The Meaning of Daniel 11:37 Explained

Daniel 11:37

KJV: Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all.

YLT: And unto the God of his fathers he doth not attend, nor to the desire of women, yea, to any god he doth not attend, for against all he magnifieth himself.

Darby: And he will not regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women; nor regard any +god: for he will magnify himself above all.

ASV: Neither shall he regard the gods of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god; for he shall magnify himself above all.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Neither shall he regard  the God  of his fathers,  nor the desire  of women,  nor regard  any god:  for he shall magnify  himself above all. 

What does Daniel 11:37 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This verse gives more information about the ruler"s religious convictions. The phrase "the God of his fathers" is similar to one that occurs elsewhere in Scripture describing the God of the Jews (cf. Daniel 2:23; Exodus 3:15-16; Exodus 4:5; et al.). This has led some interpreters to conclude that this king will be a Jew. [1] However, the phrase does not require this interpretation. The name "God" is "Elohim," the general word for God, rather than the covenant name "Yahweh," that God often used when stressing His relationship to His chosen people. This word can have a plural translation (gods) or a singular one (God). Moreover, in the light of other revelation about this Prayer of Manasseh , he seems to be a Roman ( Daniel 7:8; Daniel 7:24; Revelation 13:1-10). Of course, he could be a Jewish Roman, but the description of him in this verse does not identify him clearly as a Jew. Probably the angel meant that this king will abandon the religion of his past (or ancestry), whatever that religion may have been. He will do this because he will set himself up as the object of worship in place of all gods.
The identity of "the desire of women" is also problematic. It may be a reference to the Messiah. [2] Supposedly the supreme desire of every godly Jewish woman in Daniel"s day was that she bear the Messiah. Another view is that the reference is to Tammuz (Gr. Adonis), a pagan goddess in Daniel"s day that women found very attractive. [3] Others believe that the meaning is that this king will have no desire for women. Some even speculate that he will be abusive toward women. In other words, he will be devoid of natural affection. [4] I tend to favor this third view.

Context Summary

Daniel 11:30-45 - Arrogance Overthrown
The career of Antiochus Epiphanes, in persecuting the people of God and plotting against Jehovah and His sanctuary, is so described as to suggest that it also includes further fulfillments, and especially that last Antichrist, of whom Antiochus was the pre-figurement. So accurate is the correspondence between this prophecy and its historical fulfillment that Porphyry, the opponent of Christianity, maintained that this description was written after the event. The abomination of Daniel 11:31 refers to the idolatrous image or emblem, which in succession has been erected on Mount Zion under the auspices of Antiochus, of the Romans, the Moslems, and shall be set up yet once more by Antichrist. The last clause of Daniel 11:32 was marvelously realized in Judas Maccabaeus and his brethren; but it represents the perennial source of strength for all who suffer or serve. The anguish of those who fail under trial has often tended to their greater purification, Daniel 11:35, and the white robe is the mark of final victory, Revelation 7:9. God will not allow His people to suffer beyond the determined time, Daniel 11:36; Matthew 24:22. [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 11:37 mean?

And the God of his fathers neither He shall regard nor the desire of women and any god nor regard for above [them] all he shall exalt himself
וְעַל־ אֱלֹהֵ֤י אֲבֹתָיו֙ לֹ֣א יָבִ֔ין וְעַל־ חֶמְדַּ֥ת נָשִׁ֛ים וְעַֽל־ כָּל־ אֱל֖וֹהַּ לֹ֣א יָבִ֑ין כִּ֥י עַל־ כֹּ֖ל יִתְגַּדָּֽל

אֱלֹהֵ֤י  the  God 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: אֱלֹהִים  
Sense: (plural).
אֲבֹתָיו֙  of  his  fathers 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אָב  
Sense: father of an individual.
לֹ֣א  neither 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָבִ֔ין  He  shall  regard 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בִּין  
Sense: to discern, understand, consider.
וְעַל־  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
חֶמְדַּ֥ת  the  desire 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: חֶמְדָּה  
Sense: desire, that which is desirable adj.
נָשִׁ֛ים  of  women 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural
Root: אִשָּׁה  
Sense: woman, wife, female.
כָּל־  any 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
אֱל֖וֹהַּ  god 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אֱלֹוהַּ  
Sense: God.
לֹ֣א  nor 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
יָבִ֑ין  regard 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: בִּין  
Sense: to discern, understand, consider.
עַל־  above 
Parse: Preposition
Root: עַל 
Sense: upon, on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against.
כֹּ֖ל  [them]  all 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כֹּל  
Sense: all, the whole.
יִתְגַּדָּֽל  he  shall  exalt  himself 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: גָּדַל  
Sense: to grow, become great or important, promote, make powerful, praise, magnify, do great things.