John Gill's Bible Commentary Ver. 4. And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken , etc.] When Alexander was risen up to his highest pitch of grandeur, was sole monarch of the world, in the height of his ambition, in the prime of his days, he was cut off by death; his kingdom remained no more one, but became many, was seized by different persons, his generals, and so broke to pieces: and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven ; which seem to have respect to the four horns or kings, which came up in his place, ( Daniel 8:8), and among whom his kingdom was parted; Ptolemy reigned in Egypt to the south; Antigonus in Asia to the north; Seleucus in Babylon and Syria to the east; and Cassander in Macedonia to the west: and not to his posterity ; for though he had two sons, one by Barsine, whose name was Hercules, who was living at his death; and another by Roxane, born after his death, whose name was Alexander; yet they were both destroyed by Cassander, or his means, that he might enjoy Macedonia f494 : nor according to his dominion which he ruled ; their dominion was not so large and powerful as Alexander’s was, being divided into several parts; (see Daniel 8:22): for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides those; either besides his posterity, who had no share in it, and so, with respect to his family, was like a tree plucked up by the roots, and, as to their concern in it, withered away at once; or, besides the four governors before mentioned, there were others that had, at least for a while, some lesser shares in the kingdom, as Eumenes, Philotas, Leonnatus, and others; but, at length, all were reduced to the kings of Egypt and Syria, the Lagidae and Seleucidae, which the following part of the prophecy chiefly concerns; and, besides these, for the Romans also, to whom this kingdom came.
Matthew Henry Commentary
- The vision of the Scriptures of truth.
Dan. 11:1-30 The angel shows Daniel the succession of the Persian an Grecian empires. The kings of Egypt and Syria are noticed: Judea wa between their dominions, and affected by their contests. From Dan 11:5-30, is generally considered to relate to the events which came to pass during the continuance of these governments; and from Dan. 11:21 to relate to Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a cruel and violen persecutor of the Jews. See what decaying, perishing things worldl pomp and possessions are, and the power by which they are gotten. God in his providence, sets up one, and pulls down another, as he pleases This world is full of wars and fightings, which come from men's lusts All changes and revolutions of states and kingdoms, and every event are plainly and perfectly foreseen by God. No word of God shall fall to the ground; but what he has designed, what he has declared, shal infallibly come to pass. While the potsherds of the earth strive with each other, they prevail and are prevailed against, deceive and ar deceived; but those who know God will trust in him, and he will enabl them to stand their ground, bear their cross, and maintain their conflict.
Dan. 11:31-45 The remainder of this prophecy is very difficult, an commentators differ much respecting it. From Antiochus the accoun seems to pass to antichrist. Reference seems to be made to the Roma empire, the fourth monarchy, in its pagan, early Christian, and papa states. The end of the Lord's anger against his people approaches, a well as the end of his patience towards his enemies. If we would escap the ruin of the infidel, the idolater, the superstitious and crue persecutor, as well as that of the profane, let us make the oracles of God our standard of truth and of duty, the foundation of our hope, an the light of our paths through this dark world, to the glorious inheritance above _________________________________________________
Original Hebrew וכעמדו5975 תשׁבר7665 מלכותו4438 ותחץ2673 לארבע702 רוחות7307 השׁמים8064 ולא3808 לאחריתו319 ולא3808 כמשׁלו4915 אשׁר834 משׁל4910 כי3588 תנתשׁ5428 מלכותו4438 ולאחרים312 מלבד905 אלה׃428
