“And I,” — according to the interpretation, in the first year of Darius the Mede, “I stood to strengthen and to support him,” — for his heart was inclined toward Israel, as is related that Darius became aware of the matter of the writing and its interpretation by Daniel, and that punishment had come because of the misuse of the Temple vessels, and he resolved to grant permission to build the Temple; and thus the angel served as a support to him, to bring this intention into action through Cyrus the Great, his relative.

“And now I will tell you the truth,” — concerning what is still decreed regarding Israel: “Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia,” — in addition to Cyrus the Great, “and the fourth,” — together with Cyrus, “and when he becomes strong through his wealth, he will stir up all,” — he will rouse all his forces to wage war “against the kingdom of Greece,” — for at that time there was no single king over Greece, but rather regional rulers.

“And a mighty king shall arise,” — this refers to Alexander the Great. “And he shall rule with great dominion,” — the text speaks briefly here, since the details were already made known to him in the earlier vision.

“And when he shall stand, his kingdom shall be broken,” — for he died at a young age, “and it shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven,” — as explained earlier (8:8), “but not to his posterity,” — the kingdom did not remain with his descendants, “nor according to his dominion,” — for they did not rule over the entire world as he did. And he explains further: “for his kingdom shall be uprooted,” — it was removed from his household, and regarding “not according to his dominion,” he explains: “and for others besides these,” — that beyond the four main rulers, there were also lesser rulers who held authority.

“And the king of the south shall grow strong,” — regarding the interpretation of this vision, the commentators have been perplexed. In my view, this vision comes to explain the earlier visions: up to verse 31 it details the developments in the Greek kingdom until the rise of Antiochus, the oppressor of Israel, whose matter was already seen in the second vision (chapter 8) in the verse “and from one of them came forth a little horn,” and it recounts all that would occur in the Greek kingdom until the emergence of that horn. From verse 31 onward it begins to describe the Roman kingdom and to explain what was seen in that vision regarding the destruction of the Temple and the continued oppression, as was already hinted in the fourth beast of the earlier visions. According to the historical accounts, from the four kings who ruled after Alexander the Great, eventually only two became dominant: the king of the south, namely the king of Egypt (south of Israel), and the king of the north, namely the king of Assyria and Babylonia (north of Israel). Seleucus, who ruled in Assyria and Babylonia and founded Antioch, and his descendants, came to rule Persia, much of Asia, and Greece, and they are all called by the name Antiochus; from them came the wicked Antiochus who oppressed Israel. The kings of the south are called Ptolemy, after the first Ptolemy who ruled after Alexander and initially acted harshly toward Israel. His son, Ptolemy II Philadelphus, loved Israel and ordered the translation of the Torah by seventy elders. Regarding the first Ptolemy it says: “And the king of the south shall grow strong, and one of his princes,” — meaning that a ruler from among his princes, namely Seleucus Nicator, who was at first a commander under Ptolemy, later became strong and took the kingship. “And he shall grow strong above him,” — afterward he became stronger than the king of the south. And this explains the phrase “and he shall rule,” — that he ruled over the northern regions, and regarding “he shall grow strong above him,” it explains: “and his dominion shall be a great dominion,” — for the rule of the king of the north became greater than that of the king of the south.

“And at the end of years they shall join together,” — it is explained in the chronicles that afterward wars arose between the king of the north and the king of the south; and when the king of the north saw rebellion arising in his land, he allied with the king of the south to make peace in this way: Ptolemy II Philadelphus gave his daughter Berenice to Antiochus II Theos, on condition that he divorce his first wife Laodice (who was his sister by his father and had borne him two sons), and that the son born to the daughter of the king of the south would inherit the kingdom. Thus it says: “and the daughter of the king of the south shall come to the king of the north to make an agreement,” — to settle the disputes between them. But after she bore him a son, and her father died, Antiochus restored his first wife; and since she did not trust him, and knew that according to the agreement the kingdom would pass to Berenice’s son, she poisoned her husband, and killed the daughter of the king of the south, her son, and all those who had come with her from Egypt; and her own son, Seleucus II Callinicus, took the throne. Thus it says: “and she shall not retain the strength of her arm,” — the daughter of the king of the south would not be able to maintain her power against the force used against her; “nor shall he stand, nor his arm,” — the king of the north would not stand, for he would die by poison; “but she shall be given up,” — the daughter of the king of the south would be delivered to death, “and those who brought her, and he who begot her, and he who supported her in those times,” — meaning the ministers who brought her, her guardian who raised her, and her counselor who supported her in times of distress.

“And also their gods with their molten images,” — meaning their rulers, “he shall bring into Egypt, and he shall stand for years,” — he remained for two years and had rest from the king of the north.

“And he shall come,” — afterward the king of the north, Seleucus II Callinicus, returned and restored the lands of Syria under his rule, and came with a great fleet to conquer the islands under the dominion of the king of the south. Thus it says: “and he shall come into the kingdom of the south,” — meaning the king of the north will invade the territory of the south. But a stormy wind shattered the ships, and the king escaped alone, “and he returned to his own land,” — in disgrace.

“And his sons,” — the sons of the king of the north, “shall stir themselves up and assemble a multitude of great forces,” — they gathered many armies; one of them died in battle, and Antiochus III the Great, the younger brother who remained, fought against Ptolemy IV Philopator. Thus it says: “and one shall come,” — meaning one of them came, “and overflow and pass through,” — and when Ptolemy saw that he was stronger than him, he sent messengers to make peace, and they made peace for four months. Afterward Antiochus saw that Ptolemy was plotting against him, and that the peace was deceitful, only to gain time and prepare strength for war; therefore he came against him again, “and he shall return,” — meaning he returned a second time, and then he succeeded and came as far as the fortress on the border of Egypt, called Raphia; thus it says: “and he shall stir himself up even to his fortress,” — that is, the fortress of the king of the south, where his strength would ultimately be checked, as will be explained.

“And he shall be stirred to rage,” — the king of the south was of corrupt character and given to pleasures, but when he saw that the enemy had reached his border, he was aroused in bitterness, “and he went out and fought with him, with the king of the north, and set up a great multitude,” — he gathered a large army against the king of the north, “and the multitude shall be given into his hand,” — the army of the king of the north was delivered into his power.

“And the multitude shall be lifted up,” — the army of the king of the south, “and his heart shall be exalted,” — they thought they had completely defeated him, and therefore did not pursue him to total destruction. For the king returned to his pleasures; and thus, although the army of the king of the south struck down many tens of thousands from the forces of the king of the north, “yet he shall not prevail,” — for the king of the north would regain strength again, as will be explained.

“And he shall return,” — the king of the north, namely Antiochus III the Great, “and he shall set up a greater multitude than before,” — and after winning many battles, “and at the end of times, after several years,” — after a considerable period had passed since the earlier wars, “he shall come again,” — he will return once more to Syria and the land of Egypt, which was under the rule of Ptolemy V Epiphanes, the son of Ptolemy IV Philopator, who was still young and whose kingdom was governed by regents, “with a great army and abundant resources,” — prepared for war.

“And in those times many shall stand against the king of the south,” — for the king of Macedonia and others also fought against Egypt at that time, and many rebelled against him. “And the violent ones among your people shall exalt themselves to establish the vision,” — the Jews harbored hatred toward the king of the south because of the harm done by his father, and they said that according to the vision and prophecy the king of the north must prevail; therefore they allied themselves with Antiochus III the Great, received him with honor, and assisted him in his war. But in the end they stumbled, for afterward many of them were killed as a result of this.

“And he shall come,” — completing what was stated earlier, that the king of the north would prevail; “and he shall capture fortified cities,” — taking strongholds from the king of the south; “and the forces of the south,” — that is, its armies, “shall not stand,” — they will not be able to withstand the battle. And even though afterward he sends against him his chosen troops, his elite forces, “there shall be no strength to stand,” — for he captured the fortified cities of Sidon and Gaza, which belonged to the king of Egypt, and the commanders he sent were unable to rescue them from his hand.

“And he who comes against him shall do according to his will,” — the king of the north who came into the lands of the king of the south acted as he pleased, conquering from him all the regions of Syria that had belonged to the king of Egypt, “and none shall stand before him,” — no one was able to withstand him, “and he shall stand in the land of beauty,” — he encamped in the Land of Israel, “and it shall be entirely in his hand,” — and thus he completed the conquest, so that all of Syria and the surrounding lands were fully under his control.

“And he shall set his face,” — after he had conquered all the lands except Egypt, which remained under the king of the south, he set his intention to go “with the strength of his entire kingdom,” — to conquer the land of Egypt itself, where the main power of the southern kingdom lay. It is related in the chronicles that he feared the Romans might come to assist Egypt, and therefore chose to take the kingdom through cunning; he made it appear as though he wished to make peace with the king of Egypt, and gave his daughter, Cleopatra I Syra, to the king of Egypt, intending that she would help him take Egypt from her husband. Thus it says: “and he shall make an agreement with him,” — he made a settlement by giving “him the daughter of women,” — a daughter born to him among his wives, “to corrupt her,” — he intended through her to undermine the kingdom. But his daughter remained faithful to her husband and did not follow her father’s plan; therefore it says: “but she shall not stand, neither shall she be for him,” — she did not act in accordance with his interests, but remained loyal to her husband.

“And he shall set,” — afterward Antiochus III the Great set “his face toward the coastlands,” — and captured many islands that were allied with the Romans, and even entered the islands of Greece, thereby provoking war with Hannibal having encouraged him to do so. “But a commander shall cause his reproach to cease,” — then the commander appointed by Roman Republic, namely Lucius Cornelius Scipio Asiaticus, defeated him in battle; “indeed, he shall repay his reproach to him,” — for when he sent to seek peace from the Romans, their commander replied that the Romans do not become faint-hearted when they are defeated, nor arrogant when they are victorious; and even now they would not demand more than what they had required before the victory—namely, that he withdraw from much of Syria and pay the costs of the war, twelve thousand talents over twelve years. Thus it means that they did not seek to take his entire kingdom, but only to repay his reproach, and no more.

“And he shall set his face,” — Antiochus III the Great returned to the strongholds of his land in order to collect the tribute he had obligated himself to pay to the Romans. He heard that there was a great treasure in a certain temple of idolatry, and he plundered it; “but he shall stumble and fall and not be found,” — the people became enraged and killed him secretly, and his place was not known.

“And one shall arise in his place,” — after Antiochus III the Great, his son Seleucus IV Philopator reigned. It is recorded that throughout the twelve years of his reign he conducted no wars or notable campaigns; rather, he only passed through the cities to collect the tribute that he was required to pay annually to the Romans. Therefore he is called “one who causes an exactor to pass through the glory of the kingdom,” — for all the “splendor” of his kingdom consisted in passing through to exact tribute (and, in a figurative sense, this was ironically called the glory of his reign). “And in a few days he shall be broken,” — he died through a conspiracy of his servants, “but not in anger, nor in battle,” — not through internal rebellion or external war, but by poison.

“And in his place shall arise a contemptible person,” — this refers to Antiochus IV Epiphanes, who was base in his character and actions. “And they did not give upon him the majesty of the kingdom,” — for his elder brother had left behind a son who was the rightful heir, as was stated earlier that a “little horn” arose. “And he came in peace,” — for at the time of his brother’s death he was in Rome, and he came from there, “and he seized the kingdom through intrigue,” — as is explained in the chronicles, that through flattery and smooth words he persuaded the nobles and powerful men of the land to support him in taking the throne.

“And the forces of the flood shall be swept away before him,” — the armies of the nations were broken and overwhelmed before him, “and also the prince of the covenant,” — even the king of Egypt, who had been allied with him, was overthrown.

“From the alliance,” — he explains how this came about: he went to Egypt to visit his sister Cleopatra I Syra, the queen and mother of the king of Egypt, and through the relationship he had with the king of Egypt, who was his relative, he acted deceitfully. “And he came with a small people,” — he entered with only a small retinue, as one would do among allies, “and he became strong,” — and there he established himself and gained power, because the people of the land were not on guard against him.

“In peace,” — by this he entered there securely and without suspicion, “and he came into the richest parts of the province,” — and plundered from them great spoil and wealth, and he devised plans how to capture their fortified cities; “and for a time,” — for he withdrew to rest during the winter and returned again the following year, for he came to the land of Egypt three times.

“And he shall stir up his power,” — on the second occasion he came immediately with great force, and the king of the south, Ptolemy VI Philometor, provoked war against him; but he bribed the commanders of his armies, as it says: “and those who eat of his provisions shall break him,” — the very ones close to the king of the south betrayed him; and through this his army was overwhelmed, and many fell slain.

“And both,” — at that time Ptolemy VI Philometor came into his power, though not as a captive but in close association; and when the people of the land set up his younger brother, Ptolemy VIII Euergetes, in his place, he said that he had come only for the sake of his sister and would leave Egypt if they restored the former king to his throne. And he and the king ate at one table in apparent friendship, yet in their hearts each intended harm to the other; “and at one table they shall speak lies,” — Antiochus promised to strengthen him in his kingship, but this was false, for his plan was to take Egypt under his own rule; and the king of the south promised to submit to him, which was also false. “But it shall not succeed,” — for his intention had been to kindle conflict between the two brothers over the kingship, so that Egypt would fall into his hands; but this plan did not succeed, because after he departed the two brothers made peace and allied themselves together. “For the end is yet at the appointed time,” — for all this was only a preparation for his eventual downfall.

“And he shall return to his land,” — then he returned again to his land with great wealth. At that time a rumor spread in Jerusalem that Antiochus IV Epiphanes had died, and the former High Priest, whom he had removed from office and replaced with another, came there and sought to expel the current priest; and because of this, Antiochus regarded them as rebels. “And his heart shall be against the holy covenant,” — he set his intent to harm Israel, “and he acted,” — and so he did, killing many of them, “and returned to his land.”

“At the appointed time,” — after he heard that the two brothers had made peace between themselves, he removed the mask from his face and came a third time to Egypt; thus it says: “but not as the former or the latter,” — for this time he did not come with divided intentions, but openly sought to take part of the land of Egypt for himself by force. It is recorded in the chronicles that at that time the Egyptians sent to request help from Roman Senate, and they sent him a messenger commanding him to return immediately to his land, and if he refused, he would face war with them; and this is what it refers to.

“And ships of Kittim shall come against him,” — the Romans came by ships, and because of this “he shall return,” — he was forced to withdraw from Egypt. “And he shall be enraged,” — and then he sought to pour out his anger upon Israel; thus it says “and he shall rage against the holy covenant,” — he sought to cause them to abandon the covenant of their Torah, which is the holy covenant. “And he shall return,” — he came against them repeatedly to turn them away from their religion, destroying all who kept the faith of Israel. “And he shall show favor to those who forsake the holy covenant,” — many among Israel joined with him, abandoning the holy covenant and entering his religion, and he treated them well. Up to this point, the narrative describes the deeds of the wicked Antiochus IV Epiphanes, but it does not conclude with how the Hasmoneans later prevailed; that was already explained in the earlier vision, where it was said that this would continue until “the prince of the host would arise,” — referring to Mattathias and his sons — “and from him the continual offering would be restored,” — and the Temple service would be reestablished. That marked the end of Antiochus’s story and his downfall. However, this vision does not elaborate on that salvation, since its purpose is only to describe the troubles that would come upon Israel, not their deliverance — which was only temporary, as afterward the Romans came. From this point onward, it begins to describe the severity of the suffering and destruction that would come through the Romans.

“And forces,” — now he explains the conclusion of what was shown in the earlier visions, where it said “the sanctuary shall be cast down,” and likewise “the city and the sanctuary shall be destroyed by the people of a coming ruler.” There would arise forces and mighty men greater than him — that is, greater than Antiochus IV Epiphanes — meaning powerful and tyrannical warriors, namely Titus and his armies, who were stronger. “And they shall profane the sanctuary, the stronghold,” — for the Temple in the Roman period was a strong and fortified place, unlike the earlier Temple in the days of Antiochus, which had been smaller and weaker; the building of Herod the Great was a great fortress, and they fought from it and were fortified there. For this reason the Roman legions destroyed it; thus it is called “the sanctuary, the stronghold.” “And they shall remove the continual offering,” — as stated earlier, “and they shall set up the abomination that desolates,” — this occurred afterward in the days of Hadrian, when an idol was set up on the site of the Temple, as was said earlier, “upon the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate.”

“And those who act wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with smooth words,” — now he explains what was said in the earlier vision, “he shall strengthen a covenant with many for one week”: he will flatter the lawless ones among the violators of the covenant and speak to them with smooth speech, so that they will enter into a covenant with the Romans. “But the people who know their God shall be strong and act,” — they will strengthen themselves and act to save the people, such as Yohanan ben Zakkai and his companions.

“And the wise among the people shall give understanding to many,” — these are the sages of the generation, who instructed the masses to remain firm in their faith; “yet they shall stumble by the sword,” — many of them were killed after the destruction.

“And when they stumble, they shall be helped with a little help,” — in the days of Bar Kokhba, and then many joined them to cast off the yoke of the Romans; and even among the wise some stumbled, such as Rabbi Akiva, who supported Bar Kokhba. And this was in order to refine them, that through this the sins of Israel would be purified, “and to refine and to purify and to make them white,” — their iniquities would be clarified and cleansed. And so it would continue “until the time of the end,” — when many of the righteous were killed and atoned for the sins of the generations; “for it is yet for the appointed time,” — this pattern would recur many times until the time of redemption would arrive, for in every decree of persecution holy martyrs were killed, and yet there was always “a little help,” so that Israel would not be completely destroyed.

“And the king shall act,” — now he comes to explain what was said to him in the earlier vision: “and at the end of their kingdom there shall arise a fierce king,” referring to the rule symbolized by the little horn. Thus it says: “the king,” — the known ruler whom he had already seen in the first and second visions, “shall do according to his will,” — as it says there that he would seek to change times and law, “and he shall exalt himself above every god,” — for he would abolish the worship of the idols that had been practiced before.

“And against the God of gods he shall speak wondrous things,” — he will establish doctrines about God that are beyond the intellect, and present them as marvels; “and he shall prosper,” — this belief will succeed, “until the indignation is complete,” — until the wrath of God against His people is finished, “for that which is decreed shall be done,” — the calamity decreed upon Israel has already been determined by the divine decree.

“And he shall not regard the God of his fathers,” — for his ancestors worshiped the celestial powers (such as Jupiter and Venus), “and he shall not regard any god,” — for he will not worship anything except the First Cause, “for he shall exalt himself above every god,” — claiming that he is the prophet of God on earth and that he is endowed with divine influence and power.

“But to a god,” — nevertheless he will honor a god of strongholds, claiming that he has strength from his Father in heaven; “in his place,” — that he stands in his position and in his place, saying that he is His agent on earth and stands in His name and in His stead in the kingdom of heaven. “And to a god,” — he explains who this “god of strongholds” is: “a god whom his fathers did not know,” — for his ancestors did not believe in him, and he was not from their people or tribe; “he shall honor with gold and silver,” — he will honor him with wealth and riches.

“And he shall act,” — he will construct “strongholds of fortresses,” exceedingly high and fortified, and he will greatly honor these fortresses with gold and silver, “and he shall cause them to rule over many,” — all will be subject to them and pay tribute to these strongholds.

“And at the time of the end,” — now he prophesies what will occur in the latter days: then the king of the south will clash and wage war against him, “and the king of the north shall storm against him,” — the king of the north will contend mightily and surge to prevail. It has already been explained that at that time there will be war with Gog and Magog, coming from the north to conquer Jerusalem, and the king of the south will stand against him. “And he shall come into the lands,” — afterward he will enter the lands of the region of Ishmael, “and overflow and pass through,” — sweeping through them with his armies.

“And he shall come,” — until he comes to the “land of beauty” (the Land of Israel) to conquer it, “and many shall stumble,” — many lands of the eastern regions will fall and be unable to stand against him, but Edom and Moab shall escape from his hand.

“And he shall stretch out his hand,” — to seize spoil and plunder wealth; “and the land of Egypt,” — he will also conquer the land of Egypt, as was prophesied regarding this, “and the Libyans and the Cushites shall be in his train,” — the people of Cush (Ethiopia) will assist the eastern nations; and according to the context, this phrase may refer to all of them, that he will rule over all the treasures of Egypt, the Libyans, and the Cushites, taking their wealth as spoil, and they will be aligned with the eastern powers.

“And reports shall alarm him,” — afterward armies will arise to avenge their brethren, as it is said that he will go out in great fury to destroy and to fight against them.

“And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas,” — as explained in Ezekiel (chapter 39), in the valley east of the sea, which blocks those who pass; “yet he shall come to his end,” — for there the multitude of Gog will fall, as it is said that they will bury Gog and all his multitude there.