Daniel 11.18-The Prophecy of Antiochus III Waging War Against Asia Minor and Greece But the Roman Commander Scipio Repulsing Him
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Wednesday May 7, 2014
Daniel: Daniel 11:18-The Prophecy of Antiochus III Waging War Against Asia Minor and Greece But the Roman Commander Scipio Repulsing Him
Lesson # 335
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. 9 Then, he will wage an attack against the king ruling the south but will return to his land. 10 Following this, his sons will initiate hostile military action. Specifically, they will muster a multitude of great military forces. Then, he will as a certainty wage a massive attack so that he will overflow, yes, pass through like a flood with the result that he will turn him back. Indeed, he will engage in hostile military action up to his fortress. 11 Then, the king ruling the south will cause himself to be enraged so that he will march out in order to wage war against him, against the king ruling the north. Consequently, he will cause a great multitude to be assembled. However, despite this, this multitude will be delivered into his power. 12 When this multitude will be defeated, his heart will become arrogant. Even though, he will cause ten thousand to fall in combat, he will by no means continue to prevail. 13 For he will return again since he will muster a multitude larger than the first in order to wage a massive attack with a great army as well as enormous logistical provision at the end of an interval of some years. 14 In fact, during those days, certain great ones will oppose the king ruling the south. Even violent persons belonging to your people will for their own benefit, rebel in order to fulfill the revelation but they will be overthrown. 15 And so, the king ruling the north will wage an attack. Specifically, he will construct a siege mound in order to capture a fortified city. However, the south’s armed forces will by no means stand their ground, not even their elite unit because there will be no strength. 16 Consequently, the one who waged the attack will do according to his desire because there will be absolutely no one standing against him. Furthermore, he will occupy the beautiful land so that it will be completely in his power. 17 Then, with the power of his entire kingdom, he will devise a plan to enter into an agreement. Indeed, equitable terms to injure him. Consequently, he will accomplish it. Namely, he will give in marriage a daughter from his harem for the purpose of destroying it. However, she will never remain loyal because she will never stay united for the benefit of him.” (My translation)
Daniel 11:18 “Then he will turn his face to the coastlands and capture many. But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him; moreover, he will repay him for his scorn.” (NASB95)
“He will turn his face” indicates that after the king of the north will attempt to destroy the kingdom of the south by the marriage of his daughter to the king of the south, the king of the north then will turn his attention to the coastlands.
“The coastlands” refers to the islands of the Mediterranean which would include the cities of Asia Minor and Greece.
Specifically, the word is used by way of metonymy meaning the islands of the Mediterranean are put for the inhabitants of this region.
“And capture many” presents the result of the angelic prediction that the king of the north will turn his attention against the inhabitants of the coastal regions.
“But a commander will put a stop to his scorn against him” stands in contrast to the previous statement that the king of the north will capture many of the inhabitants of the coastal regions.
Therefore the contrast is between the king of the north attacking the inhabitants of the coastal regions and not doing so because of the intervention of this commander.
“His scorn” is composed of the noun ḥěr·pā(h) (חֶרְפָּה) (kher-paw´), “to scorn” which is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ) (הוּא) (who), “his.”
The noun ḥěr·pā(h) means “shameful conduct” since it pertains to conduct of a person which is shameful or dishonorable and is modified by the third person masculine singular pronominal suffix hû(ʾ), which means “his” referring to the king of the north.
Therefore, the noun ḥěr·pā(h) refers to the shameful conduct of the king of the north.
This military commander will cause the shameful conduct of the king of the north to come to a stop to the detriment or dismay of the king of the north.
“Moreover, he will repay him for his scorn” indicates that a military commander will cause the shameful conduct of the king of the north to be turned against him.
Daniel 11:18 “Then, he will turn his attention against the inhabitants of the coastal regions so that he will capture many. However, a military commander will, to his dismay, cause his shameful conduct to come to a stop. Furthermore, he will cause his shameful conduct to be turned back against him.” (My translation)
This verse was also fulfilled history since history records that Antiochus III waged war against the islands of the Mediterranean including Greece and Asia Minor.
History also records that the Roman commander Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus was dispatched from Rome to turn Antiochus back.
Antiochus was resentful of Rome’s presence in Greece stating that the Romans had no business in this region.
The shameful conduct of Antiochus mentioned by the angel here in Daniel 11:18 is a reference to Antiochus shameful treatment or conduct with the Roman ambassadors at a meeting in Lysimachia (Thrace).
He contemptuously told the Roman ambassadors that “Asia did not concern them, the Romans, and he was not subject to Rome’s orders.” (Livy xxxiii.40)
The great Carthaginian Hannibal was also involved with Antiochus during this time.
In 202 B.C. Rome defeated the Carthaginian army under Hannibal at Zama which brought to an end the Punic War.
Hannibal fled to the court of Antiochus and then proceeded to encourage him to invade Greece.
Consequently Rome declared war on Antiochus.
It was only natural for Rome to resent Antiochus courting their former hated enemy.
In 196 B.C. Antiochus captured several cities in Aeolis and Ionia.
He then crossed the Hellenspont and the Aegean Sea with a powerul navy captured considerable territory in Thrace.
Then, approximately during this period the west-central Greek confederacy of the Aetolian League dispatched a legation to Antiochus.
He responded in cooperation with the Aetolians by sending a small naval force in 192 B.C. to land on the coast of central Greece.
However, the Macedonians joined forces with the Achaean League to oppose Antiochus from both the north and south.
At this point the Romans decided to enter the conflict.
In 191 B.C., the Romans while fighting with their Greek allies defeated the Syrians at Thermopylae and forced Antiochus’ forces to withdraw from Greece.
He then fled to Asia Minor.
Thirty thousand Roman troops pursued him into Asia and defeated his much larger army of seventy thousand at the Battle of Magnesia which was near Smyrna (now Turkey) in 190 B.C.
Then, in 188 B.C. the Romans forced Antiochus to sign the Treaty of Apamea.
The terms were severe.
The historian Polybius writes that the Syrian king was ordered to surrender territory, and much of his military force.
Also Antiochus was forced to pay a heavy indemnity to Rome including twenty hostages, one of whom was Antiochus IV who was the future persecutor of the Jewish people.
Under the terms of this treaty Antiochus was forced to surrender all of his claims to Europe as well as much of greater Asia Minor.
His boundary was to be the Taurus Mountain Range.
He was also forced to surrender his entire elephant unit as well as his entire navy.
The Roman historian Livy gives a detailed account of Rome’s defeat of Antiochus III (History of Rome, 36-37).
The Roman commander responsible for the defeat of Antiochus was Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus who was the brother of Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus who had defeated Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C.