The Meaning of Daniel 11:4 Explained

Daniel 11:4

KJV: And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven; and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion which he ruled: for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside those.

YLT: and according to his standing is his kingdom broken, and divided to the four winds of the heavens, and not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion that he ruled, for his kingdom is plucked up -- and for others apart from these.

Darby: And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of the heavens; but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others beside these.

ASV: And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided toward the four winds of heaven, but not to his posterity, nor according to his dominion wherewith he ruled; for his kingdom shall be plucked up, even for others besides these.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And when he shall stand up,  his kingdom  shall be broken,  and shall be divided  toward the four  winds  of heaven;  and not to his posterity,  nor according to his dominion  which he ruled:  for his kingdom  shall be plucked up,  even for others  beside those. 

What does Daniel 11:4 Mean?

Verse Meaning

After conquering most of the ancient world, even farther east than the Persian Empire had extended, Alexander died prematurely in Babylon, his imperial capital, in323 B.C. His two sons, Hercules and Alexander, were both murdered when they were very young, as was his uncle, Philip Arrhidaeus. Consequently, his kingdom eventually was divided up between his four leading generals (cf. Daniel 7:6; Daniel 8:8; Daniel 8:22). Cassander ruled Macedonia-Greece, Lysimachus governed Thrace-Asia Minor, Seleucus took the rest of Asia except lower Syria and Palestine, and Ptolemy reigned over Egypt and Palestine. This Greek Empire following Alexander"s demise did not retain the strength that it had previously under the centralized authority of Alexander.

Context Summary

Daniel 11:1-14 - The Rise And Fall Of Empires
This chapter foretells the histories of Xerxes, of Alexander the Great, the division of his kingdom on his death, and the long conflicts between the kings of Syria and Egypt. During those years of turmoil and war the eyes of God's faithful servants must often have turned to this page for guidance and comfort. The voice of the prophets was hushed between Malachi 4:1-6 and Matthew 1:1-25, and therefore the written word would be more than ordinarily precious. It must have comforted them to be assured that God knew the way they had to travel and would supply all needed help. What a weary monotony of strife, war, and misery is the history of world kingdoms! The heathen rage; the people are moved. Earth and sky are wrapped in clouds and darkness. We are reminded of the chaos of the primal condition of our earth, when it was without form and void and darkness was on the face of the deep. But as in creation, so in history: in the darkest hours the divine Spirit is brooding in the heart of the night, and will presently re-establish order and beauty. [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 11:4 mean?

And when he has arisen shall be broken up his kingdom and divided toward four the winds of heaven but not among his posterity nor according to his dominion with which he ruled for shall be uprooted and even for others besides these
וּכְעָמְדוֹ֙ תִּשָּׁבֵ֣ר מַלְכוּת֔וֹ וְתֵחָ֕ץ לְאַרְבַּ֖ע רוּח֣וֹת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וְלֹ֣א לְאַחֲרִית֗וֹ וְלֹ֤א כְמָשְׁלוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר מָשָׁ֔ל כִּ֤י תִנָּתֵשׁ֙ וְלַאֲחֵרִ֖ים מִלְּבַד־ אֵֽלֶּה

וּכְעָמְדוֹ֙  And  when  he  has  arisen 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct, third person masculine singular
Root: עָמַד  
Sense: to stand, remain, endure, take one’s stand.
תִּשָּׁבֵ֣ר  shall  be  broken  up 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: שָׁבוּר 
Sense: to break, break in pieces.
מַלְכוּת֔וֹ  his  kingdom 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מַלְכוּת  
Sense: royalty, royal power, reign, kingdom, sovereign power.
וְתֵחָ֕ץ  and  divided 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person feminine singular
Root: חָצָה  
Sense: to divide, cut in two, cut short, live half (of one’s life).
לְאַרְבַּ֖ע  toward  four 
Parse: Preposition-l, Number, feminine singular construct
Root: אַרְבַּע  
Sense: four.
רוּח֣וֹת  the  winds 
Parse: Noun, common plural construct
Root: רוּחַ  
Sense: wind, breath, mind, spirit.
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם  of  heaven 
Parse: Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
וְלֹ֣א  but  not 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
לְאַחֲרִית֗וֹ  among  his  posterity 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: אַחֲרִית  
Sense: after part, end.
וְלֹ֤א  nor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
כְמָשְׁלוֹ֙  according  to  his  dominion 
Parse: Preposition-k, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: מֹשֶׁל 
Sense: dominion.
אֲשֶׁ֣ר  with  which 
Parse: Pronoun, relative
Root: אֲשֶׁר 
Sense: (relative part.).
מָשָׁ֔ל  he  ruled 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: מָשַׁל  
Sense: to rule, have dominion, reign.
תִנָּתֵשׁ֙  shall  be  uprooted 
Parse: Verb, Nifal, Imperfect, third person feminine singular
Root: נָתַשׁ  
Sense: to pull up, expel, root out, pluck up.
וְלַאֲחֵרִ֖ים  and  even  for  others 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l, Adjective, masculine plural
Root: אַחֵר  
Sense: another, other, following.
מִלְּבַד־  besides 
Parse: Preposition-m, Preposition-l, Noun, masculine singular
Root: בַּד 
Sense: alone, by itself, besides, a part, separation, being alone.
אֵֽלֶּה  these 
Parse: Pronoun, common plural
Root: אֵהֶל 
Sense: these.