New International Version
Daniel 11:21
21“He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue.
Daniel 11:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And in his estate shall stand up a vile person, to whom they shall not give the honour of the kingdom: but he shall come in peaceably, and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
- English Standard Version (ESV)In his place shall arise a contemptible person to whom royal majesty has not been given. He shall come in without warning and obtain the kingdom by flatteries.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And in his place shall arise a vile person, to whom they will not give the honor of royalty; but he shall come in peaceably, and seize the kingdom by intrigue.
- New Living Translation (NLT)“The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue.
Context of Daniel 11:21
19After this, he will turn back toward the fortresses of his own country but will stumble and fall, to be seen no more. 20“His successor will send out a tax collector to maintain the royal splendor. In a few years, however, he will be destroyed, yet not in anger or in battle. “He will be succeeded by a contemptible person who has not been given the honor of royalty. He will invade the kingdom when its people feel secure, and he will seize it through intrigue. 22Then an overwhelming army will be swept away before him; both it and a prince of the covenant will be destroyed. 23After coming to an agreement with him, he will act deceitfully, and with only a few people he will rise to power.
Read all of Daniel 11Daniel 11:21 word by word
וְעָמַ֤ד עַל־כַּנּוֹ֙ נִבְזֶ֔ה וְלֹא־נָתְנ֥וּ עָלָ֖יו ה֣וֹד מַלְכ֑וּת וּבָ֣א בְשַׁלְוָ֔ה וְהֶחֱזִ֥יק מַלְכ֖וּת בַּחֲלַקְלַקּֽוֹת׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- And in his estateכֵּןkên · standH3653
- shall stand upעָמַד‛âmad · to stand: riseH5975
- a vile personבָּזָהbâzâh · to despiseH959
- to whom they shall not giveנָתַןnâthan · to give: giveH5414
- the honourהוֹדhôd · splendorH1935
- of the kingdomמַלְכוּתmalkûth malkûth malkûyâh · royaltyH4438
- but he shall comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
- in peaceablyשַׁלְוָהshalvâh · easeH7962
- and obtainחָזַקchâzaq · to strengthen: prevail overH2388
- by flatteriesחֲלַקְלַקּוֹתchălaqlaqqâh · smoothnessH2519
Cross-references for Daniel 11:21
- Daniel 11:7“One from her family line will arise to take her place. He will attack the forces of the king of the North and enter his fortress; he will fight against them and be victorious.
- Daniel 7:8“While I was thinking about the horns, there before me was another horn, a little one, which came up among them; and three of the first horns were uprooted before it. This horn had eyes like the eyes of a human being and a mouth that spoke boastfully.
- Daniel 8:9Out of one of them came another horn, which started small but grew in power to the south and to the east and toward the Beautiful Land.
- 1 Samuel 3:13For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.
- Psalms 12:8who freely strut about when what is vile is honored by the human race.
- Psalms 15:4who despises a vile person but honors those who fear the Lord; who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and does not change their mind;
- Isaiah 32:5No longer will the fool be called noble nor the scoundrel be highly respected.
- Nahum 1:14The Lord has given a command concerning you, Nineveh: “You will have no descendants to bear your name. I will destroy the images and idols that are in the temple of your gods. I will prepare your grave, for you are vile.”
- Daniel 11:32With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him.
- Judges 9:1Abimelek son of Jerub-Baal went to his mother’s brothers in Shechem and said to them and to all his mother’s clan,
- 2 Samuel 15:2He would get up early and stand by the side of the road leading to the city gate. Whenever anyone came with a complaint to be placed before the king for a decision, Absalom would call out to him, “What town are you from?” He would answer, “Your servant is from one of the tribes of Israel.”
- Psalms 55:21His talk is smooth as butter, yet war is in his heart; his words are more soothing than oil, yet they are drawn swords.
Commentaries on Daniel 11:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21In his estate shall stand up a vile person - This was Antiochus, surnamed Epiphanes - the Illustrious. They did not give him the honor of the kingdom: he was at Athens, on his way from Rome, when his father died; and Heliodorus had declared himself king, as had several others. But Antiochus came in peaceably, for he obtained the kingdom by flatteries. He flattered Eumenes, king of Pergamus, and Attalus his brother, and got their assistance. He flattered…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21And in his estate - In his place. See the notes at Daniel 11:7, Daniel 11:20. Shall stand up a vile person - There shall succeed to the throne. The reference here is to Antiochus Epiphanes, who reigned from 175 b.c. to 163 b.c. The epithet “vile” here given him was one which his subsequent history showed was eminently appropriate to him in all respects, as a man and as a prince. The Hebrew word rendered “vile” - נבזה nı̂bezeh - properly means one despised…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 21-39Antiochus IV Epiphanes came to power next, ruling from 175 to 163 BC. He is the small horn mentioned in Daniel 8:9–14, 23–26. His story is vividly described in 1 Maccabees 1:7–6:16; 2 Maccabees 1:1–10:5; 4 Maccabees 4:15–18:5. Antiochus was considered despicable because he seized the throne and for his actions as king. He was not in line for royal succession and took the throne from his brother’s son.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2121. vile--Antiochus called Epiphanes, that is, "the illustrious," for vindicating the claims of the royal line against Heliodorus, was nicknamed, by a play of sounds, Epimanes, that is, "the madman," for his mad freaks beneath the dignity of a king. He would carouse with the lowest of the people, bathe with them in the public baths, and foolishly jest and throw stones at passers-by [Polybius, 26.10]. Hence, as also for his crafty supplanting of Demetrius…Read the comment
Topics related to Daniel 11:21
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Daniel 11
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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