Daniel 11:2 traces the line of Persian power while signaling a pivotal clash with Greece.
When the angelic messenger declares, “And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them” (v.2), it points to a sequence of Persian rulers following Cyrus the Great, who had already ruled Persia. This prophetic statement addresses three further kings—often identified as Cambyses II (530-522 BC), a brief usurper sometimes called Gaumata (522 BC), and Darius I (522-486 BC)—leading up to a fourth, widely regarded as Xerxes I (486-465 BC). Persia was an expansive empire centered in the region of present-day Iran, stretching across multiple territories from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River. By highlighting “three more kings” and then “a fourth,” Daniel’s prophecy underscores the growing credibility and might of the Persian throne after Cyrus’s time, culminating in an especially powerful monarch with significant resources.
After describing how this fourth king “will gain far more riches than all of them” (v.2), the verse continues, “as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will stir up the realm of Greece” (v.2). Xerxes I famously mustered a vast army, using his wealth and influence to challenge the Greek city-states, launching an invasion in 480 BC. His actions sparked momentous conflicts such as the battles at Thermopylae and Salamis, integral to shaping the classical world. Geographically, Greece was at that time a collection of city-states in southeastern Europe along the shores of the Aegean Sea. These dramatic series of wars would eventually contribute to the weakening of the Persian Empire, laying the groundwork for future conquests by Alexander the Great (in 334 BC) and others.
The reference to stirring up Greece also foreshadows the shifting world empires described elsewhere in the biblical narrative (see Daniel 2 and 7). King Xerxes set the stage for Greek supremacy, which culminated in the swift rise of Alexander the Great, altering the political and cultural landscape of the ancient Near East. For believers, the precise nature of these prophetic details may illustrate God’s foreknowledge and sovereignty, themes echoed later by Jesus when He affirmed that He speaks beforehand so that believers may know and trust in divine authority (John 14:29). By connecting the testimony of prophecy across scripture, Daniel 11:2 demonstrates how momentous historical events aligned with God’s overarching plan.
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Daniel 11:2 meaning
When the angelic messenger declares, “And now I will tell you the truth. Behold, three more kings are going to arise in Persia. Then a fourth will gain far more riches than all of them” (v.2), it points to a sequence of Persian rulers following Cyrus the Great, who had already ruled Persia. This prophetic statement addresses three further kings—often identified as Cambyses II (530-522 BC), a brief usurper sometimes called Gaumata (522 BC), and Darius I (522-486 BC)—leading up to a fourth, widely regarded as Xerxes I (486-465 BC). Persia was an expansive empire centered in the region of present-day Iran, stretching across multiple territories from the Aegean Sea to the Indus River. By highlighting “three more kings” and then “a fourth,” Daniel’s prophecy underscores the growing credibility and might of the Persian throne after Cyrus’s time, culminating in an especially powerful monarch with significant resources.
After describing how this fourth king “will gain far more riches than all of them” (v.2), the verse continues, “as soon as he becomes strong through his riches, he will stir up the realm of Greece” (v.2). Xerxes I famously mustered a vast army, using his wealth and influence to challenge the Greek city-states, launching an invasion in 480 BC. His actions sparked momentous conflicts such as the battles at Thermopylae and Salamis, integral to shaping the classical world. Geographically, Greece was at that time a collection of city-states in southeastern Europe along the shores of the Aegean Sea. These dramatic series of wars would eventually contribute to the weakening of the Persian Empire, laying the groundwork for future conquests by Alexander the Great (in 334 BC) and others.
The reference to stirring up Greece also foreshadows the shifting world empires described elsewhere in the biblical narrative (see Daniel 2 and 7). King Xerxes set the stage for Greek supremacy, which culminated in the swift rise of Alexander the Great, altering the political and cultural landscape of the ancient Near East. For believers, the precise nature of these prophetic details may illustrate God’s foreknowledge and sovereignty, themes echoed later by Jesus when He affirmed that He speaks beforehand so that believers may know and trust in divine authority (John 14:29). By connecting the testimony of prophecy across scripture, Daniel 11:2 demonstrates how momentous historical events aligned with God’s overarching plan.