The Meaning of Daniel 11:22 Explained

Daniel 11:22

KJV: 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.

YLT: And the arms of the flood are overflowed from before him, and are broken; and also the leader of the covenant.

Darby: And the overflowing forces shall be overflowed from before him, and shall be broken: yea, also the prince of the covenant.

ASV: And the overwhelming forces shall be overwhelmed from before him, and shall be broken; yea, also the prince of the covenant.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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. 

What does Daniel 11:22 Mean?

Verse Meaning

Antiochus IV was successful in battle against the Egyptians initially, which this verse describes as "flooding away" the overwhelming forces opposed to him. The Egyptian king was now Ptolemy VI, whom Antiochus deceived and then defeated.
"It was Epiphanes" policy to throw his intended victims off guard by offering them his friendship and alliance. Then he would maneuver for an advantageous position till he could catch them by surprise." [1]
Note the parallel strategy of Antichrist ( Daniel 9:27). Antiochus also swept away the Jewish high priest, Onias III, here called "the prince of the covenant," about172 B.C. Another view is that Ptolemy VI was "the prince of the covenant" since Antiochus later made a treaty with him. However, the term "covenant" in this chapter seems to refer to the Jewish state (cf. Daniel 11:28; Daniel 11:32).

Context Summary

Daniel 11:15-29 - The Despoiler Triumphs For A Time
What a picture is presented in this paragraph of the tangled web of earthly politics. They have been too much, and for too long, in the hands of those who sought only their own aggrandizement to attain which they have been willing to sacrifice their honor, their families, their daughters, their people. The time has arrived when the people themselves, at first hand, must determine their destinies. These intrigues between the kings of Syria on the north and the kings of Egypt on the south have little interest for us, and are recorded here only as affecting the history of the Chosen People. This enables us to realize that the events of the present hour are being overruled by divine Providence in the interests of the Church of Christ. This alone abides; all else is of secondary importance and is rapidly passing away. The eternal purpose stands forever sure-that the Father has committed the empire of the world to our Lord, and is about to sum all things up in Him, who is the Head. [source]

Chapter Summary: Daniel 11

1  The overthrow of Persia by the king of Grecia
5  Leagues and conflicts between the kings of the south and of the north
30  The invasion and tyranny of the Romans

What do the individual words in Daniel 11:22 mean?

And with the force of a flood they shall be swept away from before him and be broken and also the prince of the covenant
וּזְרֹע֥וֹת הַשֶּׁ֛טֶף יִשָּׁטְפ֥וּ מִלְּפָנָ֖יו וְיִשָּׁבֵ֑רוּ וְגַ֖ם נְגִ֥יד בְּרִֽית

וּזְרֹע֥וֹת  And  with  the  force 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, feminine plural construct
Root: זְרֹועַ  
Sense: arm, forearm, shoulder, strength.
הַשֶּׁ֛טֶף  of  a  flood 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שֶׁטֶף  
Sense: flood, downpour.
יִשָּׁטְפ֥וּ  they  shall  be  swept  away 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁטַף  
Sense: to wash, rinse, overflow, engulf, rinse or wash off.
מִלְּפָנָ֖יו  from  before  him 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Noun, common plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: לִפְנֵי 
Sense: face.
וְיִשָּׁבֵ֑רוּ  and  be  broken 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
וְגַ֖ם  and  also 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Conjunction
Root: גַּם  
Sense: also, even, indeed, moreover, yea.
נְגִ֥יד  the  prince 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: נָגִיד  
Sense: leader, ruler, captain, prince.
בְּרִֽית  of  the  covenant 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: בְּרִית  
Sense: covenant, alliance, pledge.