Daniel 11:23

Amplified Bible

"After an alliance is made with him he will work deceitfully, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully. He will rise to power with a small nation.

Hebrew Names Version
After the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

King James Version
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

English Standard Version
And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully, and he shall become strong with a small people.

New American Standard Bible
"After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

New Century Version
Many nations will make agreements with that cruel and hated ruler, but he will lie to them. He will gain much power, but only a few people will support him.

Geneva Bible (1587)
And after the league made with him, he shall worke deceitfully: for he shall come vp, and ouercome with a small people.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"After an alliance is made with him he will practice deception, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.

Berean Standard Bible
After an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully; for he will rise to power with only a few people.

Contemporary English Version
He will make a treaty, but he will be deceitful and break it, even though he has only a few followers.

Complete Jewish Bible
Alliances will be made with him, but he will undermine them by deceit. Then, although he will have but a small following, he will emerge and become strong.

Darby Translation
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully, and he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

Easy-to-Read Version
Many nations will make agreements with that cruel and hated ruler, but he will lie and trick them. He will gain much power, but only a few people will support him.

George Lamsa Translation
And some of those who will make a league with him shall work deceitfully against him.

Good News Translation
By making treaties, he will deceive other nations, and he will grow stronger and stronger, even though he rules only a small nation.

Lexham English Bible
And after an alliance is made with him, he will act deceitfully, and he will rise and he will become powerful with few people backing him.

Literal Translation
And after they join themselves to him, he will practice deceit; for he shall come and shall be strong with a few people.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
So after yt he hath taken truce with him, he shal hadle disceatfully: that he maye get vp, & ouer come him with a small flocke:

American Standard Version
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

Bible in Basic English
And from the time when they make an agreement with him, he will be working falsely: for he will take up arms suddenly with a small force,

JPS Old Testament (1917)
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; and he shall come up and become strong, with a little nation.

King James Version (1611)
And after the league made with him he shall worke deceitfully, for hee shall come vp, and shall become strong with a small people.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And after the leage made with him, he shall worke deceiptfully: for he shall come vp, and ouercome with a small people.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
And because of the leagues made with him he shall work deceit: and he shall come up, and overpower them with a small nation.

English Revised Version
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

World English Bible
After the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And after frenschipe with hym, he schal do gile. And he schal stie, and he schal ouercome with litil puple;

Update Bible Version
And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

Webster's Bible Translation
And after the league [made] with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

New English Translation
After entering into an alliance with him, he will behave treacherously; he will ascend to power with only a small force.

New King James Version
And after the league is made with him he shall act deceitfully, for he shall come up and become strong with a small number of people.

New Living Translation
With deceitful promises, he will make various alliances. He will become strong despite having only a handful of followers.

New Life Bible
And after a peace agreement is made with him, he will use false ways and become strong with a small army.

New Revised Standard
And after an alliance is made with him, he shall act deceitfully and become strong with a small party.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and, by reason of the leaguing against him, he will work deceitfully, and will come up and become strong, with a small nation.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And after friendships, he will deal deceitfully with him: and he shall go up, and shall overcome with a small people.

Revised Standard Version
And from the time that an alliance is made with him he shall act deceitfully; and he shall become strong with a small people.

Young's Literal Translation
And after they join themselves unto him, he worketh deceit, and hath increased, and hath been strong by a few of the nation.

Contextual Overview

²¹"And in his place [in Syria] will arise a despicable and despised person, to whom royal majesty and the honor of kingship have not been conferred, but he will come [without warning] in a time of tranquility and seize the kingdom by intrigue. ²²"The overwhelming forces [of the invading armies of Egypt] will be flooded away before him and smashed; and also the prince of the covenant [will be smashed]. ²³"After an alliance is made with him he will work deceitfully, and he will go up and gain power with a small force of people.²⁴"In a time of tranquility, [without warning] he will enter the most productive and richest parts of the kingdom [of Egypt], and he will accomplish that which his fathers never did, nor his fathers' fathers; he will distribute plunder, spoil and goods among them. He will devise plans against strongholds, but only for a time [decreed by God]. ²⁵"He will stir up his strength and courage against [his former Egyptian ally] the king of the South (Ptolemy VI) with a great army; so the king of the South will prepare an extremely great and powerful army to wage war, but he will not stand, for schemes will be devised against him. ²⁶"Yes, those who eat his fine food will betray and destroy him (Ptolemy VI), and his army will be swept away, and many will fall down slain. ²⁷"And as for both of these kings, their hearts will be set on doing evil; they will speak lies over the same table, but it will not succeed, for the end is yet to come at the appointed time. ²⁸"Then he (Antiochus IV Epiphanes) will return to his land with great treasure (plunder); and his heart will be set against the holy covenant, and he will take action and return to his own land (Syria). ²⁹"At the time appointed [by God] he will return and come into the South, but this last time will not be successful as were the previous invasions [of Egypt]. ³⁰"For ships of Cyprus [in Roman hands] will come against him; therefore he will be discouraged and turn back [to Israel] and carry out his rage against the holy covenant and take action; so he will return and show favoritism toward those [Jews] who abandon (break) the holy covenant [with God].

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

work: Daniel 8:25, Genesis 34:13, Psalms 52:2, Proverbs 11:18, Ezekiel 17:13-19, Romans 1:29, 2 Corinthians 11:3, 2 Thessalonians 2:9

Reciprocal: Daniel 11:29 - as the former

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And after the league made with him,.... The prince of the covenant; either Demetrius his nephew, or Ptolemy Philometor king of Egypt, with whom a league was made in the lifetime of Cleopatra, the sister of Antiochus, and mother of Ptolemy:

he shall work deceitfully; either with the princes and people of Syria, by good words and fair speeches, and by gifts and presents, to get the kingdom for himself, though he had covenanted with his nephew to hold it for him, and resign it to him at his return; and with the Romans, and among his friends in the senate, he artfully worked to detain him at Rome: or else with the king of Egypt, pretending great friendship to him, and to take the care and tuition of him during his minority; and at his coronation he sent one Apollonius to be present at it, and to congratulate him upon it; in the Apocrypha:

"Now when Apollonius the son of Menestheus was sent into Egypt for the coronation of king Ptolemeus Philometor, Antiochus, understanding him not to be well affected to his affairs, provided for his own safety: whereupon he came to Joppa, and from thence to Jerusalem:'' (2 Maccabees 4:21)

for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people; either he went into the heart of Syria with a small number of men at first, and gathered together a large army; or into Phoenicia with a handful of men, where he ingratiated himself into the affections of the people by words and gifts, and became strong; or he went up into Egypt accompanied only with a few, lest, the Egyptians should be suspicious of him; but these it is said were valiant men, whom he placed in the forts of Egypt, and so became master of it, which is an instance of his deceitful working; and Sutorius, an ancient historian, as quoted by Jerom, says that he subdued Egypt to himself with a very small number of people.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And after the league made with him - A treaty of peace and concord. The great subject of contention between the kings of Syria and Egypt was the possession of Coelo-Syria and Palestine. This they often endeavored to settle by conquest as each of them claimed that in the original partition of the empire of Alexander this portion of the empire fell to himself; and often they endeavored to settle it by treaty. Consequently this region was constantly passing from one to the other, and was also the seat of frequent wars. The “league” here referred to seems to have been that respecting this country - file successive promises which had been made to the king of Egypt that Coelo-Syria and Palestine should be made over to him. These provinces had been secured to Ptolemy Lagus by the treaty made 301 b.c., and they had been again pledged by Antiochus the Great, in dowry, when his daughter Cleopatra should be made queen of Egypt. - Jahn, “Heb. Commonwealth,” p. 260. Antiochus Epiphanes, however, was by no means disposed to confirm this grant, and hence, the wars in which he was involved with the Egyptians.

He shall work deceitfully - In reference to the covenant or treaty above referred to. He shall endeavor to evade its claims; he shall refuse to comply with its conditions; he shall not deliver up the provinces according to the terms of the compact. The history accords exactly with this, for he did not intend to comply with the terms of the treaty, but sought every means to evade it, and finally waged a succession of bloody wars with Egypt. In reference to the terms of this treaty, and to secure their respective interests, both parties sent ambassadors to Rome to urge their claims before the Roman Senate. - Polybius, “Legat.” Sections 78, 82; Jerome, “Com. in loc.” As soon as Ptolemy Philometor had reached his fourteenth year, he was solemnly invested with the government; and ambassadors from all surrounding countries came to congatulate him on His accession to the throne. “On this occasion Antiochus sent to Egypt Apollonius, the son of Mnestheus, apparently to congratulate the king on his coronation, but with the real intention of sounding the purposes of the Egyptian court. When Apollonius, on has return, informed Antiochus that he was viewed as an enemy by the Egyptians, he immediately sailed to Joppa to survey his frontiers toward Egypt, and to put them in a state of defense.” - Jahn, “Heb. Commonwealth” p. 260; 2 Macc. 4:21.

The purpose of Antiochus was undoubtedly not to surrender Coelo-Syria and Palestine according to the treaties which had been made; and yet he designed to secure them if possible without an open rupture, and hence, his arts of diplomacy, or his efforts to evade compliance with the terms of the compact. Even when he had invaded Egypt, and had obtained possession of the king, Ptolemy Philometor, he still “pretended that he had come to Egypt solely for the good of king Ptolemy, to set the affairs of his kingdom in order for him; and Ptolemy found it expedient to act as though he really thought him his friend. But he must have seen,” says Jahn, “that Antiochus, with all his professions of friendship, was not unmindful of spoil, for he plundered Egypt in every quarter.” - “Heb. Commonwealth,” p. 263.

For he shall come up - Come upon Egypt. The result would be war. Rather than surrender the provinces according to the treaty, he would ultimately invade Egypt, and carry war into its borders.

And shall become strong with a small people - The meaning of this seems to be, that at first his own forces would be small; that he would go up in such a way as not to excite suspicion, but that, either by an increase of his forces there, by uniting himself to confederates, by alluring the people by the promise of rewards, or by gradually taking one town after another and adding them to his dominions, he would become strong. Jahn (Heb. Commonwealth, p. 263) says, “with a small body of troops he made himself master of Memphis, and of all Egypt as far as Alexandria, almost without striking a blow.” Compare Diod. Sic. xxvi. 75, 77; Jos. “Ant.” xii. 5, 2. The fact in the case was, that Antiochus pretended in his invasion of Egypt to be the friend of the Egyptian king, and that he came to aid him, and to settle him finaly on the throne. By degrees, however, he became possessed of one town after another, and subdued one place after another, until he finally became possessed of the king himself, and had him entirely in his powcr.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 23. He shall come up — From Rome, where he had been a hostage for the payment of the tax laid on his father.

Shall become strong with a small people. — At first he had but few to espouse his cause when he arrived at Antioch, the people having been greatly divided by the many claimants of the crown; but being supported by Eumenes and Attalus, his few people increased, and he became strong.