Commentary on Daniel, Chapter 11 · Questions · Question 48
48. Quest. Of the last expedition of Antiochus against the Egyptians, Iudea, and other nations. v. 40. to 44.
There are two parts of this narration: 1. what countries he shall inuade, v. 40, 41. and what countries shall be free. First, he shall set vponupon Egypt, beeing prouoked by the king thereof, and shall come against him with an huge armie both by sea and land, v. 40. then he shall enter into the land of Iudea, called the pleasant land, v. 41. Secondly, the nations which are freed from these troubles, are either those which he shall spare, as beeing confederates, Edom, Moab, and the first, that is, the chiefe of Ammon, v. 41. and those nations which shall ayde and assist him, as the Lybians and Aethiopians, which shall helpe him to take the spoile of Egypt: here then are in all these fowre particular members: 1. of the battell betweene the king of the South, and the North. 2. of the pleasant land. 3. of Edom, Moab, and Ammon, which escaped. 4. of Lybia and Aethiopia that helped: of all these, how they should be taken, there are diuers opinions.
1. Some doe vnderstand all this of the Antichrist, who, as they imagine, shall come in the end of the world. 1. he shalbe that king of the North, who shal first subdue Egypt. 2. and thē he shal inuade Iudea, called the pleasant, or glorious lād, because of the miracles which were wrought there. 3. Moab, Ammon, Edom shall escape, because diuerse in that great persecution of Antichrist, shall saue themselues there in the mountaines, for these were hilly countreys. 4. he shall take also Lybia and Aethiopia, which shall first of all be subiect vntounto him, Hierome, Lyran, Perer. But this exposition of such a singular Antichrist hath beene refused before, vponupon these two reasons. 1. because the Angel prophesieth onelyonly of such things as should befall the people of the Iewes, for whom Daniel was so soliicitous and carefull. 2. that there shall be no such singular Antichrist, whom they suppose to be one particular person, is shewed afterward, controv. 2.
2. M. Calvin giueth this interpretation: 1. that the king of the South and the North shall encounter with the Romanes: for so Mithridates and Tigranes in the North, had long warre with the Romanes: and Cleopatra with Antonie in Egypt fought a great battell with Augustus. 2. the Romanes shall preuaile and inuade Iudea also. 3. But the hillie countreys of Moab, Edom, Ammon, shall escape them, or they shall not greatly regard them. 4. the Romanes also shall conquer the Lybians and Aethiopians.
But this exposition cannot stand. 1. because the kings of the North and South doe not ioyne together, but it is said, the king of the North shall come against him, that is, against the king of the South. 2. here is no mention made of any third king or power, beside the king of the North and South: and he that is the king of the North, is said to doe all that followeth in the next verses, v. 41. he shall enter into the pleasant land, v. 42. he shall stretch forth his hands, that is, the king of the North shall doe all this.
3. Bullinger thus interpreteth. 1. by the king of the North and South he vnderstandeth the Turkes and Saracenes which should come from the North and South, with huge armies of footemen, and horses, and strong shippes. 2. They shall inuade the pleasant land, and many shall falk which he referreth to the holy warres decreed against the Turke, by Gregor. 2. in the Councell of Claromont, which was the occasion of the ruine and ouerthrowe of many. 3. Edom, Moab, and Ammon, that is the people inhabiting those countreys, shall ioyne themselues vntounto the Turkes and Saracenes, and so be free. 4. The Lybians also and Aethiopians, shall be confederate with the Turkes: who shall ouercome Egypt, and expell the Sultane thereof, which was brought to passe by Selymus the great Truke.
But these exceptions likewise may be here taken. 1. that this prophesie beginning with Antiochus, is not like to end with the Turke, and so the space of a thousand yeares comming betweene, should be left vntouched. 2. the kings of the North and South are not here confederates, but they one fight▪ with an other. 3. the names of Moab, Edom, Ammon, and their generation were extinguished before the Turkes Monarchie beganne: this prophesie then cannot be extended so farre, but must be restrained to those times, while these names and nations continued.
4. Osiander and Pappus, 1. by the king of the North vnderstand the Romane Antichrist: by the king of the South, Christ: for as from the North they say commeth all euill: so from the South that which is good: and thus the king of the South, that is Christ, hath raised vp from time to time diuerse of his saithfull seruants, which hauehave opposed themselues to Antichrist. 2. by the pleasant land is vnderstood the Church, which Antichrist shall continually afflict. 3. Edom signifieth redde, Moab the father, Ammon my people: and these three sorts shall be free from the corruptions of Antichrist: the martyrs that are made redde with their blood: they which depend onelyonly vponupon the mercies of God the father: and the first of Ammon, that is, infants which are as the first fruites of the people of God. 4. And though the Popes authoritie be not receiued in Lybia, Aegypt, Aethiopia, yet he challengeth iurisdiction ouer them all, &c.
But this exposition also faileth: 1. the king of the North and South are literally to be taken,See more Appendix exercis. 7. argum. 3. as before in the rest of this chapter: and who seeth not how improperly Christ is said to be king of the South: if the Pope of Rome be the king of the North, Christ borne in Ierusalem which is not South, but East to Rome, is vnfitly called king of the South: And seeing he is king of all the world, his kingdome must not be restrained to the South. 2. by the pleasant land Iudea is vnderstood here as also before, v. 16. 3. as Egypt and other countreys are here vnderstood literally for the nations so called, so likewise must Edom, Moab, and Ammon be taken. 4. Lybia and Aethiopia, which neuer yet receiued the Pope, are verie improperly said to be in subiection to him.
5. It remaineth then, that all this was historically fulfilled in Antiochus. 1. the occasion of his comming agai…st Egypt was this, Philometor king of Egypt, had an other brother called Physcon, who sought to expell Philometor out of his kingdome: with Physcon Antiochus taketh part, and prepareth an armie to come and helpe him, which Philometor vnderstanding, here called the king of the South, went against him: and this is the battell here spoken of betweene the king of the South, and of the North: But the king of the North preuailed, whose armie is compared to a whirlewind, and to an ouerflowing water: but the other is said onelyonly to push at him. This historie is touched by Florus in the Epitome of Livie, lib. 46. and by Iustine also, and Zonaras tom▪ annal. 2.
2. As Antiochus returned from the spoile of Egypt, he tooke Iudaea, and other countreys in the way, and spoiled them also.
3. But he spared the Edomites, Moabites, and Ammonites, because they tooke his part against them, and much molested the Iewes: and therefore Iudas Macchabeus did fight against the children of Esau, and Timotheus the captaine of the Ammonites, besieged their cities, and put them to the sword, 2. Macchab. 5. Ioseph. lib. 12. antiqu. c. 11.
4. The Lybians also and Ethiopians, which before were on Philometors side, beeing allured by his faire promises ioyned with Antiochus, and therefore it is said, they were at his footesteppes or pases, that is, they followed him as their captaine: see further in the appendix, Exercis. 8. argum. 2. answer. 9.
But thus it is argued against this exposition. 1. Porphyrie who literally vnderstandeth this prophesie of Antiochus, saith that these things happened in his 11. yeare, whereas in the beginning of that yeare he died farre from home in Persia, Perer.
2. After the Romanes by their Embassadour Popilius had discharged Antiochus out of Egypt, he neuer returned thither againe, Perer.
3. Antiochus neuer subdued the countreys of Lybia, and Aethiopia, as here it is said of this king, Hierome.
4. Neither had Antiochus all countreys in subiection vntounto him, onelyonly these three excepted, of Edom, Moab, Ammon.
Answ. 1. Though these things were not done in the 11. yeare of Antiochus as Porphyrius thinketh, who was therein deceiued, yet this letteth not but that this prophesie was fulfilled in Antiochus: these things might fall out two yeares after he had set vp idolatrie, and some two yeares or thereabout before his death, Iun. annot.
2. Though Antiochus did forbeare to invade Egypt, after that discharge by way of hostilitie and conquest, yet he might and did affoard his helping hand to one of the brothers against the other: which might be taken for no breach of his promise made vntounto the Romanes to depart out of Egypt.
3. Neither doth the text say, that he subdued Lybia, and Aethiopia; but as Hierome saith he passed thorough or by them: and Hierome himselfe giueth this satisfaction, that when Egypt was taken, the countreys next adioyning conturbatae sunt, were troubled: But the word is bemitzghadaiv, in his pases, or footings, that is, Lybia and Aethiopia followed his footsteppes, they obeyed him as their captaine.
4. Neither are all the countreys of the world here spoken of: for neuer any Conqueror subdued the whole world, neither euer shall: but the countrey adioyning to Egypt,See more in the appendix exer. 6. argum. 1. respons. 8. and Palestina felt Antiochus hand: the meaning is, that onelyonly these three countreys in those parts, and in that tract and circuit escaped his hands, namely, Edom, Moab, Ammon.