Berenice, her attendants, and her infant son were murdered; soon after, her father’s dynasty retaliated through Ptolemy III (Daniel 11:7-8). • The “one who supported her” points to Antiochus II himself, now dead—fulfilling Jesus’ later warning that “all who take the sword will perish by the sword” (Matthew 26:52). • God’s prophetic detail extends to every participant, showing that hidden plots are open before Him (Hebrews 4:13). summary Daniel 11:6 precisely foretells the ill-fated marriage between Berenice of Egypt and Antiochus II of Syria. What looked like a masterstroke of diplomacy collapsed within a few years: Berenice lost her status, Antiochus lost his life, and their supporters were swept away. Scripture’s accuracy affirms God’s absolute sovereignty over nations and alliances, reminding believers to place trust not in human schemes but in the Lord who knows the end from the beginning. |
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