Structure of Daniel 11, part 1

Study:

Notice the indicators of structure in Daniel 11.

"gold," "silver," and "precious"/"precious things"/"pleasant things":

"And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious [#2532] vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north." Daniel 11:8

"But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things [#2532]." Daniel 11:38

"But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things [#2532] of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps." Daniel 11:43

"join together" and "league":

"And in the end of years they shall join themselves together [#2266]; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times." Daniel 11:6

"And after the league made [#2266] with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people." Daniel 11:23

"king of the south" and "king of the north": 

"And the king of the south shall be strong, and one of his princes; and he shall be strong above him, and have dominion; his dominion shall be a great dominion. And in the end of years they shall join themselves together; for the king’s daughter of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement: but she shall not retain the power of the arm; neither shall he stand, nor his arm: but she shall be given up, and they that brought her, and he that begat her, and he that strengthened her in these times. But out of a branch of her roots shall one stand up in his estate, which shall come with an army, and shall enter into the fortress of the king of the north, and shall deal against them, and shall prevail: And shall also carry captives into Egypt their gods, with their princes, and with their precious vessels of silver and of gold; and he shall continue more years than the king of the north. So the king of the south shall come into his kingdom, and shall return into his own land." Daniel 11:5-9

"And the king of the south shall be moved with choler, and shall come forth and fight with him, even with the king of the north: and he shall set forth a great multitude; but the multitude shall be given into his hand." Daniel 11:11

"For the king of the north shall return, and shall set forth a multitude greater than the former, and shall certainly come after certain years with a great army and with much riches. And in those times there shall many stand up against the king of the south: also the robbers of thy people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision; but they shall fall. So the king of the north shall come, and cast up a mount, and take the most fenced cities: and the arms of the south shall not withstand, neither his chosen people, neither shall there be any strength to withstand." Daniel 11:13-15

"And he shall stir up his power and his courage against the king of the south with a great army; and the king of the south shall be stirred up to battle with a very great and mighty army; but he shall not stand: for they shall forecast devices against him." Daniel 11:25

"And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over." Daniel 11:40

Recall that according to Daniel 8, the "little horn" (vs. 9) is interpreted by the angel as "a king of fierce countenance" (vs. 23). Now recall that this horn moves first horizontally and then vertically or heavenward. Take note of the horizontal movement. According to the angel, God's focus is on the Jewish nation. All of these aspects are included in the following structure.

Vision (vs. 8:9)
Interpretation (vss. 8:23-25a)
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land.
And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, ...
Structure:
...a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. vs. 23
And his power shall be mighty, but not by his own power:
and he shall destroy wonderfully,
and shall prosper, and practise,
and shall destroy
the mighty and the holy people. vs. 24
And through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand;... vs. 25

So, Daniel 8 emphasizes Rome and the destruction of the Jewish nation. Well so does Daniel 11!

Now, recall Daniel 9! Recall it deals with the Messiah... and though Christ died for the world, he is a Jewish Messiah! And since Daniel 11 parallels Daniel 8-9... Daniel 11 mentions Christ, our Jewish Messiah!

Finally, recall the following parallels between Daniel 8-9 & 11.

Daniel 8 & 9
Daniel 11
...a king of fierce countenance [face], and understanding dark sentences, shall stand up. vs. 8:23
He shall also set his face to enter with the strength of his whole kingdom... vs. 17
After this shall he turn his face unto the isles, and shall take many... vs. 18
Then he shall turn his face toward the fort of his own land: but he shall stumble and fall, and not be found. vs. 19
And out of one of them came forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great ... toward the pleasant land. vs. 8:9
...and he shall stand in the glorious land, which by his hand shall be consumed. vs. 16
...from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince... vs. 9:25
...and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary... vs. 9:26
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week... vs. 9:27
Note: (not same Heb. word for "prince"!)
Yea, he magnified himself even to the prince of the host... vs. 8:11
...he shall also stand up against the Prince of princes... vs. 8:25
And with the arms of a flood shall they be overflown from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant. vs. 22
Note: (other occurrences of "covenant")
...and his heart shall be against the holy covenant... vs. 28
...therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: ... he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. vs. 30
And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries... vs. 32

Notice how the above forms a structure...

Partial structure:

"precious,"silver," and "gold" AND
"joined"/"leagued" AND
"king of the north/south" vss. 5-15
"the glorious land" (Judea, Jewish homeland) vs. 16
"face," "face," "face" vss. 17-19
"the prince of the covenant" (Jewish Messiah) vs. 22
"precious,"silver," and "gold" AND
"joined"/"leagued" AND
"king of the north/south" vss. 23-43

Notice then that,

  1. clear reference is made to the Jews in verses 16 & 22, to Judea and the Messiah,
  2. neither the "king of the north" nor the "king of the south" is mentioned in verses 16-22, and
  3. "face," the noun, as opposed to "before," the preposition, only appears in verses 17-19, referencing the "little horn" or "king of stern countenance" of Daniel 8.

To be continued...

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