Daniel 11.9-The Prophecy of Seleucus II Callinicus' Failed Egyptian Invasion
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday April 16, 2014
Daniel: Daniel 11:9-The Prophecy of Seleucus II Callinicus’ Failed Egyptian Invasion
Lesson # 326
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 11:2.
Daniel 11:2 “Now, at this present time, I must reveal to you the truth. Behold, three future kings will ascend to power for Persia. Then, the fourth will cause greater riches to make him wealthier than each and every one of these in comparison. However, when he amasses power through his wealth, the entire nation will stir up the Greek kingdom. 3 Next, a powerful king will ascend to power so that he will rule with great authority with the result that he will do according to his desire. 4 However, after he ascends to power, his kingdom will be broken up. Then, it will be divided towards the heaven’s four winds but not for the benefit of his posterity and in addition, not according to his sovereign will which he sovereignly exercised. For his kingdom will be uprooted specifically, for the benefit of others, to the separation and exclusion of these. 5 Then, the king ruling the south as well as one of his subordinate commanders will be strong. In fact, he will become stronger than him because he will exercise authority over a dominion greater than his dominion. 6 Next, at the end of an unspecified number of years, they will form an alliance as the daughter of the king ruling the south will enter into marriage with the king ruling the north in order to secure a peaceful arrangement. However, she will by no means retain her powerful position likewise he will by no means endure, namely his power. For she will be delivered over as well as he who caused her to enter into marriage, as well as her child and in addition, her benefactor during those times. 7 But one of the branches from her roots will ascend to power in his place. Then, he will wage an attack against their army so that he will enter the fortress of the king ruling the north. Indeed, he will take action against them so that he will be victorious. 8 Consequently, he will also cause their gods to be transported into captivity to Egypt along with their cast images, as well as their valuable silver and gold articles. Furthermore, for some years he will withdraw from the king ruling the north.” (My translation)
Daniel 11:9 “Then the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South, but will return to his own land.” (NASB95)
“Then the latter will enter the realm of the king of the South” presents the next prophetic event that will take place after the events recorded in verse 8.
This verse records the angel informing Daniel that the king ruling the south will cause the gods of the kingdom of the north to be transported into captivity to Egypt along with their cast images, as well as their valuable silver and gold articles.
Furthermore, the angel told Daniel that for some years the king ruling the south will withdraw from the king ruling the north.
Now, the angel is telling Daniel that the king ruling the north will enter the realm of the king ruling the south but will return to his own land, implying that he would fail in this invasion.
Therefore, the angel’s statement here in verse 9 is marking this event as taking place sometime after the king ruling the south withdrew from the king ruling the north for some years.
“The latter” refers of course to the king of the north.
“Will enter” is composed of the verb bô(ʾ) (בּוֹא) (bo), “will enter” and then we have the preposition bĕ (בְּ) (beh) and together they literally mean “to come against.”
However, figuratively they mean “to wage an attack against” referring to a persistent attack by an army against a fortress.
Here they are used of the king ruling the north “waging an attack against” the army of the king ruling the south.
“But will return to his own land” stands in direct contrast to the angel’s previous statement that the king ruling the north will wage an attack against the king ruling the south.
Therefore, the contrast is between the king ruling the north invading the kingdom of the king ruling the south and the king ruling the north retreating back to his own territory.
Daniel 11:9 “Then, he will wage an attack against the king ruling the south but will return to his land.” (My translation)
As we noted in Daniel 11:6, the angel tells Daniel that at the end of an unspecified number of years, the king ruling the south and his subordinate commander will form an alliance as the daughter of the king ruling the south will enter into marriage with the king ruling the north in order to secure a peaceful arrangement.
However, she will by no means retain her powerful position likewise he will by no means endure, namely his power.
For she will be delivered over as well as he who caused her to enter into marriage, as well as her child and in addition, her benefactor during those times.
This was all fulfilled in history when Ptolemy II Philadelphus (“the king ruling the south”) formed an alliance with Antiochus II Theos (“the king ruling the north”) which was secured by the marriage of Bernice to the latter.
Bernice was the daughter of Ptolemy II Philadelphus.
After he died, Antiochus II Theos brought back the wife he divorced to marry Bernice, namely Laodice, who murdered Bernice and her child as well as Antiochus II Theos.
Then, in Daniel 11:7, the angel continues this prophecy by informing him that one of the branches from her roots will ascend to power in his place.
Then, he will wage an attack against their army so that he will enter the fortress of the king ruling the north.
Indeed, he will take action against them so that he will be victorious.
This verse was also completely fulfilled in history.
“Her” is a reference to Bernice and “one of the branches from her roots” is a reference to her brother Ptolemy III Euergetes (246-221 B.C.).
The name “Euergetes” means “Benefactor.”
After the death of their father, Bernice’s brother ascended to power.
He then launched an attack against Seleucus II Callinicus who was the king ruling the north at this time who came to power through his mother, Laodice.
Ptolemy III Euergetes attacked Seleucus II Callinicus at Antioch, Syria and killed Laodice.
He remained the foremost military power in the Middle East during the rest of his reign.
He returned to Egypt not only avenging the death of his sister Bernice and her infant child and husband but also he came back with many spoils.
In exchange for peace, Ptolemy III Euergetes was awarded new territories on the northern coast of Syria including the port of Antioch.
Thus the Ptolemaic kingdom was at the height of its power.
Next, in Daniel 11:8, the angel informs Daniel that as a result of his victory over the king ruling the north, the king ruling the south will cause the gods of the king ruling the north to be transported into captivity to Egypt along with their cast images, as well as their valuable silver and gold articles.
Also, for some years he will withdraw from the king ruling the north.
This too was fulfilled in history since as a result of his victory over Seleucus II Callinicus (“the king ruling the north”), Ptolemy II Euergetes transported the gods of Seleucus II Callinicus.
He also captured their cast images and valuable silver and gold articles from their temple treasuries.
Ptolemy III Euergetes also signed a treaty with Seleucus II Callinicus in 240 B.C. which fulfilled the prophecy of the king ruling the south withdrawing from the king ruling the north for some years.
Now, here in Daniel 11:9, the angel predicts that the king ruling the north will wage an attack against the king ruling the south but will return to his homeland implying that this attack will be a failed invasion.
Although there is no ancient source who mentions this failed invasion, we know that this prophecy was fulfilled in history because the angel’s previous predictions in Daniel 11:2-8 have all been fulfilled in history and can be verified by ancient historians.
In 240 B.C. Seleucus II Callinicus in retaliation for his great loss waged a failed invasion against Ptolemy II Euergetes.
In 225 B.C., Seleucus II Callinicus died as a result of falling off his horse.
Therefore, during this period, Egypt was in control of the Middle East and thus the land of Israel.
Under Ptolemy III Euergetes, the Jews prospered.
Thus the reason for the angel spending some time discussing the highlights of his reign.
All of the prophecies in Daniel 11:2-9 have been fulfilled in history, which teaches us that God is watching over His Word to execute it (cf. Jeremiah 1:12).
The fulfillment of the prophecies found in Daniel 11:2-7 reveal that He is omnipotent and sovereign and omniscient (Isaiah 46:8-11).
He is omnipotent in that God bring to that which He says will take place and He is omniscient in that He has perfect knowledge of events and people centuries before these events and people appear on the pages of history.
He is sovereign in that fulfilled prophecy reveals that God is in control of history and ruler over both the human and angelic realms.
Fulfilled prophecy glorifies God since it manifests these attributes.
These fulfilled prophecies were designed to encourage God’s people as they went through persecution and were also designed to produce faith in God’s people.