The Meaning of Daniel 11:23 Explained

Daniel 11:23

KJV: And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

YLT: And after they join themselves unto him, he worketh deceit, and hath increased, and hath been strong by a few of the nation.

Darby: And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully, and he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people.

ASV: And after the league made with him he shall work deceitfully; for he shall come up, and shall become strong, with a small people.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

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

What does Daniel 11:23 Mean?

Verse Meaning

This verse probably refers to the alliance that Antiochus made with Ptolemy VI in170 B.C. This treaty was part of a plot to advance his own power in Egypt by siding with Ptolemy VI and against his rival for the Egyptian throne.

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 11:23 mean?

And after the league [is made] with him he shall act deceitfully for he shall come up and become strong with small a [number of] people
וּמִן־ הִֽתְחַבְּר֥וּת אֵלָ֖יו יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה מִרְמָ֑ה וְעָלָ֥ה וְעָצַ֖ם בִּמְעַט־ גּֽוֹי

וּמִן־  And  after 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition
Root: מִן 
Sense: from, out of, on account of, off, on the side of, since, above, than, so that not, more than.
הִֽתְחַבְּר֥וּת  the  league  [is  made] 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Infinitive construct
Root: הִתְחַבְּרוּת 
Sense: to unite, join, bind together, be joined, be coupled, be in league, heap up, have fellowship with, be compact, be a charmer.
אֵלָ֖יו  with  him 
Parse: Preposition, third person masculine singular
Root: אֶל  
Sense: to, toward, unto (of motion).
יַעֲשֶׂ֣ה  he  shall  act 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָשָׂה 
Sense: to do, fashion, accomplish, make.
מִרְמָ֑ה  deceitfully 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: מִרְמָה  
Sense: deceit, treachery.
וְעָלָ֥ה  for  he  shall  come  up 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: סָלַק 
Sense: to go up, ascend, climb.
וְעָצַ֖ם  and  become  strong 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: עָצַם 
Sense: to be vast, be numerous, be mighty.
בִּמְעַט־  with  small 
Parse: Preposition-b, Adjective, masculine singular construct
Root: מְעַט  
Sense: littleness, few, a little, fewness.
גּֽוֹי  a  [number  of]  people 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: גֹּוי 
Sense: nation, people.