The Meaning of Daniel 11:29 Explained

Daniel 11:29

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

YLT: At the appointed time he turneth back, and hath come against the south, and it is not as the former, and as the latter.

Darby: At the set time he shall return, and come towards the south; but not as the former time shall be the latter;

ASV: At the time appointed he shall return, and come into the south; but it shall not be in the latter time as it was in the former.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Daniel 11:29 Mean?

Study Notes

come toward the south
Antiochus Epiphanes' second expedition against Egypt. Stopped by the mandate of Rome, Daniel 11:30 , he turns against the Jews:

Verse Meaning

In the same year, Antiochus decided to attack Egypt. When he arrived with his army, the Roman consul, Popillius Laenas, met him at Alexandria and prevented him from invading Egypt. Consequently he was not able to do what he wanted with Egypt as he had previously.

Context Summary

Daniel 11:15-29 - The Despoiler Triumphs For A Time
What a picture is presented in this paragraph of the tangled web of earthly politics. They have been too much, and for too long, in the hands of those who sought only their own aggrandizement to attain which they have been willing to sacrifice their honor, their families, their daughters, their people. The time has arrived when the people themselves, at first hand, must determine their destinies. These intrigues between the kings of Syria on the north and the kings of Egypt on the south have little interest for us, and are recorded here only as affecting the history of the Chosen People. This enables us to realize that the events of the present hour are being overruled by divine Providence in the interests of the Church of Christ. This alone abides; all else is of secondary importance and is rapidly passing away. The eternal purpose stands forever sure-that the Father has committed the empire of the world to our Lord, and is about to sum all things up in Him, who is the Head. [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 11:29 mean?

At the appointed time he shall return and go toward the south but not it shall be like the former or the latter
לַמּוֹעֵ֥ד יָשׁ֖וּב וּבָ֣א בַנֶּ֑גֶב וְלֹֽא־ תִהְיֶ֥ה כָרִאשֹׁנָ֖ה וְכָאַחֲרֹנָֽה

לַמּוֹעֵ֥ד  At  the  appointed  time 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: מֹועֵד  
Sense: appointed place, appointed time, meeting.
יָשׁ֖וּב  he  shall  return 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
וּבָ֣א  and  go 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בֹּוא 
Sense: to go in, enter, come, go, come in.
בַנֶּ֑גֶב  toward  the  south 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: נֶגֶב  
Sense: south-country, Nekeb, south.
וְלֹֽא־  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
תִהְיֶ֥ה  it  shall  be 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: אֶהְיֶה 
Sense: to be, become, come to pass, exist, happen, fall out.
כָרִאשֹׁנָ֖ה  like  the  former 
Parse: Preposition-k, Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: רִאשֹׁון  
Sense: first, primary, former.
וְכָאַחֲרֹנָֽה  or  the  latter 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Article, Adjective, feminine singular
Root: אַחֲרֹון  
Sense: behind, following, subsequent, western.