The verse shows how human ambition and political intrigue often collide with divine providence, resulting in sudden turns of fortune.
Daniel 11:22 predicts a sudden triumph for a rising ruler, describing that “the overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant” (v.22). In other words, this leader’s military campaign will swiftly sweep away his enemies, leaving them powerless against him. The statement about the “prince of the covenant” indicates that someone who had made a binding pact would also be caught in this defeat, highlighting the deep political maneuvering of the era.
Historically, many interpret the figure “before whom the overflowing forces are flooded away” as Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who rose to power in the mid-second century B.C. Antiochus faced Egypt’s Ptolemy VI, a young ruler who forged an agreement with Antiochus in hopes of regaining his throne and certain territories (sometimes referred to as the “covenant” in this passage). Ptolemy VI’s army, despite being considerable, was decisively crushed, and he himself was captured, thereby exemplifying the fulfillment of this verse: the overwhelming force was broken and the prince who made a covenant fell under Antiochus’s hand.
This swift defeat demonstrated that earthly alliances and treaties offered little protection against the relentless aggression of rising empires. In Daniel’s broader prophetic narrative, these repeated struggles among regional powers underscore the fragile nature of human kingships and the ultimate sovereignty of God over all kingdoms (Daniel 4:32). Although intending to secure stability, the “prince of the covenant” found the opposite—a reminder that no alliance can stand if it is outside God’s overarching plan.
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Daniel 11:22 meaning
Daniel 11:22 predicts a sudden triumph for a rising ruler, describing that “the overflowing forces will be flooded away before him and shattered, and also the prince of the covenant” (v.22). In other words, this leader’s military campaign will swiftly sweep away his enemies, leaving them powerless against him. The statement about the “prince of the covenant” indicates that someone who had made a binding pact would also be caught in this defeat, highlighting the deep political maneuvering of the era.
Historically, many interpret the figure “before whom the overflowing forces are flooded away” as Antiochus IV Epiphanes, the Seleucid king who rose to power in the mid-second century B.C. Antiochus faced Egypt’s Ptolemy VI, a young ruler who forged an agreement with Antiochus in hopes of regaining his throne and certain territories (sometimes referred to as the “covenant” in this passage). Ptolemy VI’s army, despite being considerable, was decisively crushed, and he himself was captured, thereby exemplifying the fulfillment of this verse: the overwhelming force was broken and the prince who made a covenant fell under Antiochus’s hand.
This swift defeat demonstrated that earthly alliances and treaties offered little protection against the relentless aggression of rising empires. In Daniel’s broader prophetic narrative, these repeated struggles among regional powers underscore the fragile nature of human kingships and the ultimate sovereignty of God over all kingdoms (Daniel 4:32). Although intending to secure stability, the “prince of the covenant” found the opposite—a reminder that no alliance can stand if it is outside God’s overarching plan.