The Meaning of Daniel 11:10 Explained

Daniel 11:10

KJV: 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.

YLT: and his sons stir themselves up, and have gathered a multitude of great forces, and he hath certainly come in, and overflowed, and passed through, and he turneth back, and they stir themselves up unto his stronghold.

Darby: And his sons shall be stirred up, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces; and one shall certainly come, and overflow, and pass through; and he shall return and carry the war even to his fortress.

ASV: And his sons shall war, and shall assemble a multitude of great forces, which shall come on, and overflow, and pass through; and they shall return and war, even to his fortress.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Daniel 11:10 Mean?

Study Notes

but his sons
Matthew 11:10-19 , prophetic foreview of the wars of Egypt and Syria, Palestine, Daniel 11:17 , the battleground, B.C. 284-175.

Verse Meaning

Seleucus II"s Song of Solomon , Seleucus III Ceraunus (sometimes called Soter, 226-223 B.C.), succeeded his father upon his death in227 B.C. However, Seleucus III himself died not many years later in223 B.C, and his brother, Antiochus III the Great (223-187 B.C.), became king of the North. Both of these sons of Seleucus II had sought to restore Syria"s glory. Seleucus III invaded Asia Minor, and later Antiochus III attacked Egypt. Though Antiochus III did not defeat Egypt, he was successful in gaining control of Israel during his campaign of219-217 B.C. Egypt"s northern border had until then been Syria, but Antiochus III drove the Egyptians, then led by Ptolemy IV, back to the southern borders of Israel. He earned the epitaph "the Great" because of his military successes.
All of this prediction did not just prove that God can anticipate history by hundreds of years, an amazing fact in itself. It also set the stage for events in the Holy Land, which was the primary concern of this revelation to Daniel.

Context Summary

Daniel 11:1-14 - The Rise And Fall Of Empires
This chapter foretells the histories of Xerxes, of Alexander the Great, the division of his kingdom on his death, and the long conflicts between the kings of Syria and Egypt. During those years of turmoil and war the eyes of God's faithful servants must often have turned to this page for guidance and comfort. The voice of the prophets was hushed between Malachi 4:1-6 and Matthew 1:1-25, and therefore the written word would be more than ordinarily precious. It must have comforted them to be assured that God knew the way they had to travel and would supply all needed help. What a weary monotony of strife, war, and misery is the history of world kingdoms! The heathen rage; the people are moved. Earth and sky are wrapped in clouds and darkness. We are reminded of the chaos of the primal condition of our earth, when it was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. But as in creation, so in history: in the darkest hours the divine Spirit is brooding in the heart of the night, and will presently re-establish order and beauty. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 11

1  The overthrow of Persia by the king of Grecia
5  Leagues and conflicts between the kings of the south and of the north
30  The invasion and tyranny of the Romans

What do the individual words in Daniel 11:10 mean?

- However his sons shall stir up strife and assemble a multitude of forces great and [one] shall come surely and overwhelm and pass through then he shall return - and stir up strife to - his fortress
[ובנו] (וּבָנָ֣יו) יִתְגָּר֗וּ וְאָסְפוּ֙ הֲמוֹן֙ חֲיָלִ֣ים רַבִּ֔ים וּבָ֥א ב֖וֹא וְשָׁטַ֣ף וְעָבָ֑ר וְיָשֹׁ֥ב [ויתגרו] (וְיִתְגָּרֶ֖ה) עַד־ [מעזה] (מָעֻזּֽוֹ)

[ובנו]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אֲבַדֹּה  
Sense: a lost thing, something lost, a perishing.
(וּבָנָ֣יו)  However  his  sons 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
יִתְגָּר֗וּ  shall  stir  up  strife 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: גָּרָה  
Sense: to cause strife, stir up, contend, meddle, strive, be stirred up.
וְאָסְפוּ֙  and  assemble 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person common plural
Root: אָסַף 
Sense: to gather, receive, remove, gather in.
הֲמוֹן֙  a  multitude 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: הָמֹון 
Sense: (Qal) murmur, roar, crowd, abundance, tumult, sound.
חֲיָלִ֣ים  of  forces 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חַיִל 
Sense: strength, might, efficiency, wealth, army.
רַבִּ֔ים  great 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רַב 
Sense: much, many, great.
וּבָ֥א  and  [one]  shall  come 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
ב֖וֹא  surely 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Infinitive absolute
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
וְשָׁטַ֣ף  and  overwhelm 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁטַף  
Sense: to wash, rinse, overflow, engulf, rinse or wash off.
וְעָבָ֑ר  and  pass  through 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָבַר 
Sense: to pass over or by or through, alienate, bring, carry, do away, take, take away, transgress.
וְיָשֹׁ֥ב  then  he  shall  return 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
[ויתגרו]  - 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
(וְיִתְגָּרֶ֖ה)  and  stir  up  strife 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hitpael, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּרָה  
Sense: to cause strife, stir up, contend, meddle, strive, be stirred up.
[מעזה]  - 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person feminine singular
(מָעֻזּֽוֹ)  his  fortress 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מָעֹוז 
Sense: place or means of safety, protection, refuge, stronghold.